Free 1 Aunt Bessie Assumes by Diana Xarissa

I
could.”
    “That was good of you,” Bessie told her
old acquaintance.  
    “But what brings you to the cottage?”
    “I came to pay my respects,” Bessie
replied.
    “Oh, aye, and that’s only proper, with you
being neighbours and all.   And
besides which, you found poor Danny, didn’t you?   And you were so very kind to Miss Vikky as
well.     We’ll just have to get you in, but keep
those reporters out, won’t we?”
    The phone went dead in Bessie’s hand and
she slowly returned it to its stand.  
    “Told to bugger off, were you?” one of the
reporters sneered at her.
    Bessie didn’t even favour him with a
glance.   A moment later Bessie could
see two enormous men walking towards her from the other side of the gate.   The men were clearly hired muscle and
the reporters all turned their backs as the men approached.
    “You guys should just go, you know,” the
taller of the guards said conversationally as he reached the gate.
    “We’ve checked with the police.   We’re perfectly within our rights to
stand here on this side of the gate,” one of the reporters answered.
    “Whatever,” the guard muttered.   “You want to stand out in the rain all
day, that’s your business.”
    It wasn’t just raining, it was cold and
overcast, and Bessie felt a momentary pang of sympathy for the men and women
who were stuck watching a gate and hoping that something might happen.   That pang vanished a second later as it
became obvious to the reporters that the guards were there to open the gate to
admit Bessie.   Then the questions
began to fly once more.
    “Who is she?”
    “Why does she get in?”
    “Give us a name, love, just something we
can work with?”
    Photography equipment was pulled from bags,
and suddenly Bessie found herself being photographed
from every possible angle as the guards unlocked the gates and opened them just
far enough for Bessie to squeeze through.   She quickly folded up her umbrella and slipped through.   A moment later, both men opened huge
umbrellas over Bessie’s head and they used them to block her from the cameras
and the prying eyes of the press.
    “Let’s get you safely inside, then,” one
of the men said to Bessie as the trio began to walk back down the long
driveway.
    Bessie had never been to Thie yn Traie,
although she had heard a lot about it, especially when it was being
constructed.   Of course, she could
see it from a distance every time she walked along Laxey Beach, but it was set
quite far back from the water’s edge, perched halfway up a small cliff, and
Bessie had never felt the need to explore more closely.   As she and her escorts rounded a curve
in the drive, she suddenly saw the house in all of its splendour.
    It was enormous.   From the beach side of the property,
Bessie had only ever been able to see a large two-storey home set into the
fairly steep cliff, but from here she could see the sheer scale of the
mansion.   Again, she wondered about
planning permission as she studied the multi-storey structure.   Vikky Pierce had told her that the
“cottage” had several separate wings, and now Bessie could see how they seemed
to spread, tentacle-like, all across the ground.  
    She shook her head.   The whole thing was a monstrous tribute
to money over style and good taste.    She could hardly wait to see what the inside was like.  
    The two men escorted her towards
a side door near the row of garages.   As they approached, Bessie counted garage space for seven cars.
 The door swung open as they reached it and Bessie found herself engulfed in a huge hug.
    “ Ah, Aunt Bessie, it's been too long,” Bahey said when she finally ended the embrace.  “You
look wonderful, at least for our age.”
    Bessie smiled ruefully.
 Bahey was only about ten years younger than Bessie.  When they first
met, that gap had seemed insurmountable to them both.  Bessie, in her
early twenties, had little time for girls just into their teens.  Now the
gap