Chapter 20
Before Lara opened the shop the following morning she left a posy of red parrot tulips, red chillies, and ranunculus on Sarah’s doorstep with a note of thanks.
She had found some red and white gingham ribbon that reminded her of the tea towel Sarah often wore in her hair, and she had tied the stems with this.
The gesture brought a painful memory – a large bunch of freesias tied with a sage-green ribbon that had once been left on her back doorstep.
As Lara walked back through the silent streets to her shop, Abby kept step beside her.
For once equally silent. At the shop door Abby broke the silence, ‘Kate very much reminds me of someone and it has just come to me. It was my dear friend Emma. Not in looks perhaps but Emma had the same zest for life and the same vulnerability.’
‘Do you know what happened to Emma?’ Lara asked, opening the door.
‘After overcoming a difficulty early on in her life she went on to marry an excellent young man and I believe was very happy. She certainly had a large and vigorous family.’ Abby stood for a moment looking up at the sky.
‘Friendship is a very precious thing and it should never be taken for granted.’
Lara looked around to reply, but Abby was gone. The only indication that she had been there was the slight scent of gardenias that lingered in the cold winter air.
The morning went by in a flurry of phone orders, Lara occasionally glancing towards the empty chair where Abby usually sat.
As irritating as she found her Kindred Spirit, Lara realised she missed her when she wasn’t there.
The fact she was thinking this of a ghost made her suddenly laugh out loud, causing Becky to enquire what was funny.
Lara used the ploy of ‘just remembering an old joke’ and turned the discussion towards Christmas plans for the shop.
Becky had put together a list of her own ideas, and though she began self-consciously, her confidence appeared to grow the more she spoke of them.
Becky suggested keeping things simple with white lights and garlands in one window, but in the other window she proposed placing a small Christmas tree.
On the tree she wanted to hang glass test tubes, displaying one of every type of flower they had in the shop.
‘We can always use them in arrangements later and put new ones in each day, so there isn’t any wastage,’ she said hesitantly, looking anxiously at Lara.
‘I love it.’ Lara smiled. ‘I think I’ll make a start decorating the shop on Sunday when no one’s in.’
‘Will that be before or after church?’ a voice said from behind her.
Abby was back on the stool at the rear of the shop. Today she wore a simple dress the same colour as cooked red peppers, over which was tied a sage-green Miss McGregor’s apron. The boots that peeped from under the hem of her gown were the same colour green.
When the main shop work was done, Lara (quietly) suggested that she and Abby stroll over to Gillmore House to collect the vases that Lady Porter had left her.
They used the entrance through the garden gate as Abby had brought a pouch of tobacco for Thomas.
‘I didn’t realise ghosts could give each other things,’ Lara commented over her shoulder to Abby as she opened up the door to the potting shed.
She was brought up short with a low ‘umph’ as she walked smack into Joe who was emerging through the doorway. ‘Whoa, sorry, Joe,’ she uttered, recovering her balance.
He stepped back and rested the stepladder he was carrying on the toe of his boot. He looked around. ‘Who were you talking to?’
‘That would be the Honourable Abigail Rossmore. Deceased,’ Abby supplied helpfully.
Lara made a sideways swipe at her before realising she must look like she was batting away a non-existent fly.
‘You all right?’ Joe asked, puzzled.
Lara gave up. There was no doubt about it, Joe must think her completely mad. ‘What are you up to?’ she asked, changing the subject.
Joe glanced at the stepladder. ‘Mrs M called. She’s got a leak at the top of the drawing-room window, so I said I’d look at it for her.’
‘What a kind young man,’ Abby commented pointedly before disappearing into the potting shed. Joe stepped over and reached to close the door.
‘No!’ Lara cried, making a dive for the door and catching her hand in the doorjamb. She swore in pain but pulled the door ajar.
‘You okay, Lara?’ Joe exclaimed. ‘Did you want something in there?’ He opened the door and secured it back against the wall with a hook.
Lara nodded, not trusting herself to speak. Anyway she thought, what was she going to say, ‘You’ve got a couple of ghosts in your potting shed and I want to give them some time together’?
