Instalment Six – By Barbara Heartland

The night before on the phone, Margaret had heard the hint of urgency in Dorothy’s voice. “Why, what is the matter?”, she said to Dorothy when she said they must meet – “I am seeing you later at the W.I. – will whatever it is wait until after then?”. Dorothy said that it would, but that she really needed to speak to Margaret in private about a situation which had arisen and the new tenant of the cottage.

They agreed to meet after the W.I. at Dorothy’s small stone cottage opposite the village green. Margaret thought about the call. Her sister was not given to exaggeration or panic but there had been a slight trace of panic in Dorothy’s voice.

After the meeting, the sisters went back to Dorothy’s cottage where she told Margaret about Annie and the ring she had. She described the ring to Margaret who then gasped – “But how can this be? How can she have that ring? It was thought to have disappeared with Charles Fitzwilliam when he supposedly drowned. (Apparently he had taken it with him unknown to the rest of the family when he left England and the loss had been discovered after he was found missing). “Well”, said Margaret, “I will have to call Edward and let him know. As you know, the ring is on many of the portraits in Lillingworth Hall and is a Fitzwilliam family heirloom. What do you know about this girl Annie who is renting your cottage? Where does she come from and just how did she get the ring?” Margaret said she would arrange to meet with Edward to decide how to find out more about how the ring got into Annie’s possession. “I just can’t believe it turning up in Parwich after all this time”, she said.

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Back at the farmhouse and the rap at the window which had startled her, Annie recognized the face peering through the small window panes.  “Oh no, it is him again – what does he want coming up here?” By him, she meant Jason. He was smiling and waving at her and indicating for her to open the door. Silly, but she thought about her lack of make-up and put her hand through her hair to tidy it. Why was she bothered? He was just a nuisance and she wasn’t interested in him!  She went to the door and he greeted her with “How are you doing? I just thought I would pop up and see how the lady who ran me over is settling down”.  Annie didn’t know how to respond as he continued with his chatter. “Why have you come here?” she said. Jason looked somewhat crestfallen as he was normally received with a great amount of interest by all the women around the area and indeed had bedded a fair few of them. This lack of interest was new to him, especially since he was now heir to a title. (Much to Justin’s disgust – all due to 10 minutes – thanks Mum!).  He studied Annie and thought about her neck which was calling to him – kiss me – kiss me.  He managed to regain his composure and said that he had called to see if she would like to have a night out down at The Sycamore as a local folk group were due to play tonight.  “Why would I want to go anywhere with you?”, she replied. Jason, not to be thwarted, said  “Well, I did think as you are staying in the village you would like the opportunity to meet up with some of the locals who on the whole are a really nice bunch of people.  Also, it will do you no good staying up here on your own moping or whatever you are doing – you need to mix with people”.  Annie knew he was right and did like the idea of going out to The Sycamore, but folk music – could she manage to face folk music as when she had first met Quentin it was when she went with a friend to a folk festival and saw him playing. Her mind drifted back again to the times they had, he had been so romantic and caring but also exciting, especially when it came to love making. He would arrive with a picnic basket and take the car and they would drive out to the country where they would climb over stiles and into fields and put down the picnic rug and make love, eat strawberries, drink wine and laugh. He was just so perfect. She came back to reality with Jason asking again if she would join him. For some reason she said she would and he said that he would pick her at 6.30. “What about lunch today? Would you like to go to Ashbourne and have a look round and then have lunch?”, said Jason, who knew he was pushing his luck. Annie declined the offer of lunch and said that she was going to look round Lillington Hall. Well Jason couldn’t have wished for more – it gave him the opportunity to tell her all about that evening last year when he heard he would inherit the Hall. “I would be more than delighted to take you over there and show you around. You will get the opportunity to meet my younger brother Justin – I don’t think you have met him yet”.  Annie thought about the offer and decided to take Jason up on it, after all, wasn’t she going there anyway and she was curious about the newspaper cutting that had come with the ring.

Jason waited for her to get ready and they walked to his car which was down near The Green.

On the way to Lillington Hall, they passed an ambulance with its lights flashing.  As it passed, Jason’s mobile rang and his mother was on the phone – “Jason, something dreadful has happened to Edward ……………………………………………”.

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