'Uh-huh.' Mia nodded, still ogling him. He was equally sexy from the back. 'Jet Cross.'
'Did you see his eyes?'
'I couldn't miss them. I've never seen eyes like them. I think Hettie told the truth about him. One look in to those eyes and I'd forgive him anything. Even if it did mean I'd end up with a broken heart.'
Ella let out a sigh. 'I'd definitely risk a broken heart for a night with him.'
Garrick tutted. 'I don't know. One good-looking guy and you two go to mush.'
Ella punched him on the arm. 'Says the guy who couldn't take his eyes off Alexia.'
Garrick ran a hand through his hair and gave a long low whistle.
'You've got to admit. She is absolutely gorgeous.'
'I bet she's broken a few hearts in her time too,' Mia said.
'Even I'd risk a broken heart to spend the night with her.'
Did Garrick mean that? If he did, it would be the most spontaneous thing he'd ever done.
Mia wasn't sure if she was pleased about that or not, and when Alexia brought more drinks and then the food, smiling and flirting with Garrick on both occasions, Mia wondered whether spontaneity was all it was cracked up to be.
'Alexia,' Mia said, spooning lashings of tartare sauce on her scampi and chips, along with sprinkling ample quantities of vinegar. 'Is there a problem with mobile phone reception in the village? I've been trying to call my mum on and off all day but there doesn't seem to be a signal. I can't even send a text.'
Alexia shook her head. 'It's sporadic and seems to depend on the weather but generally you won't get a signal. You have to go to Frog Hill and about halfway up, just past Frog's Hollow, you'll get one. That's the hill behind the church. Or at the top of the church steeple, if you fancy climbing three hundred circular stone steps. There's a landline in Mattie's cottage though. Couldn't you call your mum on that? Most of us rely on old fashioned communication methods in Little Pondale. Landline. Postal service. Face to face conversation. You'll soon get used to it.'
'I'm not sure I will,' Ella said. 'My business relies on my mobile. It's how people contact me, other than via the internet.'
'I'm an idiot,' Alexia said, tutting. 'Mattie's got WiFi. We don't have fibre optic here and the broadband reception's very slow to what you're probably used to, but you can make mobile calls and send texts via WiFi, assuming your phone's compatible. Most recent smartphones are. I'm not with it when it comes to technology so you'll have to ask my brother Toby, but I know it's possible because he often does it.'
'Matilda had WiFi?' Ella looked incredulous. 'She didn't have a TV but she had the internet?'
Alexia nodded. 'Yes. She had a laptop. I often saw her using it.'
'I didn't see a laptop in the cottage,' Mia said. 'Did you?' She looked at Ella and Garrick who both shook their heads.
'Well, she definitely had one. Perhaps the solicitor took it for safe keeping. Or Hettie. She may know Mattie's WiFi password although I wouldn't count on that.'
'Do you have WiFi here?' Garrick asked. 'For public use I mean.'
Alexia nodded. 'Yes. The password is FrogandLily. All one word. Capital L for Lily.'
Garrick smiled at Mia. 'In that case you can send your mum a message via Facebook. She's bound to be checking that and posting photos of her cruise, knowing Lori.'
'Your mum's on a cruise?' Alexia looked wistful. 'I'd die to go on a cruise. Especially to somewhere romantic, like Italy, for example. But just being on a cruise ship looks romantic, doesn't it? Of course, I suppose it depends who you're with. Has your mum gone with anyone special? Sorry. I suppose that's none of my business. But that's another thing you'll have to get used to. No one minds their own business in Little Pondale. Everyone knows everything about everybody.'
'I'm beginning to realise that,' Ella replied.
Mia shrugged. 'It's okay. Mum's gone with her book club. There's been no one special in her life since Dad died, and that was many years ago now.'
'Apart from you,' Alexia said, with a sincere smile. 'I'm sorry about your dad. I think Mattie loved him dearly but she didn't talk about him much. Just about you. But I'd better get on. And you'd better finish your meal before it gets stone cold. See you later.'
Chapter Ten
The scampi and chips were delicious and the tartare sauce, the best Mia had ever tasted. But the evening at the pub had also given Mia food for thought. The more she was hearing about great-aunt Matilda the more confused she was becoming. Or Mattie, as she must now get used to calling her because it sounded so much more 'friendly', and Mattie was clearly friendly, at least to some people.
