Authors: Kristen Ashley
Unfortunately,
Margaret and Roddy’s version of heaven meant that their ghosts,
forever, benignly and often hilariously haunted Sommersgate and all
of its inhabitants.
* * * * *
Many,
many,
many
years
later, Sommersgate was inherited by William Fairfax as Douglas’s
only male heir and
because Douglas wanted his sister’s beloved home to go to
her only son.
Will kept his
father’s mellow, friendly ways but, after years spent with Douglas,
acquired more than a hint of his uncle’s arrogance and commanding
authority.
Will
eventually married a beautiful woman named Rebecca (under rather
romantic circumstances) and sired three children of his own.
* * * * *
Elizabeth
Fairfax married for love, the son of some friends of her Aunt
Jewel’s who had survived leukaemia many years before. Lizzie moved
to Indiana and hosted the family Christmases there every third year
and brought her ever-increasing family to Sommersgate for the other
two.
Lizzie became
a social worker, specialising in helping others to survive
loss.
* * * * *
When she was
in her teens, Ruby Fairfax helped Nick to investigate the murder of
Lady Ruby Ashton (the children were eventually told of the lovers’
release but that was the only thing they were informed about
regarding that night) and the Sommersgate House Curse.
As the trail
was cold, they found very little but both agreed that it had
something to do with a woman whose cottage was burned down with her
in it. The townspeople thought she was a witch and police suspected
arson but the inquest was inconclusive. Her son, however, was
discovered to be serial murderer who strangled his victims. Most of
those victims were unveiled at the trial but in his dying moments
he hinted at another, the first woman who didn’t want him and,
therefore, had to die.
* * * * *
In adulthood,
Ruby followed (unknowingly) in her uncle’s footsteps, a noted
clairvoyant and a very clever girl, she worked for MI6 (though
never told her aunt and uncle, siblings, Ronnie or the Kilpatricks)
and she did a variety of other things that would have caused
distress or, indeed, heart failure.
After some
rather significant troubles with a dashing agent, she married him
and spent a great many years driving him delightfully mad.
* * * * *
Ronnie married
her (fourth) English boyfriend and they travelled widely during all
their vacations but she always worked at Sommersgate.
Although
Ronnie looked on it more as taking care of her family.
She took over
the role of Housekeeper after Mrs. K left this world.
Many years
later, William Fairfax, Baron Blackbourne, insisted to her husband
that she be buried in the family plot and he made certain flowers
were delivered to her grave every week.
* * * * *
Nick never
left the Gate House, never married (although he had a great deal of
fun), spent most of his evenings at the dining room table at the
main house and he watched over the Ashton family until he died in
his sleep at the age of eighty-seven whilst having a particularly
good dream.
* * * * *
Carter retired
the year after the Baron and Baroness married and spent the rest of
his days close to his daughter and grandchildren in sunny
Devon.
* * * * *
Charlotte and
Oliver Forsythe stayed the best of friends with the Baron and
Baroness and Charlie and Jewel’s antics, for decades, were the
cause of great hilarity amongst their set and in the media.
Charlie cried
loudly and dramatically when both “Gregory” and Julia gave her
stunning salutes at the retrospective honouring her contribution to
fashion that was held at the Victoria and Albert Museum.
* * * * *
Sam Thornton
invested her life savings in some stock her boss had suggested,
made an absolute fortune, quit her job and travelled the world.
She met an
Australian who was the only being she’d ever known (besides her
ex-employer) who couldn’t be cowed by her energy, intelligence and
wit.
So she married
him and had five children which quickly depleted her energy but
lovingly challenged her intelligence and wit.
* * * * *
Patricia
Fairfax moved into the Ashton Dower House in Clevedon and meddled
freely in the lives of her family, the Kilpatricks, Veronika, Nick,
Samantha and the Forsythes and anyone else who wandered through
their tight circle.
