The Jane Austen Society by Natalie Jenner Page 0,105

head at her daughter. “What you people are up to is beyond me.”

“And for another thing,” Adeline continued in exasperation, “Adam’s quite a bit older than me.”

“Rubbish! He is not. And anyway, older men often make much more mature and suitable mates. Besides, how much older can he be?”

“He’s only a couple of years shy of Dr. Gray, I think.” Adeline watched her mother closely for her reaction, recalling how difficult she had been to the village doctor during his check-in’s last winter.

“Really? Well, the forties can still be a productive age, when one is not hampered by one’s children.”

“Oh, Mum”—Adeline smiled at her—“I do hope you know how much you have helped me, despite being hampered and all—”

There was a gentle knock on the front door.

“Only to be replaced by a pile of mouldy books,” replied Mrs. Lewis, whose sense of humour was as sharp and direct as her daughter’s, while Adeline went to get the door.

Adam and Adeline took a cup of tea with Mrs. Lewis for a few minutes, then headed upstairs, as they had been doing most days that week. They would sit down in the spare bedroom, Adeline usually cross-legged on the floor and Adam on an upturned crate, and they each had a set of photographs that Yardley had had made from Evie’s little catalogue. They were going through the wooden crates of books in almost quiet ecstasy, making sure the number on the crate corresponded with both its contents and the assigned section of the catalogue. They marked up any discrepancies with red ink pen right onto the photographs, pleased to have found just a handful of misplacements out of the hundreds of books so far. This was a particular relief, given how rushed the move of the entire library had been the previous week.

They were still at their task an hour later when Frances Knight surprised them by suddenly appearing in the doorway. Adam started to get up, but Frances motioned for him to stay sitting.

“The wedding is starting soon—shouldn’t you two be getting ready? Although”—Frances smiled at Adam in his old-fashioned but well-fitted suit—“I have to say, Mr. Berwick—I mean, Adam—you already look very well this morning.”

Adam practically blushed—for all the years he had worked for and admired Miss Frances, she had never addressed him in such an informal and teasing manner. It gratified him that the recent news of his paternity had only increased her warmth towards him. Upon first hearing the news, he, too, had not immediately processed the one silver lining to his mother’s deception: that he had a sibling again, and that his new sister was someone as wonderful as Frances. By taking a few chances, Adam was starting to see that life never completely gave up on you, if you didn’t give up on it.

“We could say the same about you, Frances, what with the wedding breakfast being held at the Great House in just a few hours,” Adeline replied.

Frances waved both her hands as if in resignation. “Josephine has it all shipshape and under control. And I’m afraid I have something rather pressing to tell you both that could not wait.”

Adeline and Adam stared at Frances in concern, especially as she was never one to exaggerate things.

“It’s a good thing you’re both sitting down already.” She pulled a letter out from the right pocket of her voluminous skirt. “Andrew Forrester brought me this letter first thing this morning. He received it as my solicitor of record. The letter is to inform me that following the recent court order declaring Colin Knatchbull heir to my father’s estate, the entire property has been sold outright to a golf course development company called Alpha Investments. The letter is also written notice that my rent-free accommodation at Chawton cottage is hereby terminated by Alpha. It gets worse—Mimi’s fiancé Jack Leonard is on the board, so he must have had a hand in all of this. Andrew and I just walked here together to tell you—he’s right behind me, he just wanted to stop in at the cottage along the way to warn the other tenants as soon as he could.”

Adeline stood up carefully among the books she had been perusing. Evie had everyone on a strict system of accountability, and they all lived in fear of accidentally disturbing her order of books inside the dozens of crates.

“Let me see that.” Adeline reached out for the letter tightly gripped in Miss Frances’s hands. “I don’t understand … where are you