Digging Up The Dirt

CHAPTER 9

The next morning after breakfast, Dickce and Benjy made an inspection of the outside of the house and the grounds to assess the damage from the storm. The storm brought with it cooler temperatures, and the damp, cold air felt like a return to fall after a short warm spell. There didn’t appear to be any damage to the house, Dickce was relieved to see. Oak and pine branches of varying sizes lay scattered around the extensive yard, and the wind had flattened flowers in several places. Overall, though, the problems that needed addressing were minor.

Peanut and Endora accompanied Dickce and Benjy on the tour, and Benjy made sure there was no digging in flower beds. Peanut twice grabbed limbs in his mouth and tried to drag them to Benjy, but his selections proved too heavy for him to shift more than a few inches. Benjy thanked the dog for being helpful, and Peanut barked and wiggled his tail in response. Endora regarded the dog’s antics with her usual calm, though she did sniff around a few of the limbs.

“I can clear the debris away,” Benjy said. “Where should I put it all?”

Dickce shook her head. “Most of the branches are a little too large and will need to be cut up. You haven’t ever used a chainsaw, and I’m not strong enough these days. We can get Clementine’s nephew, Ron, and his son to come take care of them, and they can have it all for firewood.”

Benjy appeared crestfallen, and Dickce patted his shoulder. “I appreciate how much you want to help. Whenever Ron and his son get here, you can help them. Chainsaws are dangerous if you don’t know what you’re doing.” She paused. “Frankly, they’re dangerous even when you do know what you’re doing, as far as I’m concerned. It’s better to have someone experienced deal with this.”

“You’re right.” Benjy grinned. “I don’t like the idea of losing a finger or a hand because I don’t know what I’m doing.”

Peanut barked as if he agreed, and Benjy and Dickce laughed.

“There you have it,” Dickce said. “Peanut has spoken. I think we’re done here. I don’t know about you, but I could use another cup of coffee. I’m chilled to the bone.”

“Me, too,” Benjy said. “Coffee sounds good. Come on, guys.” He urged the animals to follow them to the back door and into the kitchen.

Clementine poured coffee for Dickce and Benjy while they shed their jackets and rubber boots in the small mud room off the kitchen. Benjy toweled off paws as well. He knew Clementine wouldn’t appreciate wet or muddy prints on the floors she kept generally spotless.

“Thank you, Clementine.” Dickce accepted her mug gratefully. “This will warm me right up.” She had a sip. “Do you think Ron and his son might have time today or tomorrow to come clear away the storm debris? There are some large branches down that will need to be cut up.”

Clementine nodded. “I’m sure he can. I’ll give him a call. What do you want done with the wood?”

“If Ron can use it for firewood, he’s welcome to it,” Dickce said. “I think it’s no more than two hours’ work.”

“He’ll appreciate that,” Clementine said.

“Has An’gel come down yet?” Dickce asked.

Clementine shook her head. “No, I took coffee up to her about thirty minutes ago. She said she had a crick in her neck, and she was planning to take a long, hot shower.”

“Poor thing fell asleep in a chair in the basement,” Dickce said. “Had her head lying back when I woke her up about four this morning when we all came upstairs. I don’t know why she didn’t lie down on one of the beds.”

“Because I fell asleep in the chair and didn’t stir until you woke me.” An’gel spoke as she walked into the kitchen. She set her coffee cup in the sink and approached Dickce. “The shower helped the sore neck. Tell me, what’s the damage outside?” She patted Peanut’s head after he ran to her and whined.

“Nothing major.” Dickce gave her sister a quick summary of what she and Benjy had found in the yard.

“That’s a relief,” An’gel said. “I was worried the damage would be worse. I wonder how the people in town fared.”

“I didn’t hear any reports of serious trouble on the news this morning,” Clementine said.

“I’m glad to hear that,” Dickce said. “It could have been a disaster with all that wind.”

The phone rang, and An’gel stepped over to the counter to pick up the handset. After identifying herself, she listened for a moment. “We’d be more than happy to, Hadley. We’ll be over in about ten minutes.” She ended the call.

“What does he want?” Dickce asked.

“He wants to consult us about some of his plans for the gardens at Ashton Hall,” An’gel said. “Sounds like he’s had more wind damage there than we’ve had here. He’s got a couple of trees down, and he’s considering his options.”

Dickce clapped her hands together. “Wonderful.” She grinned. “Not that he’s had a lot of damage. Wonderful that he wants to consult us. I’ve been dying to see Ashton Hall for the past few years.”

An’gel nodded. “Yes, I’m afraid Hamish neglected the house and the grounds terribly. He became so odd over the years, wouldn’t have much to do with anybody.”

“Except Mrs. Danvers, of course.” Dickce grimaced.

“Who are you talking about?” An’gel asked. “I thought the housekeeper’s name was Turnipseed.”

“It is,” Dickce replied. “I was referring to the spooky housekeeper in Rebecca. Mrs. Turnipseed has always reminded me of her.”

“Who’s Rebecca?” Benjy asked, obviously confused.

“Rebecca is a novel by Daphne du Maurier,” Dickce explained. “A wonderful book, and the housekeeper in it, Mrs. Danvers, is truly menacing.” She shivered. “In the movie she’s really scary.”

“Played by a wonderful actress named Judith Anderson,” An’gel added. “We have it on DVD if you’re interested.”

