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  • The Mist of Time Ch. 03

The Mist of Time Ch. 03

There was little point in staying in the area, but we had booked for the two nights, so I suggested that for the rest of the day we went back and Tina could see the land I had bought. Despite my resemblance to Danbury Chandler, I was unconvinced that I had any connection to the Chandlers of Chetford. Tina in her feminine way was certain about the connection, saying "I just know it's your family." Of course that famous feminine intuition ignored facts, or rather the lack of facts. Therefore she was eager to see the Chetford estate.

We returned to the Holiday Inn and I advised Tina to put on something more rugged than her dress. I paid the hotel account and shortly we were ready to go. Now that I knew where we were going the drive took little time. Three quarters of an hour after leaving the hotel I drew up in the gateway to the Dower House. I was wearing jeans and stout shoes and following my advice Tina was also wearing jeans and trainers. I led the way through gorse and brambles until we arrived outside the house. There had been a gravelled area here so the undergrowth was slightly sparser.

"The door is open." Tina said excitedly. "We could go in."

"Actually if you look closely there isn't a door, probably smashed by itinerants or tramps." I suggested. "There could be mice, rats or even foxes in there."

Tina shuddered. "Perhaps not then." She was examining the fabric of the house. "You know, Boss, it doesn't look that bad when you are close. I would imagine that a house that hadn't been occupied for sixty or so years would look far worse than this. I think you are right. This place could be re-furbished and be quite valuable."

"That's what I was thinking." I agreed. "If Aleksy does a good job without breaking the Bank I reckon this could be worth something in the region of half a million." I felt a little better. That would put something back into the coffers. "Let's see if we can get round the back." Tina didn't reply, she set off at a brisk place and I trailed behind her. Not that that was unpleasant, the sight of her bottom wiggling nicely in her jeans would enliven any walk. Tina seemed eager and soon opened up a gap between us. I could see the path she was taking, but I was also examining the fabric of the house, so I was much slower than her.

I heard her though when she screamed. "Oh my gawd! Daniel you just have to see this." I had once told her that she could call me Daniel. After all we worked in close proximity, however with feminine obstinacy she usually called me Boss or dirty old man only occasionally using my name. I worked my way round to where she was and saw the reason for her surprise. The veranda had continued around to the back where it burgeoned into a covered patio almost the size of a small ballroom. It was no wonder that Sir Dashwood Chandler bankrupted the family the cost of this house must have been tremendous. As in all other areas there were slates missing from the roof which also sagged where rafters had rotted away. Despite this the value of the house went up with this amenity. Thinking about my investment, a full and detailed restoration with an acre of land, gardens laid out with an eye to privacy this place could sell for nearer a million. That would alleviate some of my misgivings about buying this land in the first place.

My thoughts were interrupted by Tina. "Where is the other house, Daniel?"

"The remains of what was once a house are supposedly up there." I pointed vaguely to the south west. "I presume that is what you meant?"

"Yes. Can we go and look?"

"I suppose so if you want. I imagine there is little to see except some rubble."

"Well it may be interesting."

I looked at the Land registry chart and roughly plotted the position. "It's that way." I pointed. The land rose gradually to a summit some eight hundred yards away. It seemed reasonable that the house would have been at the highest situation in the area. Tina was eager and set off at a brisk pace. I took the walk at a steady pace and was pleased when Tina stopped to catch her breath. The slope was deceptive and steeper than at first appearance. I grinned as I caught up with her. "Tortoise and Hare." I told her.

"Smart Alec." She riposted. However she changed her pace and walked with me. "Have you thought anymore about your family since last night?"

"No, not really. I think this is all a coincidence anyway."

"I'm not so sure, Boss. The name could be coincidence, but when I looked at that photo yesterday I got a weird feeling. If that man had spoken, it would have been your voice I heard."

"You have read too many fairy stories."

"No. I never did read stuff like that. It's just a feeling, call it feminine intuition." I looked at her with a paternal smile. She saw the smile as patronising. "Men! You think you know it all. If you ever allowed your feelings to guide you the world would be a better place."

"I am not going to debate this with you until you come up with something concrete. I'll find that marriage certificate and you can start from there. Facts! Tracey that's what we want."

