Page 114 of The Little Teashop of Lost and Found
‘It’s way too over-the-top for a Saturday morning in the country,’ I protested.
‘I don’t think you can be too over-the-top when you’re being interviewed, and anyway, the dryad look suits you.’
I shuddered slightly. ‘Don’t call me a dryad. They’re not the sweet, gentle nymphs you might think they are.’
‘Red in tooth and claw?’
‘Green,’ I told him.
The first thing I did after I put the phone down was wash my face in cold water to shock my brain into action, and then email off the book.
But then, the moment it vanished into the ether, I felt like a puppet with cut strings and wished I could just have a peaceful, laid-back weekend with the Giddings family to recover.
Instead, I’d have to sort Robbie out. If he imagined that I was going to fall into his arms now he was back, I’d have to put him right straight away. Already I felt guilty for landing him on the Giddingses and wondered what he’d been doing all day.
And now the almost mythically impossible-sounding Zelda would be there, too – and what with her late-onset baby fixation, being convinced Nile had been carrying a torch for her for over twenty years and expecting him to fall in with all her mad plans, I have to admit I was dying to see her … while stifling some lurking feelings of nervousness, jealousy and trepidation. What if she’d come to talk him round – and succeeded?
When I went downstairs to the teashop kitchen everything was quiet and empty. Jack wouldn’t be coming now unless I sent for him to do odd jobs, so apart from one final bill, that was it. I’d sort of miss him singing snippets of opera around the place, and Ross looming silently about.
It was a very clean place too, for Tilda had been and gone, leaving me a note downstairs saying she’d thought I was having a lie-in so she hadn’t disturbed me and she’d give the flat an extra good going over next time instead. She’d ripped out some catalogue pictures of steammops and hand-held steam cleaners and left them under the teapot. I can recognize a hint when I see one. I just wasn’t sure the finances would run to anything else.
The teashop’s official inspection was on Monday, so I sorted one or two things out in the office, made a couple of calls, then noticed the time and dashed back up to the flat to pack a bag. I disregarded Nile’s suggestion about what to wear for the newspaper interview and instead packed a long jersey tunic with a silk front panel in autumn shades that I knew set off my hair, and a pair of narrow black trousers. That would do it … and then I thought of Zelda being at dinner and that maybe she would be London-smart and I would feel a mess in my usual jeans and a T-shirt, with one of Edie’s weird and wonderful knitted cardies over it.
But on the other hand, I didn’t want anyone to think I was dressing up for any particular reason …
I had a rummage on the rail that was doing service until I found an inexpensive wardrobe.
‘My new jeans, the Italian emerald-green linen top with lace inserts – and where are my malachite earrings?’ I muttered to myself, quickly folding the garments away in a slightly bigger bag than the first one I’d got out.
I was later setting off than I intended, but not as late as Nile, for I was barely half a mile along the road when his dark estate zoomed up behind me and followed me the rest of the way, despite my loitering temptingly on the straight bit in the hope he’d overtake me.
We found Sheila in the kitchen, making a start on dinner.
‘Hello, darlings – chicken casserole with herb dumplings and apple crumble with cream for afters,’ she said.
‘Straight in with the important information, as usual,’ Nile said, giving her a hug, and I followed suit.
‘I’m so sorry I landed Robbie on you without any notice yesterday,’ I apologized.
‘Oh, it’s no problem,’ she assured me. ‘He’s very nice and I got him wedging clay for me first thing, which was really useful. I’ve put him in the room almost opposite yours but he’s using the bathroom at the endof the corridor. But now Zelda’s arrived, I’m afraid she’s in the room that shares your bathroom, since we haven’t finished decorating the other letting bedroom.’
‘That’s all right,’ I said.
‘We really must sort out one of the bedrooms in the family side for you soon, darling,’ she added, to my surprise, until I realized that in tourist season they’d need my room for paying visitors.
‘There’s no need, because if you ever want my room for a paying guest, I can just stay at the flat instead,’ I told her.
‘I expect we’d squeeze you in somewhere,’ Nile said. Then he asked Sheila whether Zelda had told her why she’d turned up so suddenly.
‘No, perhaps she just wants to put things right between you,’ she suggested. ‘I didn’t really have time to chat because after I’d picked her up from the station I had work to finish off, so she and Robbie went out in his car.’
She looked at the clock. ‘I expect they’ll be back soon.’
‘I’ll take my bag up and then give you a hand with dinner,’ I offered. ‘Is everyone coming tonight?’
‘Yes, the more the merrier, I thought, and safety in numbers,’ Sheila said vaguely.
‘To dilute the awkward elements?’ suggested Nile.
