A Grave Inheritance (21 page)

‘It would benefit you. Whatever the Farrell girls get means that your grandmother, David and I will get less. Your grandmother is how old, Nathan, ninety? You’ll inherit when she dies, and while she’s alive I’m sure she’ll see you right.’

Since Nathan’s parents had emigrated to New Zealand ten years previously, literally cutting any ties that bound them, Nathan had, with the help of his grandmother, looked after himself. He began at the solicitors’ office during a work experience fortnight and having made a good impression, a full time job as clerk was offered to him. This was providing he attended Law College on a part-time basis while he worked for them. Nathan readily agreed and started work at Gerrard and Gafferty Solicitors the week after he left school. Nathan thought about what Leonie was asking of him. If he did what she asked, then he would be disloyal to the company who had given him a chance. If he didn’t, he would be disloyal to his grandmother. Nathan decided not to tell Leonie that the wheels were already in motion and that Mr Gerrard had visited Sophia that very morning.

‘Okay, I’ll see what I can do. I’m not promising anything, but I’ll do my best.’ Nathan hadn’t made up his mind what he was going to do, but at that moment his main concern was to get Leonie off his back. He’d talk about it with his grandmother first and see what she had to say. With this thought in mind he gave Leonie a reassuring smile. ‘Leave it with me,’ he said. Draining the last of his beer, Nathan stood, ready to leave.

Leonie had already finished her vodka and tonic and stood up beside him. They walked over to the bar together, and while Leonie waited for the barman to serve her, she turned to Nathan. ‘I knew I could rely on you, Nathan, thank you. I won’t forget this in a hurry. Keep in touch.’

Nathan left the pub and walked backed to the car park and his motorbike, deep in thought.

Chapter 26

When Amelia and Grace arrived home, Nathan Brock was waiting for them, sitting astride his motorbike. He followed them into the kitchen and sat on one of the chairs. Grace went straight to the fridge, took out the orange juice and poured a drink. She glanced over at Nathan, wishing he hadn’t turned up just now. Nathan misread her attention.

‘Yes, please, don’t mind if I do,’ he said, nodding at the orange juice. Grace poured him the last of the juice resentfully.

Grace shook the empty carton at Amelia and shrugged. Amelia poured herself a glass of Evian, then kicked off her sandals and sat down opposite Nathan.

‘So, to what do we owe this pleasure?’ Amelia asked him.

‘I wondered if you intended to visit Sophia Deverell.’

‘We’ve just come from Tapscott Manor,’ Grace said and sat down beside her sister.

Nathan looked surprised. ‘Oh right, you didn’t waste any time. How did it go?’

‘We didn’t stay long, but we’re seeing Sophia again tomorrow.’

‘I wanted to ask you a favour before you met her, but I don’t suppose it matters much now.’ Nathan hesitated and glanced at Grace.

‘What was the favour?’ Amelia asked.

‘The other night, before David and I came to help you with the …’ Nathan hesitated, grasping for the right word, then settled on the obvious and said, ‘you know, the coffin you found. Well, he’d asked me not to mention Sophia Deverell to you. So I was wondering if you wouldn’t let on to him that you heard about her from me.’

‘Why didn’t he want you to tell us?’ Amelia looked surprised.

‘I can’t see what difference it makes. We’d have found out sooner or later,’ Grace remarked tetchily.

‘Right,’ agreed Nathan. ‘So there’s no harm done. But I sort of promised not to.’ After the telling off he’d had from his great grandmother, Nathan wished he’d kept his mouth shut in the first place.

Amelia shook her head. ‘Okay, if it makes you feel better. But I don’t understand David Lanceley. It’s as though he’s got something to hide.’

‘He has in a way, and I think he’s embarrassed about it and he wants to tell you himself. He’s related to the Deverells as well.’ Nathan waited for their reaction.

‘Even so, I don’t understand why he should have a problem with that,’ Amelia said.

‘Don’t you see,’ Grace expanded, ‘it means he’s related to us too, a problem for him if he fancies you.’

‘Don’t be ridiculous, we hardly know each other.’ Amelia concentrated on her glass of water. It was embarrassing to think she’d harboured romantic feelings for a relative.

‘Grace could have point though,’ Nathan stated. ‘David is quite taken with you, Amelia. He told me he was thinking of asking you out to dinner, even quizzed me about where would be the best place in Chester to take you.’

‘He’s a bit too devious for me, sorry. Besides good looks, I like my men straightforward and honest.’

