The Holiday Home

Epilogue


Five Years Later

The estate agent placed her clipboard on the worn slate steps of the porch while she found the key to the ancient, silvered oak door.

‘It’s a marvellous old key, look.’ She showed it to Mr and Mrs Brigham and their two young daughters.

‘Is it a smuggler’s key?’ asked the youngest.

‘Grow up,’ said her sister. ‘Smugglers are made up.’

‘They are not! Are they, Mummy?’

Her mother, ignoring them, was anxiously watching as Danielle Hawkes of Trish Hawkes & Daughter Property Agents, put the old key in the lock.

‘The door is a bit stiff. It hasn’t been used much …’ Danielle grunted as she pushed her hip against the solid wood and turned the key. ‘Oof … there we are.’

The door swung open to reveal an impressive oak-panelled hall with light spilling into it from the open door of the grand drawing room.

The family walked through the hall and stopped in front of the windows and the breathtaking view over Treviscum Bay and the rolling breakers of the Atlantic beyond.

‘Welcome to Atlantic House,’ said Danielle.

Mr and Mrs Brigham looked at each other and smiled. Inwardly, Danielle was smiling too at the prospect of a lucrative sale. The place had been standing empty for several years, following a tragic accident in the cave below. A man had drowned, and the daughter whose life he’d saved wouldn’t go near the house after that, so the family had abandoned the place.

‘Come and have a look around,’ she urged. ‘The previous owner did a great deal of renovation work, but sadly the plumbing has leaked badly and there is some water damage to fix. Let’s start upstairs.’

The two little girls raced ahead of them. ‘I want this yellow room,’ squealed the older girl.

‘I saw it first. I want it,’ said the younger.

‘Go and find another one. This is mine.’

The little sister stomped off and opened a door at random. It led to a beautiful blue room with double-aspect windows looking out on to the beach and sea.

‘This is my one then,’ she shouted down the corridor. ‘It’s much better than yours.’

Her elder sister came running. When she saw the blue room she stamped her foot. ‘No. This is my room. The other one will suit you ’cos you’re little.’

‘That’s not fair.’

‘’Tis.’

‘’Tisn’t!’

‘Shut up, you two!’ shouted their father sternly. ‘Mummy and I need to think!’

Danielle opened the door of the master bedroom with a flourish. ‘And this would be your room …’