Benjy nodded. “I like old movies, but I probably should read the book first.”

“I’ll lend it to you,” Dickce said. “It’s one of my favorites.”

“Hadley is expecting us,” An’gel said. “We’d better get going. Why don’t you come with us, Benjy, and bring Peanut and Endora. They can explore the grounds with us.”

“Are you sure it would be okay with the owner?” Benjy asked. “He might not want these two running around.”

“Nonsense.” Dickce stood. “Hadley always loved animals, and I’m sure he’ll love these two rascals.”

“Awesome,” Benjy said. “I’d really like to see his house.”

“It’s gorgeous,” Dickce said as she, Benjy, and the two animals followed An’gel out the back door to the garage. “At least, it used to be. There’s no telling what kind of condition Hadley’s brother let it get into.”

“We’ll soon see,” An’gel said as she backed the car out of the garage.

Eight minutes later the car topped a rise in the driveway to Ashton Hall, and An’gel stopped the car to allow them all to look down toward the house.

Dickce pointed to the side of the redbrick, three-story structure. “There’s one of the trees that went down. Oh, I hate that, it’s one of the old oaks. Must have been as old as the house, if not older.”

“Hamish abandoned the gardens,” An’gel said. “Look at the overgrown mess. Hadley has made some progress, but it’s going to take months to get the grounds back in shape for the pilgrimage.” She put the car in gear and drove them down the rise to the front of the house.

Hadley came out of the front door before they were all out of the car. Peanut bounded up to Hadley and woofed at him, tail wagging.

“Hello there, handsome.” Hadley smiled and rubbed the dog’s head. “You’re a pleasant surprise.” He greeted the humans, with kisses on the cheek for the sisters and a handshake for Benjy. He held up his fingers to allow Endora, perched on Benjy’s shoulder, to have a sniff. To his obvious pleasure, she rubbed her head against his hand.

“You have quite a job on your hands,” Dickce said.

Hadley offered them a wry grin. “Yes, my brother really let things go, as you can see. My plan is to restore the gardens to basically what they were in my mother’s time. Do you remember what they looked like then?”

An’gel nodded. “Yes, your mother had the most incredible green thumb. She could get anything to grow.”

“Our mother was always jealous of her.” Dickce giggled. “She loved to garden but she didn’t have the knack Mrs. Partridge did.”

“Mother loved her garden, I think, even more than she loved her family.” Hadley smiled. “I’ve found pictures from that period, but I confess I don’t know the names of all the plants. I’m sure you can help me identify them.”

“We’d be glad to,” Dickce said. “An’gel is the real expert, though. I mostly do what she tells me when she needs help with weeding or planting.”

Benjy startled them all by yelling, “Peanut, you come back here!” Benjy turned to their host. “If you’ll excuse me sir, I’d better go after him. He might try to dig up something.”

“By all means.” Hadley laughed. “Though I doubt he can do much damage.”

Benjy nodded, then took off after the dog who had headed toward the side of the house where the massive oak had fallen. Endora clung to his shoulder.

“Come on in.” Hadley turned and gestured toward the front door. “It’s a bit damp and chilly out here. After we’ve looked at the pictures, perhaps we can come out and have a look at the grounds.”

“Sounds good to me.” Dickce climbed the few steps to the small porch and walked through the open door, followed by An’gel and Hadley.

When their host had shut the door behind him, Dickce asked, “Is Mrs. Turnipseed still the housekeeper?”

Hadley shook his head. “No, she retired when Hamish died. He left her a nice pension.” He grinned. “She never liked me, and the feeling was mutual. She always reminded me of that ghoulish woman in Rebecca.”

Dickce and An’gel laughed, then Dickce explained, “That’s what I said before we came over.”

Hadley chuckled. “Well, great minds and all that. Come, let’s go into the parlor. I’ve got a fire going in there. The new housekeeper I hired will bring us hot coffee in a few minutes. I hope that’s fine, or I could ask her to make hot tea.”

The sisters assured him that they were happy with coffee and followed him into the parlor.

Dickce noticed that the room appeared clean, though the furnishings were shabby from years of neglect. Such a shame. This was such a beautiful house. The drapes appeared threadbare, as did the furniture, and there were holes and dark spots in the antique carpet. Fire burned brightly in the fireplace, however, and Dickce approached it, grateful for its warmth. The room felt a bit damp away from the fire.

Hadley had set three chairs near the fireplace, and he seated the sisters in turn, An’gel first as befit her status as the elder sister, before retrieving an album of photographs and seating himself beside her. He opened the album and turned a few pages.

“Here,” he said as he handed the album to An’gel. “There are four pages of photographs of mother’s gardens taken not long before she died forty-two years ago.”

An’gel accepted the album and set it in her lap. Dickce inched her chair closer in order to view the album along with her sister. Dickce pointed to one photo. “Here are roses. I’m not sure what the varieties are, though.”

“Hybrid tea,” An’gel said. “The inner ring are grandiflora.”

Before An’gel could continue identifying more plants in the photos, Benjy burst into the room with an excited Peanut alternately barking and whining.

“Benjy, what on earth is going on?” Dickce said, alarmed by the young man’s strange expression.

“I think you’d better come outside.” Benjy paused for a couple of deep breaths. “Peanut started digging around that tree that came down, and he found bones.”