As each mystery unfolds in the town of Belldune River, New Brunswick, Canada, another hidden secret escapes!
"Bertha Gray's Tea House", is the first commercial business in Belldune River. It was renovated from an old English home, and named after the last descendent of Stephen and Ellen Elisa Gray, Bertha Georgie-Ruth Gray. This old teahouse has served an array of home grown blended teas, and a menu of down home English class topped off with a charm, full of "Oh 'Really's!"

"Royal Albert . . . bone china, made in England . . . " Alisha so surely recites, while reading the bottom of her tea cup. "What’s yours saying, Audrey?" she asks excitedly. "Hmm?" turning her cup over, Audrey, not realizing her last sip was never sipped, spills a little cold tea on her lap! "Oh no! Now just look what you made me do!" she exclaims while sopping up her skirt. Audrey trys to cover the whole incident up, as she dabs her lap with her napkin, half paying attention, blowing out her frustration... Straightening herself up, Audrey reads anyway . . . "Royal Albion china, Made in England, number 1 . . . NUMBER 1!" "Wow! , This one . . .This one... this exact cup that I hold in my little hand, is the FIRST teacup in the Royal Albion edition of "A Pink English Rose!", " Do you realize how extraordinary this is?". "Darn’t, I don’t see a number on the bottom of mine, so it looks like you’re the winner today, Audrey!, and it looks like . . . I’m the dry one!" Alisha says in a smirk, then giggles, then bursts out laughing! "HA!" "Oh really . . . ? I can change that, you. . . ," Audrey lashes back in her sassiest tone, grabbing the little porcelain teapot. "No, just kidding, I wouldn’t do that . . . ," she continued . . . "But really, this was too fun," leaning back in her chair, stretching her arms out and above her head, then returning them to hold her best friends folded hands... "I love coming back here with you, Leash... Bertha Gray’s Tea House, will always be our place to come, just you and me." Both girls smile at each other, then quickly release their awkward display of affection. Patting on the table now, "This was my treat," Alisha proudly states, while grabbing the bill. "Okay, but only because you made me stain up my skirt with Earl Gray," Audrey said, wiping herself again... "...what did you just say, sweetie? Who stained up your skirt? ; Earl? ...Who’s Earl . . . ? Woo Woo! "Earl Gray?", "Oh, I’ll have to hear all about Earl!", Alisha continually teased . . . "Give it up, Alisha and pay the bill!" Walking toward the checkout counter, and heading to the lady’s restroom, the two girls split up. "So, Alisha, how was your quiche today? Did you enjoy your lunch?" Sarah Bergenstock asks . . . Sarah is the newest owner of Bertha Gray’s. She used to be a waitress, way back when, and has been working here for more than 53 years! Sarah knew the previous owners, and the ones previous to them and them . . . all the way back to Bertha Gray herself! Being the only citizen of Dutch descent, in this whole province, Sarah was very well known not only for her spunk and wit, but she could change a few sweet English sconces into one hec of a pancake! "Will you be leaving now or are ya gonna mosey on over to see the new little doohickeys I picked up last week?" Sarah asks. "Well, I might just do that, Sarah, but let me even up with you now, while I’m waiting on Audrey," Alisha replies. Just then Audrey comes out of the ladies room, "Hi Sarah, I didn’t see you when I walked in . . . How are you? ... "I can’t complain honey . . . and you?" "Awe, you know me, I’m always good!", Audrey exclaims. "So . . . Aud... Sarah just told me she has some new antiques and stuff, let’s go take a peek . . . , "Alisha announces. "All righty then!" Let’s go play!" Together, they walked down the narrow hall, one in back of the other, out the screen door and through the portico, which is walled in with a white lattice and intertwined with the most beautiful Virgin's Bower in full white blooms, you ever did see! The antique shop out back, actually was once an old greenhouse, where Bertha, herself, grew her treasured orchids years ago. The thick opaque glass is barely seeing through now, as years of dust and grime have a way of hiding the beauty that once shined. The wooden old shelves that laid foundation for the most exquisite flowers, now holds old antique relics of a bygone era. Picture frames, old dusty books, keys to nothing, stained doilies, and all the