eye on her—”
“And no attics or hidden bottles of booze,” I said. “I could almost hear the doctor thinking what a cuckoo crew we Ashburnhams must be.”
“Well , you did ramble on about evil spirits and stuff,” Sally said, with a great big grin. And suddenly, I was grinning, too. At least today’s crisis was over.
Or so I thought.
CHAPTER THREE
A lot of people came by our table to inquire about Kay, which brought tears to my eyes. It’s easy to feel taken for granted as the local aristocratic oddities. But the amount of concern shown for Kay, and the number of consoling libations bought for Sally and I showed that we Ashburnham’s may be odd, but we’re still appreciated.
We were pretty tipsy when the lights dimmed for closing. We decided to leave Sally's car at the Duck and walk home. We walked up the laneway to where Alexandria House gleamed bright in the moonlight. The pride of ownership caused me to burst out into a loud rendition of “There’ll Always be an England”. The next thing you know Sally and I were sitting on the small stone bench near the fountain, crying our eyes out. Whether it was the stress of the day, the beauty of the moment, or the absolutely awful singing, I don't know. But we hugged each other and howled. It was truly a Kodak moment.
We were still sitting there when Sally's mum and dad drove up to collect her.
“I told you the Ashburnhams were mad.” I heard her dad say. “She’ll have our Sally as bats as she is, you mark my words.”
“Hush , Len, “Mrs Barnes said in a carrying whisper. “ The poor thing has been through an awful shock today, with that funny aunt of hers. Kay is her only kin, other than that gormless uncle, and she is in the hospital hooked up to all kinds of machines and things.”
Sally got up and stumbled her way to the car trying her best not to look like a drunk, which only made her look more drunk. Her dad rolled his eyes, the whites shining like headlamps in the moon. I arose with as much dignity as I could muster.
“Thank you for your kindness today, Mr and Mrs Barnes.” I said. “It is much appreciated.”
“You’re welcome, dear. Would you like to come over and spend the night? We have a spare room now that Roger is away at college. It wouldn’t be a bother. I don’t like to think of you all alone in that big old house.” Mrs Barnes asked with a note of concern.
“Oh , I'll be fine, thank you for the offer,” I said, noting Mr Barnes' look of relief.
But as they rolled away down the driveway I suddenly didn’t like the idea of being alone in the big, old house, either. I felt like running after them and asking if I could stay, after all. But the memory of Mr Barnes’ look of relief when I'd refused the invitation straightened my spine.
Ashburnham ’s don’t go where they aren’t wanted - aside from some ancestral forays into the colonies - and we aren’t about to start now.
The big house seemed quite jolly that evening, with the steady stream of phone calls from people wanting to know how Kay was. Even Millie had made an effort with a nice supper, and she'd left a note on the fridge: “A little something to build you up after all the worry.”
But eventually the phone went silent. Millie had long since left to spend the evening with Mr Millie. Alexandria House was as quiet as a big old place can get. The house felt so empty without Auntie Kay. I know she’s as crazy as a fruit bat, but she’s always been there. I thought about having a drink, but there wasn't much in the cabinet and I didn’t feel like searching to find one of Uncle Billy's hidden stockpiles of booze. The other alternative was to go down to the dark, shadowy cellar for a bottle of the quality wine my forebears had thoughtfully set aside. I told myself that it would be a waste to sit and drink a really good vintage all alone. Truthfully, I almost wet myself at the idea of going down there alone in the dark with perhaps
“And no attics or hidden bottles of booze,” I said. “I could almost hear the doctor thinking what a cuckoo crew we Ashburnhams must be.”
“Well , you did ramble on about evil spirits and stuff,” Sally said, with a great big grin. And suddenly, I was grinning, too. At least today’s crisis was over.
Or so I thought.
CHAPTER THREE
A lot of people came by our table to inquire about Kay, which brought tears to my eyes. It’s easy to feel taken for granted as the local aristocratic oddities. But the amount of concern shown for Kay, and the number of consoling libations bought for Sally and I showed that we Ashburnham’s may be odd, but we’re still appreciated.
We were pretty tipsy when the lights dimmed for closing. We decided to leave Sally's car at the Duck and walk home. We walked up the laneway to where Alexandria House gleamed bright in the moonlight. The pride of ownership caused me to burst out into a loud rendition of “There’ll Always be an England”. The next thing you know Sally and I were sitting on the small stone bench near the fountain, crying our eyes out. Whether it was the stress of the day, the beauty of the moment, or the absolutely awful singing, I don't know. But we hugged each other and howled. It was truly a Kodak moment.
We were still sitting there when Sally's mum and dad drove up to collect her.
“I told you the Ashburnhams were mad.” I heard her dad say. “She’ll have our Sally as bats as she is, you mark my words.”
“Hush , Len, “Mrs Barnes said in a carrying whisper. “ The poor thing has been through an awful shock today, with that funny aunt of hers. Kay is her only kin, other than that gormless uncle, and she is in the hospital hooked up to all kinds of machines and things.”
Sally got up and stumbled her way to the car trying her best not to look like a drunk, which only made her look more drunk. Her dad rolled his eyes, the whites shining like headlamps in the moon. I arose with as much dignity as I could muster.
“Thank you for your kindness today, Mr and Mrs Barnes.” I said. “It is much appreciated.”
“You’re welcome, dear. Would you like to come over and spend the night? We have a spare room now that Roger is away at college. It wouldn’t be a bother. I don’t like to think of you all alone in that big old house.” Mrs Barnes asked with a note of concern.
“Oh , I'll be fine, thank you for the offer,” I said, noting Mr Barnes' look of relief.
But as they rolled away down the driveway I suddenly didn’t like the idea of being alone in the big, old house, either. I felt like running after them and asking if I could stay, after all. But the memory of Mr Barnes’ look of relief when I'd refused the invitation straightened my spine.
Ashburnham ’s don’t go where they aren’t wanted - aside from some ancestral forays into the colonies - and we aren’t about to start now.
The big house seemed quite jolly that evening, with the steady stream of phone calls from people wanting to know how Kay was. Even Millie had made an effort with a nice supper, and she'd left a note on the fridge: “A little something to build you up after all the worry.”
But eventually the phone went silent. Millie had long since left to spend the evening with Mr Millie. Alexandria House was as quiet as a big old place can get. The house felt so empty without Auntie Kay. I know she’s as crazy as a fruit bat, but she’s always been there. I thought about having a drink, but there wasn't much in the cabinet and I didn’t feel like searching to find one of Uncle Billy's hidden stockpiles of booze. The other alternative was to go down to the dark, shadowy cellar for a bottle of the quality wine my forebears had thoughtfully set aside. I told myself that it would be a waste to sit and drink a really good vintage all alone. Truthfully, I almost wet myself at the idea of going down there alone in the dark with perhaps
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