Aunt Bessie Invites (An Isle of Man Cozy Mystery Book 9) (26 page)

“It’s ever so nice to meet you,” Sarah said
to Bessie.
 
“Nick never talked much
about his childhood on the island, but whenever he did, he always had fond
memories of you.”

“Did he?” Bessie blurted out without
thinking.

The couple laughed.
 
“I started working on the farm, at least
part-time, when I was fifteen,” Nicholas told her.
 
“And I pretty much hated it.
 
I didn’t want to have to work so hard
when other people were just sitting around all day doing what I thought were
easier things.
 
Anyway, you used to
come up to see your Thanksgiving birds and you used to bring cakes or biscuits
with you.
 
It was always such a
treat, those homemade goodies.
 
It
was about the only thing I liked about the farm for those years I was working
here.”

Bessie shook her head.
 
“I don’t remember doing that,” she said.

“I remember,” Fenella told her.
 
“When I was little, your visit seemed to
mark the start of Christmas for me.
 
You used to bring me little presents as well, when I was a child.”

“I do remember that,” Bessie said after a
moment.
 
“I used to tell Niall to
keep whatever I brought you for Christmas day.”

“But he never did,” Fenella said.
 
“He used to give my the gifts the same
day you were here.
 
As he never did
a lot for Christmas itself, sometimes your visit was even better than Christmas
day.”

“I wish I’d known,” Bessie said.
 
“I would have bought you better
presents.”

Fenella laughed.
 
“I don’t really remember anything you
brought,” she confessed.
 
“But I
know I was awfully excited at the time.”

“Well, I’m glad you both have such fond
memories of me,” Bessie said, laughing.

“Christmas is always more fun when you have
children to buy for, isn’t it?” Sarah asked.
 
“I loved the holidays when our five were
small.”

“Maybe one day one of them will get around
to giving us a grandchild or two,” Nicholas said.
 
“Although none of them seem eager to
settle down.”

“You took your time,” Sarah reminded him
gently.

“I surely did,” he admitted.

“So tell me about your children,” Bessie
suggested.

“Do sit down,” Fenella said.
 
“I’ll just get the tea.”

“Please let me help,” Sarah said.

“Oh, no, you sit down and chat with Bessie,”
Fenella replied.

“Did you say you have five children?” Bessie
asked once they were all seated.

“We did,” Sarah said.
 
“Unfortunately, our second son, Teddy,
passed away when he was still quite young.”

“I’m sorry,” Bessie said.

“I was lucky to have the others,” Sarah told
her.
 
“Between looking after them
and running the farm, I was too busy to fall apart, even though I wanted to.”

“It was a difficult time,” Nicholas
said.
 
“But we got through it, at
least as much as you ever can.”

Bessie nodded.
 
“I’m sure Fenella told me that your
oldest helps run your farm now,” she said as Fenella passed around cups of tea.

“Oh, yes.
 
Ned’s wonderful,” Sarah said.
 
“He’s taken over ninety per cent of the
work, and he’s doing so much to make the farm more efficient and profitable as
well; it’s amazing.”

“He went to university and studied farming,”
Nicholas said.
 
Bessie could hear
the pride in his voice.
 
“He’s a
really smart kid.”

“It’s nice that you have someone to take on
the farm work as you get older,” Fenella said quietly as she joined
them
at the table.
 
Sarah put her hand over Fenella’s and gave it a pat.
 

Before anyone spoke, Fenella jumped back up
again.
 
“There are biscuits and
sandwiches and scones,” she told them all.
 
“Everything is laid out.
 
Please help yourselves.”

Nicholas stood up and then held Sarah’s
chair for her as she rose.
 
“Guests
first,” Sarah said, smiling at Bessie.

Bessie selected a few biscuits and a scone
and then sat back down while the others fixed their plates.
 
There were so many questions she wanted
to ask Nicholas, but she didn’t want to be rude.

“Fenella tells me you were on the farm the
day the body was found,” Nicholas said as everyone began to enjoy their tea.

Bessie nearly choked on a biscuit at the
unexpected turn in the conversation.
 
“I was,” she agreed after a moment.
 
“Do you remember Jacob Conover?”

Nicholas looked at Fenella and then
back
at Bessie.
 
“Not really,” he said.
 
“I
have some vague recollection of the man, but I was pretty busy causing trouble
and chasing after girls in those days.”

“I thought you might remember him since he
did quite a bit of girl chasing himself,” Bessie commented.

“If I recall correctly, I spent most of that
summer running after Anna Long.
 
She
wasn’t interested, but I was sure that she’d come around eventually.
 
I wonder what ever happened to her.”

“I don’t think anyone knows for sure,”
Bessie told him.
 
“She left the
island and as far as I know, no one knows for certain where she went.”

“Really?
 
How very strange,” Nicholas said.
 
“Maybe she came looking for me,” he
laughed.

“I think the police were the only ones
looking for you after you left,” Fenella said dryly.

Nicholas laughed again.
 
“You could be right about that,” he
agreed.

“So how long are you planning to stay?”
Bessie asked after a short lull in the conversation.

“About a week,” Sarah replied.
 
“We’ve left our return open for the
moment.
 
We came over because we
want to help out, with Eoin’s health being so fragile.
 
We might stay a bit longer if Fenella
and Eoin will actually let us do a few things around here.”

