The Guestbook Read online

  Friday:

  Going to see William now. He makes me smile. He’s like putting on an old comfortable favourite sweater. Since Oliver has paid for William to have help with the farm, there’s no need for him to get up and work on the farm every day. But still he does. He loves the cows and won’t be parted from them. It’s incredibly endearing.

  Just got back from spending a few hours at the farm. William is very shy and sweet. He gets so flustered around me.

  Saturday:

  The day of the big party. Sixty years. It has gone by so quickly. I have had a fantastic varied life so far. After marrying Robert forty years ago, we lived in Malaysia for three years and China for two. I gave birth to three beautiful children. We lived in New York in a huge apartment overlooking Central Park.

  We finally settled here in Chalk Hill and raised our family here, where Robert had been raised himself. We spent twenty glorious years here, and I know the friends I have here have been and always will be the best friends I could ever hope for.

  I have been a secretary, a double glazing salesperson, a teacher, a bingo caller and opened my own cake shop. I have worked in a supermarket and even had a brief stint as a weather girl on local TV.

  The kids grew up and moved away. When our eldest, Claire had children of her own, we moved to Tenby to be closer to the grandkids. A few years later they moved to the furthest shores of Scotland but we had found our home there and decided to live out our retirement overlooking the beach.

  My best friend and soul mate was taken from me five years ago which was the lowest point of my life. But with the help of my dear friends, my family, my eight fantastic grandkids I made it through the other side. Even my friends from here rallied round and William, Sophia, Albert, Mary and Steve would often drive the seven hours to Tenby to keep me company. I would have been lost without them.

  I have had six dogs and three cats. I have worked my way through twelve, no thirteen cars of varying colours, manoeuvrability, speed and coolness.

  I have ridden on the backs of horses, elephants, camels and even a cow. I have driven a Harley Davidson, a snow mobile, a tank and a motor powered sofa. I have fired a rifle, flown in a hot air balloon over the Serengeti and scuba dived on the Great Barrier Reef. I have learned to ski, wakeboard and throw a pot on a potter’s wheel.

  I have been to Vegas, Hollywood, Russia, Iceland, Hong Kong and sat on Santa’s lap in Lapland.

  And now I’ve reached my twilight years is it time for me to hang up my weather beaten walking boots and take it easy? Not likely. Sixty is not the end. There is still life in the old dog yet and a whole lot more world to see.

  I intend to marry a rich, virile, young toy boy and travel the world with him, until I die with a glass of tequila in one hand and a Mexican sombrero in the other.

  Oh Hetty, that’s beautiful. If I live half the life that you have when I reach your age I’ll be happy.

  I want to travel the world too. I’ve thought about this a lot over the last few weeks and I’ve decided to sell up and travel for a while. I’m selling Willow Cottage as a successful business and my house next door. It’s going to take a few months for it all to go through but I’ve already started to put the wheels in motion. Would you like a travelling companion for a while? I’m not a rich, virile, hot young man but I still think we can have some fun.

  I would like that. I’d like that a lot.

  Well I best get my party dress on. Maybe we can both find some hot young men tonight to accompany us on our travels.

  Have had the best night. All my children came even though they said they couldn’t make it and my beautiful grandchildren who are growing up so fast. My friends from distant shores were there as were all the local ones too. Fairy lights had been strung across the beer garden and all the benches pushed back to form a dance floor. I have not sat down all night. I have danced and laughed and talked and danced some more. The food was superb, the company was even better. I am feeling a tiny bit tipsy now what with all the champagne and cider.

  Amongst all the dancing and laughter there is one moment that stood out for me, the highlight of my night. Until now I didn’t even think I wanted it. But my heart seemed to know better.

  William and I were dancing. I had pretty much danced with everyone so it didn’t strike me as weird that I was dancing with him. But as the song ended, he held onto me a little bit longer. And then he uttered seven little words to me. Seven words I never thought I’d hear, seven words I never wanted to hear until he said them. ‘I like you Hetty, I really do.’ Then he kissed my head and left. My heart hasn’t stopped pounding since.

