Free The Legacy of Hope House by Dilys Xavier

fragrance of the blooms that grow there.’ He continued to move around the room, still beaming with pleasure as he looked about him. ‘But it is my own fault, for I decided to come and live in the cool and damp Land Of My Fathers.’
    Anna then asked something that was bothering her. ‘What can you tell me about my distant relatives? Are there any living today? I would like to know.’
    With his face wreathed in smiles, he cocked his head to the side. ‘Maybe there are, but maybe not. It is something that will reveal itself all in good time. Have patience. First, come with me and look at their portraits and I will tell you about each one.’
    Holding this conversation with someone in a dream seemed quite natural to Anna, but her heart throbbed and her knees felt weak as she tried to control her increasing excitement. She rose from the chair and took a step forward, but suddenly felt dizzy. Anna put her hand to her forehead, but as her legs folded beneath her she slumped to the floor. She was vaguely aware that someone was carrying her, but none of this seemed to matter. Her body felt weighted and weary, and all she wanted to do was sleep, sleep, sleep.
    Eventually, her eyes snapped open and the first person she saw was David, fast asleep in the large armchair in the corner of the library. She looked up feeling dazed, and wondered what had happened and why he was there.
    Then scenes in the dream flashed into her mind and she stared around, fully aware she must just have lived through a nightmare. Grabbing a pen and paper off the side table, she quickly jotted down what she could remember of the dream so it would stay in her mind.
    Just then, David opened his eyes, got up and crossed over to her. ‘You didn’t appear for lunch as arranged, so I tried to contact you several times, but when you didn’t answer, I decided to come and look for you. Good thing you gave me a set of keys, ‘cos I found you in a crumpled heap on the floor. I popped you onto that sofa and let you sleep; looks like you needed it.’ He gave Anna’s hand a comforting squeeze. ‘I spun a good yarn to your mother on the phone when she rang to speak to you, so she’s not worrying.’
    ‘I remember most of it now,’ Anna said, rubbing her eyes and relating what the dream was all about. ‘I made notes to help me remember it.’ The old man seemed so real.’ She shrugged. ‘But then nightmares are always real until you wake.’
    ‘Okay, there’s still time for a drink before you go home, so come on.’ David pulled her to the front door and out to the car, and in minutes, they were enjoying a drink at the inn. He lifted his empty glass. ‘Want another?’ Anna nodded, and when he returned from the bar, he suggested they took their drinks over to the window seat.
    ‘I’m serious about researching my ancestors,’ Anna said. ‘I feel there’s something I should know.’ She wriggled closer to him on the window seat, but David’s smile faded when he glanced at his watch. ‘Hey, look at the time; your mother will be expecting you. Get moving. I don’t want the blame for you being late.’
    When she arrived home, Margaret glanced at the kitchen clock. ‘Just in time, my girl, but you’ve cut it fine. This sort of meal doesn’t improve with being kept warm. I wish you’d keep track of the time when you go out.’
    It didn’t take Anna long to eat the her dinner, and then she relaxed in the chair and thought about her recent good fortune, accepting that one of the pleasant outcomes was the liaison with David Rees, even though it was purely business. As yet.
    She had to admit she was attracted to him, and now that he had broken up with his girlfriend, maybe there was a chance they would become more than friends. She sighed, acknowledging he had made no exciting moves towards her, but maybe regular contact over the house repairs would help develop something more between them. She wasn’t mad about him, but he was good company, he was