“We’re managing,” Fenella said shortly.

“But why struggle?” Nicholas asked.
 
“We’re here and we’re both quite used to
farm work.
 
Take advantage of us.”

“You needn’t worry about your inheritance,”
Fenella said coolly.
 
“Even if we
don’t manage to keep up with the farm, the land will be worth a fortune when we
go.”

“We aren’t the least bit interested in
inheriting anything,” Nicholas said, flushing.
 
“If you’ve no one to leave things to,
choose a useful charity and leave the farm to them.
 
We’re here because we care, not for any
other reason.”

“You haven’t been back to the island in
nearly forty years,” Fenella said.

“No, and I’m sorry about that,” Nicholas
said.
 
“I can’t even offer any real
excuse except we’ve been busy with our farm and our children.
 
You and Eoin never came to see us,
either, though.”

“Eoin came to the wedding,” Fenella said.

Sarah held up a hand.
 
“Let’s not argue,” she said firmly.
 
“None of us have done what we should
have over the last forty years.
 
Let’s not spend the next forty pointing fingers and blaming one
another.
 
We really are here to
help, if you want help.
 
If you
don’t, we’ll stay and visit for a few days and then go home.
 
As for inheriting the farm, that’s your
choice, but I can promise you we have no expectations in that area.”

“There isn’t anyone else,” Fenella told her.

“As Nicholas said, there are charities,”
Sarah replied.
 
“It’s your farm and
you may do what you like with it.
 
Our farm is quite successful in its own small way and our children are all
settled and happy.
 
Please do what
you’d like with your money.”

“Maybe we’ll spend it all on alternative
medicine,” Eoin said from the doorway.
 
“Conventional medicine doesn’t seem to be helping me.”

As he walked into the room and began to fix
his own plate of food, Bessie couldn’t help but compare his appearance with his
brother’s.
 
Nicholas looked healthy
and fit.
 
Next to him, Eoin looked
even more unwell than Bessie had previously believed.

“There are some very good options in
alternative medicine,” she said now.
 

“Not for what I have,” Eoin told her.
 
“I’ve actually seen every specialist out
there.
 
The only ones that have
offered me a cure have been the dishonest ones.”
 
He chuckled.
 
“I told the last one that I’d pay him in
monthly installments over the next three years.
 
After he’d promised me a cure, he
struggled to justify why I had to pay for the whole treatment in advance.”

Bessie smiled.
 
“You’d think he would have at least pretended
to believe his own sales pitch,” she said.

“He was more worried about getting paid,”
Eoin replied.
 
He sat down at the
table and sipped his tea.
 

“We should have visited more often,”
Nicholas said quietly.

“You were busy and so were we,” Eoin countered.
 
“Farmers don’t have time for
socialising.”

“I’d love it if you’d come and see our
farm,” Sarah said.
 
“And it would be
nice if you could meet our children.”

“We’ll have to see,” Eoin said. “We’d have
to find someone to take over here.”

“Maybe you should go for a few days,”
Fenella said.
 
“I could keep things
going over here.”

Eoin shrugged.
 
“Let’s see what the doctor says next
week,” he said.
 
“And see how your
father is doing.
 
You don’t want me
gone if, well, you know what I mean.”

Fenella nodded.
 
“Does anyone need more tea?” she asked,
getting up and bustling around the kitchen.

Bessie shook her head.
 
“I really should be heading for home,”
she said.
 
“Although it’s been
lovely seeing Nicholas again and meeting Sarah.”

“It’s been a real treat, seeing you,”
Nicholas said.

“You all should come to the Thanksgiving
feast,” Bessie said.
 
“You’d be very
welcome.”

“I’m afraid we have other things to do on
Saturday,” Fenella said.
 
“We’ve
arranged to take my father out for a few hours that afternoon.
 
They don’t let me take him very often,
because they have to send a nurse with us.”

“I’m sure Niall will appreciate that,”
Bessie said.

“Last time we did it, he fell asleep in the
car and didn’t wake up until we got back to the home,” Eoin said.

“It was still worthwhile,” Fenella said
softly.

“Yes, dear,” Eoin replied, patting her hand.

“Thank you for a lovely afternoon,” Bessie
said.
 
“I’ll just ring for a taxi
and be on my way.”

“I can take you home,” Fenella said.
 
“Nicholas can help Eoin with the chores
while I’m out.”

“I’ll stay and help the men,” Sarah
said.
 
“I’m feeling as if I’ve been
very lazy since we arrived.”

Bessie gathered up her handbag and followed
Fenella back through the house.
 
As
they walked, she argued with herself about what she was going to say to Fenella
in the car.
 

“Thank you for joining us,” Fenella said
after she’d pulled away from the house.
 

“It was nice to see Nicholas again,” Bessie
told her.
 
“I was surprised he had
such fond memories of me.
 
Sarah
seems very nice.”

“She is,” Fenella agreed.
 
“I think the family farm will be in good
hands with them when Eoin and I are gone.”

“You have a good many years left, though,”
Bessie pointed out.

“I might, but Eoin doesn’t,” Fenella said.

“I’m sorry,” Bessie said.

“He hasn’t been well for a long time and the
whole Jacob Conover thing isn’t helping,” Fenella told her.
 
“It’s added a lot of stress to our
lives.”