  Sunday:

  I told you he liked you.

  Don’t get too excited. It was just the drunken ramblings of a lovely sweet man who is fond of me and then me getting all slushy and sentimental after one too many glasses of champagne last night. I wouldn’t buy your wedding hat just yet. Besides, as I said before I want to travel the world. I’ve done the settling down bit for the last twenty years or more. I’ve got a need to see the sights. William would never leave his cows.

  For you he might. Men do strange things for love.

  Like telling someone their house has burnt down so they will come home? Like spending six months holding that someone in their arms because they can’t bear to be parted from them?

  Grief and stubbornness, not love Hetty. You have a reason to stay here, at least for a little while, long enough to persuade William to see the world with you. I have nothing for me here anymore.

  Don’t underestimate the importance of friendship and family.

  I would never underestimate that. My friends here are wonderful, William and Sophia especially. But they will always be a part of my life, no matter where in the world I am. I feel like I need a fresh start. Everywhere I go here is filled with memories of Nick and Olly and I can’t have either of them.

  I get that. Coming back here always reminds me of my years with Robert and Tenby is also filled with memories. A fresh start can be a good thing.

  Monday:

  Thanks for your part in organising the birthday party. I’ll be back in a few weeks. It’s William’s birthday so… I’ll see you then and we can make plans for our world domination.

  **********

  12th – 15th September

  Rosie and Jake Hamilton

  Hi guys, looking forward to seeing you again. Dinner tonight at my house?

  Hi Annie,

  It’s so good to be back, we missed you too. Dinner sounds lovely.

  Rosie xx

  HI ANNIE,

  NO POTENT CIDER TONIGHT PLEASE. WE ARE TRYING FOR A BABY.

  JAKE

  Trying, no luck so far. :-(

  THERE’S NO RUSH MY LOVE.

  Lovely dinner at Annie’s tonight. Now to try for a baby, again.

  NO PRESSURE THEN. NOTHING LIKE A ROMANTIC WEEKEND AWAY, AND THIS IS NOTHING LIKE A ROMANTIC WEEKEND AWAY.

  Stop writing in this book and get upstairs.

  Saturday:

  Going for a walk on the beach now.

  Rosie

  I’VE BEEN ALLOWED OUT THE BEDROOM FOR GOOD BEHAVIOUR.

  We found a puppy on the beach, obviously a mongrel, some kind of terrier/jack russell cross by the look of it. A bundle of white fur, floppy ears and large paws, he is so cute. There didn’t appear to be anyone nearby that he belonged to. We’re looking after him for the weekend and Annie is going to ask around to see if anyone has lost him. Hopefully we can find his owners before we go home.

  WE’VE CALLED HIM DASH, ALL HE DOES IS RUN AROUND LIKE HE’S GOT A FIREWORK UP HIS BUM. HE IS SO FRIENDLY.

  He seems to adore Annie; she certainly has a way about her. Everyone loves her. Jake and I were looking forward to seeing her as much as seeing the beautiful beaches.

  DASH HAS LITTLE OR NO DISCIPLINE, NO WONDER HE ENDED UP ALONE, HE WON’T DO ANYTHING HE’S TOLD. MAKES ME SMILE THOUGH, HE’S SUCH A LITTLE BUGGER.

  I NEVER THOUGHT I’D BE SAYING THIS,
BUT I’M RELIEVED THAT DASH’S ARRIVAL HAS GIVEN ME A REPRIEVE FROM ALL THE SEX. I WAS HONESTLY GOING TO FEIGN A HEADACHE TONIGHT. SEX FOR FUN IS ONE THING, SEX TO MAKE A BABY IS A WHOLE OTHER BALL GAME. NO PUN INTENDED.

  You said you wanted a baby too.

  I DO. OF COURSE I DO. BUT I KIND OF WANTED TO ENJOY THE BABY MAKING PROCESS TOO. IF WE GET STRESSED OUT ABOUT IT, IT’S NEVER GOING TO HAPPEN.

  What if it never happens?

