Chapter One
Maddie slowed the car as she approached yet another blind bend. She yawned forcing her eyes open wider. It was nearly eleven and moonlight silhouetted the twisted trees against the sky. Their tortured shapes rose from the hedges, forming a tunnel. A shiver went down her spine and as if the impulse continued through her to the car, the engine stuttered. Stroking the dashboard, Maddie downshifted the gears again. It looked as if smoke was coming from the bonnet yet the temperature gage didn’t indicate any over heating. Maybe pulling a laden trailer was proving a bit much for the ancient vehicle.
“Come on old girl. It can’t be much further to this house, Carnew, and once there both you and I can have a much deserved rest.” Maddie whispered then cast a quick glance at the passenger seat. Her sleeping stepdaughter, Serena, looked sweet with her blond hair in spiky disarray. Maddie shook her head. A tattoo appeared on Serena’s upper arm when she changed position.
Turning her attention back to the road, Maddie knew if the map was accurate they must be near their new home Carnew. This, of course, assumed she had followed it correctly and she had no idea whether she had or not. However one thing was clear, she had been behind the wheel over ten hours and the last thing she needed was to be stranded on a lonely country lane.
In an effort to cool the engine, she turned the fan on full, but it did nothing. The car began to slow despite Maddie pressing the accelerator to the floor. The car coughed twice then died. She thumped the steering wheel. The trailer’s momentum nudged them further along the lane until all movement stopped. “Shit.”
Serena woke. “What?”
Maddie held her breath while she tried the ignition again, but nothing happened.
“Are we at this God-forsaken place?” Serena stretched.
“Err, no. The car has broken down.”
“What?”
“The car...” Searching for words, Maddie’s fingers worried the key.
“I heard that, but where are we?” Serena sat up straight.
“Don’t know precisely.”
“Christ.”
“Mind your language.” Maddie snapped then shut her eyes. She didn’t need a battle with Serena right now. The day had begun at five in the morning when they had carefully packed the last of their things, but they had only left London at noon after the removers had finished loading their van. Maddie wasn’t sure what form of madness had made her agree to move house on a Bank Holiday Friday.
“Hah, fine thing to say. I just heard you swearing.”
Maddie ground her teeth.
“What’s wrong with Christ anyway? Besides you haven’t done God since Dad died.”
Silently Maddie counted to ten before she replied. “We’ve been down this road before.”
Serena crossed her arms against her chest. “No we haven’t. I’ve never been to Cornwall.”
“Don’t be pedantic.” Maddie massaged the rigid tendons in her neck. “Arguing isn’t going to help.”
“So?”
Maddie yanked the bonnet release and stepped out of the car. Things could be worse she told herself. It could be raining instead of a perfect late summer night. The fresh breeze scented with honeysuckle caught her hair as she stood in the darkness and struggled with the catch.
“What are you doing?” asked Serena.
“Looking at the engine.”
“Since when do you know anything about cars?”
Maddie laughed. Serena was right, she hadn’t a clue so she pulled the phone from her pocket to call roadside assistance and the screen lit up with a picture of John. She blinked. He’d been gone eight months.
“Are you just going to stare at it?” Serena asked.
Maddie dialled the number. No signal. Brilliant.
Serena leaned out of the window. “Well, what’s happening?”
“Nothing.”
“Nothing? Even better. So we’re in the middle of nowhere with no reception and a broken car.”
“That sums it up quite well.” Maddie turned to the heavens for strength, but all she found was the Milky Way. Although not what she needed, it was beautiful and she couldn’t remember the last time she had seen a sky so devoid of light pollution. A shooting star sped across the black canopy and Maddie wondered if she dared to make a wish. At this moment, what would it be? Would it be the same one she had always wished for, the whole white picket fence fantasy, or had her experience of life this past year destroyed her ability to believe in dreams or anything for that matter?
Serena waved her hand in the air. “Hel-lo?”
“Yes.”
“What are you going to do?” Serena fiddled with the zip on her jacket.
“Walk down the road and find a house.” Maddie turned to the deserted lane and swallowed.
“Good luck. No signs of life. You’ve driven us to the end of the earth.”
Refusing to rise to the bait, she accepted Serena was a teenager, but if Maddie were honest it wasn’t the lack of assistance that hurt. It was the deliberate desire to make it all harder. “Hand me the torch, please. It’s in the glove compartment.”
Serena tossed it on the driver’s seat.
Maddie waited in silence but finally asked, “Are you coming?”
“No.” Serena thrust the torch out of the window.
“Fine.” Taking it, Maddie strode from the car alone. She couldn’t force Serena to come, in fact, she couldn’t do much with her and it was becoming worse not better. John was dead and Maddie’s relationship with his daughter deteriorated every day.
Slowing her pace, Maddie squinted, seeing only the road ahead fading into the darkness. She resumed her walk at speed and finally a light appeared. She almost ran until she could make out a cluster of buildings, but only one showed signs of life. Where was everyone?
