The Legacy of Hope House

by Dilys Xavier

  ‘Thanks, that’s decent of you, but I won’t come in now. I’m going down to The Castle for a meal after I’ve changed into something more casual, and I’ll see you later.’ He smiled and waved as he left, shutting the door behind him.

  The interruption had indeed put Anna off her stride, and she was afraid it might have unsettled David as well. She was right.

  ‘It’s later than I thought,’ he said, taking a quick glance at his wristwatch. ‘I really should be going.’ He rose to his feet and stretched languidly. ‘I’ve had a busy week, so I’ll call it a day now. If I don’t tear myself away now, I’ll get too relaxed, and I’ll be here all night.’ He took her hand in his and squeezed it tightly. ‘I’ll phone you tomorrow,’ he whispered, touching his finger playfully on the tip of her nose.

  She watched as he drove off down the drive, and then, with questions racing through her mind, she set up the breakfast table for two. The other guests, three businessmen who were visiting the trading estate in the area, had gone home for the weekend. Twenty minutes later she was in bed, but, with her mind buzzing over all that had happened recently, she knew sleep would not come easily. She reached over for the romantic novel on her bedside table, hoping that a half hour read would help her doze off, but closed her eyes before she had reached the end of the page.

  The next morning, Anna woke to the gentle buzz of her tiny alarm clock, and blinked at the time. The novel she had started to read was still in position on her lap; she seemed not to have moved all night. With a deep sigh and a wide yawn, she slipped out of bed, stretched, and then hurried into her en-suite to freshen up before going downstairs. It was Sunday, so she hoped Quentin and Grant would sleep on for a while, allowing her to be alone in the kitchen to prepare breakfast before either appeared. The shrill tone of the doorbell sent her running to see who it was so early.

  It was Liz. ‘Hi, Anna. How did it go yesterday?’

  ‘Good. And you?’

  ‘I met up with Grant,’ Liz said, looking rather pleased. ‘It was a surprise. I thought he was meeting a friend in town, but he rang my mobile so we met late in the evening. I didn’t have time to tell you because I guessed you might have gone out by then.’ She bit her lip. ‘I’m smitten, Anna. He’s a lovely guy.’

  ‘Well that’s great news,’ Anna said. ‘No further developments yet? Are you meeting again?’

  ‘Nothing planned, but we see each other every day at work, so it’s looking good, and I’m hoping.’

  ‘You’re early. Haven’t had my breakfast yet. There’s plenty here - care to join me?’

  ‘Don’t mind if I do,’ Liz said, and set a place for herself at Anna’s table.

  The aroma of a full English breakfast soon brought the two men downstairs, and they both looked surprised when they saw Liz there so early on a Sunday.

  ‘How about we all have breakfast together,’ Quentin said, ‘then later I’ll take you all out to lunch, wherever you want to go.’

  Anna had already taken a breath to answer him, when Liz broke in. ‘Two great ideas. Yes?’ Her eyes sparkled as she turned to Anna for approval.

  For a few moments, Anna hesitated, not really wanting to be seen by David in a cosy situation with Quentin again, just in case… but in case of what, she wondered. Yet, she thought, David’s made no commitment, he’s in touch with his ex again, so why should I restrict myself on his account? If he does see me, it might encourage him to give more time to me and less to Mary Powell – if that’s the way it’s to be.

  ‘That sounds great,’ she said, emphatically. ‘You choose where to go, Quentin.’

  They ate a leisurely breakfast, and chatted for a while before meeting up in the lounge, all ready for the trip.

  ‘Come on,’ Quentin said, ‘I won’t tell you where we’re going; it’s a surprise.’

  It seemed to Anna that the journey would go on forever, and now, at almost one o’clock, she was feeling peckish. She had begun to wonder what would be on the menu, when Quentin suddenly swerved the car into the parking area at the back of an old inn called The Golden Lion, in Magwyr, an ancient Welsh village just off the M4 motorway and a few miles from neighbouring Caerwent. ‘I’m afraid you’ve no choice of a lunch venue as I’ve already booked it here,’ he said. ‘One benefit is we don’t have to wait for a vacant table, so we can order straight away.’