Joe looked down at Lara’s red hand. ‘You’re kind of accident prone, aren’t you?’ He grinned. ‘I’m not coming anywhere near you when you’ve got a pair of secateurs in your hand.’
Lara tried to smile back. ‘Joe, I was thinking the other day about something Lady Porter once said to me.’ She decided that as he thought she was so strange anyway there was no harm in asking. ‘You weren’t related to her by any chance?’
Joe paused. ‘You’re the second person to ask me that,’ Joe said, looking mystified.
‘Who was the other person?’ Lara wanted to know.
‘Your friend Julian Armstrong.’
‘He’s not my friend,’ Lara said vehemently. She could not help noticing that Joe looked rather pleased. ‘Anyway, why did he ask?’
‘No idea,’ Joe shrugged.
‘So you’re not then?’ Lara persisted. Joe didn’t say anything but looked at Lara questioningly over the top of the ladder.
‘I’m sorry, I know it’s none of my business, but Lady Porter said something about wanting to remember you in her will?’ She left it as a question. And remembering her experience with Dr Patil she kept silent and waited. Abby was now back in the doorway and like Lara she watched and waited.
Joe looked down at his boots, and after a while said, ‘I’d rather people didn’t know about the will, but yes, she was talking about it.’ He added forcefully, ‘I wasn’t after the old girl’s money, Lara.’
‘I know that, Joe,’ Lara assured him. ‘I just got the impression she’d put you in,’ she lied.
‘Well, I did too from what she said. I can’t say it wouldn’t have been amazing to have that type of money. But it was far too much. It turned out fine this way. Except I miss the old girl,’ Joe said, moving the ladder into a more comfortable hold.
‘I do wish he would stop calling Lady Porter, “the old girl”,’ Abby murmured.
‘Do you mind me asking how much it was?’ Lara persisted, amazed at her own cheek. She wanted to see if Joe knew about the full (huge) amount.
Joe looked at her oddly. ‘About half a million,’ he said quite calmly.
Lara nodded, then realised she ought to sound surprised. ‘Mother Mary and Joseph and all the… something or others,’ Lara exclaimed in a muddled rush.
‘Sweet little fishes,’ Abby provided helpfully.
Joe laughed. ‘You’re the oddest girl, Lara McGregor. You haven’t been hanging out with Kate by any chance?’
‘You know Kate?’ Lara asked.
‘Yep, she does my hair,’ Joe said, running his hand through his shaggy thatch. ‘Look, I have to go. You won’t say anything about it will you?’
Lara shook her head.
As he turned, he paused. ‘Are you going to the Estate’s Christmas Ball this year?’
‘Did someone mention a dance?’ Abby pirouetted neatly on the spot.
‘What?’ Lara was miles away but the mention of the Christmas Ball brought the prospect of Julian and his crowd to mind.
Each year the biggest local landowner threw a ball for the town in support of his favourite charity.
Julian and his friends always attended in force.
‘God no!’ she said before she heard Abby’s sigh of exasperation.
Covered in confusion she looked at Joe. ‘Are you going?’
‘Yep. Most of my clients go, so it’s quite good to get a chance to chat to them.’ He left it at that. As Joe walked on towards the house he was shaking his head.
Abby knew exactly how he felt. She also reflected to herself that the young man had not actually declared whether he was related to Lady Porter or not. And had she believed him when he had said he was happy not to receive a fortune in her will? On that point she was undecided.
They found Mrs M in the pantry sorting the silver. ‘Master Richard wants all of this counted before they move in,’ she said, giving Lara an eloquent look. ‘I wonder if he’ll search me before I leave?’ she added.
‘Did Penny call you about the vases?’ Lara asked.
‘Would that be Pinky?’ Abby enquired.
Lara resisted the temptation to take a swipe at her again.
‘Yes, that’s fine,’ Mrs M replied. ‘Would you like a coffee before you have a look at them?’
Lara accepted gratefully and followed Mrs M to the kitchen. Quite a lot had changed since they were there last and there were a number of packing boxes scattered around the room. Beside one of them stood a pile of books, some old lace tablecloths and a pestle and mortar.
