Read Online Cherry Tree Lane by Anna Jacobs - Free Book Online Page B

writing.
    Anyone would do as a legatee for the will, just temporarily. She’d get it signed and leave it safely in her lawyer’s hands, then let her cousin know he’d not be inheriting. That should protect her from misadventure.
    And she’d sleep with a gun beside her bed from now on, with the bedroom door locked.
    Once she got away from here, she’d redo the will and leave her money to charity, or maybe some of her old friends. She sighed. It must make life very easy if you had children to leave everything to and relatives you could turn to. The only thing she was sure of was that she wasn’t letting this house fall into Arthur Newington’s hands, or those of his children. Bad blood on that side of the family.
    They’d come here fussing around her when she first arrived, but she’d seen them eyeing the house, estimating values, and had soon sent them packing.
     
     
    The police didn’t turn up until midday, then a plump young fellow puffed his way up the lane on an elderly bicycle. By that time Emily was very annoyed at being kept waiting.
    He was so young, looking more like a boy than a man to her, and confessed that he’d only been in the area for a few months. He bounded around the house like an eager puppy that wasn’t quite sure what was expected of it. She answered his questions patiently and suggested he report everything to his sergeant.
    She didn’t mention her suspicions that this incident had been caused by her cousin, because she didn’t intend to give Arthur cause to sue her for slander. But who else could it have been? There was little of value in the house to tempt burglars. Everyone in the neighbourhood knew how rundown it was.
    When the young policeman had left, she walked down the lane to help care for the stranger, as she’d promised, taking with her a jar of chicken broth made by Cook.
    ‘I’m sorry I couldn’t get here sooner, Mr Kemble. We had burglars last night.’ She explained briefly what had happened.
    He didn’t say anything, but she could see faint frown lines on his forehead as he thought about it.
    ‘You should take care, Miss Newington.’
    ‘I am. I now have a loaded shotgun by my bedside and anyone else breaking into my house will get well peppered. I don’t suppose they’ll come back, though, not now they’ve seen we’re prepared to fight.’
    He smiled. ‘No, probably not. But the gun is a good idea.’
    ‘How did your visitor go last night?’
    ‘She slept a bit better, thank goodness. And I think she’s breathing easier today. I’ve managed to get a little water into her every now and then, but she didn’t really wake up, just drank a few mouthfuls as if she was thirsty.’
    ‘That’s good. But you look exhausted. Did you get any sleep at all?’
    He shrugged. ‘I can manage without. I’ve done it before.’
    She looked at the little fob watch pinned to her prim grey jacket. ‘I can give you a break for a couple of hours. Go and lie down. I’ll wake you when it’s time for me to leave.’
    He hesitated.
    ‘Do as I say!’
    She went into the kitchen and tidied it up, because she wasn’t too proud to do her own housework if necessary, or help her neighbours. She kept an ear open for the stranger, and when the two hours were nearly up, went and washed her. The woman’s breathing might have improved slightly, but it was still rasping in her chest, and it was still touch-and-go whether she’d recover.
    Such a pity if she didn’t. She had a pretty face and couldn’t have been more than thirty.

Chapter Five
     
     
    On the Wednesday morning Jacob sent both children to school, repeating his warning to tell no one about their guest. He was feeling deep-down tired for lack of sleep, so took his cup of tea into the front room and sat with it by the fire, watching her. He’d done that a lot over the past few days. She’d been quite slender to start with, but flesh had been stripped off her, leaving a frail, ethereal-looking creature. He’d seen that