  Looking at the menu, the choice was simple, but good, and the delicious aroma floating in from the kitchen every time the door opened increased Anna’s hunger by the second. Anna and Liz chose shank of lamb with green vegetables, while the two men went for a full mixed grill. There was practically no conversation while they ate, but after their desserts, they all began to talk energetically. They strolled outside, and since it was such a lovely day, decided to take a walk around the quaint little village with its shops interestingly arranged around the perimeter of a small village square.

  Anna strolled into the ancient church of St Mary’s, and wandered through the well-kept churchyard, looking at some of the inscriptions on the earliest tombstones, while Grant found particular interest in the ancient ruins of the Roman Procurator’s house near the end of the village. He called to the other three to go and look at it. ‘Finding this here doesn’t surprise me at all,’ he said. ‘The next village, Caerwent, is where the walled Roman City of Venta Silurum is sited, and both of these villages are less than nine miles from the Roman garrison of Caerleon. This whole area is jam-packed with early Roman history.’ He pointed north-east. ‘The ancient town of Chepstow, with its fabulous castle, is only a few miles up the road.’ He chortled and tapped his back pocket. ‘I might add I’ve enjoyed many a meeting and quite a few good wins at that racecourse.’

  ‘Hey, guys, it’s almost teatime,’ Quentin announced a couple of hours later. ‘We’d best aim for Llandogo for a nice cream tea in a super little restaurant I found by accident last week. Then we’ll take a look at Tintern Abbey before driving home through some of the most exquisite little villages I recently discovered tucked away in that area.’

  Anna had driven through The Wye Valley scores of times; the scenery was so beautiful it was always a delightful trip. However, today had been an energetic, lightning tour around so many interesting spots, that on their return to Hope House she felt a little tired. ‘That was some outing, but most enjoyable. I’ve been up since early morning, so now I’m going to make a nice cup of coffee, and take it into the lounge where I can relax with my feet up.’ She swung around to Quentin.

  ‘Want one?’

  ‘Not now thanks. Got a bit more work to finish off for tomorrow, so I’ll go to my room and get it sorted out right now.’ He gave a languid stretch and reached his arms high above his head. ‘Once I’ve done that, I’ll put my feet up too, and watch some telly in my room. If there’s nothing decent on, I’ll slip out for a film.’

  ‘There are piles of DVDs in the bookcase, so look through those before you hire one.’ Anna pointed to the lounge. ‘Surely you’ll find one of interest in there.’

  Quentin saluted with a smile, and took off up the stairs two at a time, while Anna went to the kitchen to make her coffee. Liz and Grant still seemed engrossed in each other as they strolled into the hall a couple of minutes later. They went straight into the lounge, but only seconds later, Liz rushed out into the hall, calling Anna’s name.

  ‘Look. You didn’t see this,’ she shouted excitedly, bursting into the kitchen with an enormous bouquet of flowers clutched to her bosom. ‘It was propped up out of sight behind the door. It’s for you, and there’s a card.’

  Eager to see who had sent them, she crowded in as Anna withdrew the card from a tiny envelope and read it aloud. ‘Just to say I’m sorry, Quentin.’ She stared open-mouthed at Liz. ‘Why should he feel the need to do this? What’s he sorry about? I don’t understand.’

  ‘Maybe he feels awkward over the inheritance business,’ Liz said, peering at the bouquet as Anna took off the huge pink bow and slit open the cellophane bag. ‘Oh, Anna, j
ust look at those enormous white lilies… they’re gorgeous. And you’ve got red carnations, white chrysanthemums, yellow roses, fern, and some lovely purple leaves to set it all off.’

  ‘Haven’t a clue what these purple leaves are,’ Anna said, reaching for the two biggest vases off the top shelf in the kitchen, ‘but they’re beautiful, so whatever they are doesn’t matter; this is the biggest and best bouquet I’ve ever had.’ She raised her brows as she looked at Liz. ‘Hey, wait a minute, I’ll do this later. Quentin’s going to do some work, so I’ll pop up straight away to thank him before he gets stuck into it.’ With that, she ran up the stairs two at a time, and knocked on the bedroom door.