Serena’s words ‘end of the earth’ echoed in Maddie’s mind while she pressed the door-bell. When there was no response Maddie jabbed the brass button again and listened, but all she heard was her own breathing. She sighed then rapped on the door.
“Who the hell…,” a deep voice grumbled.
Maddie looked up into brown squinting eyes.
“Sorry to disturb you, but my car has broken down and I can’t get a signal.” She checked her mobile once more. “Is there any chance I may use your phone?”
“Of course.” The man stood back from the door and smiled.
***
The call of an owl pierced the rhythm of her footsteps while the rustle of leaves spoke of the approaching autumn. This time of year had always been her favourite when the change in the angle of the sun’s rays intensified the colours of the season. She had never dreaded that ‘back to school feeling’, but had relished the start of the new term. She just wished she could tap into that enthusiasm now.
A badger dashed across the lane into a hedge in the distance. There was barely enough room for Maddie and the man beside her to walk astride. She was amazed she had managed to drive down the road in the first place.
“Bloody hell, Maddie, you’ve taken your time.” Serena stepped out of the shadows.
Maddie’s heart stopped.
“Is this the rescue man or have you managed to pick up some bloke along the way?”
“Excuse me? What on earth are you talking about?” Maddie paused while Serena’s words registered in her brain. “Don’t be so rude.” Pick up some bloke? What would this helpful man think? She bit her tongue. Now was not the time to deal with Serena’s rudeness, other things like finding Carnew were far more urgent. Her broken car was another, for without it she was trapped.
Walking closer Serena stood with her hands on her hips. No apology was forth coming so Maddie would have to try a different tack. “Has anyone come?”
“Are you joking? Someone come down this excuse for a road? Nothing but bats here.” Serena waved her hand above her head.
“Excellent. They’re protected. You’re lucky to see them, numbers have been declining.” The man spoke quietly while glancing at the night sky.
“Thanks for the endangered species update, but this place gives me the creeps. And who the hell are you by the way?” Serena asked.
“Serena.” Maddie began but stopped and shook her head.
He extended a hand to Serena. “I’m Mark Triggs.”
Serena ignored him and turned back to Maddie. “Have you done anything useful like found out where this Carnew is?”
“Carnew?” the man asked. “You’re going to live at Carnew? So you’re related to Aunty Nell.”
“Yes, I guess.” Maddie smiled at him. The lawyer had said she was so she must be - somehow.
“Have you been to Carnew before?” he asked.
“No.” Maddie wondered if this was a problem while she studied his face as best she could in the low light. She tried to see if he was horrified by this information, but she saw just the play of shadows across the planes of his face.
“You’re planning to sleep there tonight?” he asked.
“God, this is worse than I ever nightmared. Carnew will be a wreck with no roof and no hot or cold running anything.” Serena muttered. “I saw the papers that said it was a dwelling, a dwelling and not a house.”
Mark laughed.
Something in the child’s tone set Maddie on edge. Carnew was habitable. The lawyer had confirmed this. “Dwelling is a legal term.”
Serena shrugged. “Hey, when’s the car man coming?”
Maddie looked at her watch. “Within the next two hours.”
“Rush job, huh? Two lone women stuck in a dark country lane with a strange man and they’re going to take their time about it. Good. I can see the headlines next week when the bodies are discovered by a passing shepherd.”
“Enough, Serena.”
“Enough what?” Serena asked.
“Melodramatics.”
“Is that what that was? Good. Thanks for the vocabulary lesson.”
Maddie’s hands balled into fists. “Serena!” She took a breath. Obviously Serena had been scared waiting alone. Maybe the next time she wouldn’t be so mulish.
“Back off Maddie.” Serena paused and turned from them. “You’re nothing to me, but Dad’s widow. Nothing more.”
“I’m your legal guardian.” Maddie sighed knowing she shouldn’t have responded and accepting that Serena would need more than being left alone on a country lane before a conversion could take place. It might just take a thunderbolt from above, but then miracles never happened anyway.
“Bloody courts.” Serena climbed into the car and slammed the door.
The noise rang in Maddie’s ears, but it was better than listening to more of Serena’s insolence. A bird of prey cried and Maddie pictured it diving down on its victim.
***
The dawn light revealed the outline of a bedraggled group of granite buildings. The house was big, far bigger than Maddie had imagined. The roof stretched and more worryingly dipped across a vast expanse. There were so many windows and she counted four chimneys, but she hadn’t counted on…an old manor house. When the lawyer had found her and said she had inherited a house in Cornwall, she had pictured something small, a cottage or bungalow, but Carnew was not small. She swallowed. No simple white picket fence here, but mullioned windows and responsibility.
Stifling a yawn she acknowledged she would not want to live through a night like that again, but at last she was here. Stepping out of the car, she took a deep breath and the scent of damp earth soothed her. Quietly she closed the car door. Serena lay sleeping on the back seat where she had retreated when it had become apparent that the car could be fixed, but that it would take a while. The mechanic had been a master at understatement. Six long hours.