  OF COURSE IT WILL. WE’VE ONLY BEEN TRYING FOR A FEW MONTHS. IF WE ARE STILL HAVING PROBLEMS CONCEIVING AFTER CHRISTMAS WE CAN GO AND SEE THE DOCTOR ABOUT IT. FOR NOW, WE JUST NEED TO RELAX AND ENJOY OUR TIME TOGETHER.

  SUNDAY:

  DASH ENDED UP SLEEPING WITH US LAST NIGHT. HE HOWLED WHEN WE LEFT HIM ALONE DOWNSTAIRS AND IT WAS EASIER TO HAVE HIM SLEEP WITH US, AT LEAST THEN WE WERE ABLE TO SLEEP FOR A FEW HOURS. IT DOESN’T BODE WELL FOR WHEN WE HAVE KIDS. ROSIE LOVES HIM, SHE CARRIES HIM AROUND EVERYWHERE, IT’S SO CUTE TO SEE.

  I think I might actually be in love. It’s so lovely to watch Dash run across the beach, his tail doing cartwheels, his paws too big to run gracefully. I could watch him all day.

  Still no sign of his owner. Is it wrong that I’m a little bit happy about this?

  WE CAN’T KEEP HIM ROSIE, YOU KNOW THAT.

  Monday:

  I’m gutted to leave Dash, but after long discussions with Jake I know it’s not practical to take him home with us. His owners could still be around somewhere and Annie can help reunite him easier than we can. Plus we live in a fourth floor flat, we don’t even have a garden for him to run around in and the little tyke needs some space to burn off his endless energy. He’d be on his own for hours whilst we were at work too. At least we know Annie will take really good care of him, she seems to have fallen for him as much as we have. And if his owners can’t be found we can always come back and visit him whenever we can.

  You are welcome back any time; Dash will miss you guys too.

  **********

  16th – 18th September

  Judy Fisher.

  Tuesday:

  I was supposed to be here yesterday but I’ve broken my ankle and had to wait for my son to drive me down today. Though I can hobble around, I’m more or less housebound. I didn’t want to miss this weekend; I’ve been looking forward to it for ages, but I hope I don’t get bored by being stuck in the house.

  There was a bit of a mix up with the keys when I arrived. I spoke to Annie Butterworth yesterday and she said she would be here to meet me when I arrived today. When I got here she was nowhere to be found. Finally a lady called Sophia spotted me and she had a spare key to let me in. She was very concerned that Annie was not here. She said that maybe she had taken Dash for a walk.

  The plot thickens. Someone called Sally came round last night for a pre-arranged cup of tea but Annie wasn’t in.

  Something is very wrong with this Annie’s disappearance. Apparently there was a suicide note left in the house. I heard Sophia talking to someone called Olly about it when she phoned him from the end of Annie’s garden. Sophia had the note in her hand and read it to him. The note said something like ‘Dear Olly, I can’t go on like this anymore. It has to end now.’ He made her read it twice which was handy for me.

  I don’t mean to sound callous, obviously I’m concerned for her, but I feel like I’ve stepped into an episode of Coronation Street. It’s surprising what you can glean just from listening to one side of a conversation. Apparently this Olly and Annie had a big row the last time he was here. Sophia said that after he had left Annie was miserable for days. Sophia said Nick, presumably Annie’s dead husband, had left a will and that had upset Annie too. Olly is obviously on his way up here now as Sophia said she would wait for him before she did anything.

  Good Lord, this is the most exciting weekend I’ve ever had. A few minutes ago, a sleek black helicopter landed in the field out the back and who steps out? Only bloody, Oliver Black, the sexy author whose every book has been made into some huge budget Hollywood type film. I had no idea that the Olly that Sophia had been talking to was The Oliver Black. How has he got involved with some nobody from the middle of nowhere? He always seems to be on the arm of a different woman every week when I’ve seen him in these gossip mags, all beautiful, stunning, glamorous women. Though recently, I recall, he has been linked with the actress Vivienne Lake. I wonder what she makes of this impromptu visit to this tiny village. I can only assume this Annie Butterworth must be some gorgeous model. Oliver Black is much more beautiful in real life, so tall and powerful.

