Page 4 of Autumn Secrets

“Thank you, it feels good to be back.” Mum smiled. She made them some coffee and we sat down at the big wooden table in the kitchen and talked for almost an hour.

As they were leaving, Mrs Peters looked at Mum and I with wary eyes. “Well, you’re here now. That means we can look after each other.”

Mum hugged them both. “Yes, I’m really glad I have you both here.”

“And we’re glad that you two are back with us.” Mr Peters smiled warmly and put a hand on Mrs Peters’ shoulder. “Shall we continue with our day?” Mrs Peters nodded. “Well, we’ll see you two later.”

I smiled and nodded back as I waved goodbye, agreeing with their endearing words. There seemed to be such a strong, unspoken bond between Mum and Mr and Mrs Peters, and it was obvious they had missed each other a lot over the years.

I spent the rest of my day rediscovering my grandparents’ property. The birch trees were still standing tall on both sides of the road that led to the front of the manor. They looked magnificent this time of year, covered with their yellow, orange and red leaves. To the right of the manor was another little road that led down to the riding school and its surrounding meadows. My grandparents had built the riding school to generate extra income, but also because they loved the idea of keeping the community close. The back of the property was my favourite place, like I knew it would be. My grandmother’s beautiful garden down by the lake was very secluded and truly felt like my own little piece of paradise. I could see why my grandparents had loved this place so much.

The only house you could see from the manor was Mr and Mrs Peters’ on the other side of the lake. It was so quiet. I couldn’t believe this all belonged to me and Mum now. It was still a bit uncomfortable and overwhelming to think about in that way. This would always be my grandparents’ place.

After helping Mum make a dessert for the evening, I spent the rest of the afternoon on the jetty with a book. There was nothing but silence surrounding me except for the chirps of a few birds, which would disappear to warmer climates very soon. I closed my eyes and listened to what might have been their final song, appreciating the calming sound of nature around me. Mum came down briefly to bring me a cup of tea but left me to enjoy the peace and quiet by myself for the afternoon.

I thought about yesterday and my meeting with the captivating Adrian Hunter at the library. I wondered who he was, howoldhe was and if I would ever meet him again. I was quite sure I would run into him at some point; this wasn’t exactly Paris. There couldn’t be too many schools around here. The thought of running into him again warmed my insides, and straight away the butterflies returned.

Six o’clock on the dot that evening a car pulled up outside our house. I was so nervous about seeing Lexi after all these years. I still felt so embarrassed that Mum had essentially set me up on a playdate. What if she turned out to be one of those rude girls who I had absolutely nothing in common with? What a disaster that would be.

“It will be fine – Lexi is a lovely girl,” Mum reassured me with a smile as she opened the door to welcome our guests. The first thing I saw was a blonde girl with green eyes and a huge smile plastered on her face. Lexi.

Mum was right, of course. The Dawson family were great. I surmised that Lexi must be one of the popular girls at school. She was beautiful and had such a happy and bubbly personality. You couldn’t help but smile in her company and, even better, we hit it off straight away. After dinner we left the adults downstairs and headed to my room to catch up.

“It’s so weird; I found all these pictures from here – taken, like, a very long time ago. I didn’t know who the girl was next to me, but apparently it was you. It looked like we were good friends when we were little,” Lexi said as we walked up the stairs to my room.

“So, I’ve heard.” I smiled.

“But here’s the weird thing, I can’t remember any of it. No offence to you or anything, but it’s so strange, don’t you think?” Lexi stopped and looked at me at the top of the stairs.

“Yeah, I actually have the same problem…” I admitted. “No offence.”

Lexi laughed and held up her hands. “None taken. But itisquite weird, right?” It did baffle me, the more I thought about it. Why didn’t we remember each other, especially since I could remember other people and places from that point in my life so clearly?

“Do you find it scary? I mean, this house is enormous,” Lexi asked, interrupting my train of thought.

I shrugged. “No, not really. I actually feel really safe here. I feel like I’m home.” I opened the bedroom door and the first thing that hit me was the icy cold air. I stopped dead in my tracks and looked at the curtains, which were flickering from the wind outside.

“Oh my God, Aurora. It’s freezing in here,” Lexi said behind me. My terrace door was wide open. I ran across the room to close it. Strange, I was sure I’d closed it earlier.

“Sorry, Lexi. I thought I’d shut it.”

“Well, you obviously forgot. It’s like a freezer in here.” She laughed.

“Yeah, I must have.”

Lexi must have noticed my bewildered face because she quickly added, “Did you by any chance open the door earlier today?”

“Yeah, but that was in the morning…”

“You probably didn’t shut it properly then. You need to use a little bit of force with these old houses.”

She was right. I let my eyes sweep across the room, and everything looked just like I had left it. Nothing was missing. I shook my head. I was being silly. As if a burglar would come all the way out here. Besides, this manor was like Fort Knox. It was totally safe here.

“This is an impressive room. I think it’s probably double the size of my bedroom,” Lexi said and made herself at home in the old rocking chair in the corner, while studying my room with great interest.

“Thanks,” I mumbled.

“Are you nervous about Monday? I can meet you outside school if you want someone to walk you in on your first day?”

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