‘Don’t forget a good sense of humour too,’ giggled Grace. ‘Gosh, you sound like a dating advert.’

Amelia blushed. ‘So, go on Nathan, tell us. How is he related to the Deverells?’

‘You remember I told you about the twin brothers, Laurence and Leo Deverell. They had a sister Beatrice and she married a Reverend Simon Lanceley. Beatrice Deverell is David and Leonie’s great grandmother. Leonie is David’s twin.’

‘I’ve met Leonie. They don’t look anything like each other,’ Amelia said.

‘Except for the colour of their hair; twins and red hair run in the Deverell family.’ Nathan ran his fingers through his own hair and Amelia noticed that Nathan’s hair was also red, a dark auburn.

‘You probably remember Leonie from the barbeque the other evening, redhead, tall, big mouth,’ Nathan said and pulled a face. ‘I’d be careful of her if I were you. She’s not someone you’d want as an enemy.’

‘Is this what you thought was important we should know, Nathan, or is there something else?’ Grace wished he would hurry up and go.

‘Nathan leaned back in his chair and relaxed. ‘What I told you the other evening was second-hand stuff, stories that I’ve heard or been told. So I wondered if you would rather hear it straight from the horse’s mouth, so to speak. Doreen, my great granny bless her soul, would like to meet you both. I can bring her here to see you, or if you prefer you could arrange to see her at Tapscott Manor nursing home the next time you’re visiting Sophia.’

‘I’ve already met Doreen, as you know. She’s a feisty old lady, isn’t she?’ Grace remarked.

Nathan nodded. ‘She is, yes. She’s got a marvellous memory too when it comes to her younger days.’

‘What do you think, Grace? Should we go and see Doreen? We could pop in and see her when we visit Sophia,’ Amelia said.

‘Yes, okay,’ Grace replied with misgivings.

Amelia and Grace walked Nathan out to his motor bike.

‘Better get going. Things to do, people to see.’ Nathan mounted his bike and started the engine, then gradually manoeuvred it around to face the road. Over the idling engine noise and through the visor of his helmet he shouted to them, ‘Will it be a problem if I’m with my granny when you see her?’

Amelia’s heart sank. She would have preferred him not to be, but didn’t know how to tell him without hurting his feelings.

Grace solved her dilemma, saying, ‘Yes, no problem. We’ll let you know when we decide to visit her,’ purposely stalling for time.

Chapter 27

On their second scheduled visit to see Sophia, Amelia and Grace went straight in the lift and up to room twenty-four.

‘I’ve remembered something,’ Sophia exclaimed excitedly as soon as Amelia and Grace walked through the door. ‘Lillian kept a diary.’

‘A diary, ‘Grace said, hope stirring.

‘Didn’t you find it when you moved into the cottage?’

Amelia thought for a minute. ‘We only found old exercise books filled with recipes and accounts.’

‘My most vivid memory of Lillian is of her scribbling in her diary. She wouldn’t let anyone read what she’d written.’

‘Why the secrecy?’ Amelia asked, somewhat puzzled.

‘Exactly, and that’s what makes me think they could be significant.’

‘Were you never curious? You know, after Lillian died. I know I would be,’ said Grace.

‘No not really. I had a spate of ill health after she passed away and I decided to move into Tapscott Manor, my old home. Doreen, Lillian’s other house guest, moved with me. Lillian was my best friend and like a mother to me, so I wouldn’t want to invade her privacy. But because of what you’ve found in her garden, they could be important. Her diaries must be somewhere in the cottage.’ Sophia glanced over to the window and shivered. ‘Grace dear, will you pass me my shawl, please, I’m feeling cold.’ Grace lifted a soft woollen shawl from the back of the chair and placed it around Sophia’s shoulders. Unexpectedly, making her jump, Sophia grabbed Grace’s hand and whispered, ‘Can you see her?’

‘Who?’ Grace asked, startled.

‘Over in the corner.’ Grace looked and began to tremble. ‘Don’t be afraid dear, she won’t hurt you.’ Sophia loosened her grasp and beamed. She patted Grace’s hand. ‘I’m so relieved someone else can see her too.’

‘What’s the matter?’ Amelia asked feeling left out.

‘It’s the girl, the one from the garden,’ stammered Grace. ‘Look in the corner by the window.’ Grace raised her hand to point and was horrified to see the girl lift her hand in a wave of recognition. Amelia looked and saw light and shade changing slightly as the sun popped in and out of the scurrying clouds, but other than that everywhere appeared normal.