  Sophia and Oliver have been talking in the garden. Sophia was really angry with him. She said that Annie loved him and why wasn’t he grabbing her with both hands. She said that Oliver might as well have died that night if he wasn’t going to live his life any more. Then she talked about Nick, and how he would have hated seeing Oliver like this and hated even more what Oliver was doing to Annie. She showed him what I can only presume was Nick’s will. Oliver groaned when he read it and then said he had to find Annie.

  People have started to amass on the village green, easily a hundred people or more.

  Suddenly the arrival of a dog amongst them has caused a great upheaval. Apparently this is Dash, Annie’s dog, and he was covered head to toe in mud. Though if they were hoping Dash would turn out to be some Lassie type hero and lead them to Annie’s body they were sadly mistaken, he chased a squirrel up a tree, chased a pigeon and was only stopped from running across the road by the local constabulary.

  Oliver Black seems to be organising the troops, they’ve split off into little groups in search of the body. Many have headed for the beach, Annie’s favourite place, though the general consensus is that judging by the state of the dog, she must be in the salt marshes which is a dangerous place, especially when the tides come in. Now we have a race against the clock, it’s brilliant. I mean, obviously very worrying for all concerned.

  The village of Chalk Hill has gone quiet. A few elderly people are manning the home front in case Annie comes back but everyone else has gone out looking for her.

  I’ve just noticed a piece of paper on the table in Annie’s garden, presumably the unappreciated will. Shall I sneak next door and get it?

  I keep walking past the window and staring at this piece of paper. It flutters gently in the wind, teasing me, tempting me.

  I can’t bear it; I have to know what’s in it.

  Curiosity got too much for me, I’ve just retrieved it. It doesn’t say much, nothing that I can see would cause Annie to get upset. Nick is obviously something of a poet as he leaves Olly the gift of happiness, but he talks about it like happiness is a solid thing to hold and keep.

  To Olly. In the event of my death I want you to have my happiness. I want you to know that feeling of sheer unadulterated bliss and joy. I have that. I wake up every day and find myself wrapped in it. Every time I hold my happiness in my hands, my heart feels fit to burst, my face aches with smiling so much. I want you to have that happiness too. Take it now with my complete and utter blessing. Grab it with both hands and never let it go. Look after my happiness, cherish it and love it and be happy too.

  Nick

  Weird. Surely in the last words to his loved ones he would be more explicit and just say where he had hidden his stash of gold instead of this vague message about happiness. Who wants happiness anyway, gold is much more fun.

  That’s probably why Annie is upset, because there is no hidden treasure and she thought there would be.

  The sun is already setting and the search party is yet to return.

  She’s been found, though I don’t know if she is alive. Someone is bringing her back now but the oldies looked very worried.

  A land rover has just pulled up outside. Oliver Black got out looking filthy and incredibly sexier than ever. He rushed round to the passenger side but a blonde was already getting out. It must have been Annie because they went into her house together. She was pretty but nothing to write home about. Certainly nothing that
would compare to the beauties Oliver normally hangs around with. She was filthy and looked stiff like she was in pain, but certainly no lasting injuries. Oliver tried to help her into the house but she pushed him away. I wouldn’t push him away if he had his arm round me like that.

  Oliver and Annie seem to be having some big argument. Her back door is open and so is mine, though I can only catch a few bits. It’s clear though that she wants him and he doesn’t want her. She obviously wanted to commit suicide because he turned her down and now he’s here because he feels guilty about that. But seriously though, who does she think she’s kidding, like she’d have any chance with the great Oliver Black. The man is a god.

  She is denying that she tried to commit suicide. She claims the note she wrote to Olly about it all coming to an end was the start of a letter she had wrote to him weeks ago but never finished. She is trying to put the blame on her dog, Dash who apparently broke his lead and ran into the salt marshes. She ran after him and fell down a ditch and couldn’t get back out. Likely story. Oliver doesn’t seem to believe her either.