Autumn Leaves at Mill Grange by Jenny Kane (the little red hen ebook .txt) 📗

in a region so removed from both Portsmouth and London.

‘How did you know about this place?’

‘Before I came to Mill Grange I spent a lot of time wandering. Just me, my tent and enough supplies for a few days at a time.’

Tina’s breath caught in her throat. ‘Before Mill Grange?’

‘Yes. This was one of my favourite places to camp.’

‘I can see why.’

‘I wanted you to see it. To share it with you.’ Sam drew Tina to his side. ‘I hadn’t realised I was making you feel left out. I’m sorry.’

Relieved that he understood how distanced she’d felt from his former life, she whispered, ‘Thank you.’

‘I’d like to show you more. All the places – well, all the nice places – that I visited before I found where I belong. I can’t share the big things because I’m not allowed to, but there’s no reason to cut you out of the rest of my past. If you’d like to know about it, that is?’

Tina rested her head on his shoulder. ‘I would like that very much.’

*

Stretching her arm up over her head, Thea yawned before rolling onto her side so she was looking at Shaun’s head on the pillow next to hers. ‘One of the best nights of very little sleep ever, I do declare.’

‘Why thank you, Miss Thomas.’ Shaun grinned. ‘Am I forgiven for being an idiot now?’

‘Let’s just say your position is under review.’ Throwing back the duvet, uncovering them both at the same time, Thea gave Shaun an appraising smile. ‘Maybe a colder than usual shower for you, Mr Coulson?’

‘Or you could join me for a quick hot one?’ Shaun batted his eyelashes. ‘Help take the sting out of the nightmare day ahead?’

Thea grabbed his hand and tugged Shaun towards the shower room with a wink. ‘I assume, when you say hot, you aren’t referring to the water?’

*

The aroma of fresh-cooked bacon and eggs hit Thea’s nostrils as they wandered towards the pub’s dining room. Half an hour ago the idea of a fry-up had appealed; now as they headed towards a breakfast meeting with Phil, Ajay and Andy, Thea’s appetite subsided beneath a wave of anxiety.

‘Are you sure I should be part of this? I’ve only just arrived. I’d hate anyone to think I was interfering.’

Shaun took hold of Thea’s hand. ‘You have heaps of experience on preserving dig sites and you’re an excellent archaeologist. Your opinion is valuable.’

The pub’s bar restaurant was much as Thea had imagined. Dark wood furniture in need of revarnishing was cast into shadows by lighting that was only just on the positive side of adequate. She could find no fault whatsoever with her bacon sandwich however. Shaun had been right. It was the perfect way to start a day on site.

Ajay and Andy had been on their second pot of coffee when they’d arrived, while Phil was making fast progress through a pot of tea that Thea would normally have used for a whole family, rather than one man. The warm welcome she got when she joined them had gone a long way to settle her imposter syndrome. Now, as she listened to Phil give a breakdown of what had to be done, and how much time he thought those tasks would take, Thea made suggestions alongside everyone else.

Taking Phil by surprise, Thea said, ‘The remaining work won’t take so long if you don’t reshoot all the passages that feature Sophie.’

Ajay and Andy peered up from their heavily laden plates of scrambled egg on toast, watching Phil as he replied, ‘I assumed you’d be in favour of Sophie not appearing with Shaun.’

‘And I can understand why you’d think that, but it’ll cause more problems than it solves if you expunge her from an excavation that has taken place in her front garden. Especially as you’ve already benefitted from local press and news coverage, all of which feature Sophie as the finder of St Guron’s.’

Laying his fork down, Phil looked like a man caught between a rock and a hard place. ‘I know you’re right, but if we are right about her mother…’

‘But it’s just a theory isn’t it, about Lady Hammett, I mean? No one knows it was her, not for sure.’ Shaun refilled his coffee mug. ‘Surely we should just call her bluff and finish ahead of schedule and get the hell out of here. Sophie isn’t responsible for her mother.’

Ajay added, ‘And, the fact remains, Sophie is good on camera, lives here and knows the history of this place better than most.’

Puffing in exasperation, Phil poured the dregs from his teapot into his cup. ‘I know you want us to finish up here so we can get to Mill Grange by the 1st of October. I would like that too, but we’ll be pushing it, even without cutting out Sophie.’

‘Then that’s what we do.’ Shaun laid a hand on Thea’s leg under the table and squeezed reassuringly. ‘We push it! Sophie can stay in, and we’ll bust a gut so we can be done by the 28th, while keeping an eye on Lady Hammett.’

‘But the 28th’s Monday!’ Phil shook his head. ‘It’ll be a miracle. Even if we pull out all the stops, it’ll be Wednesday at the earliest.’

‘But the 1st of October is on Thursday.’

‘I know, Thea, and I’m sorry, but even with you replacing Sophie on the excavation, we’re still behind schedule.’

‘Then she’ll have to come back to work as well. Shaun said she was good.’

‘Yes, she is.’ Shaun shifted uncomfortably. ‘But I accidentally humiliated the girl. She may not want to come back.’

‘There’s only one option left then, isn’t there?’ Thea knocked back her coffee in the hope it would lend her courage. ‘I’m going to have to persuade her to come back to work.’

Thirty-Five

September 24th

‘Will you be alright?’

‘I have no idea, but if I’m not, I don’t intend to let it show.’

Uncomfortable with Thea seeing Sophie on her own, Shaun said, ‘If you feel threatened on any level, you’ll walk away