  Chapter Twenty Two

  Quentin opened the door wide when he saw Anna standing there. ‘What a lovely surprise. Come in,’ he said, all smiles as he reached for her hand and stepped back, drawing her inside his room.

  Anna took a few paces forward, then found herself peculiarly tongue-tied. Her heart jerked as she observed his appearance, still handsome, even with his mop of hair ruffled and his shirtsleeves rolled up.

  As he gazed at her, Anna felt a strong need to breathe deeply to steady herself. No point in getting excited about a man who has recently become engaged, she told herself. Even so, all sorts of silly thoughts flashed through her mind, causing her focus to become less acute. She wanted to thank him, but didn’t want to say the wrong thing.

  With his usual broad smile, Quentin took her firmly by both hands and gently drew her right into the centre of the room. ‘I think that means you found the flowers - eventually?’ he said, with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. ‘I didn’t want you to have them until after we came home today so I hid them.’

  ‘They’re gorgeous, and thank you so much,’ Anna said, finding her voice and gazing up at him doe-eyed. ‘But there really was no need for you to go to this troub…’ She stopped as Quentin touched his finger to her lips.

  Then, before she could say another word, his arms were about her, drawing her tightly to him. His breathing came fast and heavy as he lowered his lips to hers and kissed her gently. Then his grip tightened again as he literally crushed her body so close to his she could feel every curve of his body. He released her and leaned back to gaze deep into her eyes, only to catch around her once more and pull her to him again. He muttered incoherently as he nuzzled his face in her hair.

  Wondering what this was all about, she closed her eyes to savour the embrace she had secretly wished for. It was something she never thought would happen, but here it was, real, exciting, and stirring emotions she had never before experienced.

  With the touch of hot lips on hers once more, she suddenly became intensely aware that this was quite different from any other kiss she’d ever had. It was long, sensuous, and breathtaking. When he drew away, he looked at her again, but this time with just the hint of a smile playing around his lips. Moments later, he released her, and looked into her eyes wide with surprise. Then, without a word, he kissed her again and again.

  Anna’s reaction to this exhilarating experience was almost one of shock. ‘Quentin, what are you doing?’ she gasped between deep breaths of excitement.

  ‘Something I couldn’t resist; something I never planned; but something I’ve wanted to do ever since I first set eyes on you, Anna Williams.’ He leaned back at full arms’ length, with his hands on her shoulders. ‘Do I surprise you?’ He narrowed his eyes as he studied her face.

  ‘Yes. Yes, you do.’ Astonished, Anna drew a tight breath, released herself from his grasp and stepped back a few paces, hardly knowing how to deal with this unexpected move. ‘What about your fiancée? What would she say if she could see you now?’

  ‘My—fiancée?’

  ‘Yes. The one you got engaged to recently, that’s who,’ Anna said, hotly scowling at him. ‘Grant let slip you’d had an engagement party. Don’t say you’ve forgotten it already.’

  He laughed aloud as he took her hand and drew her farther back into the large room. He stopped, and spun around to face her, but Anna had pulled her hand free and was already backing away, knowing she had to extricate herself somehow from this delightful, but embarrassing situation.

  Quentin looked puzzled for a few moments, and rubbed his hand over his chin as he thought. Then he clicked his fingers. ‘Got it. I told Grant I had an engagement party. To go to. It wasn’t mine; it was my college flat-mate’s, and I was invited. Grant obviously misunderstood me.’

  He spread his arms defensively, and then moved close to Anna once more. ‘Now look, very very distant dearest cousin of mine, I sincerely regret my uncle’s interest in that old will because of the problem it caused, but I would never have done that to anyone, let alone you, so let’s put it to rest now.’

  Then he looked down at her with one of his engaging smiles. ‘On the other hand, if my uncle hadn’t persuaded me to join him for a while, I might not have met you. And meeting you is something I would not have wanted to miss.’

  ‘So you’re not engaged?’

  ‘I have just told you—I am not engaged.’ He took both of her hands in his, and looked deep into her eyes. Very slowly, he lowered his head to gently touch his lips to her fingers, and then he folded her in his arms and kissed her tenderly again. ‘That’s for being so beautiful; for being so kind and so understanding.’ He leaned back, holding her at arms’ length. ‘For being you,’ he whispered.

