Fettigrew Hall - The Biography of a House

Fettigrew Hall - Chapter 20

Chapter 20

In the morning when Megan awoke, Gray was gone. It was already 8:20, and she had to get ready for Jamie’s visit. She took a quick shower and dressed in jeans and a work shirt. No point in doing much with her hair if they were going to be working on the garden. She pulled it back in a pony tail. She hated anyone seeing her without at least her “eyes.” So she stopped long enough to put some eyeliner on and a bit of lipstick. Hurrying down the stairs she worked her way to the kitchen and found Gray making an omelet and toast

“Morning,” he said. “You are going to need something to sustain you today.”

“Thanks,” She said, pouring herself a cup of coffee. “Thank you for staying with me. I slept like a rock. What about you?”

“Fine,” he grumbled. He was not going to tell her that he was so disturbed by her closeness.

Wolfing down her omelet, Megan found her work gloves and went out to the side of the garden to take a serious look while waiting for Jamie. As she walked around to the front of the house, she thought it would be a good idea to try to open the big door at the gatehouse. Usually this took Gray’s help, but she thought she’d give it a try. She was surprised to find that it opened easily for her. Gray must have oiled the hinges. When the door was opened, she stepped outside the gatehouse into the sunny day. She was examining plants around the bridge when Jamie drove his truck up.

“Morning, Jamie. Would you like some coffee before we start?”

“No thanks. I’ve brought my thermos for later.”

“I know it isn’t a priority but it would be nice to have the front of the gatehouse looking nice for visitors. But, let’s go into the front area first.” Megan said.

“One of the first things we should do is see if we can get that moat cleaned out and running properly,” Jamie said.

“I know. It has been on the top of my list for some time, but I’ve been unsure how to proceed. I haven’t found any company that does that sort of work. Do you know what to do?”

“I can sure give it a try. One of the first things would be to remove the debris around the water, pull out the downed trees, etc. You can see that around the edges of the moat there are water-loving plants. See the yellow irises there? I see some Royal Fern, which turns dark in the autumn. You probably also have Rodgersias, King-cups and Forgetmenots. Those are commonly found around moats and streams. You’d be surprised how nice it might look all cleaned up. If not, we can always plant some.”

“As you can see, the lawn is gone and this tree is dead, after falling completely over.”

After they had spent several hours walking around the house, looking at live and dead plants and bushes, they had the start of a plan. Jamie would return and start to remove anything dead or undesirable. Then they would reassess the condition of the gardens. Megan showed him the WC and also the kitchen where he could eat or prepare his lunches.

“Jamie, I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your help. I would like to pay you for your services.”

“Oh, no, I don’t need a thing, really. Retirement has bored me and this will give me something very important to do. It is I who should be thanking you.”

Megan was not comfortable with this, but for the moment all she could do was thank him. “Won’t you be needing a crew to help you with some of this?”

“I may in the beginning to remove the heavy tree and other brush. If you would like to pay those people, I’ll see who I can find.”

“If you are comfortable with that, I’ll leave it to you. You just tell me what you need in funds, and I’ll provide it. If you need equipment I’m happy to buy that also.”

"All right, we’ll leave it at that. I’ll try to return tomorrow with a crew and we’ll see what we can get done.” With that, he went back to his truck and drove away.

Megan was excited to see some real progress in one of her main projects. She thought she should probably get to the bank and get cash for workers. Also, picking up lunch things for the workers seemed like a sensible thing to do. Finding Gray in the kitchen fixing a sandwich, she decided she would also have something before heading out. Gray agreed to go with her. Thus the afternoon was spent doing errands. Before returning to the house, they stopped to see Philip.

Ringing his bell, they got no answer. So, they walked to the church to see if he was there. They found him in the graveyard pulling weeds from around his wife’s grave. Fresh flowers were in a vase near the head stone. “Ah, I’ve just been talking of you to Charlotte. She would have enjoyed your project. She was so happy when we moved into the old vicarage. She didn’t care that it was small. She just loved the history and its coziness. What are you two up to?”

“We stopped by to see if you had found contact info on anyone who can help with all my projects.” Megan said.

“I have that at the house. I believe it is time for a bit of sherry. Let’s go back, and I can also give you Millicent’s book on the house. Coming to his house, Philip suggested that they sit in the garden, while he brought things out for them. At the door he said to Megan, “Meg dear, would you carry the glasses out for me?” She got up and followed him into the kitchen where she was directed to sherry glasses and a decanter. “I’ll just find the book and my notes.”

As they settled in with their drinks Philip said, “I reread her book. Very interesting history. I think you may rely on it, as I know that she did research. She was very clear with me that it was important to her to have all this written down. Of course, she was a bit strange and I think she had a bit of prejudice in trying to show her ancestors in a good light. She had this published, and I believe she told me there were five copies. One she gave to me, one to the library. I don’t know where the rest of the copies are, but I’m sure you’ll find one in your library.

“Philip, I’m so excited. Jamie will come tomorrow to begin clearing out the garden and see what can be done with the moat.” 

“Well now, that is progress. I’m sure getting rid of the smell will improve everyone’s spirits.’

“It was one of the first things on my list but I wasn’t sure where to start with that project. Jamie thinks he may be able to sort it out.”