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Authors: Sally Quilford

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Chapter Sixteen

On the morning that the Voronins defected, Teddy and Izzy
had really gone to the seaside. It was a long trip from Surrey to the East
Yorkshire coast, so most of the day had been spent travelling by train. They
booked into the first bed and breakfast establishment they found, deciding to
begin their search for Mrs. Palmer and Mr. Stephens on the following morning.
They had no idea where Mrs. Palmer and her sister had set up their hotel, as
Teddy had not heard from them since the day they left Silverton Hall. He only
knew that it was definitely in Filey.

Teddy thought they might get lucky by asking the landlady of
the place in which they stayed. “Do you happen to know of a bed and breakfast
place run by two sisters?” he asked the landlady as they booked in. “Mrs.
Palmer and … Oh what was the other one’s name? I know her first name was
Elsie.”

The landlady, who introduced herself as Mrs. Green, sniffed.
“Deciding to move on already, are you?” she said.

“Oh no,” said Izzy, hastily. “They’re old friends of ours
and we just thought we might pop in.”

“Seems to me,” said Mrs. Green, “that if they’re old
friends, you’d know where you are.” Her eyes narrowed. “Are you two married?”

“No,” said Izzy, firmly. “This is why we’re booking separate
rooms.”

“Well, just be aware that we want no funny business. This is
a respectable establishment. Door’s locked at nine pm, so make sure you return
on time if you go out this evening. I don’t make allowances. Breakfast is at
eight am on the dot, not a minute earlier not a minute later. If you miss it,
you look like eating out. And don’t come down early because you’ll be in the
way. No smoking in the bedrooms.”

“We don’t smoke,” said Teddy. “It’s bad for your health.”

“And no cooking in the bedrooms either,” Mrs. Green snapped,
ignoring him.

It was a struggle for them not to giggle as they were shown
to their rooms. “I’ve heard of prisons that were more welcoming than this,”
Izzy muttered to Teddy as they climbed the stairs. After that, he dared not
look at her, in case he burst out laughing.

After a good night’s sleep, they sat down to a rather
insipid breakfast, which was lukewarm at best. The other guests in the dining
room sat staring into space as they ate, it being clear that Mrs. Green did not
tolerate noise or frivolity of any kind. One young couple had a job keeping
their toddler quiet. Regardless of the tense atmosphere, the little girl
insisted on having the time of her life. Other guests smiled indulgently,
probably wishing they could join in, but with one eye on the door in case the
harridan Mrs. Green should return.

“I’m surprised she’s still in business,” said Teddy.

“Maybe they’re like us,” said Izzy. “Came here direct from
the train and have regretted it since. She probably won’t let anyone leave.
We’ll all be trapped here forever, eating soggy bacon and not daring to make a
noise.”

Teddy coughed, to hide another fit of giggles. Izzy’s pretty
green eyes shone, and he noticed her shoulders shaking. “Even this place is fun
with you, Izzy,” he said.

“Yes, I’m having a good time too, Teddy. Shall we leave this
awful breakfast and go to the Bronte Vinery instead?”

“The Bronte Vinery?”

“Yes, it’s a lovely café, in Cliff House, where the Brontes
used to come and stay. They do a great breakfast which you eat sitting under
the vines.”

“Really?” Teddy lowered his voice. “I’d have sworn from
reading all that misery in Wuthering Heights that they stayed here.”

“Shh…” Izzy’s lips twisted as she tried to contain her laughter.
“We’d better go before we get in trouble.”

“Where are you going?” asked Mrs. Green, as they made their
escape from the dining room.

“We’re going in search of our friends,” said Teddy.

“You’ve not finished your breakfast. That’s waste that is.
How am I supposed to make a living here if people waste their food?”

“We paid you for it,” said Izzy.

“Of course,” said Mrs. Green, “You youngsters have soon
forgotten the war, and the sacrifices we had to make. When there was rationing,
no one wasted anything. Never mind. If you don’t eat it today, we’ll warm it up
for you tomorrow.”

