The Knapthorne Conspiracy by Malcolm Ballard (best english novels for beginners txt) 📕

she’d get away Sunday morning. Well, there’s nothing for it, she thought, pulling herself together, but to have a shower then take a drive. Picking herself up from the floor, and feeling quite miserable, she trudged along to the bathroom and began stripping off. She was in the middle of giving herself a good talking to, when she stopped, and listened. Was that a noise from downstairs? Stark naked, holding the shower door open and listening intently she definitely heard a noise. Louder this time. Something or someone was in the cottage.

Dressing quickly she looked around for anything to arm herself with but found nothing. Bella tried taking deep breaths to calm her racing heartbeat. What to do? She was at the top of the stairs when more sounds came from below. For someone who prided herself on her imagination her mind was in lockdown. Panic seized her as the realisation of her isolated location hit home. She made a tentative move to silently negotiate the top stair, hoping to get a better look downstairs but nerves affected Bella's concentration and she missed her footing. With a cry of alarm she tumbled down the staircase, hitting her head on the post at the bottom of the bannister.

Bella's vision, blurred at first, came slowly back into focus at the same time as she became aware of the searing pain over her right eye. Her mind began to function, and fear struck her as she recalled her situation. It registered on her face and she began to shake as shock took over. The noise in the cottage. An intruder? Lying at the bottom of the stairs and hardly able to move Bella was taken aback to see a severe-looking woman of ample proportions, about seventy-ish, appearing from out of the kitchen holding a glass of liquid.

"You'm had a nasty fall, young miss. Let me help you up then we'll sit you down. Lord knows what you think you were doing!"

The incident had shaken Bella more than she'd be prepared to admit and it took some time for her to regain her composure. The woman,'s attitude didn't help. No-nonsense most certainly. Intimidating definitely.

"I knew you was here so's I thought I'd bring you something to eat," she said, sounding affronted. "I called out when I let meself in......"

"The shower was going," Bella explained in a small voice. "I heard nothing until..."

"I always bangs about in the kitchen," she confessed. "Always have, always will and that's all there is to it. I didn't mean you no harm!"

Bella closed her eyes against the throbbing pain in her temple. She just wanted the woman to go.

"I'm sure you didn't, Mrs...." she looked up at the woman enquiringly.

"Flint," she answered curtly. "Cora Flint." Bella waited for any further information but it became obvious it wasn't forthcoming.

"You have a key to the cottage?" Cora Flint gave her a steely look.

"'Course I does. I’ve looked after Mr. Rupert's cottage for years, up until a while back.” With a disdainful look, she inspected her finger after running it along a window ledge. “Looks like it could do with a going over now.” Bella was speechless. The cheek of the woman!

“You’m goin’ to be livin’ ‘ere now, then, is that it?” Cora Flint's manner induced Bella to give little away. It felt as though she were being interrogated.

“You seem to have the advantage, Mrs…Flint. You, at least know something about me, whereas I…”

“I believes you know my brother, Alfie, ain’t that right?” Ah! Now things were becoming a little clearer though it was hard to see any family resemblance. Cora Flint was large, in every respect. Broad shouldered and big-bosomed, with a mop of silvery grey hair fixed into a bun at the back of her head. There was nothing fine or delicately feminine about her face or bone structure. She looked like a dour woman who had led a hard life and Bella found her a little confronting.

“I wouldn’t say I know him, Mrs. Flint, but I have seen him in The Lamb, a couple of times.”

“He seems quite taken with you!” Bella sighed, hoping this wasn’t going to become difficult but then a thought struck her.

“Alfie seems to have a thing about Willow Cottage…”

“A thing?” Cora Flint interrupted her, brusquely. “What you’m meanin’ by a thing, then, might I ask?” Bella gave a little laugh, to cover her discomfort.

“It’s not easy to explain, Mrs. Flint, but he acts as though he knows some sort of secret about the place.” For a moment, she actually thought the woman was going to laugh but obviously laughter was not included in her repertoire.

“You seen Alfie?” The large woman managed to make it sound like an accusation and Bella found herself nodding. “Well, you know what he’s like, then. You don’t want to pay no attention to anythin’ that Alfie says. He’d say manure were butter given half a chance.” There was no humour in the remark and Bella didn’t feel the least like laughing.

“Like I says, anyways, I thought you might like some lunch. There’s fresh bread in there, and ham, as well as butter from the farm…”

“Mrs. Flint, I don’t know what to say…”

“Call me Cora. Most folk do. I’d prefer that if I’m going to be working for you.” Bella wasn’t certain that she’d heard properly but looked shocked nevertheless and Cora Flint wasn’t slow to pick up on the reaction.

“Won’t you’m be wanting me for your cleanin’ an’ bits ‘n pieces then?” It was her turn to look shocked and it didn’t seem like a good thing to get on the wrong side of her, to Bella, and she reacted swiftly.

“It’s not that, Mrs....Cora. It’s just that I hadn’t really given it any thought.”

“You don’t look like a girl that’s capable of hard work, if you get my meaning. An’ I knows this place like it were me own.” The woman was insufferable. But what to do?

"Look, Cora, thank you for lunch, you really couldn’t