One Summer in Cornwall Karen King (positive books to read TXT) 📖

His offer stunned her. She had never thought of moving over to France, or to Portugal, where her mother and Howard lived, although her mother hadn’t asked her to. It was lovely of him to offer. ‘Thanks, Dad. I really don’t know what I want to do yet. I need a couple of weeks to sort out my head. But thank you, I do appreciate it.’

‘You’re my daughter and I love you. I know we’ve got a bit estranged, but I’d like to put that right. So you’re welcome, any time, and for as long as you want.’

Hattie was really taken aback. After they’d finished talking she sat, hugging her knees, deep in thought. There seemed so many directions her life could take and she didn’t know which one to choose.

‘What’s up?’ Mali plonked down on the sand beside her. The sandcastle was finished now and Lou was carrying buckets of water from the sea to fill up the moat they’d dug all around it.

‘Dad’s just offered me a room at his place until I get sorted out when the cottage is sold,’ she told her.

‘Wow! That’s great. Do you think you’ll go?’

Hattie shook her head. ‘I doubt it, but I’m gobsmacked he offered, and even more gobsmacked that I’m considering it.’

‘You know, I think your Uncle Albert knew what he was doing leaving his cottage to you both. This is the most you two have talked to each other for years. I reckon he wanted to bring you together.’

‘Mum! The handle’s broken on my bucket!’ Lou shouted.

‘Back in a mo!’ Mali got to her feet and went over to help her daughter.

Hattie thought over her friend’s words. Even if Uncle Albert hadn’t intended it, it’s what was happening. She was seeing her father in a new light, and he seemed to be doing the same with her. Perhaps he regretted the lost years as much as she did. Was it too late for them both to reconnect?

Chapter Fourteen

Hattie phoned Jonathan the next morning and told him what she and her father had decided. ‘I’ll need a couple of weeks to tidy up the cottage and paint the walls, so can we say you’ll send a photographer around a week on Monday and have the cottage on the market by the end of that week?’ she said.

‘Don’t go to a lot of effort. I’ve got buyers waiting who don’t care what condition the cottage is in. We could sell it exactly as it is, you can declutter while the sale is going through,’ Jonathan sounded disappointed. And a bit pushy.

‘I know, but we don’t want to throw a considerable sum of money away just for the sake of a bit of hard work and TLC,’ she told him firmly.

‘Want me to help you tidy up a bit? Or go out for the day so you can get on with it?’ Mali asked.

‘Definitely not. You’re going home tomorrow, and I want to spend as much time as I can with you both.’ Hattie filled the kettle and switched it on. ‘I thought we could go out for the day after breakfast. How do you fancy a trip to Marazion? We could walk over the causeway to St Michael’s Mount – or take the boat, if the tide is in?’

‘Oh yes, can we, Mum?’ Lou was almost jumping up and down with excitement.

‘That sounds a brilliant idea,’ Mali agreed.

So, a little later, they had all piled into Mali’s car and set off. When they arrived, they were delighted to discover that the tide was out, so walked along the causeway to the iconic Mount.

‘I remember coming here as a child. Dad told me all about the legend of how the castle was built by a giant called Cormoran. He used to paddle to the shore and snatch animals like sheep and cows to take back to the island with him for food,’ Hattie said. ‘The villagers were terrified of him.’

‘That’s horrible!’ Lou’s eyes were as wide as saucers. ‘What a nasty giant!’

‘He really was. The farmers were scared of the giant and wanted to stop him from stealing their animals, so they offered a big reward to anyone who killed him. Then a young boy named Jack managed to trick the giant and kill him. Everyone was really happy.’

‘That’s a bit like Jack and the Beanstalk,’ Lou replied. ‘Jack was very brave. How did he kill the giant?’

‘According to the legend, Jack dug a deep hole in one side of the Mount, then early the next morning when the sun was rising, he blew on a horn to wake the giant. The giant heard the horn and ran down the mountain to see what was happening, but he was blinded by the sun and fell into the hole. Jack quickly filled up the hole and buried the giant.’

‘Clever Jack. Can we see the hole?’ asked Lou.

‘No, but there is a heart-shaped stone which is supposed to be the giant’s heart,’ Hattie told her. ‘I’ll show it to you when we go up the Mount. The legend says that if you stand on the stone, you can sometimes hear the giant’s heart beating.’

Lou’s eyes widened. ‘You mean that the giant is still alive and buried in the mountain?’

‘Who knows?’ Mali grinned.

‘Wow! I can’t wait to see that!’ Lou was almost jumping up and down with excitement.

They stepped off the causeway onto the island. ‘It looks so magical,’ Mali said, gazing around.

‘Shall we have a bit of a look around the village first? Then we can go up to the castle,’ Hattie suggested.

‘People live here?’ asked Lou, astonished. ‘Do the children go to school?’

‘Oh, yes. There used to be a primary school, I’m not sure if it’s still there. I know the older children go over the causeway to school on the mainland. If the weather’s bad and the boats can’t go out to sea, then the children have to stay at home.’

‘That’s cool! I bet they have lots of days off