Please Forgive Me Read Free Page A

and down those humongous hills on a single wire – what if it snapped?).   It was lovely that her street was only a few blocks from Fishermans Wharf; there was always plenty of activity down there what with tourist-thronged Pier 39 and the lively markets and street performers. It was hard not knowing anyone, but hopefully this would only be for a while and if she was seriously stuck for someone to talk to, she could always go down and chat to the sea lions!
    But first things first Leonie decided, wrinkling her nose; this place needed a good spring clean. The previous occupant hadn’t exactly left it in a pristine state. A sheen of dust lay on the living room coffee table and over the mantelpiece, and the adjoining kitchen (although it was more of a kitchenette really) looked decidedly grubby.  
    She dumped her backpack in the bedroom, deciding to head straight back out to pick up some supplies. There was a mini-mart at the end of the street so she should be able to get enough cleaning paraphernalia there to keep her occupied for the afternoon at least. And while she was at it, she might as well stock up on a few essentials like milk and sugar. She’d do a full shop at one of the bigger supermarkets soon, but the place wouldn’t really be home until she’d enjoyed a cuppa. An excited thrill ran along her spine as the reality of making her first cup of tea in her own little place in a city thousands of miles away struck her.
    Despite the problems that had led to her being here in the first place, she was already starting to feel much more positive. And if she had anything to do with it, she thought, putting her hands on her hips as she surveyed her new surroundings, Green Street would soon start to feel like home.
     
     
    Having scrubbed the living room and the somewhat neglected kitchen, she eventually made her way to the bedroom, which to her relief didn’t look like it needed a whole lot of work, apart from vacuuming the carpets and cleaning out the wardrobes – or closets as they called them here, she remembered with a smile.
    Standing on a kitchen chair to give her enough height, Leonie set about dusting inside the wardrobe. It was a very old, practically antique piece made from dark redwood, and could very well be about the same age as the house itself, she thought, remembering that she’d read somewhere how a lot of Victorian houses had been constructed with the then easily available (and more importantly fire-resistant) native timber.
    She reached inside and swept a duster along the shelf, intending to give it no more than a quick going over for the sake of it. Then she frowned, as her hand connected with something. She peered into the darkness and saw what looked to be a small wooden storage box hidden deep in the back. Great, she groaned inwardly, the last tenants had obviously left her a nice housewarming present of their unwanted rubbish! Sighing, Leonie dragged the box across the shelf and lifted it out of the wardrobe, intending to place it on the floor and out of her way.
    But the box was much heavier than expected, and as she went to pick it up, Leonie suddenly lost her balance on the chair, and both she and the box went tumbling to the ground.
    ‘Ah, look what you made me do!’ she wailed rubbing the small of her back, which had taken the brunt of the fall. The little gold catch on the box had fallen open and its contents, a collection of envelopes loosely wrapped in cellophane, were strewn all over the floor.
    So much for cleaning the place up, she grunted, deciding that it had to be a sign that she’d done enough for one afternoon. Not to mention a very good excuse for a cuppa…
    Standing up, Leonie roughly gathered together the contents of the box. As she did she realised that strangely, the envelopes were still sealed and unopened. She picked one up for closer examination. It was a letter all right, addressed to someone who must have previously lived at this address.
    Helena Abbott.
    In fact,