The Legacy of Hope House

by Dilys Xavier

  ‘That all?’

  ‘It’s enough. I’ve got a guest coming on Saturday, and I can’t afford to make mistakes.’

  ‘Don’t worry. Let the guest in on your difficulty, and I’m sure he’ll agree to be considered a personal visitor, rather than a paying guest. That’d cover you.’

  ‘Brilliant. David, you’re the answer to everything. Thanks so much – that takes a load off my mind.’

  He stood back and grinned at her. ‘We’ve both been overdoing things and we both need a rest. I’ll pop in on the weekend to see how things are with you, and then maybe I’ll take a day off work soon so we can go somewhere nice for the day.’ He lifted his finger and wagged it at Anna. ‘It’s common to be upset and sleep poorly when you’re stressed, and sooner or later, it shows. I reckon that’s why you’re having nightmares.’

  Through the window at the side of the door, she watched David walk briskly away, and continued to watch as his van disappeared from view down the driveway.

  The sharp tone of the telephone made her jump. ‘Sorry, Anna, but I can’t make it tonight,’ Liz said. ‘I’ve been asked to stay late to finish some important work in the office, but I’ll see you on the weekend, okay? Got to dash now.’

  Anna suddenly felt very alone, but reasoned she had to get on with what she was doing instead of feeling sorry for herself.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Anna had never done so much cleaning and lifting in her whole life, but there was such a lot to do, and she wanted to cut the cleaners’ time there so she could save money. Thankfully, there were no more jobs left to do today, so she would wait until David came. She picked up the phone.

  ‘Mum, I’ll be a bit late home, but don’t worry, everything’s okay.’ It was a relief to hear her mother say that today’s meal was a cold chicken salad which would keep until she got there, and that by six o’clock she would have gone out with her friend for the evening. Anna decided to arrive home after her mother had left in order to avoid any questions about how things were progressing at Hope House.

  Alone, and pensive about her future, Anna sat in the comfortable leather chair in the library again, quietly assessing the situation. She chuckled, because right now everything seemed so normal and placid that she began to wonder if her concerns were due to no more than plain stress.

  Within a couple of minutes, she had once again turned her attention to another of the journals. In the middle of it was a folded sheet which she opened out on the desk. It was a large ancient document confirming the allocation of a large parcel of land in Jamaica, and dated 1741. It mentioned land, together with trees, underwoods, and water courses, that were to go to Thomas Williams and his heirs.

  Feeling sleepy after studying the journals and documents for a while, Anna closed her eyes and leaned back, quickly slipping into a dream world again. She found herself holding another conversation with the Colonel. ‘I’d love to hear stories about my great, great, great aunts and uncles, my distant cousins, and what life was like over there in those days.’

  It all felt incredibly real as the man looked back at her with a funny little smile and eased himself to sit beside her, that she did not question the reality of the experience at all. To her right now, this was the life she was living.

  ‘You would? You really would like to know all that?’ Then with a look of delight and a smile that lit up the whole of his handsome face, he said, ‘Then I will tell you all I know.’ The answers came at her in a stream so fast she wanted to tell him to stop so she could take it all in, but dared not interrupt.

  The colonel became pensive for several moments while he gathered his thoughts, then slid off the desk and looked bright-eyed at Anna. ‘Ah, there’s something I want to show you.’ He opened a drawer in the bookcase near the window, pulled out a small, framed likeness and held it up. ‘This,’ he said proudly, ‘is a drawing of George, my grandfather. There is no other likeness in existence, so take great care of it. It’s old, it’s fragile. And very precious.’

  He replaced the drawing and sat down to continue his story, making himself comfortable again. ‘Would you like to see the places I have seen and meet the family?’ He looked into her eyes. ‘Would you? It would be so much easier than talking about them.’

  ‘Oh, I wish,’ Anna said, ‘but I can go on wishing forever for such an impossibility.’

  ‘Nothing is impossible in a dream world, child. Come, and I will take you on a journey the likes of which you could never imagine.’ He continued to talk in his singsong way, and although she vaguely knew who she was, where she was and why, she was strangely aware that at this moment there was no dividing line between the now and the past or the real and the dreamtime.