"Not needed, Boss. I had a quick look at the B.M.D. site. You can trace back with the full name and date of birth. That gives you parentage and you can work back from those. It will take some time I think, but I will come up with the facts. Even then you won't believe whatever I come up with so I shall make it as foolproof as I can. Then you can go and sulk."

The Chandlers had certainly picked a good spot for their home. They had chosen the summit of a low hill with the land sloping away on all sides. Their white Georgian house would have been a feature, seen from quite some distance, making a statement. There was little evidence of the house now. As usual nature had claimed the site almost completely, clothing the ground in the ever durable brambles and nettles. I had read somewhere once that if the nuclear holocaust had wiped out Man, the ants would re-colonise the earth. To that I would add brambles and nettles the ever persistent survivors. There were clues to Chetford House. It was possible to discern lines where vegetation had not prospered, places where roots had not been able to penetrate sufficiently suggesting that beneath the soil there was an obstruction, probably brick and mortar. In the area I thought there would be a forecourt I found some flat granite setts, some lying in situ, others randomly scattered. Tina was off exploring as I had been. Now I stopped and looked down towards the river, the vista I decided would have been superb. What was it that made the Chandlers neglect this house or was the neglect a result of the lack of capital? I had seen enough. "Tina!" I called. She looked up. "Let's get back to the car. I think we have seen all we need for the moment."

"O.k." She called. I walked slowly re-tracing our steps and eventually Tina joined me. "It would have been some house, Daniel. What did Mr. Prescott say? Twenty bedrooms? Who needs twenty bedrooms?"

"I am not certain but I believe that entertaining back then was quite an affair. You gave dinner and a dance for your friends. In this house's heyday they would have probably travelled fifty or sixty miles to be with you, and that would have taken them a day or even two by horse and carriage, no motor cars then. You gave them and their personal servants' accommodation and that would probably be for the weekend. You would need that number of bedrooms."

I could see her understanding of the situation. "Hell! Think of the food they would need, the sheets, pillows, the fires in their rooms, everything. It would cost a fortune."

"Yes it was expensive, but remember it would only happen about twice a year here. The guests, in their turn would become hosts themselves."

I noticed a horse and rider approaching from the west. I was surprised when the rider altered course and rode towards us. The rider was a young woman who obviously rode frequently, dressed as she was in jodhpurs, hacking jacket and a hard hat. She slowed as she came closer and in a haughty tone addressed us. "You probably don't know, but this land is private. The landowners get very upset when people like you decide they can walk wherever they like."

I was quite amused but Tina was not. "An who do yer fink you are missus? Why don't you get down off yer high 'orse and yer might learn sumfink." Tina usually spoke well, denying her east London upbringing, but when she got emotional her roots surfaced. She got back to a semblance of her usual self. "We know the land is private because it is my boss here who owns it. So it is quite possible that it's you, missus who is trespassing."

The rider flushed pink upon hearing those words. "Oh! So you are Mr. Morestead?" There was a sneering quality in her voice. Something I had heard before when people make assumptions about your business ethics.

I put my hand on Tina's arm. "Put your fangs away, Tina." I turned to the rider. "No. I bought the land from Brian Morestead two weeks ago. My name is Chandler."

"Chandler!" She gasped. "That's strange. Years ago the land was owned by a family of that name. Do you have any connection to?"

I stopped her from going on. "No, the name is a coincidence. As we are introducing ourselves, perhaps you would honour me with your name."

"I am Annabel Swinson. Forgive me for my original attitude."

"No problem, and as far as I am concerned your riding over my land is perfectly o.k."

"Thank you. Do you have plans for the land?"

"Difficult to say, really. I am looking at restoring the Dower House, but that is as far as my thinking has gone. I doubt that I will be covering the land with housing if that is your fear."

Miss Swinson smiled. "Not just my fear, there will be quite a few happy faces when they hear that. It would be good to see the Dower House restored though."

"Well we shall see."

She dug her heels into the horse's flank and pulled the rein to the left. "My apologies again, perhaps I shall see you around?"

"Who knows?"

We watched her canter away. "You fancy her." Suggested Tina.

"I thought she was quite pretty."

"That's what I said. You fancy her." The car was quite warm after sitting in the sun for a while, the air conditioning took care of that and soon we were comfortable as we returned to Bethnal Green and reality.

To be continued...

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