Chapter 8 #2
I’ve given this a little thought, and, although everything is obviously going to be okay, and no, you haven’t just made an enormous mistake, I feel there is no other option for me but to put operation Nobble Shiny Rachel into place.
Just a precautionary measure, but we need you out of there, dear friend.
As it happens, when I came in to work on Monday it was to find that Rachel has been asked to ‘sit in’ on some of my meetings with Klein.
Abby was exceedingly vague when I asked her why, but Shiny Rachel is not having the benefit of my experience to help her climb the ladder.
We all know where that kind of ‘help’ leads.
So, long story short, I’d be very happy to give her halo a tiny shove…
Mark my words, Gemma, you’ll be back here in no time. Meanwhile, do not give Leo an inch…
Keep your chin up (and your ankle) and keep me posted,
Cat xxx
P.S. Ask Willow what her skincare regime is. I need some serious help.
Gemma almost laughed out loud. She could hear Cat’s voice as clearly as if she was sitting next to her, and how she wished she was.
Cat never failed to lift her spirits with her no-nonsense attitude and deliciously wicked sense of humour.
She’d never tear down another woman no matter how much she joked about it; she had compassion and loyalty in spades and, despite her words, Gemma knew that would extend to Shiny Rachel as well.
Her message was also a reminder to take things a little less seriously though, and with Cat on her side, she felt far more able to cope with whatever Thistledown might throw at her.
True to Vicky’s word, less than half an hour later, the tearoom door tinkled open and a young woman walked through, holding it wide for the elderly lady behind her.
‘Morning, Ashley, love,’ said Vicky. ‘Same as usual, is it?’
The young woman nodded, smiling as she followed the old lady to a table by the window.
‘And how about you, Merryn? Beautiful day, isn’t it?’
Merryn didn’t reply, but began to unbutton her coat instead.
‘So that’s one scone and one Bakewell tart coming right up,’ said Vicky, coming around the counter. ‘And are we having English Breakfast, or would you like Earl Grey today?’
Merryn gave her a look which could curdle milk. Evidently Vicky could read minds, however, because she simply smiled and turned away, busying herself with the order.
Gemma was just wondering whether she should introduce herself or not when Vicky reappeared, carrying a tray laden with tea things.
‘I’ve got a customer here who’d like your help, Merryn,’ said Vicky, beginning to unload the tray.
A pot of brown sugar lumps, a pair of tongs, an empty plate and two cups and saucers had all reached the table before Merryn swivelled in her chair, gaze sweeping the tearoom.
It stopped when it reached Gemma, surveying her even more intently.
‘I don’t know you,’ she said, identifying Gemma as the only person in the room who could possibly need her help. ‘But I can’t crane my neck round like this. You’ll have to come here if you want to talk to me.’
Gemma struggled to her feet, wincing in pain as she hobbled the short distance to Merryn’s table. ‘Sorry, I’ve twisted my ankle.’ She took a seat and smiled. ‘I’m Gemma,’ she said. ‘It’s nice to meet you.’
The old lady’s eyes narrowed. ‘This is my granddaughter, Ashley.’
Gemma nodded at the shy face which greeted her. ‘Hi, it’s nice to meet you too.’
‘Are you new to the village?’ asked Ashley. ‘Only I don’t think I’ve seen you in here before.’
‘Yes, I’m staying up at Thistledown. With Willow and Rowan?’
‘Are you? That’s very interesting, isn’t it, Nan?’
Merryn frowned. ‘Go and see what’s taking so long with the tart.’
Ashley immediately got to her feet, even though Vicky had only left the table seconds earlier. Merryn could hardly complain that the service was slow. Gemma caught Ashley’s look as she rose and quickly glanced away.
Ashley had barely reached the counter before Merryn tapped the table, leaning in towards Gemma.
‘She doesn’t work… She doesn’t need to – her husband makes pots of money.
But between you and me, she thinks she meets me here so that I get out of the house, when really it’s the other way around.
She’s not one for joining in with things.
I don’t think she can have many friends. ’
Merryn’s voice was a little quieter than it had been before, but not so quiet that Ashley wouldn’t hear her words.
