Escape to Honeysuckle Hall by Rebecca Raisin

Author:Rebecca Raisin [Raisin, Rebecca]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Published: 2021-05-04T17:00:00+00:00

Chapter 15

A few days later I’m out in the garden pruning the overgrown fruit trees when a van arrives. I do a happy dance when I see who it is. ‘Maya!’ I call back towards the cottage.

She comes dashing out. ‘What?’

‘The furniture is here! And all of our goodies!’

We race outside to meet the driver, Bob, a local guy who does deliveries and was eager to go and pick up all of our loot from the various shops in town we visited. Once again I’d been surprised at the price of things being so much more affordable outside of London.

‘Hey,’ he says, jumping down from the cab. ‘Managed to fit everything in, might need some help unloading it though.’ Even though the hall isn’t finished, the storeroom is, so we have plenty of space to load all of our furniture for safekeeping. When the hall is ready we won’t have to wait around to get everything in.

‘Where’s Leo?’ Maya asks when Bob opens the back of the truck to reveal ten antique heavy-looking wardrobes.

I’m still a little suspicious of Leo. I’ve managed to avoid him by sending Esterlita to do my bidding. And why was he around just when I needed him? Seems suspicious to me.

Maya must see the hesitation on my face because she says, ‘What’s the problem? I’m sure he won’t mind lending a hand.’

‘We can do it,’ I say. ‘How heavy can they be?’

Bob pipes up, ‘Hernia-inducing heavy.’

I shoot Bob a glare.

‘Let me find Leo.’ Maya dashes to the back of the hall where Leo and his gang are working on the electrics.

He soon comes along, wearing his lazy smile, as he and his guys happily help Bob unload the truck of all our precious cargo while Maya grabs me by the shirt and pulls me away in a very brash bossy manner that clues me up to the fact she’s about to lecture me. Leo reserves his widest smile for me, and my legs almost buckle at the beauty of it. I quickly turn away.

‘Don’t think I haven’t noticed,’ she says giving me an icy stare.

‘Noticed what?’ I study the ground as if it’s a wonder.

‘You’ve been avoiding Leo like he’s got the pox and I want to know why. What did he do? I’m guessing it’s a big, fat nothing.’

I cross my arms. ‘I have no idea what you’re on about?’ But what she doesn’t know is there’ve been even more notes, and always right around the time Leo leaves for the day, coincidentally right where he’s been working. I will be devastated if it’s him. So I do what I do best, and hide, hoping it’ll all go away.

She grunts. ‘Don’t try that delaying tactic with me, I can see straight through you.’

Damn it. ‘What delaying tactic?’

‘The one you’re doing right now, and you know it!’

‘I don’t know what—’

‘STOP!’

‘OK, OK, sheesh. So, I’ve been avoiding him, yes, but it’s not a big, fat nothing.’

‘Then what is it?’

Reluctantly I tell her about the old sepia photograph I found and the scrunched-up notes.

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