treasured things that once were treasured. Bertha Gray’s Tea House, was built in the late 1800's, it sits atop a grassy knoll, on the outskirts of the once rural alfalfa fields of Belldune River, New Brunswick, Canada. Although the setting is picturesque, it is now situated on Belldune’s busiest main road, Fairview Lane. The tea house was once the center of attraction for miles and miles, back before the town acquired the hamburger joints and the café restaurants of the 70's. This was the place, where everyone came, especially on a Saturday afternoon. Families would spread out their gingham tablecloths on the front lawn, and drink blended teas and snack on scones and crumpets, hand baked by Bertha herself! This building used to sit alone on this knoll while old Steve, Bertha’s father, played the fiddle for the ladies, while his wife, Ellen Elisa, danced with her girlfriends. Bertha and all her sisters and brothers would clap and cheer them on! "What’s this, Sarah? , asks Audrey. Audrey was holding up an old candle snuffer. "Why that’s what, they used to use, years ago, to put the candles out in the old Zion church up the road, remember the one that burnt down a few years back? I guess someone thought candle snuffers’ were no longer needed!", Sarah said. Everyone joined her in a humbling laughter! "Oh Wow! This is neat, Alisha" . . .now showing her an old leather bound book. I can’t seem to make out the title . . . as Audrey studies the gold gilding that wore off the face of the book, she wipes it gently... "The . . . something . . . something . . . of Life," Audrey reads out loud. Opening the book, it revealed a pen and ink drawing of an old man with a child on his lap, neatly protected by a piece of tissue paper. "Oh I like this book already, Leash, I have to buy it!" As they headed back inside to pay for the book, Audrey lagging in a daydream, practically caressing her new found treasure, Alisha runs ahead, then stops abruptly, turns around and yells, "Hurry Aud., I just remembered, our meter has probably run out of time! God, I hope ole’ Joe hasn’t given me a ticket! This town is getting way too crowded! Sarah, you need a parking lot!"Alisha rambled. Relieved there was no ticket on the front window, the two girls headed back to Audrey’s house. Alisha was driving home as Audrey paged through her new book, reading aloud, "Contents . . . Life, Man, Women, Children, Courtship, COURTSHIP!" . ! ." Do you know what that means Leash?" "Ugh! ...duh . . . yes, I know what that means . . . " Alisha retorts. Audrey flips to page 408, there in between pages 408 and 409 was a tiny lock of very fine blonde hair, tied daintily with a piece of white thread . . . "Oh this is good! Leash, look there's a lock of hair in here!" "It’s kind of eerie, in a way... Who’s lock of hair, could this belong to?" Quickly, Audrey fanned through the book to see if anything else was hidden between the pages. In searching, nothing else jumped out . . . just that lock of hair and a name...boldly written, on the inside cover of this somewhat title-less hardbound book . . . "Walter Dudley Bullard", calligraphy style. "I wonder who he is . . . or was?" Audrey asks out loud. "What’s the copyright? , Alisha asks, now curious. "Eighteen-hundred and eighty six!, Wow, I wonder if that lock of hair belonged to him or his sweetheart? It’s like finding a treasure, yet, you don’t really know what it is!" "You think too much Aud!", Alisha added. "Well, you can’t tell me that this doesn’t arouse your curiosity!", Audrey blurts back. "This is a small town, so many of the people who still live here are descendants of the same ones that founded our city. All the streets are familiar names, all the schools are named after the grandparents and great grandparents of all our friends, Come on’ wouldn’t it be fun to find out if this Walter guy had a place in our community, or a lover whom we might know? , Audrey continued. "I guess?", Alisha quietly responded with question in her voice and then asked, "How in the world do you expect to find out who this guy is, Audrey?" "How else do we find things out around here . . . ? , We have to head back to Bertha Gray’s Tea House!", Audrey responded. "Tomorrow, Aud . . . or the next day . . . in the meantime, don’t get your knickers in a bunch over it, you might find something, you might not want to, did you ever think of that?", Alisha said with a contemplating voice... to be continued... Copyright 2007 Kimmy Van Kooten