  Even though her eyes were closed, her mind’s eye was seeing everything the colonel was describing, and she was keenly aware of every word that was being said. By now, crystal clear images filled her mind as Papa described them. The lilt of his voice lifted her gently out of her own time and space, and transported her into the picture he was unfolding. She felt as though she were witness to, and, indeed, part of, the actual experience, and looked around at what was now reality to her. Being there, in that time, felt quite normal.

  *

  Anna found herself standing in front of a huge house that faced a sparkling, azure sea. A large lily pond close by was full of huge aquatic flowers. Dragon flies, butterflies, and exquisite, tiny green-plumed humming birds darted amongst the flowers in the garden. To the right of the pond was a path that wound its way through a fern grotto and led right down to the water’s edge. A gentle breeze swept over her, carrying the heady fragrance from a jasmine hedge that bordered the path. She breathed deeply of the scent, when the colonel’s voice suddenly broke into her reverie.

  ‘Come, let me introduce you to a great uncle of mine; your great, great, great, great, great, great, great Uncle George.’ He beckoned Anna onto the veranda of the magnificent house, and as she crossed it the sweet and intoxicating perfume of gardenias wafted around her like a perfumed cloak.

  The colonel grasped her hand and drew her into a large sitting room where a tall man, with his back to the door, gazed out through the window at the clear blue sea.

  He swung around as they entered and beckoned them closer with arms wide open as he greeted them with a beaming smile. His black, curly hair was shoulder length, and a small black moustache and triangular shaped beard on his chin almost hid his brilliant smile. Her instant thought was… handsome.

  He touched his forehead, then swept his arm wide across as he bowed low.

  ‘Welcome to my humble abode, dear long distant niece.’ His sonorous voice had the most melodic Welsh accent she had ever heard. ‘It is indeed an honour and a great pleasure to meet with you.’

  Anna smiled and curtsied, because that seemed the right thing to do. George looked delighted at her response, and guided her with pretentious sweeps of his arm to a chair. Her eyes settled back on this ancestral uncle who was casually dressed in a short sleeveless vest over a white long-sleeved shirt tightly gathered in at the wrist.

  Just as she was taking it all in there was a timid tap on the door. It opened a little way, and a pretty young face, crowned with a mass of tumbling blonde curls, peeped around the edge.

  ‘Ah, my little cherub, come inside,’ George said, arms outstretched and beaming at the sight of her. The door opened wide, and a pretty girl stepped shyly into the room, as light on her feet as any ballerina. He took her by the hand and brought her over to Anna. ‘This is Letitia, my sweet young bride. She has not long left her homeland of Wales.’

  Anna could hardly believe this girl was old enough to be a wife. She looked barely fourteen years; a mere child, so tiny, so slim, so very pretty, but dressed in the most elegant, adult fashion. The beautiful gown she wore rustled as she moved. It was made of pale rose-pink silk, and elaborately cut with a large vee shaped panel of deeper pink set into the centre front on the breast. This was edged with lace right down to the waist, and echoed
on the hip-line where it was gathered together. The long fitting sleeves widened from the elbow to form a lace-edged fan shape around her wrists. The exquisite creation fell in generous folds right down to tiny feet clad in hand embroidered silk slippers.

  Anna knew she had seen a picture like it before, but she failed to recall exactly where. But what really caught her eye was the scintillating collar of brilliant gemstones the girl wore. It was made of several rows of faceted rubies, each row alternated with a circle of dazzling emeralds. A single, huge pear shaped diamond encased in gold dropped from the centre. It was awesome.

  Convinced she had seen a picture of a similar necklace somewhere, she racked her brain. Suddenly it came to her. Letitia. She wore the necklace, and the dress, in the portrait hanging in Hope House.

  Papa suddenly whispered in her ear. ‘That little girl is your seven-times great aunt.’ Then he took Anna’s hand. ‘Come along, we must move on,’ he said, bidding George farewell. Once they were outside and alone again, Papa said, ‘We have to be cautious now because of the Maroons.’

