As she headed for the manor house she couldn’t keep the smile off her face. Three-quarters of a million! She was brimming over with ideas for redecorating, making the sombre house lighter. She would get some nice sofas, make the place feel lived in. By the time she’d driven ‘home’, she was still buzzing.
She hesitated for a moment before she went into the oak-panelled hall. She would light a big fire. Make herself something to eat. In the morning she would take a tour of the entire house.
She tried the light switch by the open kitchen door. It clicked, but still nothing happened. She’d check out the generator tomorrow. By now she was familiar with the kitchen. She lit candles, then took some kindling and logs. She was pleased with herself. She was becoming very adept at firelighting.
Humming to herself, she went into the larder and chose a tin of chicken soup.
‘Hello.’
Barbara froze.
‘I’ve been waiting ages for you.’
The little girl was standing barefoot at the kitchen door. She had curly blonde hair and a sweet, angelic face. Dressed in jeans and a blue T-shirt, she looked much happier than she had at the cemetery.
Barbara gasped, unable to believe what she was seeing.
‘It’s time for my piano lesson.’
Barbara shook her head. This was madness. The little girl moved closer.
‘Stay away from me,’ Barbara cried.
She knocked over the chair as she moved backwards. The child shimmered, at one moment clear and real, the next transparent.
‘You promised on Mama’s Bible to take care of me.’
Barbara pressed herself against the sink.
‘Who are you?’
‘I’m Emily. I’m seven years old. I’ll be eight in two months’ time.’
‘No! No!’ Barbara shouted.
‘YES, YES, YES,’ Emily shouted back gleefully. ‘Come upstairs. It’s time for my piano lesson.’
‘No,’ Barbara repeated.
She was terrified. Her heart felt as if it would burst out of her chest. She moved cautiously to the door.
Tink-tink-tink came the sound of the piano. Just as Barbara had heard when she stayed previously. She picked up a candlestick and, gritting her teeth, headed into the hall.
With her free hand on the banister, the other holding the candlestick on high, she moved up the stairs. She looked into the various rooms and headed up another floor. She moved towards where the sound of the piano was loudest. Scrawled writing on the wall read ‘Emily’s Room’.
The child carried on with her scales. Barbara edged further into the room. Emily stopped and swivelled round on the piano stool.
‘Do you know “Chopsticks”? Aunt Margaret used to play with me.’
Barbara’s mind was churning. This couldn’t be happening.
‘Margaret is dead,’ she whispered.
‘I know. She’s gone to be with Mummy and Armande. She wanted that for such a long time. But she couldn’t because there was no one to look after me.’
Emily swung round on the stool again, her legs dangling.
‘I was conceived here. I was born here.’
‘You’re dead too,’ Barbara said.
‘Yes, but I’m alive for you, only you. And in return for taking care of me you inherit everything. Just like Aunt Margaret. I was her secret and now I’m yours.’
Barbara turned and hurried from the room. She made her way back to the kitchen, gulping for air. The panic attack was making her stumble and lurch around as she gasped for breath.
She leaned on the table, telling herself to calm down. She pinched her arm until it hurt and at last the dizzy feeling receded. Then she heard the footsteps running across the room above.
Needing the warmth, she sat close to the fire, going over in her mind every moment she had spent with Margaret. She recalled how she had placed her hand over the cross of the Bible. She had sworn she would never tell Margaret’s secret. How could she explain what being Margaret’s heir entailed? Who would believe her? They’d probably take her away, just like Margaret.
Barbara gave herself another hard pinch, to make sure she was awake.
Then she began to think …
Would it really be so bad? She was alone. She had always been alone.
Barbara sat a while in silence.
She didn’t even take a candle to light her way back to the room. Walking slowly up the stairs, she pushed open the door and Emily turned towards her.
She was writing her ten times table on a blackboard with a piece of chalk.
‘I can play “Chopsticks”,’ Barbara said softly.
She picked up a chair and placed it by the piano stool.