What was the most confusing was the fact that Alexia had said, not only that Mattie loved Mia's dad, but also that she often talked about Mia. Yet Alexia had seemed genuinely surprised that Mia had never met Mattie. Surely Mattie had made it clear that she wasn't in touch with her relatives? Or had she pretended that everything was fine and that she simply didn't see them often? It was all such a mystery. As was the fact that Mia, Ella and Garrick hadn't spotted Mattie's laptop. But then again none of them had seen the telephone, so they clearly hadn't been very observant. Perhaps Mattie did in fact have a TV and they were all too blind to see it. Perhaps it was camouflaged in some way, like the wardrobes were in Mattie's bedroom. Mia smiled at the thought. If she mentioned that to Ella, she'd probably tear the place apart looking for one.
'Who gets the cottage if you decide not to live here for the year?' Garrick asked out of the blue as the three of them walked back to Sunbeam Cottage.
The rain had stopped and a full moon hung over the thatched roofs, giving them a silvery glow. In the distance an owl hooted. At least Mia assumed it was an owl. It sounded, owly, if there was such a word.
Mia shook her head. 'No idea. The solicitor said Matilda … I mean Mattie, had drawn up a codicil to the will, with his father. It was in a sealed envelope and only to be opened if I choose not to stay. He said that he didn't know what it contained but the instructions were clear and precise. If I leave, he'll open it and the cottage will be dealt with according to the instructions in the codicil. If I stay for the entire year, the cottage will be transferred to me and the codicil destroyed. I can dispose of the cottage as I see fit after that and leave it to whoever I want in my will, or sell it, or do anything I want to do with it.'
'So no one knows?'
'No.' Mia had already told him and Ella that the solicitor who drew up the will was now deceased and that the son, with whom Mia had dealt, had little knowledge of Matilda Ward, other than that his firm held her will and several other documents, including the deeds to the cottage. 'The only other beneficiary in the main will was given a specific bequest. Like me, they were to be given the sum of ten thousand pounds immediately. It was the local animal sanctuary. I asked if he thought they might also get the cottage if I decided not to live there, but for some reason he seemed fairly certain they didn't. He said that he believed if it were that straightforward, the will would simply have declared that. Something along the lines of, 'if she doesn't want it then the charity gets it', only in legal speak, of course.'
'He believes someone else will inherit it then? Not that it will simply be sold off and form part of Mattie's estate? Who gets that? The residual estate, I mean? Or did she only own the cottage and twenty thousand pounds? And if so, who is paying her legal fees?'
'I have no idea. This whole thing happened so fast and was such a shock I'm not sure I asked enough questions. Or the right questions. All I wanted to know was who was great-aunt Matilda and why she had left me her home, together with ten thousand pounds? I didn't really ask much else about the will and he didn't offer to tell me anything other than about the animal sanctuary also getting ten thousand pounds, from what I remember. Perhaps he'll be billing me. I hadn't even thought of that.'
'I think he would've told you that at the start. He probably has to by law, if you're the one paying his bill. Mattie must've made a separate provision for costs.'
'Why al
l the questions?' Ella asked. 'You're giving me a headache.'
Garrick pulled a face. 'I think the four large glasses of wine are what're giving you the headache, not to mention the champagne we drank earlier.'
'Oh bugger. I'd forgotten that.' Ella jumped on to the grass and stared at the pond. 'It's so bloody quiet here, isn't it? It's ten-thirty on a Saturday night and there isn't a sound, is there?'
'Apart from the wildlife,' Mia said. 'And I don't mean the rugby team.' She grinned.
Ella grinned back. 'Even they weren't that rowdy, were they? In London there would've been at least one punch-up when that lot started singing. I'm already looking forward to Sunday lunch, aren't you?'
'I know I am,' Garrick said.
'I'm looking forward to going to bed,' Mia said, and hastily added, 'I mean tonight. On my own. I'm shattered. And tomorrow's going to be busy. We've got to start unpacking.'
'And looking for Mattie's internet password,' Garrick said.
'And her laptop,' Mia added.