Sophia looked from the girl back to Grace. ‘Have you seen her before,’ she asked, a little bewildered. Sophia believed the girl was an angel, waiting to escort her from this world.

‘Yes, in Primrose Cottage’s garden.’ Grace kept her voice low.

Sophia lay back against the pillows. ‘Well I never,’ she said.

‘Aunt Sophia … is it alright to call you aunt?’ Grace asked.

Sophia smiled. ‘Of course it is.’ Then sensing there was more to say, she propped herself up on one elbow. ‘What is it, dear?’

Grace looked at Amelia and raised her eyebrows as if asking permission to speak, but Amelia looked back blankly. ‘Aunt Sophia, have you ever seen anyone else standing in the corner of your room?’

Amelia caught on and let out an exaggerated groan. Sophia frowned, obviously confused. ‘No. Why do you ask?’

‘Well, when I saw that girl in the garden she was with someone, a woman with a badly scarred face. Have you ever seen her in your room?’

Whatever colour Sophia had had drained from her face. She clutched the shawl more tightly around her and slowly lowered herself back onto her pillows. ‘No, never,’ she said in a hushed whisper.

Amelia could see how upset Sophia had become and stood quickly. ‘We’d better go now and let you rest.’

Sophia never answered and acted as if they were no longer in the room, but when Grace stood too and turned to leave, she said, ‘You will come and see me again, won’t you?’

‘Yes, of course we will,’ Amelia assured her. ‘We’ll make another appointment for the same time tomorrow.’

‘Goodbye for now,’ Grace said quietly, but Sophia had already drifted off to sleep.

Amelia felt concerned for Sophia. They’d been told explicitly not to upset her, but they had. ‘You handled that well,’ she said to Grace.

Grace looked out of the car window. The excitement at seeing the girl again and the fact that Sophia saw her too justified her smugness when eventually she said,

‘You believe me now though, don’t you? I never imagined it after all, did I?’

‘I believe you,’ Amelia answered dutifully, although to her mind the corroboration of a ninety-year-old wasn’t much of a recommendation.

‘I wonder what happened to Lillian’s diaries,’ Grace mused.

‘Well, remember when you were up in the attic,’ Amelia said, smiling.

‘Yes. What about it?’ Grace frowned, wondering what Amelia was getting at.

‘You said there was an old trunk.’

‘Of course, that’s it. Hurry up and get us home,’ Grace said agitated.

Chapter 28

Back inside the house, Amelia went into the conservatory. The box she’d shoved behind the ferns was still where she’d left it. She lifted it out easily and carried it into the kitchen, setting it on the table. Grace was on the telephone, and from what Amelia could hear, Grace had apologised to Jake and they were friends again.

Grace replaced the receiver and almost immediately the telephone rang again, making her jump. She stood listening to whoever was on the other end and pointed at Amelia when she entered the room. ‘David Lanceley for you,’ Grace said knowingly.

‘Reverend Lanceley.’ Amelia couldn’t bring herself to call him David any more. He hadn’t been in touch since finding the coffin, and his attitude then hadn’t been friendly. Although Nathan had mentioned Lanceley’s interest in her, she was surprised by his call, and as she listened to his pleasantries, she wondered whether to mention her knowledge of his relationship to Sophia Deverell.

‘Amelia, how are you?’ David gushed. ‘I’m sorry I’ve not been in touch. It’s been hectic here at the vicarage. Weddings, christenings, funerals, I can’t complain my life is dull.’

‘Nor I,’ Amelia responded sarcastically.

‘No, I suppose not,’ he sounded rebuked. ‘Not at the moment with everything going on. Have the police left you alone now?’

‘Not really. We had a telephone call earlier to say they were coming back tomorrow to further investigate the garden, which probably means digging the rest of it up. Maybe they think there are more bodies buried there.’ She gave a small laugh without merriment.

‘Why would they think that?’

‘How would I know? I’m only guessing. Anyway, we’ll find out soon enough.’ Exasperated by David’s pompous attitude, Amelia blurted out, ‘Why didn’t you want us to know about Sophia Deverell and the fact that we’re related to her?’

‘You’ve been speaking to Nathan again. What else has he said?’

‘That you’re also related to Sophia. Is it true?’

‘Amelia, I don’t want to get into all of that now. The reason I’ve telephoned you is to ask you out to dinner. Please say yes. I really want to get to know you better and you me. Also it will give me the opportunity to explain everything to you. I know I’ve behaved stupidly, but if you let me explain, I’m sure you will understand.’