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“Thanks.”
    “Yeah, whatever.” She took out a mobile phone. “Damn it, there’s no signal.”
    “Then I guess we’d better start walking,” Ratty said, stumbling through the fog in what he hoped was the right direction.
     
    ***
    “Here’s your house,” Drake said, dropping the suitcases and taking a key out of his pocket to unlock the door.
    Chase looked at the house in wide-eyed wonder. “This ... this is mine!” She could hardly believe it. Situated near the top of the hill, and reached by a winding lane with the unsavoury name of Slaughter Hill, the house looked beautiful. It leaned slightly, walls bowed as though tired and sagging. If anything, this accentuated its beauty, giving it charm and character. Tiny windows like canvases displayed captured reflections of the trees and the blue sky like miniature oil paintings. One side of the house was covered by red and purple Clematis. Sat on the apex, the chimney smoked away like a contented old man, puffing on a pipe. Black wooden beams made up the framework of the house, the walls a faded white. The roof sagged slightly in the middle, as though a giant had sat down to rest, bowing the walls out beneath his weight and the front door was covered by a rickety old porch that had flowers winding up its frame.
    The sloping garden was a wash of colour with Red Hot Pokers, blue Lobelia, yellow and pink Lupin , Daylilies of all colours, Viola, Buddleja , the list went on. A giant Scots Pine shaded some of the garden, the tiered branches reaching down to caress the eaves of the house. Beyond the garden, more trees stood proud and strong, lining the lane and hiding some of the houses below.
    Tears welled in Chase’s eyes.
    “Are you okay?” Jane asked.
    “Look at it, Jane. Just look. Have you ever seen anywhere this beautiful?”
    Jane shook her head. “It beats looking out on terraced houses, that’s for sure.”
    Chase looked back down the hill, the fog visible on the horizon like a mantle, beautiful and surreal as it reflected the sun.
    Shaking slightly, she brushed past Drake and entered the house, breathing in the aroma of wood smoke and fresh flowers. A small hallway stretched before her and she stepped through a door on her left into a lounge, tastefully decorated in blue pastel shades. The furniture was practical, but sparse, consisting of a settee, a chair, and a bureau. The main feature was the fireplace where a coal fire blazed away. She assumed that although it wasn’t cold, they had lit the fire to make it feel more homely. It worked. She imagined toasting bread or marshmallows over the coals. At the window, she looked out over the front garden and down the hill.
    “Jane, can you believe this. Tell me I’m not dreaming.”
    Shaking her head, Jane said, “You’re not dreaming sugar. Or if you are, then I am too.”
    Still unable to believe that the house was hers, she walked back into the hall and continued down to the kitchen where there was an old fashioned range to cook on. The fridge freezer and washing machine were out of site in a small utility room. There was a dining room adjacent to the kitchen and this opened out onto the back garden which was even more colourful than the one out front. More trees led to the top of the hill, a couple of them looking as though they had been struck by lightning, their trunks split salaciously. Upstairs, there were two bedrooms and a bathroom. A double bed and a wardrobe occupied each room. The front bedroom also had a period dressing table, the mirror of which reflected the light from outside to brighten the room even more. All of the windows were open and a cool breeze aired the rooms, filling them with the smell of pine.
    “Come on, the competition sponsors want to meet you,” Drake shouted from the hallway, bringing Chase out of her reverie. “So get a move on.”
    She felt like squealing; couldn’t believe her good fortune as she rushed back downstairs. God help anyone who told her this was a