Yew Tree Gardens (23 page)

He checked the letter again. ‘Why don’t we telephone this publishing company and find out where Mr Easton is?’

‘Yes, of course. Isn’t the telephone a marvellous invention?’ She tugged him to his feet. ‘Do it now. Then phone your parents and tell them about us. Oh, and there’s Walter and
everyone else here. Not that it’ll surprise them, but we want to make it official, don’t we?’

Her expression as she looked at him was glowing with love and joy at the thought of being reunited with her sisters.

He had to wait till the operator connected him to London and then wait again to speak to someone at the publishing house. It took him a while to explain.

‘Oh, you want to speak to Mr Easton, then,’ the man said. ‘I’ll put you through to him.’

Another wait, then a voice said, ‘Hugh Easton.’

‘My name is Gilbert Rycroft, and I’m engaged to a Miss Renie Fuller. I believe you know where her sister Nell is.’

There was an exclamation, then Hugh said, ‘Tell me where she is and we’ll come to see you immediately. Nell has been so sad not to know where Renie was.’

‘Why don’t you bring Nell down to visit us?’

Hugh laughed. ‘No, I have a far better idea.’

The following day Gil and Renie set off to find her sisters, with Horry driving them. Renie was so excited, her hat was awry and her hair kept tumbling down. When he looked, she was wearing two unmatching gloves. He didn’t tell her.

She hardly said a word as they drove, but now and then he put his arm round her and gave her a hug, and she hugged him back fiercely, but without saying a word.

They passed through the small town of Wootton Bassett, where they asked directions, then drove on in the direction of Bath. When they turned off the main road, she roused herself enough to ask, ‘Are you sure this is it?’

‘Yes. Cherry Tree Lane.’

‘And you’re sure Mattie lives here?’

‘Yes.’ He didn’t remind her that he’d told her that several times already.

When they got to the top of the slope and saw that the road ended at a large house, she looked round in puzzlement. ‘We must have missed her house.’

‘No. This is where she lives.’

Renie stared at the large house set in neat gardens. ‘Here? Mattie?’

‘Yes. We asked directions, remember, and the man was quite sure where Mattie Kemble and her husband Jacob lived.’

He’d expected Renie to jump out of the car as soon as it stopped, but instead she sat staring at the house.

‘What if it’s not our Mattie?’

‘Of course it is. Mr Easton is married to your sister Nell, so you can trust what he told you.’ He got out carefully and held out his hand to her. ‘Come on.’

Her hand was trembling in his, but before they could take more than a few steps, the front door of the big house opened and two women rushed out, shrieking Renie’s name.

She began to cry loudly as she rushed towards them, and her sisters were weeping as well.

Two men came to join Gil and introduce themselves, then one went to tell Horry where to take the car and find refreshments for himself.

One of the men limped slightly as he went across to the women. ‘Come on now, my dears. Let’s get you all inside. I don’t know why you’re weeping on such a happy occasion.’

One of the women gave him a quick hug, then went back to take Renie’s hand. ‘This is my youngest sister. Renie, this
is my husband, Jacob, and this is Hugh, Nell’s husband.’

‘And this is my fiancé Gil, and you’re all invited to our wedding at Christmas. I want two matrons of honour.’ She plonked kisses on Nell and Mattie’s cheeks. ‘You both look so well. Oh, isn’t it going to be blissful being able to see one another again!’

‘Why don’t I show you gentlemen round the gardens?’ Jacob said quietly.

His wife overheard and gave him a smile and a nod.

Even before they’d left the room, the three sisters had their heads together and were busy catching up on all that had happened since the stormy day they’d run away three years ago.

Once they were outside, Hugh grinned. ‘I have another surprise for them and I think I can hear it coming.’

A motor van came chugging up the hill, with the words ‘Hal Keane, Photographer’ written in large letters along the side.

‘I thought they’d want a photograph or two to remember this day by. I’d better go and warn them.’

The three sisters shrieked again when he told them a photographer had come.

‘We’ll go up to my bedroom and tidy ourselves,’ Mattie said, putting an arm round each of her sisters.

‘I want a million photographs,’ Renie said. ‘This is the best day of my life.’

‘Your wedding day will be even better,’ Mattie said. ‘We’ll make sure of that.’

Renie hugged her, hugged Nell afterwards, then turned to the mirror. ‘Come on. We want to look beautiful.’

And they did.

A
NNA
J
ACOBS
is the author of over fifty novels and is addicted to storytelling. She grew up in Lancashire, emigrated to Australia in the 1970s and writes stories set in both countries. She loves to return to England regularly to visit her family and soak up the history. She has two grown-up daughters and a grandson, and lives with her husband in a spacious waterfront home. Often as she writes, dolphins frolic outside the window of her study. Inside, the house is crammed with thousands of books.

www.annajacobs.com

Cherry Tree Lane

Elm Tree Road

Yew Tree Gardens

Keep up to date with

ANNA JACOBS

by logging on to her website
www.annajacobs.com
for book excerpts, news and articles.

Or email her at
[email protected]
 

Or write to her at
PO Box 628
Mandurah
Western Australia 6210
(If you’d like a reply, please enclose a stamped, self-addressed envelope from inside Australia, or an international reply coupon from outside Australia.)

You can join Anna’s announcements list or sign up for a monthly newsletter by emailing
[email protected]

For information about Allison & Busby books
visit the publisher’s website at
www.allisonandbusby.com