waist.
‘You surely don’t mistrust me?’ he asked with a wounded expression on his face.
‘Indeed not,’ I said, touching his lips with my gloved hand. ‘I love you remember.’ At these words he smiled and I took his arm as we walked across to the cottage.
The door opened before we reached it to reveal Miss Sutton standing in the doorway ready to greet us. She reached up to Michael, her hands on his face and he bent forward to allow his nurse to kiss him on the brow.
‘And this Millie, is Sara Osborne,’ Michael introduced me, quite proudly I thought, drawing me forward to be kissed on the cheek by this sprightly old lady who had bright, inquisitive, piercing blue eyes. She was very upright for her age and I guessed her to be in her early seventies.
‘Come in, my children,’ she said kindly, with her almost white hair shining like a halo in the sunlight. We stepped into an abode that was as bright and clean as a new pin. A staircase ran upwards with a room on each side of the small hallway. The walls everywhere were white giving a feeling of light and spaciousness, although the room on the left which we stepped into was in reality quite small.
‘Please, be seated, Sara. May I call you that?’ she asked, her voice strong, totally belying her age.
‘Of course, Miss Sutton,’ I agreed, sitting on the low blue floral armchair she had indicated.
‘Well Sara,’ she said, sitting on a similar chair opposite me, ‘tell me all about yourself for all I know from Michael is that you are a beautiful young woman who he very much admires.’
‘There is not much to tell,’ I replied, blushing at Millie Sutton’s words and looking at Michael who gave me an encouraging smile. ‘I’ve lived in Bath all my life with my father and mother. I’m an only child and chanced to come to Cornwall because of my friend, Amelia.’
At the mention of her name Millie Sutton’s face changed from a smiling one to one of concern.
‘Had you known Amelia long?’ she asked, expectation on her face awaiting my answer.
‘Just three years, but in that short space of time we became good friends. I believe she is younger than me although she appears older. In truth I don’t believe she even knew for sure when her birthday was, having been brought up by an uncle and aunt,’ I told the nurse.
‘And what of Amelia’s parents?’ I thought this a strange question from Michael.
‘I don’t quite know what you are trying to gain from these questions. In truth I know no more about my friend than I have just told you for she said little about herself, but we got on so well that was all that mattered to me,’ I told the two of them, feeling somewhat perplexed.
‘Do not worry we will question you no further,’ Michael’s nurse assured me.
‘But I would like to ask you a question,’ I said as bravely as I could.
‘You do just that, child,’ said Millie, reaching across and patting my hand.
‘Who is Tamsin and where does she fit in to the picture of Amelia and the Tremaine family at Ravensmount?’ I asked without preamble.
At these words Michael and his nurse looked at one another. ‘You must tell her,’ said Michael, ‘for I know that Tamsin is here, beyond that I am as much in the dark as you dear heart.’
‘We’ll do better than tell her, my child. Fetch Tamsin down, she is upstairs.’
At the nurse’s words my heart started pounding. So I was to come face to face with my travelling companion once more. The woman who had told me not to spend a night at Ravensmount. While Michael went to fetch the elusive Tamsin, Millie Sutton busied herself in what I assumed to be her scullery.
I could hear water being tipped into a receptacle and china clinking. ‘I’m making some tea,’ she said returning to her front room, ‘for I think we are all going to need it.’
Hearing a rustle of skirts in the doorway which led to the hall I turned my head to see Tamsin standing there. She looked no tidier or cleaner than
‘You surely don’t mistrust me?’ he asked with a wounded expression on his face.
‘Indeed not,’ I said, touching his lips with my gloved hand. ‘I love you remember.’ At these words he smiled and I took his arm as we walked across to the cottage.
The door opened before we reached it to reveal Miss Sutton standing in the doorway ready to greet us. She reached up to Michael, her hands on his face and he bent forward to allow his nurse to kiss him on the brow.
‘And this Millie, is Sara Osborne,’ Michael introduced me, quite proudly I thought, drawing me forward to be kissed on the cheek by this sprightly old lady who had bright, inquisitive, piercing blue eyes. She was very upright for her age and I guessed her to be in her early seventies.
‘Come in, my children,’ she said kindly, with her almost white hair shining like a halo in the sunlight. We stepped into an abode that was as bright and clean as a new pin. A staircase ran upwards with a room on each side of the small hallway. The walls everywhere were white giving a feeling of light and spaciousness, although the room on the left which we stepped into was in reality quite small.
‘Please, be seated, Sara. May I call you that?’ she asked, her voice strong, totally belying her age.
‘Of course, Miss Sutton,’ I agreed, sitting on the low blue floral armchair she had indicated.
‘Well Sara,’ she said, sitting on a similar chair opposite me, ‘tell me all about yourself for all I know from Michael is that you are a beautiful young woman who he very much admires.’
‘There is not much to tell,’ I replied, blushing at Millie Sutton’s words and looking at Michael who gave me an encouraging smile. ‘I’ve lived in Bath all my life with my father and mother. I’m an only child and chanced to come to Cornwall because of my friend, Amelia.’
At the mention of her name Millie Sutton’s face changed from a smiling one to one of concern.
‘Had you known Amelia long?’ she asked, expectation on her face awaiting my answer.
‘Just three years, but in that short space of time we became good friends. I believe she is younger than me although she appears older. In truth I don’t believe she even knew for sure when her birthday was, having been brought up by an uncle and aunt,’ I told the nurse.
‘And what of Amelia’s parents?’ I thought this a strange question from Michael.
‘I don’t quite know what you are trying to gain from these questions. In truth I know no more about my friend than I have just told you for she said little about herself, but we got on so well that was all that mattered to me,’ I told the two of them, feeling somewhat perplexed.
‘Do not worry we will question you no further,’ Michael’s nurse assured me.
‘But I would like to ask you a question,’ I said as bravely as I could.
‘You do just that, child,’ said Millie, reaching across and patting my hand.
‘Who is Tamsin and where does she fit in to the picture of Amelia and the Tremaine family at Ravensmount?’ I asked without preamble.
At these words Michael and his nurse looked at one another. ‘You must tell her,’ said Michael, ‘for I know that Tamsin is here, beyond that I am as much in the dark as you dear heart.’
‘We’ll do better than tell her, my child. Fetch Tamsin down, she is upstairs.’
At the nurse’s words my heart started pounding. So I was to come face to face with my travelling companion once more. The woman who had told me not to spend a night at Ravensmount. While Michael went to fetch the elusive Tamsin, Millie Sutton busied herself in what I assumed to be her scullery.
I could hear water being tipped into a receptacle and china clinking. ‘I’m making some tea,’ she said returning to her front room, ‘for I think we are all going to need it.’
Hearing a rustle of skirts in the doorway which led to the hall I turned my head to see Tamsin standing there. She looked no tidier or cleaner than
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