Aunt Bessie Finds

by Diana Xarissa

  After grabbing a few more things, almost at random, Bessie headed to the tills and then out to find her taxi. Back at home, she put the shopping away before playing through her answering machine messages.

  “Ah, Bessie, it’s Mary. Can you give me a ring when you have a minute? I have some news for you about that flat on Seaview Terrace.”

  Bessie reached for the phone. This should be interesting.

  “Mary? It’s Bessie, ringing you back.”

  “Hi, Bessie. I’m sorry I didn’t ring you sooner, but George has been working a lot lately and I didn’t get a chance to talk to him until yesterday afternoon. Then he had to talk to Grant, who had to talk to Alan.” Mary laughed. “I suppose you don’t need all the boring details, though, do you? You just want to know what I’ve found out.”

  Bessie laughed. “I don’t mind hearing the whole story,” she assured her friend. “You can tell me whatever you like.”

  “Thank you,” Mary said. “George is always telling me to get to the point when I waffle about all over the place. Anyway, George talked to Grant, and you’ll never guess what he found out.”

  “You don’t really expect me to guess, do you?” Bessie asked.

  “Oh, no, you’d never manage it anyway,” Mary said with a laugh. “When the poor old dear who lived in number ten died, her family was rather desperate to get rid of the flat. They all live across and didn’t have any island connections, so they just wanted it sold quickly. To help them out, Island Choice Properties bought the flat from them at just below market value.”

  “Really?” Bessie asked. “Is that typical for estate agencies? I have no idea how they work.”

  “I’m not totally sure,” Mary said. “I don’t think it is, really, but I’m sure Grant bought the place out of his spare change, if you know what I mean. The freehold on the property is owned by one of Grant’s companies anyway. If they were willing to sell at below market value, he probably thought it would be a good chance to make a quick profit.”

  “But now the flat has been sitting on the market for months,” Bessie said.

  “And that’s why they’re happy to let you lease it,” Mary told her.

  “Are they indeed?” Bessie asked.

  “Apparently George had to twist Grant’s arm a little bit,” Mary said in a confiding tone. “But you know George would do anything for you.”

  Bessie laughed. “I rather think that George would do anything for you and he’s doing it for your benefit.”

  “Maybe,” Mary replied. “But regardless, the good news is that you can move in whenever you like.”

  “As quickly as that?” Bessie asked, suddenly quite sure that she really didn’t want to move at all.

  “Shall I arrange a moving truck for you?” Mary asked. “We have an account with Island Movers. They moved us from across, not just me and George, but all of the children as well. They’re very good and I’m sure they’ll give you a bargain price.”

  “That’s very kind of you,” Bessie said, thinking quickly, “but I’m sure there are things that have to be arranged first. There must be a lease agreement or something that I need to sign and other paperwork as well.”

  “Oh, I don’t know,” Mary said. “I suppose I should have George ring you.”

  “That might be best,” Bessie said, swallowing a sigh.

  “Of course, your new flat is smaller than your little cottage. You’ll have to choose what furniture you take with you very carefully,” Mary said thoughtfully. “We have lots of furniture pieces in storage. If you think you’d like to have something different, I’d be happy to take you to have a look around.”

  “Why do you have things in storage?” Bessie asked, thinking about the huge mansion that Mary lived in. Surely there was plenty of room for a lot of furniture.

  “George likes to redo rooms every so often and when he does, he clears out everything and starts from scratch. I can’t bring myself to just throw away perfectly good furniture that’s often only a year or two old, so I put it all in storage. Sometimes I can sneak a piece or two back in, in a different room or something, but usually I just leave it all in storage until I find someone who can use it. The boys have both furnished their entire houses from our storage units and Elizabeth redoes her rooms every couple of months or so. You’re more than welcome to whatever you think you might find useful.”

  “Thank you, but I think I have more than enough furniture for that little flat,” Bessie said, shaking her head. The rich really were completely different to her.

  “Well, the offer is certainly open, if you want to reconsider.”

