CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY THREE – LOADS OF REJECTION

The next property was a small house on the outskirts of town. As they pulled up, Rebecca's hopes rose. It looked charming from the outside. "Now, this is more like it," she said, smiling at Mr. Finch. But as they stepped inside, Rebecca's smile faded. The house was a disaster zone - holes in the walls, broken floorboards, and a distinct smell of mold permeating the air. "It's a bit of a fixer-upper," Mr. Finch admitted sheepishly. "A bit?" Rebecca echoed incredulously. "This place needs to be torn down and rebuilt from scratch!" As they left the property, Rebecca's frustration was mounting. "Don't you have anything that's, I don't know, actually livable?" Mr. Finch looked flustered. "Well, there is one more property we could look at today. It's a lovely cottage just outside of town. A bit pricey, but..." "Let's go," Rebecca interrupted. At this point, she was willing to look at anything. The cottage, as it turned out, was beautiful. Nestled in a grove of trees, with a small gar