The Short Affair - March 23 - A Forgetton Past - Part one

[avrovulcan.livejournal.com]

Prompt Word: Estate.
Prompt Colour : Pale Orange

Words: Approx 670

It was a Sunday and a beautiful summers day, the shade thrown by the enormous old oak was just perfect, Illya and Becca sat with their backs against the trunk, enjoying a rare moment together.

They looked out across the meadow, containing swathes of pale orange, yellow and white flowers, at Brockenhurst Park, Rebecca's family home in the New Forest, England.

"I love it under this tree, I always feel close to Dad when I'm here, it was our favourite spot," Becca sighed as she rested her head on Illya's shoulder.

"I agree, it is very peaceful. listening to the birds and watching the horses graze is very relaxing."

"Unfortunately, I think it's time to go back, it won't be long before dinner."

"I believe it is roast pork today, complete with all the trimmings," Illya said with a smile.

The pair rose from their comfortable place and, hand in hand, made their way back to the large old house, which was the focal point of the whole estate.

"That is strange," Illya said as he looked at the building.

"What is?"

"That window up there on the right."

Rebecca studied it, but couldn't see anything wrong, it looked just as it always had.

"What makes you think there's something wrong with it?"

"I do not remember seeing a room in that area."

"It is a big house and easy to get confused about the rooms, but knowing what your memory is like, I believe we may have a mystery."

"Hmm, a mystery, I like the sound of that. Maybe start the investigation after dinner?" Illya suggested.

"I'll ask Gramps if he knows anything about any secret rooms. He knows a lot about the history of the house."

"That will be a good place to start."

They reached the house and freshened up in their room before joining Becca's grandparents and her Mother in the kitchen.

The family preferred to eat in there, rather than in the huge dining room; which only tended to be used for large family gatherings as it was so big.

The farmhouse table was laid out with a selection of fresh vegetables, stuffing balls, yorkshire puddings, homemade apple sauce and a large plateful of perfectly cooked pork, complete with crispy crackling on the side.

"Help yourselves to what you want." Gramps said, as the two UNCLE agents approached the table.

"Yes, yes; tuck in, there's plenty." Grams added, as she placed a steaming jug of gravy on the table.

"It looks delicious." Illya commented as he started to help himself to the food.

As the family sat and ate, conversation flowed easily, talking about everything from the lovely weather they had been enjoying to which paddock the horses should be moved to next.

"Gramps, are there any secret rooms that you know of?" Becca asked.

"Oh, now let me think. Hmm, yes there is an old priest hole under the main staircase, and another near the fireplace in the main lounge. Do you mean those?"

"No, you showed me them when I was little."

"Ah, yes, I remember it used to drive your brother mad when you played hide and seek together!"

"There are the cellars," Emily, Becca's mother, suggested.

"No, they're not really secret, just not explored much, it's very creepy down there." Becca shivered, she'd seen enough places like that, courtesy of THRUSH, that she didn't need to spend time exploring one, " I mean a room upstairs," she finished.

"I don't know of one," Gramps said, "why do you ask?"

"I noticed a window to a room I have not seen on the North side of the house," Illya explained.

"There are a lot of rooms, some not used very often, but as far as I know there aren't any lost or forgotten rooms. Shall we have a look after we've eaten?" Grams suggested.

Everyone agreed that would be a good idea and as soon as the table was cleared and the dishes put away, they went to investigate the mystery room in the North wing.

....... To Be Continued.........

Comments

[mrua7.livejournal.com]

Hooray! An Avrovulcan story! And you've set the stage nicely with Illya and his UNCLE agent girlfriend Becca investigating a possibly spooky mystery. Good use of the prompts!

Looking forward to the next installment. AND Welcome back again to Section VII!

[avrovulcan.livejournal.com]

Yay, It's good to be back!

I came up with the story while I was at work, and when I saw the prompts for the 'short affair' I found I could use them and make the story eligible for the challenge.

I thought I would make it into a continuing story rather than a single post, It easier to find the time to create chapters.

[jantojones.livejournal.com]

Ooooh, a mystery. I can't wait to explore it along with Illya and Becca.

Thank you for taking part in the Short Affair Challenge :-)

[avrovulcan.livejournal.com]

Thank you. It is an interesting challenge. I am even working on how to incorporate the next prompts into the story for next week!

[laurose8.livejournal.com]

Lovely photo!

Enjoyable start, and looking forward to the next chapter.

[avrovulcan.livejournal.com]

Thank you!Next chapter in progress. ;)

[lindafishes8.livejournal.com]

I love a good intrigue. And secret rooms. Wonder what's next.

[avrovulcan.livejournal.com]

Nothing like a mystery to whet the appetite!

[glennagirl.livejournal.com]

It's so nice to see you back here, I hope this mean you'll have more time for writing and posting. I like the beginning, you have my interest as well as a yearning for fresh applesauce.

[avrovulcan.livejournal.com]

Thanks, it's good to be back.

It'll be easier to find some time to write some shorter stories, though for quite a while I've found it hard to think of any stories to write.

Thankfully, my muse is beginning to return and I have another idea for an Illya and Becca story.