Autumn Leaves at Mill Grange by Jenny Kane (best free e reader .TXT) 📕

*

As soon as she’d heard Sophie out, Thea got to her feet, ordered the student archaeologist to stay where she was, and went to fetch Shaun. His eyebrows knitted together in disbelief as Thea filled him in on Sophie’s confession.

Now, crouched before Sophie, with Thea at his side, Shaun’s hushed voice dripped disbelief. ‘You’ve never been to Mill Grange – why would you interfere like that? And why did you want to access my emails?’

‘To see if Sam had said yes yet.’ Sophie’s face went white. ‘By contacting Treasure Hunters I was making sure Mill Grange didn’t miss out on telly coverage while we had Landscape Treasures here. I thought I was doing you a favour.’

Shaun was incredulous. ‘But you knew I wanted Landscape Treasures to do the Mill Grange dig, so why inform Treasure Hunters, our biggest rival, about it? The fortlet is such an important site; you must have known they’d try and take it from us?’

‘I just thought I…’ Seeing the hurt faces in front of her, Sophie’s guilt morphed into frustration at the wasted effort she’d gone to on their behalf. ‘If Mill Grange had accepted Treasure Hunters’ latest offer, they’d have made a fortune. The place would be able to run for ages on the money I was willing to gift them! Sam wouldn’t have needed the Landscape Treasures team then.’

Sophie bit her lip, lapsing into a sudden silence. She hadn’t meant to say the last few sentences out loud.

‘The money offered by Treasure Hunters was from you? You didn’t just tell them about the site; you were financially backing their dig?’ Shaun couldn’t believe it. ‘No wonder the sums mentioned were vague! Do your parents know you’ve been spending your inheritance this way?’

‘I haven’t spent a penny.’ Sophie huffed. ‘The offer has yet to be accepted. What’s wrong with your boss, Thea? Doesn’t he want the best for Mill Grange?’

Stung at the accusation on Sam’s behalf, Thea hissed, ‘You’ve heard of loyalty, haven’t you? Doing things for friendship rather than money? Or is that a concept lost on the aristocracy these days?’

Sophie’s mouth opened and closed, but no words came out as Thea’s patience finally broke.

‘Sam was holding off, potentially risking having no filming at all, because he wanted to work with Shaun – not because he’s greedy and was hoping for the offer of a bigger financial incentive from Treasure Hunters!’

‘You don’t understand!’

‘Then make us understand!’ Thea stabbed a finger in Sophie’s direction. ‘Don’t you think you owe Shaun the truth after all the trouble you’ve caused here?’ Not pausing to let Sophie reply, Thea asked, ‘How did you imagine this playing out? Did you think Shaun was going to see you as some sort of philanthropist?’

Sophie rounded on Thea, about to snap back at her, but one look at Shaun stopped her, and she deflated; all her fight gone. ‘I don’t know. At the time I thought…’ An image of discarded celebrity magazines flitted through her mind. ‘But a lot has changed since I called Treasure Hunters.’ Sophie sighed as she twirled a signet ring around her middle finger. ‘I meant no harm. I thought…’

Thea took hold of Shaun’s hand. ‘No, Sophie, you didn’t. You didn’t think of anything at all beyond what you wanted. You saw Shaun as a way out of a life you didn’t want. It’s as simple as that.’

Sophie glanced across to the dig site, tears welling back up in her eyes. ‘I’m sorry. Are you…?’ The words choked on her lips for a moment. ‘Are you going to tell Dan, Phil and my parents?’

Thea and Shaun exchanged looks, before Shaun replied, ‘No, we aren’t. But I’ll be keeping in touch with Dan, so we will know if we need to rethink that decision.’

Sophie’s forehead crinkled into neat furrows of confusion. ‘Why aren’t you telling my parents?’

‘Because you’re a grown-up!’ Thea’s couldn’t hold back her exasperation. ‘What do you want me to say, Sophie? That Shaun is sparing you humiliation in front of Lord and Lady Hammett because he loved you all along? I can’t do that.’

Sophie dragged the back of a hand across her eyes as they prickled with tears. ‘What will you do now?’

Thea put her hands on her hips. ‘Get back to work of course. We’ve given you a chance here. Don’t screw it up.’

Shame pricked at Sophie as she scrambled to her feet. ‘And you, Shaun?’

‘I’m going to call Sam.’

*

Phil was devoid of the relief that Shaun and Thea had assumed he’d feel now their rivals were off the scene.

‘I grant you it’s good news that Treasure Hunters aren’t doing the dig, but I can’t see how we’re going to make it in time to film Mill Grange.’

‘But…’ Shaun bit back a pleading rant. ‘I know we’re close to wrapping up. Is there any way we can get it done?’

Phil sighed. ‘Look, mate, I know this is important to you, but it’s not just the time. It’s the budget. Each time delay has cost us money in wages and electricity as well as daylight hours. The money men say we won’t be able to give Mr Philips a fee for the filming.’

‘That’s doesn’t matter,’ Thea jumped in, hoping Sam wouldn’t kill her for what she was about to claim. ‘Sam just wants it filmed. Any leftover budget you have for a fee would be welcome, as it would be used to help us get as many traumatised military through our doors as possible, but the main thing is to appear on television. It would put Mill Grange on the map.’

Shuffling a hand through his hair, Phil turned from Thea to Shaun and back again. ‘How am I supposed to respond to that? If I don’t say yes now, it looks like I’m not supportive of the plight of recovering soldiers.’

Thea smiled. ‘I didn’t mean to turn on the guilt trip, but if there is a way to get you guys to Mill Grange, fee or not, I’d love to help