On the next morning Molly and Danny were eating breakfast on the terrace when she asked
“Can I ask you something?”
“Of course,”
“We’re here because of
family, my family, but you’ve never mentioned whether you had any family?”
“I do, I have an older
brother in Australia, Sam, his lovely wife Emma and
three nephews, who I’ve only met once.”
“Are you close?”
“Close enough, we’re in
regular contact, but don’t see each other as often as we’d like.”
“Did you tell him when you
had the car accident?”
“No, I didn’t want to worry
him unnecessarily.” Danny replied.
“When do you think you’ll see
them again?” she asked.
“I’m not sure, but not too
long I hope.” He replied and a full minute of silence passed before she said.
“Maybe we could invite them
here? When we’re able”
Danny was speechless, he was
not expecting a bold suggestion from Molly.
“That’s real progress” he
thought.
“That’s a great idea” he
said.
By the end of July all the
external work was completed, the groundwork had been done, all the overgrown
shrubbery had been cleared, dangerous trees felled. the roof, soffits,
guttering, double glazing, and external rendering were all completed.
August
August was taken up with the
interior, all the items of furniture Molly had earmarked to be kept had been
shipped to a furniture restorer on the mainland.
The kitchen and bathrooms
were stripped out and the electrics, plumbing and central heating were
replaced.
When the old, damaged plaster
had been removed in readiness for the plasterers and the decorators, something
happened that led to George asking for permission to spend three days a week at
Beacon Farm helping Katherine Harrison.
Katie’s sister Louise, who
was pregnant with twins, was rushed into Bellevue Cottage Hospital, which was
originally built by the army during the Great War when Beaumont Manor was
commandeered, by the Medical Corp for convalescing officers.
Louise was kept in for
observation and her husband Neil Stratford stayed with her and that left Katie
and her daughter Nicola struggling on their own, so George’s help was a
godsend.
Molly and Danny had finished
the book edits and had even found some very promising artwork online, the
details of which had been forwarded to Max Parsons.
Their time had been freed up enough,
so they were able to liaise with the decorators at the cottage, as they had yet
to settle on the colour scheme of the downstairs rooms because they were
struggling to match the colours from photographs of her childhood to wall
charts and it was important to Molly to get it right.
In the end the boss agreed to
mix the paints himself to match the pictures Molly provided and the next day
they were back at Cliff Haven to discuss door furniture as the original doors
were expected back from the mainland later that week after being acid bath
dipped.
September
In September George was still
at Beacon Farm and Danny and Molly were back at the cottage, this time dealing
with the landscape gardener and a hard landscaping contractor when Danny nudged
Molly and remarked.
“Here comes that odious
little man again.”
“This should have been mine
by rights.” Paul Steptoe barked.
“He promised to sell this
place to me.”
“That’s not what he told me.”
Danny said, “In fact his exact words to me were “I’d rather burn it to the
ground than sell it to him.”“
“That’s a lie because I
actually knew him very well.” Steptoe said pompously.
“So, did I,” Molly snapped “He
was my grandfather.”
As Steptoe went off in a huff
Danny remarked
“You’re getting very feisty.”
“It must be the red hair” she
retorted.
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