Free A Winter’s Tale by Trisha Ashley Page B

husband’s family who thought he’d made a misalliance.’
‘Oh no, dear, nobody marrying a Winter could possibly think that,’ Aunt Hebe assured me—but then, she had never met the Mistress.
‘Things did seem to improve between Jack and William until they had that last ghastly argument…’ She shuddered.
‘Oh? What was that about, Aunt Hebe?’
‘Jack had long wanted William to transfer ownership of Winter’s End to him, to try and avoid death duties, but he wouldn’t hear of it. This time Jack told his uncle that if he didn’t divert some of his income into keeping the house standing, he would have nothing but a garden to inherit anyway.’
‘Well, goodness knows, he was right about the house. Another couple of years of neglect and possibly it would have passed the point of no return.’
‘Yes, but my brother took it badly and told Jack he shouldn’t count his chickens before they hatched. And then, to top it all, he’d heard about one of Jack’s business deals—such a clever boy—and accused him of only wanting to get his hands on Winter’s End so he could turn it into an apartment block. I told him he was being absurd, because Jack wouldn’t dream of doing anything of the kind to his ancestral home.’
‘No, I’m sure he wouldn’t,’ I agreed.
She smiled approvingly. ‘I’m sure my brother would have seen sense if he hadn’t suddenly discovered where you were and made that disastrous will. I can’t think what got into him.’
‘Sickening for you and Jack,’ I agreed, fascinated despite myself by this one-viewpoint argument, because it had obviously never occurred to either of them that I had any kind of right to inherit Winter’s End.
‘Yes—you do understand, don’t you? William didn’t even tell us he had found you, so the will came as a complete shock. And although Mr Hobbs says he was in his right mind and the will can’t be challenged, he can’t have been, really.’
‘He seemed to be all there with his cough drops when I met him,’ I assured her. ‘He spent most of his visit arguing with Lucy and it perked him up no end.’
‘Lucy?’
‘My daughter.’
‘Oh, yes, I’d forgotten.’ Clearly, yet another girl was notof great interest. ‘Didn’t Jack say she was working abroad somewhere?’
‘Japan—teaching English, but only for a year to make some money. The wages are good, and they run up such huge debts these days with the student loans, don’t they?’
‘Jack didn’t. In fact, that’s when he started his property renovation business.’
With an effort I refrained from remarking that Lucy had not had a rich parent to buy her a house when she went to university.
‘So you see,’ Aunt Hebe said insistently, turning her finely lined, hawk-nosed profile towards me, ‘Winter’s End should have been Jack’s. You do see that, don’t you? But he says he is going to buy it from you, so everything will be right again.’
‘He did offer to buy it when he visited me in Northumberland,’ I agreed, and again that overwhelming burst of feeling for Winter’s End ran through my veins like liquid fire, ‘but of course I hadn’t seen it then. I—I didn’t realise…’
‘No, I suppose you barely remember it. It can’t mean to you what it means to Jack.’
‘Until I got here I only had a few random memories…and dreams. I used to dream about Winter’s End,’ I said. ‘But from the moment I stepped into the house it felt like…like home .’
She was looking at me sharply now, seeing a little of what I felt in my face. ‘Of course—and it is your home. Dear Jack said that you would always be welcome to visit Winter’s End. We’re very happy to have you back in the family circle again.’
‘That’s very kind of you, Aunt Hebe,’ I said, then took a deep breath and added, ‘but actually…well, I think it is going to be the other way around. Jack will always be welcome to visit Winter’s End, but I’m not parting with it, even to him!’
Her mouth dropped