A Winter's Tale (60)

[Diana E. Backhouse]

2x6S

Jake

Lorna was still in her wheelchair so I sat down on the chair that Agnes Leeson indicated. I stretched out my hand to the old lady, “I’m Jake Henderson and this is my wife Lorna. I wonder, please could you tell us, roughly, how old is Mark Grosvenor? ”

“I can tell you exactly how old, now let me see...”, she dipped into her voluminous handbag and brought out a diary, “I made him a cake and I know it was his seventy-third birthday on...ah, here it is, the twenty-fifth of October. I’m eighty-one and I don’t do a lot of baking these days but I do like to make the odd cake or a few scones for Mark as, I have to admit, I have quite a soft spot for him. He’s such a charming gentleman and it was so sad about his wife...”

                                                                                            ***

I was only half listening as I was doing a bit of mental arithmetic. The fact that the seventy-three year old Mr Grosvenor was more than likely our three year-old from 1938 was buzzing around in my head like a giant bumblebee.

It’s a good job that Lorna was listening and was close enough to be able to nudge me back into consciousness as the old lady continued, “Mark has been doing a lot of research into his genealogy since he moved here. I was an archivist and have a special interest in family history, so I’ve been giving him a helping hand. He’s gone to Ireland, to try and trace the father of his sister’s baby.

At this, Lorna gave a strangled little cry and then said, “I think that might be my grandfather, and I think Mark Grosvenor is my Great Uncle.”

[Stephen Torelli]

Nice... getting into the thick of the forest and hopefully, find the way out.

[Diana E. Backhouse]

@ Angela - Not too concrete I hope!

@ Joey - Picking up on this story after several years, editing it and posting it on 6S, has made me 'sleuthy' too. I want to find out more about Lorna's and Jake's family as well. Margaret and I are on the case!

[Joey Delgado]

More answers, but then again, more questions!!!! This makes me feel sleuthy. 

[Angela]

Here we have a real connection.  It is becoming more concrete.

[Diana E. Backhouse]

Adrian - That's pretty good, but she didn't offer them any tea and crumpets as you will see. I think they all became too absorbed in the conversation to worry about refreshments.

[Adrian George Nicolae]

I could hear the old lady now. "My, oh, my." as she stood up from the chair. "This is quite astonishing. I'd better bring some tea and crumpets."