Page 84 of The House of Hopes and Dreams
‘Mossby should have a sad atmosphere, with all these tragic tales, but it doesn’t,’ I said. ‘Well, the old wing does a bit, but part of that’s probably because it’s so gloomy.’
‘When the panelling was first put up in there, it could well have been painted in bright colours.’
‘That would have livened it up a bit – and I expect you’re right aboutLady Anne’s window being a celebration of her married life at Mossby, too. It’s not cursed at all, she just wanted to make sure it stayed there for ever, as a memento of her happiness.’
‘I think I can hear you saying that to camera – Nick’ll adore it!’ Carey teased me.
‘I’ll have forgotten it by then.’ I got up. ‘Better go down to the workshop and see what’s happening. What are you going to do?’
‘The electrician’s starting here some time today and one of the Benbow twins from the Summit Alpine Nursery rang and said he had a day off and he’d come and give me a hand. I thought he could start stripping the woodwork in one of the bedrooms, while I’m painting the landing.’
‘It’s amazing how many people are gluttons for punishment,’ I said, and he grinned.
‘But it’s all fun … and speaking of fun, I think I’m going to sell the golf buggy and get one of those quad bikes and a little trailer, like the Rigbys have up at the farm.’
I felt he was safer pottering about on the buggy, but it has to be said that it did struggle a bit back up the hill with more than one person in it.
Also, he was throwing off his invalidism faster than a dog shakes off water, and soon there would be no holding him at all.
‘I quite like driving the golf buggy,’ I said wistfully. ‘And I thought it would be nice for taking picnics down to the lake in summer.’
‘Then we’ll have both – the buggy wouldn’t fetch much if I sold it anyway,’ he said and gave me the sort of smile that, even after knowing him my whole life, still sagged my knees and made me putty in his hands.
In the evening I went online, gritted my teeth and blew most of the rest of the budget, ordering everything I needed for my workshop from the long list in one massive splurge, then started building myself a website, based on a handy template similar to the one I’d used to create the Julian Seddon Architectural Glass site. I had my pages from that one copied and saved, so that speeded things up a bit. I had to update my autobiographical section, saying I’d worked for Julian Seddon for twelve years.
I had a quick look at Julian’s website, but Nat didn’t seem to have altered it much, apart from adding his own page, bigging himself up in the process.
After that, I made a Facebook page for Angelique Arrowsmith Art Glass, and then opened a Twitter account, both to be linked to my new website once it was up. I’d need to be out there and visible as soon as possible, to bring in the work.
Inspired, Carey asked me to help him design a website for Mossby, too, which could be linked to the ghost trail one, when they’d added the new spectral attractions, so by the time we went to bed it was very late indeed.
But now I’d sent off my big order for workshop materials I felt things were really moving along – and I was even back to bouncing out of bed at the crack of dawn. The old Angelique was resurfacing, boots and all.
Ralph and Mr Browne went off together to the Lake District soon afterwards – and I overheard him suggest that he should have a house built there, too, as if Mossby was not enough! But Ralph is deeply rooted at Mossby, so I hope nothing will come of it.
Ralph had seldom been around to notice that his wishes in the matter of my mollycoddling myself were not being attended to, for I carried on very much as usual.
Father and I now have an excellent system set up using the rail service for the dispatch of racks containing trays of painted glass for firing, though I hope eventually to set up a kiln of my own at Mossby.
Work goes to and fro, as do supplies of Antique glass and other materials.
I designed and made the windows for the nursery, based on three of Aesop’s fables: ‘The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse’, ‘The Lion and the Mouse’ and ‘The Tortoise and the Hare’. I exchanged many letters with Lily about our shared theme and the progress of her embroidery.
Later, I sent the cartoon of my window down to Father and he believes he has obtained a commission for me for something similar, so that I and my workmen will begin to be even busier.
I often think how much easier it would be were I still in London, but I know I am lucky to be able to carry on working. Besides, I made my bed and must now lie in it.
29
Whitewashed
The next morning I decided to start painting the corkboard wall in the workshop, which had been installed the previous afternoon by Carey and Rufus, who’d called to see him about something and been roped in to help.
I sat at the top of the tall ladders, rollering on a soft white to match the rest of the workshop, though eventually, of course, it would be pocked with drawing-pin holes and scarred where strips of masking tape had been ripped off. Still, by that point everything would be starting to look familiar, well-used and workmanlike, so I wouldn’t even notice.
Despite the frosty chill in the air, Ivan had donned his bobble hat and donkey jacket and gone out to buff up the old brass lock on the double doors. But now he hobbled back in and stood looking up at me like a disapproving gnome.
‘I told you the cold would get your arthritis going,’ I said.
