Fettigrew Hall - The Biography of a House

Fettigrew Hall - Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Megan decided that she would return to Kathryn’s B&B for a time. She wanted to share her excitement about the house and her plans. Also she had very little clothing, and she wanted to add to her wardrobe in case she was going to be here for quite some time – or maybe forever. A sturdy pair of jeans would be appropriate also if she were going to be working on this house.

Kathryn was thrilled to have her back and advised her to shop at Marks and Sparks, where she would get good deals and find what she needed. Since the summer was heating up, some cooler clothes were in order. Kathryn was all for a day out shopping in the high street, so they decided to treat themselves to a high tea in town that day. By the time they returned to the B&B both were tired of lugging bags and boxes, and they had sore feet.

Megan decided to take a bath and call Marc. She had missed him fiercely lately and wanted to share her excitement. He picked up on the first ring.

“Hi Marc, it’s Mom.”

“I know. How are you doing and what have you been doing?

“Well …I know you will probably wonder about me but guess what I have done?

“I’m quite sure I couldn’t.”

“I’ve decided I want that house I told you about. Remember Andrew, the nice man I met in London? I’ve asked him to look into purchasing it. He is trying to get access to the house so that I can have a better look at it. “

“Wow. I’m not sure what to say about this. That would mean you would stay in England and live there?

“Well, I think so, really. How are you with that?”

“I don’t want you so far away, but it would be nice for you to have a project and be able to get on with your life in a way that makes you happy. I guess I don’t really have much time I can spend with you these days.”

“It does make me very happy to think about doing this. And it would certainly keep me occupied for the rest of my life if I should so wish.”

“So, this is my new inheritance?” Marc said with a laugh.

“Seems like it might be. Could you come for a visit?”

“I’ll see what I can do about that, maybe in August. I’m not sure what my schedule will be during the summer, but I’ll try.

“Oh that would be wonderful. House or not, I miss you so much and I’d love to see you. We could do anything you would like. I know you need a break.”

“I sure could use that. I miss you, Mom. Have you been all right?”

“I think as all right as I can be. I miss your dad so much still. But a project to take my mind off things is good. I guess we will see how things go. What is the latest with your lady love?”

“She is still definitely my lady love. I finally screwed up the courage to tell her I was in love with her. I’m pleased to say that she also loves me. So, now we are just two sick, or maybe sickening, love birds. Gosh, it’s delightful.”

“How wonderful. I’m so happy for you both. You must email me a picture of the two of you. I’ll try to stay in better touch.”

“Yes, I’ll see what I can do about that."

“Ok, sweetie. I’ll talk with you soon.”

As Megan was getting out of the bath her cell phone rang again. Seeing it was Andrew, she quickly grabbed it up.

“Megan, I’ve got some good news. I’m still trying to reach someone who owns the property, but I have found that there are keys available. Apparently a set was left at the Vicarage a long time ago in case access was needed for some reason. I’m going to see if the vicar can find them.”

“Really, how odd. I met him and we talked about the house. He didn’t mention he had keys.”

“I expect he has forgotten or perhaps never knew that. I’m not sure when they were put there. Anyway, we’ll see what we can do and I’ll let you know. Where are you now?”

“I’ve come to London for a few days to stay with my friend and shop. I can come any time you wish.”

“Great, I’ll get back to you then.” With that they said their goodbyes.

Even if she never got to buy the house she was now going to get to see the whole thing. This was so exciting. She decided she would spend the next day cleaning her car and repacking everything. She stuck a small notepad in her jeans and a pencil. In this way, as she thought of things she would have to address with the house, she would have it written down. One of her first goals would be to clean out the moat. The stink was too much, and it would be wonderful to have a flowing stream around the house. She wondered if ducks or a couple of swans would live there happily. It was fun to dream.

Megan did not hear from Andrew for several days. After she had done all of her chores she decided to catch up on email. She went to the nearest wired pub, taking her laptop with her. She ordered tea and began to go through all the emails. Of course there was the usual junk mail. Several friends had inquired about her. She wrote notes back to them but did not share anything about her house plans. Her best friend, Tatjana (Tatti, for short) was becoming annoyed and a bit alarmed that she had been so out of touch. She had already shared with Tatti her visit inside the house. So, taking another sip of tea, she began to explain to Tatti how she had decided to buy the house and what she would try to do with it. She made a mental note to telephone her as well, but maybe she would wait a few days and see if the keys had been found. She also sent a note to Marc to give him the status of the house stuff.

Returning to the B&B she thought she would surprise Kathryn with dinner. She took her car to the grocery store and got ingredients for the meal, including some crusty bread. She knew Kathryn would be out until nearly dinner time, so she set to work. Lasagna was something she hadn’t yet encountered since she had been in England, so she thought this would be a rare treat for herself and Kathryn. She boiled the noodles and started some sauce. As they were cooking she checked her phone. There was a message from Andrew asking her to call.

“Hi, Andrew. Tell me you have the keys.”

“Yes, we do. Philip was on quite a hunt for them and it took some time to locate them. He didn’t even know he had them. Would you like to see the house? I can’t do it until the day after tomorrow, and I think we should start in the morning, as it will take some time, and the property surrounding is quite extensive. Wear some walking shoes.”

“Okay. I’ll come to your office at 8 and we can proceed from there, okay?”

“Good, I’ll see you then.”

Oh, she was excited! Thinking that she would have to be at Andrew’s so early, she thought it best to spend tomorrow night at the hotel near there. She gave them a call and obtained a room, saying she might wish to stay more nights. Even though it was high season they thought they could accommodate her.

When Kathryn arrived she was thrilled to see dinner ready. They talked about Megan’s news and Kathryn’s day. If Megan managed to acquire the house, she wanted Kathryn to visit and discuss with her whether the property would make a good B&B. Both were tired from busy days, and Megan wanted an early start. She planned to go see the house again tomorrow, before her appointment with Andrew. She wanted to make sure this was still something she wanted to do, or was it just a pipe dream for a lonely widow?