By the time they headed into
a more benign April, Sir Avery Arnold was confined to his bed and the amount of
time spent on chess games with Danny Nightingale became less and less.
Until one day towards the end
of the month he didn’t want to play at all and said.
“I only have enough energy
for one thing today and I really need to talk to you about the future.”
“Ok”
“Over the past few months, I
have noticed you have taken Molly under your wing, and I thank you for that.”
“Molly is like a sponge for
knowledge, she is a very clever girl, very resourceful, very smart.”
“Of course she is, she has two degrees after all.”
“Really? she told me she hadn’t been to University.”
“That’s right she hasn’t, she
was home schooled, private tutors, online lectures and such, the best that
money could buy” he said, “I’m very proud of her.”
“You should be.”
“The problem is that because
I have cossetted her, I have left her vulnerable to the dangers of the outside
world, which was the very opposite of what I intended, so it’s my fault because
I have been overprotective of her.”
“I don’t think she’s
vulnerable” Danny said, “She seems so confident.”
“That’s because she lights up
around you, she seems to draw energy from you” Sir Avery said.
“She keeps the world at arm’s
length, all her communications with the real world are done by email or
messages.”
“What do you want me to do?”
Danny asked.
“Molly is my sole heir, I’m
leaving her everything in a trust fund, so she is going to be incredibly
wealthy when she turns 25,” he explained.
“I want you to ease her into
the world, introduce her to things I have denied her, through my cosseting, so
she is better able to cope with the burden I’m leaving her with.”
“You want me to be like her
guardian?”
“In a way”
“But she’s only 22, do you
really think she’ll put up with me holding her hand for 3 years until she comes
of age?”
“I do, I have no doubt of it”
Avery replied, “She has been like your shadow almost since the first moment you
met, she admires you, respects you and looks up to you.”
“Have you spoken to Molly
about this?”
“Not about your involvement,
but everything else yes”
“So, what exactly is “everything
else”?”
“Do you remember I told you I
was from Spaniards Creek on Beaumont Island?”
“Yes”
“Well, I still own the
cottage there, it hasn’t been lived in since Charlotte died, so it will need a
lick of paint, an annoying man by the name of Paul
Steptoe keeps an eye on the place, to be honest he’s been trying to buy it
from me for years, but he’s an odious individual and I’d
rather burn it to the ground than sell it to him”
“So, the cottage is important
to you” Danny said.
“It was my parents’ house,
and I was born there, and it was Molly’s home, before Charlotte and John were
killed” Avery explained. “So, its sacred ground for me”
“I understand”
“It would also be a great
place to write, and as the island only has a population of about 3000 it would
be a good place for Molly to rejoin the world.”
After a few moments he added.
“I know I’m asking a lot of
you, why don’t you take some time to think about it.”
“I don’t need to,” Danny Replied,
“Of course I’ll do it, providing Molly is cool with it.”
“Thank you” Avery said and
shook his hand, and it looked as if a great weight had been lifted from his
shoulders.
“Just one question though,
we’ve only known each other for a few months, and you are trusting me with your
most precious possession” Danny said, “What makes you think I’m the right
person?”
“Well, I’m a good judge of
character for one thing and you’ve agreed and haven’t once asked what’s in it
for you, that’s how I know,”
The conversation had clearly
taken its toll and left him fatigued so the nurse ushered Danny out.
“That’s enough for today,
time to rest.”
The evening had clearly taken
more out of him than Danny had first thought, because he was declared out of
bounds by
the nurse, Vicki Pullen, so
it wasn’t until the afternoon of the following day that Danny got to see Avery
again, and this time Molly was present as well when he arrived.
Avery had already explained
about the Cottage in Spaniards Creek, and some of the financial points.
“There is something I haven’t
discussed with you before in relation to the cottage, I have asked Danny to
stay with
you to act in an avuncular
way.” Avery explained.
“But only if you are in 100%
complete agree…” Danny began.
“Yes” she replied
emphatically.
“So just to be clear, you are
happy for me to be living in your house?”
“Sharing the house” she
corrected him.
“And you are quite happy
about that?” Danny asked.
“Providing we are equals” she
replied, and Avery smiled because her reply was evidence of the positive effect
that Danny had already had on her.
“That’s a done deal then” Sir
Avery said.
Despite the fact that she was
deeply upset that her grandfather was on the brink of death she left his room
there was a positivity she hadn’t felt before, she had worried that she
wouldn’t see Danny again once her grandfather had passed away, but she had been
given a reprieve.