‘I knew it would be you,’ Emily said as she joined her.
‘I will keep my promise, Emily. I will take care of you.’
Together they began to play the piano.
And Barbara realized that she had never felt so contented or at peace.
Acknowledgements
Special thanks and gratitude go to all my team at La Plante Productions: Liz Thorburn, Richard Dobbs-Grove, Cass Sutherland and Sara Johnson for all their committed and valuable support.
Many thanks also go to Duncan Heath and Sue Rodgers at Independent Talent Agency and Stephen Ross and Andrew Bennet-Smith at Ross, Bennet-Smith.
Many thanks for the constant encouragement from my literary agent Gill Coleridge and the team at Rogers, Coleridge & White.
The publication of this book would not have been possible without the hard work and support of Susan Opie, Lesley Levene and the team at Simon & Schuster: Ian Chapman, Suzanne Baboneau, Nigel Stoneman, Jessica Leeke and Rob Cox; I am very happy to be working with such a terrific and creative group of people.
Quick Reads
Books in the Quick Reads series
Amy’s Diary
Maureen Lee
Beyond the Bounty
Tony Parsons
Bloody Valentine
James Patterson
Rolf Harris
The Cave
Kate Mosse
Chickenfeed
Minette Walters
Cleanskin
Val McDermid
The Cleverness of Ladies
Alexander McCall Smith
Clouded Vision
Linwood Barclay
A Cool Head
Ian Rankin
The Dare
John Boyne
Doctor Who: Code of the Krillitanes
Justin Richards
Doctor Who: I Am a Dalek
Gareth Roberts
Doctor Who: Made of Steel
Terrance Dicks
Doctor Who: Magic of the Angels
Jacqueline Rayner
Doctor Who: Revenge of the Judoon
Terrance Dicks
Doctor Who: The Sontaran Games
Jacqueline Rayner
A Dream Come True
Maureen Lee
Follow Me
Sheila O’Flanagan
Full House
Maeve Binchy
Get the Life You Really Want
James Caan
Girl on the Platform
Josephine Cox
The Grey Man
Andy McNab
Hell Island
Matthew Reilly
Hello Mum
Bernardine Evaristo
How to Change Your Life in 7 Steps
John Bird
Humble Pie
Gordon Ramsay
Jack and Jill
Lucy Cavendish
Kung Fu Trip
Benjamin Zephaniah
Last Night Another Soldier
Andy McNab
Life’s New Hurdles
Colin Jackson
Life’s Too Short
Val McDermid, Editor
Lily
Adèle Geras
Lynda La Plante
Men at Work
Mike Gayle
Money Magic
Alvin Hall
My Dad’s a Policeman
Cathy Glass
One Good Turn
Chris Ryan
The Perfect Holiday
Cathy Kelly
The Perfect Murder
Peter James
Quantum of Tweed:
The Man with the Nissan Micra
Conn Iggulden
RaW Voices: True Stories of Hardship
Vanessa Feltz
Reading My Arse!
Ricky Tomlinson
Star Sullivan
Maeve Binchy
Strangers on the 16:02
Priya Basil
The Sun Book of Short Stories
Survive the Worst and Aim for the Best
Kerry Katona
The 10 Keys to Success
John Bird
Tackling Life
Charlie Oatway
Traitors of the Tower
Alison Weir
Trouble on the Heath
Terry Jones
Twenty Tales of the War Zone
John Simpson
We Won the Lottery
Danny Buckland
Quick Reads
Fall in love with reading
Quick Reads are brilliantly written short new books by bestselling authors and celebrities. Whether you’re an avid reader who wants a quick fix or haven’t picked up a book since school, sit back, relax and let Quick Reads inspire you.
