“I’ve given her a tablet to help her sleep. I think it’s for the best under the circumstances. She hasn’t had an episode like this for some time and it’s always best to nip it in the bud.” He opened the sideboard, rummaged around and came back to the spilled drink. He knelt down in front of the couch with a roll of paper towels and a small broom and pan to clean up the mess. When he finished, he pulled himself up and deposited it in the bin by the antique sideboard.
“For what it’s worth, I think you’re right, although whatever’s bothering her will continue to do so until she faces it. Let me know if I can be of any help.” Hamish went to pick up his glass and noticed the ice had melted while he’d tried to talk Billie out of hating him for what she imagined was spying him on her.
“Of course I will. Refill, Hamish?”
“Please.” Passing the glass over to Frederick, he took a small handful of nuts and paced the room. “Have you talked to her about why she doesn’t want Billie to go there?”
Frederick handed over the refreshed drink and offered one to Billie. She shook her head. “I already know, but I’m afraid it’s not my story to tell. For what it’s worth, Billie, I think you should go ahead with your investigation. Why don’t you tell us more about what Sam wants you to do for this article?”
“Are you sure? You don’t have to get involved you know, Father. I can keep this to myself if it would make life easier for you.”
He brushed her off with a wave of his hand. “Don’t be silly. It’s what families do. No, do tell us. I’m more than a little interested in what’s going on.”
She moved over and sat down. “Sam said the house has been empty for some time, years from what I gather while the lawyers searched for a missing family member to claim the property. So far it hasn’t happened. There was a codicil in the Will about it going to the Historic Trust to be used as a living museum, if the other terms weren’t met. They were looking for missing heirs which obviously hasn’t happened and they’ve only just managed to get their hands on it.” A smile broke out on her face. “Since I did such a great job with the initial bones of the story, he’s decided that it would be a good public interest story after all rather than the small mention he wanted to begin with. Drum up some enthusiasm because according to the secretary, they need all the money they can raise from open days to help with the upkeep of the estate. It’s in pretty bad shape and they have tradespeople in there for the next few weeks to bring things up to scratch.”
“Sounds fascinating. I wouldn’t mind seeing it myself. I think you should go, Billie.”
“I really want to, Father. Alex seemed very upset though and I don’t like my chances of Lucy changing her mind either.”
“We can keep an eye on Alex for you.” Hamish pulled the legs of his trousers up a little, sat down and then settled back on the couch. “He’s fitted in well at school and I don’t see there being a problem with him after hours. How long would you be away?” He watched the enthusiasm on Billies face and wondered why Frederick was keen for her to go if it meant so much to Lucy.
“I was hoping to go and stay for at least one night, possibly two. No point trying to come home with only half the story after travelling that distance. I’ve tracked down some of the old staff that used to work there, two of them so far. I’m going to try to see if they’ll talk to me and give me some background on the family.”
“I agree with Hamish. Go, do your job and leave everything to us. We’ll take care of Alex and Lucy and whatever happens after your story comes out, we’ll deal with as a family.”
“Brilliant, thanks.” She smiled and swirled the ice in her glass. “Seems there was a mystery involving one of the daughters too which is something I want to explore. She died in a tragic accident. I’d love to use my skills to find out what happened to her and the other family members they were searching for. I’m thinking distant cousins or something along those lines. So far I haven’t found much on them at all on the micro-fiche or the newspaper archives.”
“I think you’ll do admirably with your nose for digging out the details. It’s what you’re good at, after all. Don’t worry about anything here at home, concentrate on your story. Alex will be fine.” Frederick shared a quick glance with Hamish.
“I know he will be. Right, now I think I should go and spend some time with Alex and sort out what made him storm off like that. Thanks for the support. I’ll speak to you later.” She put her glass on the drinks trolley and strode out.
When they heard the back door close, Hamish sighed, rested his head back and peered up at the ceiling. “Are you going to tell me why Lucy got upset?”
“I’d like to, but I promised her long ago that I wouldn’t say a word about it, client privilege. I’m sure you understand. Maybe one day she’ll feel able to share, but for now we have to let it go.”
“And you don’t think this will make matters worse between her and Billie, especially since you seem so keen to support your daughter?”
Frederick grimaced, dug his hands