Abby moved over to study the table linen.
It was a bright crisp white and the lace edging was particularly fine.
She drew from her apron pocket a white linen handkerchief bordered with similarly fine lace work.
She then took to studying the pile of books, which from where Lara stood appeared to be a mixture of cookery books and children’s books.
‘Are you having a sort out before you leave?’ Lara asked.
‘Yes, these things belong to me, and there are some bits and pieces that her Ladyship wanted me to have. Not that his nibs likes that,’ Mrs M smiled grimly, as she filled the kettle.
‘Did Lady Porter leave you any of her china?’ Lara asked, adding, ‘I can remember seeing a pretty set with birds and Chinese scenes on when we had tea once.’ Lara thought as she said this what an accomplished liar she was becoming.
‘I know the one. No that stays with the house. There’s almost a full set of that one,’ Mrs M informed her.
‘I just wondered as I think it might be quite valuable.’ Lara had looked up Meissen on the internet that morning and she thought Abby might be right about the value of a full tea service.
Mrs M stared at her intently for a moment but just said, ‘Is instant okay? We’re running low on filter coffee.’
‘Oh, fine,’ Lara replied. She tried another tack. ‘I was in Honeybourne Antiques yesterday and happened to see something similar out the back. Do you think Jason could have bought some of the pieces from Lady Porter?’ she enquired.
‘You’d have to ask him that,’ was Mrs M’s cagey reply. She then added, ‘Lady Porter did deal with Honeybourne. She bought and sold a bit through him. But if you ask me I wouldn’t trust him as far as I could throw him.’
‘As I thought,’ Abby reflected aloud, ‘an astute as well as a capable woman.’
‘Do you think he could have got his hands on some of her china?’ Lara asked.
‘I wouldn’t put it past him,’ Mrs M conceded. ‘But no, I would have noticed if any of that particular set went missing, as I’m the one that washes it and puts it away.’
‘How many pieces are there?’ Lara enquired, accepting a cup and saucer from Mrs M. It might be instant coffee she thought, but nothing would persuade Mrs M to serve coffee in a mug.
‘There’s a tea pot and matching milk jug, a sugar bowl, and let me see, five plates, five cups, but only four saucers. So almost a full set. There was a tea caddy, but I think that might have got broken,’ Mrs M said, counting them out.
‘Do you keep it somewhere safe, Mrs M?’
‘Oh, I will now, my dear, don’t you worry,’ Mrs M said, regarding her with a beady intelligent eye. ‘Now, Lara, tell me what her Ladyship left you.’
Lara explained and Mrs M was outraged at the prospect of Lara being cheated out of what was rightfully hers by the avarice of Richard and Penny. ‘You take whatever you want. Lady Porter would have wanted you to have the vases you liked. China or glass.’
‘It’s okay, Mrs M. I would just like a couple that we used to use for her roses when we did them together.
’ Lara suddenly recalled something else she wanted to ask this woman who had known Lady Porter for thirty years.
In the light of her conversation with Joe, now seemed as good a time as any.
‘Mrs M, do you think that Lady Porter could ever have had any other children? You know, apart from Richard.’
‘I don’t know what’s put that into your head.’ Mrs M was scandalised by the suggestion. ‘There was never any suggestion of that sort of thing.’
‘No, I didn’t mean like that,’ Lara hastened to say, but she realised she was going to get nothing more out of Mrs M who was now sitting with her lips primly pressed together.
Lara finished her coffee and made her way to the door leading to the flower room.
‘I’ll have a look at the vases under the sink and then would you mind if I had a quick look around in case Lady Porter put some elsewhere? ’
For once Lara and Abby were in luck.
‘Well, dear, it would be very helpful if you wouldn’t mind staying here for a bit. Not long, twenty minutes at the most. Mr Richard has got it into his head that I shouldn’t leave the house unattended and it would be a blessing if you’d stay until I got back from the shops.’
‘No problem,’ Lara said.
‘Don’t you worry for a moment, Mrs M, you take as long as you like,’ Abby added, meaning every word of it.