  As he released her, Anna was breathless with excitement at the unexpected admission, and Quentin was none the wiser at how profoundly his embrace had affected her. He patted the bed and beckoned her. ‘Sit here, Anna, and let’s talk some.’

  ‘Talk? About what?’ she asked, taking a steadying breath as she sat cautiously beside him on the bed.

  ‘Oh, about you, about me, this place, our ancestors, yours and mine. Oh, come on, Anna, we’ve enough to talk about for the rest of our lives—if you will.’

  ‘If I will… what?’ Anna said, almost choking on her words.

  ‘Spend the rest of your life with me,’ Quentin said, quite unabashed. ‘Anna, I’ve known you for only a short while, but, I’m madly in love with you. I fell for you the moment I set eyes on you, but I felt the time wasn’t right for me to make my feelings known, and, of course, there were complications - your relationship with David being one of them.’

  He curved his arm around her shoulders. ‘Anna, I have to tell you now – I never want to lose sight of you again.’ He looked away for a moment or two, as though contemplating his next words. Then he took a deep breath, and with a pleading look, burst out, ‘Anna, marry me. Please say you’ll marry me.’

  She drew the deep breath she needed, and felt glad she was sitting down. This was something she had wished for, but never expected; something she had never dared dream would become reality. And it was so sudden it sent her mind reeling. Quentin had taken her fancy right from the start, but the story about his engagement, and the doubts she’d had about him, had put her off. She had closed down all thoughts of that nature about him; he was unavailable, so that was the end of it.

  Then there were her upsetting suspicions about his ancestry as well. But now, there were no inhibitions, no restrictions, and no reason why she couldn’t accept his proposal. After all, this was the man she had considered totally out of her reach. She took a long, hard look at him. Was this man her future? Knowing the answer was yes, she took his hand in hers.

  ‘Nothing would give me greater pleasure than talking with you for the rest of my life, Quentin.’

  ‘Let’s tell the world then,’ he murmured into her hair as he hugged her tightly. ‘Anna, you have just agreed to marry me. Your mother and everyone else can wait to hear the news; this is our time now.’ Quentin wrapped his arms around her once again. ‘I feel like I don’t ever want to let you go again.’

  Anna laughed. ‘We’ve got a whole lifetime ahead for that sort of thing,’ she said, hurrying to the door and beckoning him to join her. ‘Now I must see to my business, so would you like
to come with me?’

  Quentin laughed as Anna clutched at his hand and drew him out of his room and onto the large landing. They approached the top of the staircase and went down quietly.

  When they reached the last but one step on the stairs, Anna ran her fingers carefully over the painted face of the Colonel, and put her face close to his image. ‘Papa…, where ever you are, I want you to know our good news,’ she whispered. It was only when she heard Liz calling that she remembered Grant was in the house as well.

  Still holding onto Quentin’s hand, Anna called to Liz. ‘I’m in the middle of doing something, Liz, so will you fetch the sponge cake from the pantry, cut it and make some tea for you and Grant. I’ll join you later.’

  Then she turned her attention back to Quentin and told him all about the gems she had found. ‘The auctioneer says they will auction for a fortune,’ she said, ‘a fortune big enough to cover all my expenses here, and more. And I’ve kept back the best of them.’ Then she squeezed his hand. ‘Be old-fashioned, Quentin; ask my Papa’s portrait for my hand, just for me to hear it,’ she whispered.

  Quentin smiled knowingly, and cleared his throat as he faced the painting. ‘Sir, since Anna’s dear father is long departed from this earth, I think it appropriate that I ask you for her hand in marriage.’ He turned to Anna. ‘I feel a bit silly talking to a painting like this.’ Then to her surprise, with a smile he turned to the painting again. ‘And please tell your dear brother George, when next you see him, that his five time great grandson is to wed your five times great granddaughter. It will bring the family close together again,’ he whispered.

  Anna squeezed his hand. ‘That was a lovely gesture, and so good to hear,’ she said. ‘This is real, isn’t it? Not a dream?’

  ‘It’s been a dream of mine for some time, but no longer; it’s reality now,’ Quentin said. ‘So let’s join Liz and Grant for a cuppa; we can do with it.’