“She has a point, you know,” said Teddy, when they were
walking along the seafront, ten minutes later. “It was wrong to waste food.”

“Yes, I suppose it was,” said Izzy. “But it was inedible,
Teddy. I’ve got a tummy ache even from the bit I did eat.”

“Yes, me too. I don’t know if I want to eat anything else at
the moment.”

“No, me neither. We’ll put off the vinery for another day. Let’s
go and look for Mrs. Palmer. With any luck we’ll find her and she’ll have rooms
we can stay in.”

“There’s no rush, really,” said Teddy. “The longer we’re
here, the longer I get to spend with you.”

“Some of us have to work for a living.”

“I suppose you think I’m a poor little rich boy,” said
Teddy, sulking. “I can’t help the life I was born into Izzy, but I want to make
things better. I want to help others. Can’t you at least give me credit for
that?”

“Hey, I was teasing. You’re alright, Teddy. One of the good
guys, as they say in American films.”

Teddy smiled, very quickly mollified. “So there’s a chance
for me yet then?”

“If you mean to do great things in the world, yes. If you
mean with me … I’ve told you before, Teddy, I think you’re a lovely lad, but
you’re three years younger than me, and still at school. Come back when you’re
a bit more grown up.”

“That’s as good as a promise. Unless of course you fall
hopelessly in love with someone else by then.”

“I’m afraid that’s something you’ll have to be prepared for.
I don’t say it to be unkind, Teddy, so please don’t look so crestfallen. I say
it out of kindness. Because it’s just as likely  you’ll find a girl and
completely forget about me. This is the way it should be at your age.”

“You talk as if you’re years older than I am, but as you
said yourself, it’s three years.”

“I feel older. Girls always mature quicker than boys. You’ve
still a lot of growing up to do.”

“The thing is you’re always going to be three years older
than me. So in three years time when I’m nineteen, you’ll be twenty-two, and
you’ll still say I’m too young. Perhaps you’re right, perhaps it’s best if we
remain friends and that I don’t build my hopes up. All I can say at the moment
is that being with you makes me happier than I’ve ever been. You talk to me as
an equal. The same way Anna used to talk to me, in fact.  Mother and Father
always talk down to me, whilst others are deferential because of my upbringing.
I don’t much like either. You can scoff and call me poor little rich boy if you
like, but it’s the truth. I’m just a normal human being like everyone else and
I want to be around people who treat me that way.”

“I shan’t scoff again, I promise,” said Izzy. “I honestly
can’t think of a better friend to have, Teddy.” She slipped her arm in his.
“Come on, let’s go and find Mrs. Palmer and Mr. Stephens. With any luck we’ll
walk off that breakfast and be ready for something decent to eat.”

They started walking the length of the sea front, going into
each guesthouse along the way and asking for Mrs. Palmer and Mr. Stephens. As
with the landlady at the guesthouse in which they were staying, the owners were
a little unhelpful. They stopped long enough to eat a lunch of fish and chips
as they sat on the sands. A bracing breeze from the North Sea whipped at their
faces, but as the sun shone above, it was not too cold. The sea breeze and the
tangy aroma of vinegar made their mouths water, even as they ate. The
unpleasant breakfast was quickly forgotten, replaced by the delicious taste of
cod and chips.

“This is the best food I’ve ever tasted,” said Teddy. “Who
knew eating out of newspaper could be so delicious?”

“Half the population actually,” said Izzy, chewing a juicy chip.
“Fish and chips are so good for the soul. It’s part of being British.”

“I’ve certainly never felt so British.”

When Izzy had finished her food, she spread out the
newspaper. “I like to see what was happening yesterday,” she said, smiling. It
was a local newspaper, full of Filey news. She perused the greasy pages whilst
Teddy finished his food.

“Teddy, look!” she exclaimed.

“What? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing! Look, there’s an article here about a hotel called
Anna’s Return
. It won an award for excellence from the local council.”

“So?”

Izzy looked at him as if he were particularly stupid. “What
is your half-sister’s name?”

Teddy’s eyes lit up. “Anna. Surely you don’t think it’s Mrs.
Palmer’s? It would be too easy.”

