Page 6 of Mirrors of the Past

‘Yes. Like I said, so much easier.’ Coren grinned.

‘I’m looking forward to it.’

‘Us too. I have to warn you, though, I think she’s coming in tomorrow to see you. Something about a handover?’ His eyes twinkled a little mischievously and he stood up. ‘She said if you didn’t go to her house, she’d catch you here instead.’

‘That sounds like Merryn.’ Tegan stood too.

‘Oh, and we’re arranging a meeting later in the week with Sybill and someone from her team at Wheal Mount. We work so closely that it makes sense to introduce you.’ Coren indicated she should leave the office and offered to take her case. Tegan, however, shook her head and walked out, pulling it behind her. ‘I can manage, thanks,’ she said. ‘Just lead the way to the room and I’ll be forever grateful.’

The stairs seemed to go up and up and up. Tegan bounced her case along in her wake and followed Coren upwards and along a corridor. She had a feeling they had just travelled up the servants’ staircase and wondered if she could get to her accommodation via the Grand Staircase she’d spotted when she walked in — the one with Little Elsie at the bottom and the beautiful painting of that old-fashioned lady hanging on the staircase wall. Ruby? Rachel? Rebecca? It was an “R” name — she remembered that. Merryn had mentioned it when she’d been telling Tegan about the artworks in Pencradoc and how excited she’d been when she’d discovered it with Kit.

Regardless of who the lady was, Tegan did have a longing to flounce down those stairs herself, maybe in that flapper dress her friend had mentioned. Maybe even dancing her way down, like in those old Hollywood movies she loved. Now that would be fun! The opening bars to “New York, New York” came into her mind, and she bit her lip and ducked her head to hide her smile. Doo, do, doo dodo, do do do doo do doo do . . . Entirely inappropriate to start humming that now.

And also, Coren was talking.

‘It’s the flat Merryn and Kit sometimes stay in,’ he was saying. ‘So it’s pretty comfortable. Here we go.’ He opened the door and stood back, and Tegan walked into a light, airy kitchen area. Beyond that, was a lounge with a big picture window overlooking the grounds and a small dining table in the window with two chairs. A door led off on one side of the lounge to the bedroom, and a door on the other side led to a bathroom.

‘It’s really nice!’ said Tegan. She meant it. She’d been in some dodgy accommodation before, and to be honest had stayed in worse AirBnBs.

‘It seemed madness for you to rent somewhere when this place was available,’ Coren said. ‘Merryn won’t be using it for a while if she’s off work and Kit will be more than happy to drive home if he’s up here.’ Marazion, where Merryn and Kit lived, was a pretty coastal town full of artists in the south-west of the county. You could see St Michael’s Mount from Kit and Merryn’s little cottage, and the soft, golden sands of the beach were a hop, skip and a jump away from their blue-painted front door. ‘So you might as well make use of it,’ continued Coren. ‘I’m along the other end of the house, a couple of floors down — basically just break all the rules and walk through any door marked “Private” and you’ll eventually find me.

‘So it might seem like you’re rattling around in Pencradoc on your own, but you’re not. My number’s on the business card there if you need anything.’ He nodded to a bowl on the dining table, which was probably supposed to hold fruit but looked to be the receptacle for keys, phone numbers and other useful bits and bobs. ‘And if ever I’m going to be away overnight, I’ll let you know.’

Tegan was tempted to ask if there were meant to be any ghosts on that side of the house who could keep her company, but she bit her tongue and thought better of it. She suspected there wouldn’t be — she definitely didn’t feel a spooky vibe here — and she didn’t want to run into a potential Strike Three within her first hour or so of being here.

‘That’s all great. Thank you so much. What time do you want me down in the morning?’

‘Nine o’clock will be fine,’ replied Coren. ‘I’m usually around earlier, but won’t have had enough coffee before nine. So you’re safest to come then. Just head back down to the office.’

‘And . . . can I go down the main staircase to get there?’ She had to ask.

‘Oh, of course. It’s that way. A little longer travel time, but do whatever suits you best.’

‘Thanks. Right, I’ll get unpacked, have a shower and head out for food.’

‘Great. We’ll see you tomorrow, then. Have a good evening and of course don’t forget to call me if you need anything.’

‘I won’t.’

Coren nodded and headed out of the room, and Tegan followed him, shutting the door behind him. She turned around and looked at the room. Yes. This was nice. This would do.

And it may not have had spooky vibes, but it had good vibes and that was awesome.

* * *

Ryan felt he’d made a good start with the boxes and papers in the Wheal Mount archives. Bryony had set up a database and once he’d had a play around with that, things started to make more sense. It was okay recording things — that was the easy part. It was thinking of the wider picture and remembering the items, making the database searchable and knowing what related to what that could pose a problem.

Nothing for it though but to roll up one’s metaphorical sleeves and get on with it.

‘It’ll fall into place,’ Tammy told him as she brought a mid-morning coffee up to the attics for him. ‘And Sybill’s very much of the opinion that the most important stuff will make itself known to you.’

Ryan looked at her and pulled a face, even as he accepted the hot drink gratefully. ‘Not sure I believe that one, Tammy.’

Tammy grinned and sat down, perching herself on the edge of a trunk.

Her bright dungarees, rainbow paint-spattered Doc Martens and colourful hairband were incongruous in the dusty, cluttered room. The glint in the top of her ear piercing caught the light and Ryan thought back to when they’d first met. He had started at the place as a student when he’d been going through some weird, emo/goth art student phase, and Tammy had been the first to compliment him on the industrial-sized piercing in the middle of his ear.

‘Daith piercing. Cool,’ she’d said. ‘I was thinking about getting mine done but I don’t like pain that much, so I think I’ll just go with a helix instead.’ Ryan had been impressed with Tammy’s knowledge, admired the piercing high up on her outer ear when she’d finally been for the procedure, and they’d formed a friendly relationship.