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‘No, it’s a lovely gesture and I’d love to accept it. So how did Sid come by this?’
‘He painted it.’
‘He was an artist?’
‘Yes, I have a few of his pieces but he stopped painting when …’ There was a pause of silence before Mitch continued. ‘He taught me a lot about art.’
‘Oh, I see. That’s how you know so much about it when you don’t paint. It’s very detailed, he had a true talent.’
‘I’m guessing she must have posed for it.’
Holly turned to Mitch. ‘So, he didn’t just admire her from afar then?’
‘I understood they were very much together – well, until she met your grandfather, that is.’
Holly bit her lip, to stop herself from blurting something out she might regret.
Mitch stroked the back of his great uncle’s chair. ‘He was a broken man – never the same, according to my grandad.’
Holly took a deep breath. She felt herself shaking.‘Lots of people have failed relationships.’ Holly crossed her arms. ‘I’ve had a few.’
Mitch raised his eyebrows. ‘A few?’
‘When I say a few, I mean two.’
Mitch smiled.
Holly realised he was teasing her but continued. ‘My grandfather was an amazing man. So kind and respectful. He brought my mum up on his own, you know.’ She felt a lump appear in her throat. ‘Sid’s not the only one who remained single for the rest of his life.’
‘Hey.’ Mitch walked over and put a hand on her arm. ‘I fully respect that – I know what it’s like to lose a wife. I can’t imagine how it would be to also be left with a child.’ He pointed at Trixy. ‘I’ve only had her to deal with and I’ve not done a great job there, have I?’
Holly glanced down at the dog, asleep on the armchair, whilst telling herself to calm down. She felt her heartbeat slow a little.
‘Trixy doesn’t even want to live with me anymore.’ Seemingly hearing her name, Trixy woke up, jumped down from the chair and ran over to Mitch wagging her tail.
‘Sorry. I’ve kept her for far too long. It was selfish of me.You’re grieving and I’m hogging your dog.’
Mitch received a text and checked his phone. ‘I’ve got to run down to the sheds.’ He gestured around the room. ‘I’ve got to find Sid’s birth certificate. Could you do me a massive favour and start searching for it? I’ll only be about twenty minutes. Then we can carry on together. And I do need to talk to you about the whole Sid and Ivy thing properly. There’s something you need to know.’
‘Right,’ Holly said. ‘I’ll get down to it.’
Mitch gestured to the bureau. ‘It’ll probably be in there. I won’t be long.’
‘Do you think he’d mind me going through his stuff?’ Holly felt a shiver go down her back.
‘He moved on – you saw it. You heard him.’
‘Okay. I’ll start it off.’
‘Are you sure this is okay? I know you’re busy.’
‘Yes. Get down to the sheds.’
‘I’ll take Trixy with me – see if she still likes me.’
Holly felt a chill in the air as Mitch and Trixy left. She stared up at the picture of Ivy wearing a floral dress, standing in a meadow of wild flowers, reds, yellows and blues.It does look like she posed for it,she thought. Why did she feel so defensive about it? She realised she would have to shake it off.After all, they were now business partners.
Holly walked over to the bureau. It was made of dark wood. Running her hands over it, she opened the drawers. They were packed to the brim with papers. She leafed through, grabbed a pile and took it to a table further down the room, closer to the conservatory where it was brighter. This pile included a bundle of bank statements dated in the 1970’s. Shaking her head, she decided to put the papers into different piles according to type; important, financial and miscellaneous.