  ‘What are they?’

  ‘Slaves in revolt; wild bands of rebellious former slaves. They are not subdued and unintelligent as the British would like to think. They escaped long ago, took refuge in the hills, and from there they conduct dramatic and bloody attacks which cause mayhem down here.’ He shook his head and placed his hands together. ‘Their uprisings are an attempt to resist their enslavement. They have killed many of us, and they do a tremendous amount of damage to our property and crops.’

  The colonel grabbed Anna’s hand, and in a flash, or so it seemed to Anna, they were standing outside a huge white house set in an enormous area of grassland. For a moment, she thought she was outside Hope House, but then it dawned on her that this was the original mansion Papa had built in Jamaica, and the house she had inherited was an exact copy.

  ‘Are you ready?’ Papa asked, and squeezed her hand again. In another instant, they were inside. Anna gazed around with the odd feeling she was back in her own Hope House. The speed at which they moved from place to place and century to century was incredible, but she was becoming used to it by now. It was all so new and exciting.

  ‘I want you to meet two way-back uncles of yours, my brothers George the Younger, and Martyn.’ Papa gave Anna’s hand another squeeze.

  In an instant, in front of her was George, another who was particularly handsome. She felt convinced he reminded her of someone she knew, but although she racked her brain the identity of that person escaped her. Just then, Martyn walked in through the door, similarly dressed.

  ‘My brother, George the Younger, is named after the first George, whom you met earlier,’ Papa said. As soon as he had explained to them exactly who Anna was, both men rushed towards her with open arms to greet her at the same time. George strutted around and then looked her up and down with mischief in his eyes.

  Papa nudged her and whispered quickly in her ear. ‘Ignore him. He’s er… he likes the ladies. A lot. Watch him like a hawk. He never married, but he has eleven children, most of them by his favourite slave, and a son out of wedlock by his English neighbour here’.

  ‘My word, you are a true beauty, young lady,’ George observed, in a low, seductive tone.

  Then Martyn spoke. ‘You remind me greatly of my dear mother, Catherine. She is a true beauty; it is a shame she is elsewhere today, or you could have met her.’ Then he bowed almost half way to the ground

  ‘Martyn married Elizabeth Barrett Waite,’ Papa said, standing to one side as Martyn kissed the back of her hand. ‘His wife, Elizabeth, was aunt to your famous poet, Elizabeth Barrett Browning.’ Then he gave a loud tut-tut. ‘Alas, they are not happy together. Both of them have a tendency to wander, if you know what I mean. And Martyn likes the ladies as well. Tut-tut, I was far more controlled in my behaviour.’ He waved his hand in the air and smiled as he lifted his brows. ‘But maybe they had more fun.’

  Anna was about to ask a question when an urgent knocking startled her. Her eyes snapped open to the noise of someone pounding on the front door of Hope House. In a flash she was out of the perfect dream. Disappointed to be back to reality in the library, for a minute she looked about, half expecting to see the people and surroundings she had just experienced. ‘Dreaming again,’ she muttered, rubbing her eyes and wishing she could hop back into the dream and finish it. She peered at the old grandfather clock in the corner; it was barely an hour since she had last looked at it. What did these dreams mean and why were they so persistent? Was the past trying to tell her something?

  Dismissing the hammering on the front door, she leaned back into the chair and concentrated, quickly jotting down notes to remember who she had seen and where she had been. Had the dream been no more than a figment of her imagination? Maybe it was based on what she had read about the family, or perhaps triggered by the family portraits all over the house.

  She had recently read a book on New Biology that claimed our body cells each have a memory of their own. Was it true, and had some of the past been engraved on her ancestral memory bank? All sorts of odd questions filled her head. After making a few more notes about the relatives she had encountered during her dream journey, Anna sat back to savour and remember the experience.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Perplexed, Anna shook her head, but when the banging on the door started again she ran to open it. By the time she got there a green van was pulling away down the drive. She had missed it. No matter, she thought, he’ll come back if it was a delivery for me.