'What about the locked door?' Ella asked, turning from the pond and continuing towards Sunbeam Cottage. 'We were going to check that out in the morning, weren't we? Perhaps that's where Mattie kept her laptop. You know, away from a certain someone's prying eyes.' She nodded her head towards Duckdown Cottage, Hettie Burnstall's home. 'Bloody Nora! I swear I just saw her lace curtains twitch.'
Mia saw that too but she was busy thinking about the locked door again now.
'Thanks for reminding me about the door. I'll be wondering about it all night and probably won't sleep a wink.'
Garrick grinned. 'I bet you'll sleep fine. Perhaps we'll find a TV up there too.'
Ella tutted. 'Now I'll be wondering about that all night and I won't get a wink of sleep either.'
'You'll be snoring the minute your head hits the pillow,' Garrick said.
'I don't snore!' Ella was indignant.
'You do,' Mia said. 'Especially after four large glasses of wine.'
Garrick laughed. 'Don't sleep with your window open. You'll scare the wildlife.'
Ella thumped him on the arm and he let out a little yelp but it was drowned out by a horrific scream, like someone was being brutally murdered.
Ella and Mia grabbed one another's hands and they both grabbed Garrick.
'What the bloody hell was that?' Ella croaked.
'That was a vixen,' Garrick said, prising himself free from their grasp. 'Surely you've heard a fox call before? There are urban foxes in London.'
Mia shook her head and so did Ella.
'I've never heard anything like that in my life. Are you sure it's a fox? It definitely sounded like a human screaming for their life.'
'I'm certain,' Garrick said. 'And besides, this is Little Pondale. Do you honestly think someone would be murdering somebody in a tiny village like this?'
'It happens in Midsomer Murders,' Ella said. 'And in those Miss Marple mysteries.'
'Fiction,' Garrick pointed out. 'In real life, you probably have more chance of winning the Lottery jackpot than you do of being murdered in a village like this.'
'I hope you're right,' Mia said, seeing the curtains of Duckdown Cottage twitch once more as she turned towards the path of Sunbeam Cottage.
For some strange reason, she had a very uneasy feeling about that cottage, and its owner, Hettie Burnstall.
Chapter Eleven
'Morning sleepyhead. Wakey wakey. I've made coffee.'
Mia stirred on her cloud. At least it felt like a cloud. Was she dreaming? That was clearly Garrick's voice she could hear and she could definitely smell coffee. Tentatively, she opened her eyes, trying to remember where she was because she was sure this wasn't her bed. Her mattress was never this comfortable, even when it was brand new, although that was many years ago.
'It's eight a.m.' Garrick said. 'The sun is shining. The birds are singing. It's a beautiful day.'
'What?' Mia sat bolt upright, nearly knocking the coffee mug from Garrick's outstretched hand. 'Eight? It can't be.'
She stared at him in disbelief. Not only was he washed and dressed in jeans and a T-shirt that clung to him in all the right places, his aftershave smelt divine. Or maybe that was the coffee. He was smiling down at her and it struck her again just how handsome he was.
He and Ella weren't identical twins, in fact, they barely looked alike, although they both had a dimple in their chins. It looked ruggedly roguish on Garrick; cute and sexy on Ella.
They had the same blond hair. Curls on Ella, which she tamed flat with a hair straightener. Waves on Garrick, which either he did absolutely nothing with, or he spent hours with a heated brush getting them to fall in perfect symmetry. Mia doubted that Garrick would ever be seen dead with a hot brush in his hand. A hot woman, maybe; a hair beautifier, never. It simply wasn't his style. His blond waves must have tumbled naturally over the tips of his ears and just kissing his collar when he wore a shirt. Now, in this T-shirt, the waves danced around his firm, tanned neck.
'Stop daydreaming and take this coffee,' he demanded. 'Breakfast will be ready in ten minutes. And I'm not bringing that up to you.'
'Okay, Grumpy.' Mia puffed up her pillows with her fists, wriggled into a comfy position and took the mug from him. 'Is Ella awake?'
'Not only awake but already in the shower. The heating's on and there's plenty of hot water. I've got more wood from the woodshed and the Range is frying bacon and eggs as we speak. So get up and at 'em, madam.' He turned and walked towards the door. 'Oh, and by the way, I slept like a log and so did Ella, much to her amazement. How about you?'
