Little Kiosk By The Sea Read Online Free PDF Page A

the son he never had.’
    ‘Set Peter up that’s for sure,’ Johnnie said. ‘What does he say?’
    ‘Doesn’t know yet. Owen is getting it all formalised before he tells him.’
    Sabine stood up and cleared the plates away before placing an apple tart and a dish of clotted cream on the table in front of Johnnie.
    ‘Help yourself. Had my first American of the season book a ticket today. And guess what? He’s researching his family history!
Quelle surprise
! Why can’t they leave the past alone? Asked me if I knew any Holdsworths.’
    ‘What did you say?’
    ‘Basically that, unlike smalltown America, I knew the name but I don’t know everybody in the town.’
    ‘Pretty sure there aren’t any living in the town now,’ Johnnie said. ‘Didn’t we go to school with a girl who had Holdsworth relatives, though?’
    ‘She was the one I wanted you to marry so we could be sisters,’ Sabine said. ‘Wonder if he’s going to turn out to be related to that branch of the family.’
    ‘You ever hear what happened to your friend?’
    Sabine shook her head. ‘Nope. Family simply vanished at the height of the scandal.’
    On his way home later that evening, Johnnie stopped by the yacht to check everything was okay before crossing the embankment road and making for Undercliffe. The cottage he and Annie had bought when they married, filled with youthful optimism, no longer felt like home without her there. It had lost the wonderful homely and safe feeling that Annie had created within its walls. Now it was just a cottage where many painful memories blocked out the happy ones. He needed a drink to stay in the place these days.
    Picking up the post from the doormat, he rifled through it. A letter from France, caught up in between the pamphlets and newspapers of junk mail that his post mainly consisted of these days, he placed on the table. He recognised Cousin Martha’s writing. Daughter of Tante Brigitte, his father’s younger sister, she was the one who kept him and Sabine up to date with family news these days. She was also the one whom he’d stayed with during those first dreadful days after he’d lost Annie and he’d fled to France.
    Pouring himself a finger of whisky and taking the letter, he wandered through into the small sitting room and sank down onto the leather Chesterfield. Thank god his drinking was under control, thanks to Sabine, but he knew she would still have taken the bottle of whisky he’d hidden under the kitchen sink away if she’d realised it was there. ‘Too much temptation,’ she’d say.
    Carefully he opened the letter. Bound to have lots of family news – there was still quite a large contingent of Le Roys over there in his home town. As he’d thought, the letter was full of news about the younger generation not doing well at school, the state of fishing was terrible and the new prime minister didn’t have a clue and when was he coming over? It would be a good idea if he came soon – but there was no reason given. Normally Brigitte simply said: ‘Looking forward to seeing you sometime soon’, but this: ‘It would be a good idea to come soon’ sounded more like an order. Was something up? Did they need his advice or was it a typically French reaction to something minor? Well it wouldn’t be until after Easter, that was for sure. A couple of deliveries were lined up – one to Spain and one to the west coast of Ireland. He’d give her a ring later. Find out what the problem was exactly. He took a slug of his whisky, savouring the warmth as he swallowed. Closing his eyes, he leant back against the settee.
    Annie had loved the whole cottage, but this room had been her favourite to sit in and read. Johnnie could still see her curled up, lost to the world as she read the latest bestseller. Part of him knew the sensible thing would be to sell the place. He rarely spent a night here these days, preferring to be out on the boat.
    He should buy another place without the memories. Or even a