  After the call, Bessie spent several minutes just sitting at her kitchen table, looking out the window. She knew she wasn’t seriously moving, but the whole idea still filled her with dread. She’s slept in the bedroom upstairs just about every night for many more years than she was willing to admit to and she wasn’t sure she was ready to leave it, even if it was only temporary. She sighed. This had all started out as a little favour for a friend, but it was turning into much more than that. She’d been thinking about a holiday, she reminded herself. She would simply have to think of her stay in Douglas as just that, a nice holiday.

  George rang just after lunch.

  “Ah, Bessie, Mary asked me to ring,” he said, sounding distracted.

  “Thanks for doing so,” Bessie replied. “She said that you’d managed to arrange for me to lease the flat on Seaview Terrace.”

  “Yes, I talked to Grant yesterday and he’s fine with you moving in whenever you want.”

  “What about a lease agreement or some sort of legal documentation?” Bessie asked.

  “Oh, I don’t think we need to bother with such things, really. You can get the keys from the building manager and move in whenever you want. If you decide you want to buy it, let me know. Otherwise, just let me know when you move out.”

  “Oh, but that seems very informal,” Bessie protested.

  “It’s all between friends,” George replied. “Must dash.”

  Bessie stared at the phone after he’d hung up. She felt very uncomfortable about the whole arrangement. With a sigh, she dialed her advocate. Doncan always had good advice for her.

  She was delighted that he had time to talk when she rang. She quickly summarised the situation for him.

  “So they’re going to let you move into the flat and stay as long as you like?” he asked when she’d finished.

  “That’s what it sounded like to me,” Bessie replied.

  “How much rent will you be paying?”

  “George didn’t say,” Bessie said.

  “I’ve worked with George Quayle’s advocate, Richard Hart, many times. Let me give him a ring and see what’s going on.”

  It was nearly time for dinner before he called Bessie back. “Sorry it’s taken so long to get back to you,” he told Bessie. “Richard had to ring Grant Robertson’s advocate, Scott Meyers, and apparently neither of them knew anything about the arrangement, so many calls to both Mr. Quayle and Mr. Robertson were also needed.”

  “Oh, dear,” Bessie said. “I hope George isn’t upset with me for stirring up all this trouble.”

  “I’m sure he understands that you need to know what’s happening. So here’s what we’ve come up with. We’re going to have you sign a standard lease agreement that will be open-ended so you can move out whenever you like. Similarly, they can ask you to leave with thirty days notice.”

  “That seems reasonable,” Bessie said. There was no way she intended to stay for thirty days, anyway, even if she did try it out for a week or two so she could look into Bahey’s concerns. Really, a fortnight’s holiday in Douglas might be just the thing to shake her out of her occasional blue mood.

  “You’ll be charged ten pounds a month rent for the first three months,” Doncan continued. “If you decide to stay after that, the rent will go up to a fair market rent that will be agreed on in advance. At any point, if you do decide to purchase the flat, everything yo
u’ve paid in rent will be deducted from the agreed purchase price.”

  “That seems more than fair,” Bessie said. “Have you any idea what the flat should be renting for?”

  Doncan named a figure that had Bessie shocked speechless for a moment. “House prices are going up all the time,” Doncan told her. “And so are rental rates.”

  “I had no idea,” Bessie said. “They should be charging me more than ten pounds a month, surely.”

  “I gather Mr. Quayle is quite keen to help you out, or rather Mrs. Quayle is quite keen and Mr. Quayle is willing.”

  “Yes, but still, they should make me pay a fair amount,” Bessie argued.

  “Mr. Meyers would certainly agree with you,” Doncan said dryly. “However, Mr. Quayle wouldn’t hear of it. You can argue with him the next time you see him, I suppose.”

  “I certainly will,” Bessie replied.

  “Anyway, I have all of the paperwork here. You just need to stop in and sign it at your convenience. The building manager has the keys, so once you’ve signed the paperwork, you can move in whenever you like.”