A little flicker of anger rose in Gemma’s stomach.
The young woman might not be all that gregarious, but at least she took the trouble to look after her grandma; many people her age would not.
‘I wondered if I could talk to you about Thistledown,’ she said, refusing to acknowledge Merryn’s barb. ‘I’m trying to find out about the past history of the site, and Vicky mentioned that you run a local history group at the library. I wondered if you could advise me where to start looking.’
‘Well now…’ Merryn’s expression suddenly changed and she sat a little straighter. ‘There are all sorts of places to find information like that, and much depends on what period we’re looking at. The past is quite a big place.’ Her lips quirked in what might have been a smile. ‘Can you elucidate?’
‘I can try,’ replied Gemma, damping down a wry smile of her own.
‘We’re looking for information about what might possibly have been an estate, or at least a much larger dwelling than what’s been there more recently.
But nothing much comes up if I google it.
’ She raised her eyebrows, realising that she hadn’t exactly answered Merryn’s request. ‘The run-down farmhouse that’s there at the moment doesn’t look much older than Victorian, so perhaps sometime within the last two hundred years or so. Maybe three hundred.’
‘Well in that case…’ Merryn thought for a moment.
‘I’ve lived here all my life, as did my parents before me, and there was a big place there.
They used to talk about it sometimes. But I couldn’t tell you what it was called if it’s not Thistledown.
If it was an estate perhaps it wasn’t a very important one.
’ She cleared her throat as Ashley returned to the table, laying a large slice of Bakewell tart in front of her grandma as she did so.
Merryn studied it for a moment before raising her head once more.
‘But for information during that time frame the county archive is the best place to look.’
Gemma nodded. ‘I see, and how do I do that?’
‘The best way is to go into the office… but of course they’re hardly ever open.’ She studied her tart for a second time. ‘You’ll have to leave it with me. I’ll find out what you need to know and give Vicky here the information. Then she can pass it on to you.’
Gemma’s heart sank. She had rather hoped to be able to look for herself, but it was clear that Merryn had a certain way of doing things.
Nothing Gemma said would make her deviate from that, but she had no way of knowing how long Merryn would take and, given the pursed nature of her lips, Gemma didn’t want to ask.
What had seemed so positive ten minutes ago was really nothing of the sort.
She would have to find out about Thistledown in her own way…
once she had figured out what that was. She gave a bright smile.
‘That’s very kind of you, thank you. And just anything you can find, really, that would be great.’ She nodded her head towards Merryn’s plate. ‘I’ll let you eat your tart. Thanks again.’
Giving Ashley a brief smile, she hobbled back to her own seat again.
She might as well send Willow a message and ask to be collected straight away; there seemed little point in staying here.
Meanwhile, she could use the time to change a few more addresses on her various online accounts.
She pulled out her phone and fired off a text, hoping that Willow would see it before too long and then, opening another browser tab, she settled down to some admin.
She completely ignored any further comings or goings in the tearoom, and it wasn’t until she became aware that someone was standing beside her that she looked up, realising it was Ashley. And she was on her own.
‘I’m sorry about my nan,’ she said. ‘She can be a bit, well… She’s eighty-two,’ she added, as if that excused Merryn’s behaviour.
‘But the county archive is all online. You can search through it yourself. She’s right about the office never being open, but that’s only because it’s run by volunteers and most of them work from home.
’ She smiled. ‘It might take you a while, though. A lot of the archive material is very old and much of it’s in poor condition, so it doesn’t scan very well.
Plus, for many of the documents or photos there’s very little information known about them. ’
‘That’s okay. I really don’t mind working through things.’
Ashley glanced through the window before pulling a slip of paper from her pocket. ‘Have you got a pen? I’ll write down the web address for you.’
‘Thanks, that’s absolutely brilliant.’
‘Oh, you’re welcome. I hope you find what you’re looking for.’ She paused. ‘Perhaps I’ll see you around sometime and you can let me know how you got on.’
Gemma thought back to the comment Ashley’s grandma had made. ‘I’ll definitely be around. How about we meet for coffee in a few days?’