  With that, there was a loud noise behind her in the hall. She ran over to see what had happened, and found the colonel’s portrait on the floor at the foot of the stairs; the fixtures had come away from the wall.

  Fearful it had been damaged, she lifted the painting and propped it up against the wall to examine it, gazing fondly at her ancestor’s face while she thought about the lovely time she had experienced with him on her dream trip.

  Concerned about the security of the other paintings on the staircase wall, Anna checked they were all right and the one of Letitia caught her eye again. She stared hard at the painting of the young girl, exquisitely dressed in the beautiful gown she had so admired, and wearing the spectacular necklace she had seen in the dream. Those jewels must have been gorgeous, she thought, wondering if they had survived the centuries, and if so, where they were now.

  As though her dream had been a real excursion, Anna felt exhausted. She sat on the foot of the stairs to recover, and glanced at the few paintings there, deciding to ask David to re-hang the fallen portrait, and check that the others in the house were all secure. She was just about ready to go home for a meal when the phone rang.

  ‘Good day,’ the voice said, in a Scots accent that brought her down to earth. ‘I understand you’re open for bookings now. I’m looking for a room locally until I find suitable lodgings. Can you fit me in?’ There was a slight pause. ‘My name is Grant Campbell. I’m taking up a post with James and Co., the local solicitors, and I would like to stay somewhere near; I don’t fancy travelling too far every day.’

  Thoughts tumbled around in her head. Could she put up another at such short notice? Was she ready enough at this early stage, considering all that was currently going on at Hope House? Stupid, this is what it’s all about, she told herself, and wanted no reminding that she needed the money. This man would have to be described as another friend, not a paying hotel guest, and she would have to make the fact quite clear when he signed in.

  ‘Er… yes, certainly Mr Campbell. I have a lovely room overlooking the sea you can have. We’re barely open, and there are problems about letting rooms right now, which I will explain on meeting you, but if you’re willing to overlook some slight inconveniences, we’d be delighted to have you.’

  She waited, but then realised she wouldn’t want to cook evening meals for any guests yet. ‘We do bed and breakfast only for the time being, I’m afraid, so you’ll have to take your evening meals elsewhere.
There are plenty of inns and restaurants nearby.’

  ‘That’s no problem. I know I’ve left it late to approach you, but I start my new job on Monday. It’s short notice, I know, but will it be convenient for me to arrive on Sunday?’ There had been no hesitation in his accepting. ‘I know where you are, and I’ll be there mid-morning. Is that okay?’

  Anna confirmed his booking and replaced the receiver, wondering if she had done the right thing, but she had to start somewhere, and right now she was able to do just that. But how odd, she thought … two bookings coming in at the same time, both guests arriving on the same weekend, and both employed by the same firm.

  She took a deep breath, and couldn’t suppress a smile of pleasure that things were moving in the right direction now. All she hoped was that these two men would be pleasant to deal with; it wouldn’t take her long to make up her mind after seeing them. They would have to fit in, or leave.

  With one last look around Anna stepped outside, got into her car, and drove home. From the appetising aroma in the hall, she knew her mother had prepared a tasty meal.

  ‘Just in time,’ Margaret said, as Anna flung down her bag and kicked off her shoes. ‘Hey, you look all in. What’s the matter?’

  ‘Nothing. Just busy. And excited that we have two bookings for an indefinite period, both arriving on the weekend; then more guests arriving in a week or two.’ Anna went on to explain who the guests were, but dared not say anything about her dream; her mother would only be critical. Instead, she talked about the rooms she intended to allocate to the two men, and made a note of some extra jobs she needed Dave to do. It all served to make her feel more grounded than she had felt all day.

  ‘If you’re going to get busy so soon, why don’t you consider taking time off from your job? Ask for leave of absence.’ Margaret stopped what she was doing and gave Anna a long stare. ‘I wouldn’t give in my notice yet if I were you, just in case things don’t work out, but you’ll have to be in Hope House when visitors are there.’ Her mother thrust a letter in Anna’s hands. ‘That came this morning; looks like it’s from the council.’