  Bessie took a deep breath that seemed slightly shakey. “Great,” she said without enthusiasm.

  “Bessie, I think when you come in, we’d better have a nice long chat,” Doncan told her. “I want to make sure I understand everything that’s going on.”

  “We can chat,” Bessie replied. “But really, there isn’t anything going on, other than my wanting a small change. Maybe, with all the sad things that have been happening lately, I just need to do something different for a bit. I can’t really imagine selling my cottage, but I do need a change. It’s more like an extended holiday than a move though, unless I truly do fall in love with Douglas.”

  “I’ll transfer you to Breesha and she can make an appointment for you to come in and see me early next week,” was Doncan’s reply.

  Breesha was strictly professional, but Bessie fancied that she could hear an undercurrent of disapproval in the woman’s tone. Bessie hung up on a sigh. While she wasn’t exactly lying to anyone, she was stretching the truth a great deal more than she was comfortable with. Bessie was beginning to wonder if she were taking things rather too far in her efforts to help Bahey.

  The next morning was rainy and cool and Bessie stomped up and down the beach in her raincoat and Wellington boots, feeling cross with the whole world. Back in her small kitchen, Bessie felt as if the walls were closing in on her. For some reason, her little cottage felt cramped and claustrophobic today. She knew she was grumpy and out of sorts and she knew exactly why, but that didn’t improve her mood.

  Bessie usually spent Saturdays at home, often preparing and cooking things like soups, some of which could be enjoyed at once, the rest frozen for another day. Today she didn’t feel like cooking or cleaning, so she curled up with a book and tried to get lost in it. She was meeting with mixed success when someone knocked on her door.

  “Hugh? But how nice to see you,” Bessie said in surprise when she opened her door.

  “It’s good to see you, too,” the young constable replied.

  Bessie stepped back, opening the door wide to let the man in. “It’s nearly time for lunch,” she said, glancing at the kitchen clock. “Would you like to join me? I have some soup in the freezer. It won’t take ten minutes to warm it up.”

  “That would be great,” Hugh replied, his brown eyes lighting up.

  “You sit down,” Bessie told him. “I’ll get the soup started and then you can tell me why you’re here.”

  Hugh took a seat at the small kitchen table while Bessie bustled around pulling containers of soup from the freezer and getting them ready to heat.

  “It’s always so comfortable in here,” Hugh said, making Bessie smile.

  “You’ve heard I’m thinking of moving and you’ve come to talk me out of it,” she guessed.

  “Not at all,” Hugh said, flushing under Bessie’s gaze.

  Bessie smiled. The man was in his mid-twenties, but he still looked no more than fifteen. His brown hair always looked as if it hadn’t been cut or even combed recently and he still didn’t seem to have become entirely comfortable with his height or his broad shoulders.

  “No, really,” he said insistently. “I don’t reckon I have any right to be giving you advice. I just, well, I just couldn’t help but comment on how nice your cottage is. It’s always been a place to come to get away from the rest of the world. I’ll be sad to see you go, if you do move, that’s all.”

  Bessie nodded. “I know what you mean,” she assured him. “I’ve lived here for many more years than you’ve been alive, and leaving isn’t going to be easy. That’s why I’m only planning on leasing in Douglas, so I can just give it a try and see what it’s like. Who knows, by the end of the month I might be right back here with no intention of ever leaving again.”

  Hugh shrugged. “After everything that’s happened lately, I can certainly see you needing a change. Really, I want you to be happy, even if that means you moving to Douglas.”

  Bessie smiled. “Thank you,” she told him. Hugh was really turning out to be a nice young man. “I must admit, I’m a little excited about the thought of something so new and different,” she told him, feeling somewhat surprised when she realised that it was true.

  “I can see that,” Hugh replied. “Excited but scared as well, right?”

  Bessie nodded. “Exactly right,” she agreed.

  “That’s how I feel about Grace,” Hugh said with a sigh.

