Chapter 3: Lord and Lady of the Manor

It took Louisa all day for it to really sink in. After a busy afternoon of meeting with clients, she finally got a chance to read over the papers in detail at the kitchen table while giving Mary her bottle.

"So, Martin," she could hardly believe she was saying this out loud, "we're… millionaires now."

Martin agreed with this statement but seemed less impressed by it all. "Hm, yes, in the, er, mid eight figures." Louisa couldn't believe how calmly he was taking it but she figured he was more used to this sort of thing, after all his family background was considerably more posh than hers.

At that moment, Ruth appeared at the kitchen door, carrying a large tote bag. "Selamat malam! Hello everyone!"

"Oh Ruth, you're back. Where were you, Malaysia was it?" Louisa greeted her.

Yes, East Malaysia specifically," she replied. "I wanted to cross something off my bucket list while I still have the chance. I tried tossing a dart at a wall map of the world. I threw it three times, and each time it landed in the ocean somewhere. There is a lot of ocean about. So I just decided on a tour group to Malaysia. I've always wanted to see Borneo."

"You really shouldn't go off to these exotic locations at your age," Martin said. "There are all sorts of tropical diseases about."

"Well, I'm up to date on all my vaccinations and you only live once. I've brought gifts for the children," With a dramatic flair, she pulled out a small ornate sword in a decorative sheath.

Martin was alarmed. "You brought James a machete! I can't believe they even let you bring it on the plane!"

"It was in my checked baggage. And it's not a machete, it's a keris, a Malaysian traditional blade. It's good to broaden children's horizon about other cultures and, while I dislike reinforcing gender stereotypes, boys do tend to like these things."

"Maybe, but he's only five," Louisa protested. "Perhaps we'll put it away until he's a bit older."

Martin took the sword, wrapped it in a dish towel and hid it in a high cabinet. "I suppose you bought Mary a blowgun to play with, that's also traditional," he said, sarcastically.

"No, no, I brought her a small orangutan teddy bear, very suitable." Ruth took out the soft toy and handed it to Louisa, who wiped the eager baby's hands and let her have it. "So did I miss anything while I was away?"

"Well, um… here." Louisa didn't know where to start, so she just handed Ruth the legal file.

Martin got right to the point. "Sir Matthew died."

"He did? And you're his heir, of course," Ruth said, looking through the paperwork. "I knew this would happen someday, but honestly Cousin Matthew lived so long I had, well, just forgotten about him."

"Now that I think of it," Louisa said, "I do remember Alex* mentioned once that Christopher was in line to inherit a title, but he didn't seem to think there was any more to it. Apparently, he was mistaken."

"He certainly was," Ruth replied. "Christopher always expected to be the next baronet, and looked forward to it. It was something that mattered very much to him. He was always afraid Matthew would find a young wife and father an heir at an advanced age. That never happened but I don't think anyone expected that he would outlive Christopher, and by quite a few years too. Well, I suppose you would gotten it all in the end anyway, Martin."

"I suppose," Martin mused. "I never gave it much thought and I never paid attention when Dad mentioned it. I never even met Sir Matthew."

"You must have met him, Ruth," Louisa said.

"Oh I did, several times, longer ago than I care to admit. We even made a family visit to Tremethyk House a few times, when I was a child."

"What's it like?" Louisa was intrigued. "I remember seeing photos of it from decades ago in a book but nothing recent."

"It's an elegant old pile, as far as I remember," Ruth said. "It was built in the 1630s but it was extensively remodelled in Victorian times after a fire. We loved running about in the huge corridors, exploring all the odd little spaces, Joan and I, while our parents and Christopher talked with Matthew. It was all very fantastic and romantic and a bit spooky. There's a lot of family history there that I'll have to research to jog my memory. I'd love to see it again when you go to take possession."

"You're welcome to come with us," Martin said. "We're going on Saturday."

"I wouldn't miss it," Ruth said. "Your first visit as lord and lady of the manor, so to speak. And you do know Tremethyk House has a reputation for being haunted."

"Lord and lady of a haunted manor?" came Morwenna's voice. They all turned around to see her standing in the doorway, holding a patient's file. 'Sorry, I'm not eavesdropping, I just came to tell the Doc his last appointment of the day is here and to give him this." She handed him the file. "Tremethyk House? My granddad used to do landscaping there but nobody's been able to go there for ages."

"There's no such thing as a haunted manor," Martin was irritated. "It's just an old house."

"But it sounds like it's your old house now," Morwenna persisted.

"Yes, a distant relation died and ownership has passed to me," he said. "Not that it's any of your business." He ushered her out as he headed to his office.

Ruth and Louisa looked at each other. "Word is going to get out about this quickly," Ruth told her. "Just try to prepare yourself."

To be continued…

Note: Alex is a character from my stories Louisa Glasson and the Green Mermaid and Martin's Island, based loosely on the Dr. Bamford character from Saving Grace and the original Doc Martin movies. He's not actually in this story though.