A Winter’s Tale by Trisha Ashley Read Free Book Online

arriving shortly?’ He looked around at the cluttered caravan. ‘It would seem you do not have a home or employment to keep you here.’
‘Very true,’ I agreed. ‘No, there is nothing to keep me here—so I’ll go to Winter’s End and then make my own mind up what will be the best thing to do.’
‘Spoken like a Winter,’ he said approvingly.
‘Yes, but Jack might not be pleased about it,’ I said, suddenly remembering my handsome cousin’s existence (be still my beating heart!). ‘He told me that he’d decided, before he met me, that if I wouldn’t sell Winter’s End back to him he would challenge the will. If he has a strong case, is there really any point in my going to Winter’s End?’
‘Oh, that’s an empty threat, my dear,’ Mr Hobbs assured me. ‘Your grandfather was perfectly compos mentis when he made the will: only look at the way he left instructions for everything to be settled before you were informed of your inheritance, so you could step right in and pick up the reins. I am sure Jack has already taken legal advice and been told the same thing.’
He stood up and began to gather his papers back into his briefcase, declining my offer of more tea and rock cakes with every sign of polite revulsion. There’s no accounting for tastes.

Chapter Four: The Moving Mollusc
Now Thomas is somewhat recovered it is pleasant to have such a sweet-natured companion little older than myself, for he is not yet twenty. We play at Glecko in the evenings, or I read to him. In truth, I read better than hee, for my mother’s father was a great scholar and taught her well, and in turn she has taught mee. Other skills she had from her own mother, and though some may whisper of black arts, she does only good, not ill.
From the journal of Alys Blezzard, 1580
When Mr Hobbs had gone I tore up the letter to Lucy, which was still lying unposted on the table and, blowing the expense, phoned her.
I was then under orders to give her every minute detail from the moment I got to Winter’s End, and not make any major decisions without consulting her. She also, like Anya, said Jack sounded clever, devious but attractive—just my type, in fact—and I was not to promise him anything until she got home and OK’d it.
I didn’t know why either of them should jump to conclusions about poor Jack like that—nor did I know why my daughter turned out to be such a bossy little cow. She even tried to organise my life for me, just as I did for my own feckless mother, only with much less justification…
‘Great-Grandfather left Winter’s End to you , not Jack,’ she said, ‘so there must be a reason. The least you owe him is to go back and look at the place.’
‘Yes, I know, and I feel quite differently about him now that I know he never really gave up looking for your granny and me. And Mr Hobbs said he took quite a shine to you, Lucy, and thought you would be great for Winter’s End.’
‘Well, I rather liked him , too,’ she said, then, changing the subject, enquired in a bored voice that didn’t fool me in the least, ‘How is Anya? And I suppose Guy has sent me all kinds of messages?’
‘Actually, no, he hasn’t, though Anya was asking after you. He’s on the road with her at the moment, now he’s finished his degree, but he’s job-hunting.’
‘I suppose that accounts for why he hasn’t emailed me for ages,’ she said, sounding a bit miffed, ‘though there are internet cafés.’
‘I expect he’s been busy and he will catch up with you later. Anyway, you always said he emailed too much and he should get a life,’ I pointed out mildly.
‘Well, he’s such a nerdy little geek—but he’s still one of my oldest friends.’
‘You haven’t actually seen him for a couple of years, Lucy—you were both always off doing things in the university holidays whenever Anya and I met up. But take it from me, he doesn’t look remotely like a nerdy little geek any more. He’s all grown up.’
‘I’ll believe that