'I don't think I slept a wink,' she lied.
'Really?'
She shook her head and her ponytail swished to and fro. 'Nah uh. I lied. You were right. I fell asleep the second I closed my eyes and I was still asleep when you brought me this coffee. This bed is unbelievably comfortable. You should spend a night in it and see.'
He raised his eyebrows and a devilish grin crept across his lips. 'Is that an offer, Mia Ward?'
'What? No! I didn't mean … What I meant was, alone. On your own.'
'I was kidding, Mia. I know what you meant.' He turned to walk away, stopped and glanced back. 'But if you ever change your mind.' He smiled the sexiest smile she'd ever seen on him. Then he winked.
'Yeah right. Is that before or after you jump into bed with Miss Frog and Lily, the goddess of the village?'
He tipped his head to one side and a wave of blond hair tumbled on to his brow. Mia wanted to go to him and push it back in place.
What was the matter with her this morning?
He rubbed his chin between his thumb and forefinger as if he were deep in thought.
'That's a tricky one. After, I think. Or maybe before. Perhaps both. Or is that pushing it too far?'
Mia threw a pillow at him but he laughed and ducked out of the way of the missile. When he looked back at her, he had a strange expression on his face.
'Does that give you a hint?' she asked.
'It does,' he said, with a catch in his voice. 'And I hope you won't mind me saying this, but so does that nightdress. I think you may want to tie it a bit tighter.' He abruptly walked away and closed the door behind him.
Mia looked down at her nightdress and gasped. She had forgotten that it was quite so sheer but not only that, that it had a loose, off-the shoulder neckline with a row of ribbon that could be tightened or undone. It was incredibly sexy and she'd driven her ex-boyfriend, the rat, wild with passion on more than one occasion by standing in front of him and with just one finger, untying the ribbon and letting the nightdress slip to the floor like a gossamer veil. The problem was, it had come undone of its own accord when she'd thrown the pillow and now the left side of it sat just below her left breast, giving Garrick an eyeful.
'Bloody Nora,' she groaned, mimicking Ella as she yanked the nightdress back in place. 'I only, bloody well flashed my boob at my best friend's brother. What a fabulous start to my day.'
She put the coffee
mug down and clambered out of bed. Ella had finished in the shower because Mia could hear her singing and it was coming from Ella's room. Not that it mattered, because Mia had discovered another thing last night before she had gone to bed. Mattie had an en-suite bathroom. It was camouflaged, just as the wardrobes had been and she'd found it when she rested her hand against the wall on which the chest of drawers sat, opposite the wardrobes, to take off her socks. After the champagne and the wine, she had felt a bit unsteady.
She dashed in there now and turned on the shower. She closed her eyes and let the water wash over her. Suddenly, she imagined Garrick's hands on her and her eyes shot open because the feeling was so intense that for a split second, she actually wondered if he'd returned to her room, seen her in the shower, and done something incredibly spontaneous.
But he hadn't. She wasn't sure whether she was disappointed, or just annoyed that, yet again, she was having inappropriate thoughts about Garrick Swann.
Anyone would think she still had a crush on him.
Which she didn't.
She definitely did not.
She fancied him, but that was different. She fancied a lot of men but it didn't mean she'd jump into the shower with them the first chance she got. Garrick was good to look at. He was a lovely person. He was reliable and kind.
But he definitely wasn't the man for her.
He definitely wasn't the one.
Absolutely not.
Chapter Twelve
Garrick seemed to be avoiding her. Or at least, he was avoiding looking at her.
From the moment she appeared in the kitchen, he looked away.
She was wearing her skinny jeans and a T-shirt that was almost a second skin, it was so tight, but he didn't even seem to notice. Well, perhaps he did but he quickly turned away. The bacon and eggs he was cooking seemed to demand his undivided attention because he stared at the pan the entire time she talked.
'I've discovered an en-suite in Mattie's room. It's hidden, like the wardrobes were. This place continues to amaze me. Something new and exciting keeps popping up in front of me.'
The Cottage on Lily Pond Lane-Part One_New beginnings Page 6