Their new neighbour stepped out of his car. She couldn’t believe how kind Mark had been. When Serena had refused to go to his house while the mechanic worked his magic, Mark had provided sandwiches and a thermos of tea. His final act of chivalry had been to lead them the short distance through the lanes to their new home, Carnew.
“Morning.” He whispered as he glanced towards her car.
Noting with envy that he showed no evidence of their night spent awake and outdoors, Maddie searched his face for telltale shadows, but only found high cheekbones and a full mouth. His features were not classical, but the combination of the components, she imagined could be quite devastating.
She laughed. “It has been morning for a while.”
“True but the dawn chorus hadn’t been singing then.”
She raised an eyebrow. “That’s how you define morning?”
“Yes that and a good cup of coffee.”
“Don’t mention something that is nigh on impossible right now.” Just the thought of a double espresso from her local café in Fulham was enough to make her weep, but her exhaustion was so deep that no dose of caffeine could reach it.
“You could come back to my place and have a few hours sleep.”
Maddie looked at him and considered his offer, but then she turned to the car. He, unfortunately, had been witness to Serena’s stubbornness earlier. “I’m eager to see Carnew.”
“It awaits you.” He held out his hand towards the old building.
Fortified by a deep breath, she put one foot in front of the other up the overgrown path. Her body ached, but she focused on her new home. Carved stone surrounded the windows, which reflected the early morning and revealed nothing of the interior. Carnew appeared sound, if cold and empty. She pulled a large key from her pocket and tried it. With a bit of force the lock tumbled over and she turned the handle, but the door didn’t budge. She tried again and pushed with her other hand on the flaking blue paint. Holding her breath, she waited for it to give way while something gnawed at the pit of her stomach. She had to be brave. This should be exciting; she was the owner of Carnew. What was there to be afraid of?
A crack sounded and a blast of musty air greeted Maddie as she stumbled forward across the threshold. The disturbance caused dust to swirl and a sigh seemed to emerge from the walls. Shadows covered the floor. Maddie wrapped her arms around herself.
“Do you think there’s electricity?” She tried to inject lightness into her words that she didn’t feel. She turned and gave him a weary smile.
“Should do.”
The heavy curtains were pulled tight, trapping the smell of damp and adding to the feel of neglect. She flicked the light switch and suppressed a shiver. Stifling a yawn she forced herself to stand tall. It would be all right – eventually. She and Serena had a roof over their heads and they could rebuild their lives. Now she needed to look forward and leave the painful memories behind.
Mark moved to her side and she felt his breath caress her cheek. The unexpected sensation of intimacy shook her. Maddie stepped away. Despite the passing months, she was still emotionally raw from John’s death. She could not have drawn a man more different in appearance than John. John, when well, had been lanky and fair. Closing her eyes she could see him bent over his computer madly typing to finish some article before its deadline with his boyish locks fallen across his brow. Her fingers twitched and she twisted a loose curl that lay on her neck. By the end, all his silky hair had gone.
“Shall I go have a quick check through the house for you?”
“Thanks.” Maddie paused and scanned the hall again noting the shadows and cobwebs. She half expected to see the ghost of Christmas past coming down the stairs or maybe a swarthy pirate. “There aren’t any ghosts, are there?”
“Carnew isn’t haunted,” he said.
She took a breath and peered at the closed doors.
“No ghosts, promise. There are several other houses nearby with them, but not Carnew.”
“You sound like an expert.”
“Absolutely not.” He grinned and disappeared up the large staircase.
Leaning against the wall she willed the tightness around her heart to retreat. The single bulb suspended from the ceiling cast a dull glow on the floral wallpaper. The array of blooms almost obscured the pictures that hung on the walls, but a faded photograph of three women in front of the house stood out from the rest. Who were they she wondered and was Nell Penventon one of them?
Her hand trailed along the walls of the hall as she wandered lost in thought. Thanks to Nell Penventon, she and Serena had a new start. Maddie had Carnew although it didn’t seem real, but the slate slabs beneath her feet were solid enough. Having some security should provide her with the space to find inspiration again. While John was ill she had longed to paint – to paint her pain, her hope and her love, but time didn’t permit and now that she had time she was empty. She didn’t know what she was going to do.
She needed a plan, but didn’t know where to begin anymore. How could life once have been so clear and now it was so opaque? As she entered the kitchen, her eyes fell on the massive window that dominated one end. Each one of its hand-blown panes framed an alternative vision of the scenery beyond.
Mark’s footsteps heralded his arrival in the kitchen. Fighting the tiredness burning in her eyes and the overwhelming urge to cry, she turned to him. “You’ve been incredibly kind. You didn’t have to stay.”
He rolled his eyes and smiled. “Leave two damsels in distress? My reputation would be destroyed forever.”
Maddie laughed. With his good looks and helpful manner she didn’t doubt he had a reputation at all, but maybe not one for rescue. She thought ruin might be more apt with that smile.
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