Page 38 of The House of Hopes and Dreams
‘Whenever you’ve appeared in the series before, Nick’s always said the camera loves you and you’re a natural.’
‘I think what he means is that after a few minutes I just naturally forget I’m on camera, because I’m looking at interesting windows or making one.’
‘It works, whatever it is,’ he said. ‘I’ll get a spare set of the main house and workshop keys cut for you, so you can make yourself at home and come and go as you like.’
Until my workshop was ready to vanish into, I was more likely to come and go as Carey pleased, probably loaded with tools of one kind or another. But we’d be company for each other while he literally got back on his feet again and I built up my own business.
‘My workshop – we’ll have to have a long discussion about that,’ I said, then stifled a yawn.
‘Yes, but that can wait until after you’ve moved in tomorrow.’
‘Tomorrow?’ I echoed, slightly startled out of impending stupor.
‘Yes, why not? There’s nothing to prevent you, is there?’
‘I suppose not. Everything I’ve taken to Molly and Grant’s will fit in my car, but I’ve got lots of things in storage.’
‘Then we’ll get it out again, because you don’t want to be paying for storage when there’s all this space here,’ he said practically. ‘I’ll hire a van and bring it over—’
He stopped dead as the realization hit him that hefting boxes and furniture about right now wasn’t a good idea.
‘It’s OK, I can sort that out,’ I said quickly. ‘I hired a couple of local men with a Transit van to take everything to the unit, so I’ll get them to move it here. There are several pieces of furniture – my gran’s Welsh dresser, for a start.’
‘There’s certainly enough room for that in here. I had my things from the flat put in storage too, and it’s being sent up in a day or two.’
He looked around the kitchen. ‘Things tend to find their own space eventually and soon it will all look a lot more homely.’
It suddenly occurred to me that I shouldn’t feeltoomuch at home here, because one day he’d marry another Daisy and I’d have to move out, if I hadn’t done that already. Really, before I got too settled in, I ought to go and look at that chauffeur’s flat over the garages behind the workshop that he’d mentioned, to see if it could be made habitable again fairly easily. Then if my business flourished, I’d be able to rent it and I’d be living right near the workshop, but not in Carey’s pocket.
Meanwhile, I’d stay here with Carey while he needed me – while we needed each other – enlivened by the sporadic invasion of friends and acquaintances roped in for a few hours or days to help with various parts of the project.
‘I’ll pack up and drive over first thing tomorrow, then,’ I said.
‘Great! Then I can give you the whole guided house tour. I bet you can hardly wait to start planning out the alterations to the workshop. I knowI’vealready begun to prioritize what wants doing in the house even though I’ve only been here five minutes and—’
He broke off as the door creaked open like something out of a horror film, and there stood a tall, dark-haired, lugubrious woman. She was handsome, in a slightly reptilian way – I mean, if you liked lizards, you’d be really taken with her – and she looked vaguely familiar, though of course I knew who it was before Carey introduced us.
‘Ah, Mrs Dan— Ella,’ he corrected himself hastily. ‘I wasn’t expecting you till Friday!’
‘I’m used to popping in and out, but say so if you want me to stop, and maybe give you back my keys?’ she said belligerently.
‘Not at all … I mean, we’ll talk about all that in a few days, when I’ve had time to work out what I’m doing,’ he said, though it was obvious to me, at least, that he didn’t want someone with the charisma of a female version of the Grim Reaper appearing at unexpected intervals.
‘This is my friend Angelique Arrowsmith. She’ll be moving in tomorrow for a long stay, so while youarehere, could you make up the bed inthe big room with the bay window and the cabbage-rose wallpaper, while I’m driving her home?’ he asked.
There was an ominous silence, broken only by a low rumbling growl from Fang. As he arose from his basket and lifted his lip at the new arrival, I scooped him up.
Ella Parry gave the dog a dirty look before transferring it to Carey.
‘I suppose Icould,though it’s not part of my job. The cleaning service changes the beds Fridays, when the laundry calls. I only came up to give you the list of things you’re short of in the house, since you said you’d do your own shopping over the internet.’ She pronounced the word ‘internet’ as if it was grossly improper.
I thought she’d just made that up as an excuse, having been consumed by curiosity after spotting us through the Lodge window.
She plonked down a folded list and then unearthed a winter cabbage and some carrots from a wicker basket.
‘Clem sent you these.’
‘Oh – thanks,’ Carey said. ‘Clem’s got a vegetable patch at the back of the Lodge,’ he explained to me.