  Bessie patted his back before pulling soup bowls from the cupboard. She carefully poured hot soup into two bowls. Hugh jumped up and carried the bowls to the table, while Bessie sliced a loaf of bread and put it and a plate of butter in between the bowls.

  “What would you like to drink?” she asked Hugh.

  “Oh, something cold would be great,” he said happily.

  Bessie handed him a fizzy drink and then switched the kettle on. The last thing she wanted with soup was something cold. She sat down across from Hugh and the pair ate for a few moments.

  “Ah, Bessie, this is really good,” Hugh said after several mouthfuls.

  “I’m glad you like it,” Bessie said, patting his hand as she got up to fix her tea. “So how are things with you and Grace?” she asked.

  “Oh, things are good,” Hugh said, ducking his head and staring at his bowl.

  “I’m glad to hear that,” Bessie said, rejoining him at the table. “I hope she’ll stop by again soon. I like visiting with her.”

  “Yeah, well, that’s one of the reasons I stopped by,” Hugh said. “See, Grace and I are going away for a fortnight and I wanted to tell you so you wouldn’t think I was ignoring you or something.”

  Bessie smiled. “You and Grace are having a holiday together?” she asked.

  “Yes, but it isn’t what you think,” Hugh said, blushing brightly. “I mean, it isn’t just me and Grace. I’m actually joining Grace’s whole family on holiday. We’re going across to one of those holiday park places where you can do sports and things for a week and then we’re travelling down to Cornwall to visit with some of Grace’s extended family.”

  “Grace’s whole family?” Bessie asked.

  “Yeah, her mum and dad and her younger brother and sister,” Hugh explained. “Gus is sixteen and Pru is thirteen.”

  “That sounds exhausting,” Bessie said, bluntly honest.

  Hugh laughed. “Yeah, it will be interesting,” he agreed. “I’m taking my car so Grace and I can travel together, but we’ll be following Mr. Christian all around the country, which could be, um, well, interesting.”

  Bessie laughed. “What are the children like?” she asked.

  “Gus is okay. He’s a good kid and he isn’t into drink and girls, at least not yet. He’s really into football, which is why we’re going to the holiday camp. Apparently there’s some sort of training camp that week that he’s been picked for, and we’re all going to cheer him on, like.”

  “And Gr
ace’s sister?”

  Hugh blushed again. “Ah, she’s okay,” he said, taking a big drink from his can.

  “What aren’t you telling me?” Bessie asked.

  Hugh shook his head. “Pru has a little bit of a crush on me, that’s all. She sometimes follows me and Grace around and keeps talking to me. Grace gets really fed up, and I end up feeling like I’m caught in the middle. I can’t be horrible to Grace’s little sister, can I?”

  Bessie laughed. “No, you can’t be horrible to her,” she agreed. “Poor Grace, it must be very frustrating for her.”

  “Yeah, and for me,” Hugh said grumpily.

  “You must make sure to fill up the back of your car so that there isn’t any room for passengers,” Bessie told him. “Make sure there’s only room for you and Grace and find a reason why you must take Grace and not Pru in your car.”

  “I hadn’t thought of that,” Hugh said. “My car’s a bit of a mess anyway. I’m doing it up. Perhaps I’ll take the backseat out of it so no one can ride back there at all.”

  Bessie laughed. “That might be a bit extreme,” she said.

  “Anyway, I’m sort of looking forward to the holiday and dreading it as well,” Hugh confided. “I just have this feeling that it’s going to be a real test of how Grace and I feel about each other.”

  “I’m sure it will be,” Bessie said. “You’ve a ferry crossing each way, long drives and multiple nights staying with other people in strange places to get through, not to mention meeting Grace’s extended family. The holiday may just reveal a lot about your true feelings.”

  Hugh frowned. “I’ve always hated tests,” he said. “In school and in real life.”

  “You should talk to Grace,” Bessie suggested. She got up and brought more soup to the table, carefully adding it to Hugh’s nearly empty bowl. “I’m sure she’s just as nervous as you are.”