“Don’t you think it’s a bit of a coincidence? The rest of
the article is missing so it doesn’t say who owns the hotel and there’s no
address, but I reckon if we ask around we’ll find out easily enough. We should
go there. We’ve nothing to lose.”

“You’re right,” said Teddy. He stood up and screwed his chip
wrappings into a ball, in order to throw it in the nearest waste bin. “We’ll go
there. If it turns out to be the right place, we won’t be wandering around
aimlessly all day.”

Izzy ripped out the bit of paper from the sheet, and screwed
up the rest.

“We’d best clean up first,” she said to Teddy after they had
put the paper into the bin. She held up her ink blackened hands. “The only
problem with yesterday’s news is yesterday’s newsprint.”

Anna’s Return
was on a quiet side street of Filey,
rather than on the sea front. It looked welcoming even from the outside, with
whitewashed walls, and pretty curtains in the window. What’s more, the
holidaymakers coming out through the front door were smiling, and looking back,
seemingly engaging in chatter with someone inside.

“I can’t imagine Mrs. Green allowing all that happiness,”
said Izzy.

“Goodness no,” said Teddy. “It would lower the tone of the
place.”

If Teddy hoped to see Mrs. Palmer on reception, he was to be
disappointed. The desk clerk was a young man in his thirties with an open smile
and charming disposition. His name tag said he was called Richard Preston. “Can
I be of assistance?” he asked Teddy and Izzy.

“Actually we’re looking for an old friend of mine,” said
Teddy. “A Mrs. Palmer?”

“Is she a guest here?” Richard asked.

“No, oh… I thought she might be the owner,” said Teddy. “I’m
sorry. I think we’ve wasted your time.”

“Just a minute,” said Izzy, stopping Teddy as he was about
to turn and leave. “What about a Mr. Stephens. Is he here?”

“I’m afraid my uncle, Mr. Stephens has gone to the cash and
carry,” said Richard. “He’ll be back in about an hour. My aunt, Mrs. Stephens
is in. Would you like to speak to her?”

“Yes, yes, we would,” said Izzy.

“Wait one moment. I’ll just go and fetch her.”

“It can’t be the same Mr. Stephens,” said Teddy, when
Richard had gone into a room marked private. “He was supposed to live with Mrs.
Palmer.”

“Well if he met someone else and married, I’d imagine he’d
live with her instead,” said Izzy. “They should be able to tell us where Mrs.
Palmer is.”

“Yes, you’re right.”

The door to the private room opened and a woman stood in the
doorway.

“Mrs. Stephens?” said Izzy, stepping forward.

“No, it’s Mrs. Palmer!” Teddy exclaimed, his face breaking
into a huge grin.

Mrs. Palmer frowned. “It’s Mrs. Stephens nowadays. How can
I…” She stopped and looked more closely at Teddy. “It can’t be. Can it? It’s
not Master Edward?”

“The one and only,” said Teddy. “Oh Mrs. Palmer … sorry,
Mrs. Stephens, you don’t know how happy I am to see you at last! Izzy, this is
her. This is our old housekeeper.”

“I think I’d worked that one out,” said Izzy with a smile.

 

Chapter Seventeen

“I think it might be less confusing if you called me Polly,”
said Mrs. Stephens. She had taken Teddy and Izzy into the private room, which
turned out to be a neat and homely sitting room with a desk at one end, covered
in accounts and other papers. She asked Richard to bring tea and biscuits. “And
is this your young lady, Master Edward?”

“We’re just friends,” said Teddy, blushing.

“I’m Isobel McDonald. Izzy to my friends. I’m a nurse to Sir
Lionel.”

 “I’m very glad to meet you, Izzy. I’m sorry to hear Sir
Lionel has been unwell. Is that why you’ve come to me, Master Edward? Because I
can’t return now, even if I wanted to.”

“No, that’s not why. Father is making a vast improvement,
and we keep getting staff from an agency. None of them stay very long.”

“So not much has changed then,” said Polly, pursing her
lips.

