THE INHERITANCE - part ten

THE INHERITANCE – part ten ………

Welcome home

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Kate Sullivan inherited the house that once belonged to her great-grandmother. The old stone house sat on the edge of a ten-acre plat of land in Aughacasla, Ireland. Two weeks ago, she’d never heard of the small town and now, she owned a piece of it.

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Back inside, Kate locked her door, reached for her phone, and dialed. As soon as the call was answered, she said, “Terry, I need your help.”

“Kate,” the bank manager replied, “what’s going on? Has something happened?”

“You’ll never guess who showed up at my front door!”

Kate told him everything, even how the house reacted to Bridget’s attempted invasion and invitation to meet her at his office in the morning.

He was eager to help. “Kate, don’t worry. I’ll think of something and call you within the hour.”

Within the hour, just as promised, Terry surprised Kate by knocking on her door. “Oh, wow! Terry, I wasn’t expecting you to drive here but come in.”

He stepped back and placed his hand the small of the back of strikingly beautiful woman with what had been hair the color of flame but now showed heavy signs of graying. “Hope you don’t mind; I brought my wife, Annie along. She wanted to meet you and, again, hope we’re not intruding but Annie brought supper.”

“Terry, Annie, welcome to mo abaile. Please, come in and have a seat. I apologize for not having these things put away yet, but, well, it’s been a really busy day.”

Annie placed the basket on the table, turned and quickly hugged Kate. “Hope I’m not being too familiar, but Terry told me of Bridget’s visit, and I thought you might need a hug of encouragement.”

“Honestly, she doesn’t worry me that much. I know she wants to cause trouble but with my grandmother’s spell on the house, I don’t think there’s much she can do, though I really don’t want a fight or lawsuit, either.”

Kate set the table, Annie dished out the supper and while they ate, they talked about the plans Kate was making for her home.

“Oh Kate,” Annie said as she sighed. “It sounds lovely and very ambitious. You have Terry’s phone number but here’s mine, as well. If you care for company or if you need any help, just call.”

“Annie, I’d like that.”

Supper finished, tea and teacakes now on the table, it was Terry who spoke. “Kate, I’ve a plan and I’m one hundred percent positive it will work.”

“Terry, first of all, I have two questions. You and Mr. Winslet in New York said my grandmother spelled the house so no one else could have it but me. Can that spell be broken? If so, how? Okay, so, three questions. Since Bridget is my great grandmother’s granddaughter, does she have any powers?”

He smiled. “The only one who can break the spell is the owner – who is you. I made a few calls to people who either knew Kathleen or her family. From what I’ve learned, none of Sara’s children had an interest in the abilities of your grandparents. Three left Ireland and never looked back. Sara, supposedly moved to Northern Ireland but we could never find her. She always indicated that the only reason she wanted the house was for the land. She wanted to sell it to the highest bidder, take the money and run. Before you ask, I have no idea how she found out that it’s yours now.”

“Terry, I’ve come to love this cottage and don’t want to leave. I’ll fight for it if I have to.”

Annie spoke, “Kate, I doubt, from what you’ve told us of Bridget’s visit that you’ll have to.” She turned to her husband, “Terry, tell Kate of your plan.”

He smiled and asked, “So, Kate, you said that as soon as Bridget stepped through the front door, the house gave her a jolt. Am I understanding you correctly?”

“Yes, it’s as though she’d gotten a sudden, violent jolt of electricity but that couldn’t have happened since I haven’t yet had the power turned on. I have no explanation.”

“I think I do, Kate. To my way of thinking, it appears that your grandmother wants no one but you to live here. This is where my plan comes in.”

Kate listened intently and with each sentence, her smile grew. “Oh, Terry, I love it. It’s perfect!”

“Good, then, Annie and I will say goodnight and let you have a pleasant night’s sleep. I’ll see you at ten in my office.”

Kate looked around the kitchen, which Annie had cleaned after supper. All that was left was to wash the cups and plates from their dessert. This had been her second full day in her new home, and she hadn’t done a thing to unpack. Taking her suitcase up the stairs to her bedroom and put her belongings away, she then went back down to the kitchen.

She looked at the trunks and boxes and sighed. “Great-Grandmother, I don’t know where to begin. Can you guide me, please?”

She sat on the cool, wood floor and without hesitation, had the sudden urge to reach for the trunk in the back. Kate laughed. “Naturally, it had to be one furthest away from me.” She raised herself to a kneeling position and between pushing and pulling, managed to yank the large trunk closer.

“Darn, I forget the keys,” she mumbled as she stood and turned and ran up the stairs to her bedroom where she’d put her purse that held, what she was starting to all her “magic keys.”

Being careful not to trip as she hurried down the stairs, she sat, again, on the floor and with hands shaking, opened her hands and thought, “Huh, which one? Well, there are only two. Lucky me!”

The first key she tried opened the first trunk she chose, or rather was chosen for her. She gently lifted the hinged lid and before she had a second thought, reached deep inside and beneath the many layers of household items. She knew as soon as her fingers brushed against the worn leather.

“Great-grandmother’s spell and potions book! Holy moly! Guess there’s no doubt now. I really am related to a witch!”

She took the book to the worn couch, sat, and began to read.