She also let
slip a family secret during a public altercation with Monique
Ashton, calling her an unfit mother and a few (well maybe a number)
of other choice words.
The stunned
reaction easily read on the faces of the Baron and Baroness, both
of whom witnessed this diatribe, laid testimony to the truth of
Patricia’s attack.
Monique was
disgraced (most people never liked her anyway) and she spent most
of the rest of her life alone. This was until her son and
daughter-in-law (mostly her daughter-in-law) insisted she be cared
for at Sommersgate when she eventually fell ill and infirm.
She was also
buried in the family plot, as was her due, but her delivery of
flowers was much smaller than the rest.
At the
permission of the current residents, Patricia’s ashes were
sprinkled over the pond in the front yard of what used to be her
family farm in Indiana.
The fish were
very happy.
* * * * *
The
Baron and Baroness only had one child as their home was already
full of three others, three cats, a dog (a mastiff,
not
named Babykins), six horses
(those in the stables, of course) and a number of beloved
servants.
They felt that
was enough to watch after.
Julia learned
to enjoy riding horses.
Douglas
learned to tell his deepest secrets.
Douglas never
lost interest in his wife, indeed, year after year, he fell deeper
and deeper in love with her.
Julia lived
her life always about ready to expire from the rapture of being
loved so splendidly by her husband and enjoyed living a life of
doing the same right back.
* * * * *
Tamsin
and Gavin’s vision of heaven
did
indeed mean they were somewhere beautiful and they could
see their family. They watched over their loved ones with humour
and delight (and, in the beginning, not a little bit of
frustration), thrilled when Archie and Ruby finally joined
them.
One, the other
or all four of them would come to open the window to their family’s
world at Sommersgate House, open it over and over, and watch their
family grow in happiness and in love.
Precisely the
purpose for which Sommersgate House was built in the first
place.
####
About the
Author
Kristen Ashley
lives in the beautiful West Country of England with her husband and
her cat. She came to England by way of Denver, where she lived for
twelve years, but she grew up in Brownsburg, Indiana. Her family
and friends are loopy (to say the least) but loopy is good when you
want to write.
Kristen’s Mom
moved her and her brother and sister in with their grandparents
when she was six. Her grandparents had a daughter much younger than
her Mom so they all lived together on a very small farm in a small
farm town in the heartland. She grew up with Glenn Miller, The
Everly Brothers, REO Speedwagon and Whitesnake (and the wardrobes
that matched). Needless to say, growing up in a house full of
music, clothes and love was a good way to grow up.
And as she
keeps growing up, it keeps getting better.
Discover other Titles by Kristen Ashley
at
Smashwords
Rock Chick
Series:
Rock Chick
Rock Chick
Rescue
Rock Chick
Redemption
Rock Chick
Renegade
Rock Chick
Revenge
The ‘Burg
Series:
For You
At Peace
Golden
Trail
The Colorado
Mountain Series:
The Gamble
Sweet
Dreams
Other Titles by
Kristen Ashley:
Lacybourne
Manor
Penmort
Castle
Three
Wishes
Connect with
Kristen Online:
Official
Website:
www.kristenashley.net
Kristen’s
Blog:
www.kristenashley.net/menu/blog.html
* * * * *
Author’s
Note
Sommersgate
House, Douglas and Julia’s home in the book, is loosely based on
Tyntesfield, a National Trust property. Tyntesfield, located in
Wraxall, North Somerset, UK is an extraordinarily beautiful, gothic
Victorian mansion that is, as far as I know, not haunted.
The National
Trust is a UK charity dedicated to conserving and opening to
visitors historic houses, gardens and large parts of the
countryside and coastline.
I highly recommend, if you live in the UK
or are just visiting, that you plan a trip to Tyntesfield or the
many National Trust properties open to the public:
www.nationaltrust.org.uk
.
Cover Art and
Photograph by DM Ashley
Cover
Photograph: Tyntesfield, North Somerset, UK