“I had no idea that you and Mr. Stephens had married.”

“Well we always talked about it, you know.”

“No, I didn’t know,” said Teddy. “You kept it hidden well.”
As far as he could remember, things had been rather strained between Mr.
Stephens and Mrs. Palmer, with each fighting for supremacy over the domestic
arrangements at Silverton. At the very least, Mrs. Palmer always seemed cross
with Mr. Stephens. Perhaps that was how love manifested itself for some people.

“Then when we came here, Horace almost fell foul of the
residency laws, so I said we might as well get married. That way he can’t be
thrown out on the street after twenty-eight days.”

Richard came back into the room with a tray of tea and
cakes. “This is Richard Preston,” said Polly. “He’s Horace’s nephew and the
best desk clerk in the world. Richard, this is young Master Edward Silverton
who I told you about, and his friend, Izzy.”

“I’m glad to meet you both,” said Richard, smiling. “Aunt
Polly has lots of tales of her life at Silverton Hall. She always speaks well
of you and your …” Richard paused, as if afraid he had spoken out of turn.
“Young Anna.”

“It’s alright, you can say she’s my sister,” said Teddy. “I’m
very proud of the fact. Actually we’ve come to see you about her.” He looked at
Polly. “I heard that you tried to find her and wondered if you’d been
successful.”

Polly shook her head, sadly. “No. We put up posters in
London, in the area where she posted the letter to Horace from. But we’ve heard
nothing. I can only hope and pray that she’s safe. I thought we’d call the
guesthouse
Anna’s Return
, so that if she ever came looking for us, she’d
know where to find us. Silly I suppose.”

“Not silly at all. The thing is,” said Teddy. “I’ve got a
letter from her from Father, and he would like to see her too.”

Polly sniffed, and made a harrumph sound in her throat.
“Pity he didn’t think of that when the poor little mite was living in his
house, forced to be a servant. I’m sorry, Master Edward, I shouldn’t speak out
of turn…”

“Why not?” said Izzy. “You’re in your own house now. You can
say what you wish.”

Polly looked at Izzy with admiration. “Are you sure you’re
not his young lady? You’d be very good for him. A man needs a woman who can
manage him, and don’t you ever let them tell you any different. Why Horace
seems ten years younger since we opened the guesthouse.”

“Is your sister still with you?” asked Teddy.

“No. We had a parting of the ways,” said Polly, stiffly. “We
started a guesthouse together, but disagreed over how it should be run. She
wanted it like an army camp and I think that people come on holiday to relax.
Then she took up with some man who almost brought us all to ruin. Horace and I
were going to move back down south, but as luck would have it, this came up,
and we decided to try our luck. Things seem to be going well. Which is more
than I can say for Dunromin’ or Dunsmiling as we call my sister’s place.”

“That’s where we’re staying,” said Izzy.

“Mrs. Green?” said Teddy, wide eyed. “Your sister is Mrs.
Green?”

“Yes, that’s our Elsie.”

“But she said she didn’t know you,” Izzy said.

“Well she would, wouldn’t she? We don’t talk anymore. I’m
only glad young Anna didn’t come here, or Elsie would have worked her even
harder than she had to work at Silverton Hall. She doesn’t treat her staff or her
guests right, and that’s a fact. I can’t believe you’re staying there.”

“We were,” said Teddy, “but if you have two rooms going
spare…”

“Of course I have, and you don’t have to pay either.”

“Now, Polly,” said Izzy. “You can’t run a business like
that. We’ll pay our way.”

“You’re a good girl,” said Polly, looking from Izzy to Teddy
then back again. “Yes, I think you’ll do quite nicely for him, regardless of
what you say about only being friends.”

“So,” said Teddy, grinning at Izzy. “Which one of us is going
to tell Mrs. Green we’re not stopping another night?”

“You’re the one who wants to prove you’re grown up,” said
Izzy, with a wink at Polly Stephens.

Teddy and Izzy spent a happy couple of days with Polly and
Mr. Stephens, before returning home to tell his father that Anna had not yet
been found.

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