Page 40 of A Curious Ending

‘Will that be before or after church?’ a voice said from behind her.

Abby was back on the stool at the rear of the shop. Today she wore a simple dress the same colour as cooked red peppers, over which was tied a sage-green Miss McGregor’s apron. The boots that peeped from under the hem of her gown were the same colour green.

When the main shop work was done, Lara (quietly) suggested that she and Abby stroll over to Gillmore House to collect the vases that Lady Porter had left her. They used the entrance through the garden gate as Abby had brought a pouch of tobacco for Thomas. ‘I didn’t realise ghosts could give each other things,’ Lara commented over her shoulder to Abby as she opened up the door to the potting shed.

She was brought up short with a low ‘umph’ as she walked smack into Joe who was emerging through the doorway. ‘Whoa, sorry, Joe,’ she uttered, recovering her balance.

He stepped back and rested the stepladder he was carrying on the toe of his boot. He looked around. ‘Who were you talking to?’

‘That would be the Honourable Abigail Rossmore. Deceased,’ Abby supplied helpfully.

Lara made a sideways swipe at her before realising she must look like she was batting away a non-existent fly.

‘You all right?’ Joe asked, puzzled.

Lara gave up. There was no doubt about it, Joe must think her completely mad. ‘What are you up to?’ she asked, changing the subject.

Joe glanced at the stepladder. ‘Mrs M called. She’s got a leak at the top of the drawing-room window, so I said I’d look at it for her.’

‘What a kind young man,’ Abby commented pointedly before disappearing into the potting shed. Joe stepped over and reached to close the door.

‘No!’ Lara cried, making a dive for the door and catching her hand in the doorjamb. She swore in pain but pulled the door ajar.

‘You okay, Lara?’ Joe exclaimed. ‘Did you want something in there?’ He opened the door and secured it back against the wall with a hook.

Lara nodded, not trusting herself to speak. Anyway she thought, what was she going to say, ‘You’ve got a couple of ghosts in your potting shed and I want to give them some time together’?

Joe looked down at Lara’s red hand. ‘You’re kind of accident prone, aren’t you?’ He grinned. ‘I’m not coming anywhere near you when you’ve got a pair of secateurs in your hand.’

Lara tried to smile back. ‘Joe, I was thinking the other day about something Lady Porter once said to me.’ She decided that as he thought she was so strange anyway there was no harm in asking. ‘You weren’t related to her by any chance?’

Joe paused. ‘You’re the second person to ask me that,’ Joe said, looking mystified.

‘Who was the other person?’ Lara wanted to know.

‘Your friend Julian Armstrong.’

‘He’s not my friend,’ Lara said vehemently. She could not help noticing that Joe looked rather pleased. ‘Anyway, why did he ask?’

‘No idea,’ Joe shrugged.

‘So you’re not then?’ Lara persisted. Joe didn’t say anything but looked at Lara questioningly over the top of the ladder.

‘I’m sorry, I know it’s none of my business, but Lady Porter said something about wanting to remember you in her will?’ She left it as a question. And remembering her experience with Dr Patil she kept silent and waited. Abby was now back in the doorway and like Lara she watched and waited.

Joe looked down at his boots, and after a while said, ‘I’d rather people didn’t know about the will, but yes, she was talking about it.’ He added forcefully, ‘I wasn’t after the old girl’s money, Lara.’

‘I know that, Joe,’ Lara assured him. ‘I just got the impression she’d put you in,’ she lied.

‘Well, I did too from what she said. I can’t say it wouldn’t have been amazing to have that type of money. But it was far too much. It turned out fine this way. Except I miss the old girl,’ Joe said, moving the ladder into a more comfortable hold.

‘I do wish he would stop calling Lady Porter, “the old girl”,’ Abby murmured.

‘Do you mind me asking how much it was?’ Lara persisted, amazed at her own cheek. She wanted to see if Joe knew about the full (huge) amount.

Joe looked at her oddly. ‘About half a million,’ he said quite calmly.

Lara nodded, then realised she ought to sound surprised. ‘Mother Mary and Joseph and all the… something or others,’ Lara exclaimed in a muddled rush.