Page 99 of The Key to the Last House Before the Sea

‘An archaeologist? Why is…’ His father trailed off, understanding dawning in his eyes. He turned to Gabriel. ‘Really?’

‘Yes, really. I thought she should see the mosaic in the cottage before the building’s demolished.’

‘That bizarre thing on the wall? Why?’ Billy turned to Amelia and gave her a broad smile. ‘I’m sure Ms Fulden has more pressing matters to attend to. Proper work, rather than looking at questionable art by a woman long dead.’

But Amelia Fulden was obviously not a woman to be put off by the likes of Billy Gantwich. She smiled back, a hint of steel in her blue eyes. ‘It’s no problem at all. It’ll only take a couple of minutes.’

‘Follow me,’ said Gabriel, leading the way to the cottage and feeling his father’s eyes boring into his back the entire way.

‘Gosh, you’ve done a good job with starting to renovate this place,’ said Amelia, stepping over the threshold into the cottage. ‘What a shame it’s due to be demolished. Now, let’s see this mosaic you called me about, Gabriel?’

Nessa sidled up to Gabriel as Amelia stood close to the mosaic, her nose almost touching the brightly coloured stones and smooth pebbles of glass.

‘What are you doing?’ she whispered.

‘I’m following a hunch,’ he answered out of the corner of his mouth.

‘What kind of a hunch?’

Amelia was still standing nose-to-stone with the mosaic. Gabriel pulled Nessa into the kitchen.

‘Your grandmother said her mum would use whatever she found to make her art, and when you asked me to try and save the mosaic it got me thinking. I’ve had a week off work so I was able to do some research. The artwork looks so old and unusual.’

‘It is old. My great-grandmother would have been well over a hundred if she was still alive.’

‘No, much older than that. And, the more I thought about it, the more I wondered if she’d found the stones and the glass here, in the Ghost Village.’

Nessa opened her mouth and then shut it again, confusion in her eyes. ‘So what are you thinking? Do you—’

She didn’t get a chance to finish her sentence because Amelia suddenly proclaimed loudly: ‘Well, I never! That is surprising.’

Gabriel and Nessa scurried out of the kitchen.

‘Surprising in a good way?’ asked Gabriel, hearing the heavy tread of his father coming into the cottage behind him.

‘Oh yes, definitely in a good way. I thought you must be mistaken when you rang and invited me here. But at first glance, I’d say the materials used by… was it your great-grandmother?’ she asked Nessa, who nodded. ‘Many of the materials she’s used appear, at first glance, to be fragments of tesserae. That is, stone and glass used by the Romans to construct mosaics at their grand houses. Did you know that the Romans settled in Devon during the first century? Exeter was a walled town.’

‘So what does that mean, if there are fragments of tesserae?’ asked Nessa, her voice wobbly.

Amelia clapped her hands together. ‘It means there could be something hidden here, beneath the soil, which is potentially very exciting. Isn’t that wonderful? We didn’t think there was anything of significance in this area but it appears we may have been mistaken.’ She turned to Billy, who was listening in. ‘What exactly have you got planned here?’

‘Housing. Luxury apartments. Have you seen where we are? People will pay through the nose for that view.’

Amelia raised an eyebrow. ‘Do you have planning permission?’

‘Not yet,’ bristled Billy. ‘But I’ve been told unofficially that it’ll definitely get the green light. Similar housing is being put up all along the coast.’

‘Well, in light of what I’ve just seen, I’d insist on a comprehensive survey before any permission was granted, to ensure there’s nothing of value beneath the soil.’

‘Which means delays,’ huffed Billy, his cheeks turning purple. ‘All for a few bits of old stone that might not have come from here anyway.’

‘My great-grandmother didn’t travel far,’ said Nessa, stepping forward. ‘She used what materials she could find around here to do her art.’

‘Damn artists,’ huffed Billy, staring at Gabriel, who tried not to flinch under his father’s hostile glare. ‘If you don’t know where the materials came from, I don’t see that I should change my plans for a few bits of old stone and glass.’

‘What’s that on your arm?’ asked Amelia abruptly, staring at Nessa.

The archaeologist’s face was very peculiar. Her cheeks had turned bright red and her eyes were open wide. She looked like she was about to explode.

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