We would like to thank all our funders:
We would also like to thank all our partners in the Quick Reads project for their help and support:
NIACE • unionlearn • National Book Tokens
The Reading Agency • National Literacy Trust
Welsh Books Council • Welsh Government
The Big Plus Scotland • DELNI • NALA
We want to get the country reading
Quick Reads, World Book Day and World Book Night are initiatives designed to encourage everyone in the UK and Ireland – whatever your age – to read more and discover the joy of books.
Quick Reads launches on 14 February 2012
Find out how you can get involved at www.quickreads.org.uk
World Book Day is on 1 March 2012
Find out how you can get involved at www.worldbookday.com
World Book Night is on 23 April 2012
Find out how you can get involved at www.worldbooknight.org
Quick Reads
Fall in love with reading
Doctor Who
Magic of the Angels
Jacqueline Rayner
BBC Books
‘No one from this time
will ever see that girl again …’
On a sight-seeing tour of London the Doctor wonders why so many young girls are going missing. When he sees Sammy Star’s amazing magic act, he thinks he knows the answer. The Doctor and his friends team up with residents of an old people’s home to discover the truth. And together they find themselves face to face with a deadly Weeping Angel.
Whatever you do – don’t blink!
A thrilling all-new adventure featuring the Doctor, Amy and Rory, as played by Matt Smith, Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill in the hit series from BBC Television.
Quick Reads
Fall in love with reading
Full House
Maeve Binchy
Orion
Sometimes the people you love most are the hardest to live with.
Dee loves her three children very much, but now they are all grown up, isn’t it time they left home?
But they are very happy at home. It doesn’t cost them anything and surely their parents like having a full house? Then there is a crisis, and Dee decides things have to change for the whole family … whether they like it or not.
Quick Reads
Fall in love with reading
Beyond the Bounty
Tony Parsons
Harper
Mutiny and murder in paradise …
The Mutiny on the Bounty is the most famous uprising in naval history. Led by Fletcher Christian, a desperate crew cast sadistic Captain Bligh adrift. They swap cruelty and the lash for easy living in the island heaven of Tahiti. However, paradise turns out to have a darker side …
Mr Christian dies in terrible agony. The Bounty burns. Cursed by murder and treachery, the rebels’ dreams turn to nightmares, and all hope of seeing England again is lost forever …
Quick Reads
Fall in love with reading
The Cleverness of Ladies
Alexander McCall Smith
Abacus
There are times when ladies must use all their wisdom to tackle life’s mysteries.
Mma Ramotswe, owner of the No.1 Ladies’ Detective Agency, keeps her wits about her as she looks into why the country’s star goalkeeper isn’t saving goals. Georgina turns her rudeness into a virtue when she opens a successful hotel. Fabrizia shows her bravery when her husband betrays her. And gentle La proves that music really can make a difference.
With his trademark gift for storytelling, international bestselling author Alexander McCall Smith brings us five tales of love, heartbreak, hope and the cleverness of ladies.
Quick Reads
Fall in love with reading
Quantum of Tweed:
The Man with the Nissan Micra
Conn Iggulden
Harper
Albert Rossi has many talents. He can spot cheap polyester at a hundred paces. He knows the value of a good pair of brogues. He is in fact the person you would have on speed-dial for any tailoring crisis. These skills are essential to a Gentleman’s Outfitter from Eastcote. They are less useful for an international assassin.
When Albert accidentally runs over a pedestrian, he is launched into the murky world of murder-for-hire. Instead of a knock on the door from the police, he receives a mysterious phone call.
His life is about to get a whole lot more interesting …
Other resources
Enjoy this book? Find out about all the others from
www.quickreads.org.uk
Free courses are available for anyone who wants to developtheir skills. You can attend the courses in your local area. If you’d like to find out more, phone 0800 66 0800.
For more information on developing your skills in Scotland
visit www.thebigplus.com
Join the Reading Agency’s Six Book Challenge at
www.sixbookchallenge.org.uk
Publishers Barrington Stoke and New Island
also provide books for new readers.
www.barringtonstoke.co.uk • www.newisland.ie
The BBC runs an adult basic skills campaign.
See www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise