Page 59 of The Diary at the Last House Before the Sea

Bartie’s smile grew more fixed. ‘As I reassured you earlier, Hannah has no plans or inclination to do anything with the grounds.’

‘So you guarantee that there will be no more building or other development.’

‘Absolutely.’ Bartie walked into the room and patted Geoffrey on the shoulder. ‘I know this is hard for you, sir, but Hannah is very clear that she’s only interested in the house itself.’

‘It’s just that the grounds are large enough for more development, and business-wise?—’

Bartie held up a hand. ‘Let me stop you there, Geoffrey. Hannah sees the grounds and gardens as a marvellous enhancement to the new apartments, which will make them irresistible to city types looking to grab a slice of seaside life.’

‘Only we hold the charity fete every year in the grounds, for the locals in Heaven’s Cove. Can we make sure that can still go ahead?’

Bartie raised his eyebrows. ‘I didn’t think you were that bothered about the event. Is it important to you that it continues?’

Geoffrey had never thought so. In fact, he always dreaded the invasion and complained about it vociferously. But the tradition continuing seemed imperative all of a sudden. His family would be gone from Brellasham Manor but the fete they had accommodated for years would go on. It would be a lasting legacy of sorts.

‘I think so, yes,’ he said.

Bartie gave a reassuring smile. ‘Then I’m sure it can be accommodated. I’ll let Hannah know that hosting the annual fete is a deal-breaker as far as you’re concerned.’

‘Do you think she will put in an offer for the house?’

Bartie winked. ‘I’m pretty sure she will, from the comments she’s made so far. And I know she’ll give us – give you – the best price.’

‘Only River advised getting a few people in, so we can compare their offers.’

‘We could do that, but some developers I’ve come across…’ He paused. ‘Let’s just say that I would take what they say with a pinch of salt. They’ll tell you one thing and do another. But I can vouch for Hannah and her trustworthiness and, being a member of the Brellasham family myself, you know I want only the best for this house and for you. I have so many happy memories here: me and River and Clara.’

Geoffrey nodded. He’d always felt secure in himself, even during the breakdown of his marriage. But right now he felt out of control and unsure of the best way forward. He felt old and, hard though it was to admit, horribly out of his depth. But Bartie’s confidence was reassuring.

‘Talking of River,’ said Bartie, ‘have you seen him this morning?’

‘He came down for breakfast a little late and said he was going for a walk in the sunshine. He’s been gone a while, so I expect he’ll be back soon.’

Bartie started making for the door. ‘In that case, I’d better go and catch Hannah before she comes across him. We all love River but he’s not particularly business-minded, and we don’t want him saying anything to scupper the deal, do we?’

Geoffrey followed Bartie into the hall where Hannah was staring at the Victorian stained-glass window.

‘That was installed by my great-grandfather,’ he told her. ‘You wouldn’t get rid of it, would you, if you end up buying Brellasham Manor?’

Hannah turned her bright white smile on him. ‘Heavens, no. It’s not double-glazed, so ripping it out and replacing it would make more practical sense. However, the planners might object’ – she did a ‘what are they like?’ eye roll – ‘and, anyway, an impressive window with history will add to the manor’s?—’

‘Marketability?’ interrupted Geoffrey.

‘That’s right.’ Hannah smiled at him as if he was a schoolboy who’d just learned his times tables.

Geoffrey sighed and went to sit in his beloved library, while he could.

27

CLARA

Clara stepped into the doorway of a gift shop to avoid a throng of people – Heaven’s Cove was heaving this afternoon – and licked the cone of salted caramel ice cream she’d just bought.

She urgently needed a sugar boost. Juggling freelance work with making sure that stallholders knew the charity fete was still on had kept her busy all morning. But that wasn’t why her energy levels were low. It was everything else she was having to cope with at the moment – the manor sale, River being an arse, Bartie coming on strong, and now there was the added pressure of carrying a new secret about Audrey.

A huge secret that would blow people’s minds, if it turned out to be true. A secret that had been revealed by unravelling the meaning behind Audrey’s cryptic final message in her diary.

Clara swallowed a mouthful of caramel – which was hitting the spot, nicely – and, spying a gap in the steady stream of passers-by, darted across the cobbled street to sit on the sea wall.

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