Page 121 of Hope and Happiness in Bluebell Wood
‘Me? Really?’
‘Yes, you’re wonderful with the children, and most of them know you already because of Merlin. You’d be great. I know it’s likely nowhere near as much money as you were getting before in London, but—’
‘Yes!’ I say before she can change her mind. ‘Yes, I’d love to come and work at the school.’
‘Gosh, I didn’t think you’d agree so quickly. I mean, it’s hardly a high-flying career like you’re used to, but it can be very rewarding.’
‘I don’t want that sort of job any more,’ I tell her, ‘something that’s all about the money and climbing a never-ending career ladder. I’ve done that. I want to do something that I enjoy, and I know I’ll enjoy working at the school.’
Jemima grins, and then to my surprise she reaches out and hugs me.
‘I’m so pleased for you,’ she says, standing back again. ‘I mean it. You’ve found a place in life you’re happy and content in. Happiness and contentment are very underrated, in my opinion.’
‘You’re right,’ I tell her. ‘I am lucky, very lucky indeed.’
After talking to Jemima for a little longer about the job and what I would need to do before I started at the school in September, Merlin and I head back to the cottage. We had some packing up of Evelyn’s things to do before Robin came over later for the afternoon.
Evelyn had been in contact again with Callum, via email this time, and had sent a list of things she’d like packing up and sending off to her in Australia, if we didn’t mind doing so. In return, she said she’d be more than happy for me to keep anything that was left. If I didn’t want her things, then we should sell them and give the profits to St Francis’s church. She was just pleased that her cottage was going to be lived in by someone that Callum thought was deserving of it.
I had to admit she sounded rather lovely in her email, which Callum had forwarded to me. Evelyn had obviously loved this cottage, and cared deeply about what happened to it.
‘Are you sure this is all she wants me to pack up for her?’ I’d asked Callum when I’d seen the list. ‘It doesn’t seem like much?’
‘I don’t think she needs much,’ Callum replies, sounding very vicar-like, as he did on occasion when he wasn’t thinking too much about it. ‘She has everything she needs in her family.’
‘I’m sure she does,’ I agree.
‘I know she’s sad to leave Bluebell Wood, though; she was telling me she’d lived in your cottage since she was a child. Apparently, her family have lived there for over a century – they were the first to rent it after it stopped being the vicarage.’
‘I don’t suppose . . . ?’ I ask hopefully.
Callum shakes his head. ‘No, she knew nothing about what we’re looking for. As far as she is aware, her family has always rented it from the Church. She said there were always stories told about King Henry and how he’d bequeathed land to the original owner of the land the cottage is built on. But as far as she knows, there was never any actual proof – only rumours. She did say one thing that was interesting, though . . . ’
‘Oh yes?’ I ask, as always clinging on to anything that might help us solve this mystery and stop the housing development once and for all.
‘She has a vague memory of her grandfather talking about some maps that had apparently gone missing.’
‘Maps?’
‘Evelyn wasn’t sure, but she thought it might have something to do with the rumours. She said she was just a little girl then and might have got it mixed up.’
What Evelyn told Callum had sounded promising, but as usual it didn’t take us any further forward. So I’d sourced some old boxes from Jenny’s store and Gavin’s farm shop and decided that there was no time like the present to begin packing up the old and bringing in the new. Evelyn’s old house had given me a wonderful place to stay over the last few months, but I already had a few ideas of what I’d like to do with the place to really make it mine.
‘Right, books!’ I say to Merlin as I stand in front of the largebookcase and he curls up on the sofa to watch me packing. ‘Now, where’s my list?’
I begin to sort through the books on the shelf, making three piles: books Evelyn wanted me to send to her, books I wanted to keep and books we could sell.
The only thing was, I kept getting distracted and opening up the books to look at them. I’d only ever made a small dent in reading the vast quantity of books that Evelyn had collected over the years, even though when I first came here I’d thought it was one of the things that might keep me busy, and fill in the many hours I’d expected to spend alone in the cottage.
Funny how things turn out, I think, as I put the book I’m holding down on the pile to keep.It feels like I haven’t had enough hours to do all the things I’ve wanted to, let alone needed things to fill them up!
I pick up a group of old annuals that must once have belonged to Evelyn’s children. There’s a mix ofThe Beano,The DandyandThe Eagle, and I wonder if Robin might like to look at them later. I stare at the small pile ofEagleannuals. ‘There you are again,’ I say to the books. ‘It seems you’re everywhere right now.’
When I’d fed the birds this morning, I’d found a new gift had been left for me. This time it was a tiny silver brooch in the shape of an eagle, its wings spread in flight.
‘This seems more appropriate!’ I’d said to the birds, as they’d waited in the trees for their food. I was no longer surprised by what I found on the table. ‘It’s one of your own this time.’
The brooch was an extremely pretty little thing, and, like the locket, quite a step up from some of the other things the birds had left. The insignia seemed familiar to me, so before I’d taken Merlin out for his walk, I’d looked it up, and the internethad revealed it to be a vintage RAF sweetheart brooch, for servicemen to present to loved ones before they left for battle. ‘Where are you getting these things from?’ I’d murmured as I’d studied the brooch in my hand. ‘This would have been very special to someone once upon a time.’ So I’d placed it on the mantelpiece with my other gifts.
