Page 97 of The House of Hopes and Dreams
‘If it’s only going to be lit by the fairy lights, you won’t notice anything at all,’ I pointed out, but Nick said they’d sort out a bit of ambient lighting next day, along with the music.
‘And you can all help bring things down, too,’ Carey told them, ‘while Angel’s off collecting the rest of the party food from her friend Molly.’
‘Who’s coming to the party?’ asked Sukes.
‘Lots of interesting local people,’ Carey said. ‘You’ve met some of them at the pub – Lulu and Cam and their friends Rufus – who renovated the gates – and his wife, Izzy. And Molly and her husband, Grant … Oh, and I bumped into Debo, Izzy’s aunt, the other day,’ he said to me. ‘I invited her and her friend and anyone else she wanted to bring.’
‘Izzy said Debo used to be a famous model in the sixties and she still gets some work and the odd cameo role in films,’ I told him. ‘That’s why she looks so familiar.’
Nick looked alert. ‘Isn’t she the one who runs the dog rescue place in the village? If she was a famous model, that could make a good piece for the series.’
‘You can talk to her about it at the party,’ Carey said. ‘And I felt I had to ask Clem if he and Ella might like to come.’
‘If she does, she’ll be the spectre at the feast,’ Nick commented. ‘I’ve never seen such a gloomy woman. When we were filming in the old wing last time we were here, she followed us round as if we’d gone in to steal the silver.’
‘Yeah, and she didn’t say a word, even when we spoke to her,’ agreed Nelson.
‘Oh dear, we thought she was getting better,’ I sighed. ‘By the way, I think I saw Vicky going into the Lodge earlier – perhaps you’d better inviteher, too.’
‘Why bother?’ said Sukes. ‘She turns up whenever we’re here anyway.’
‘That’s true, and I expect she’ll just assume she’s welcome to come,’ I said. ‘And I seem to have invited pretty much everyone I’ve bumped into in the last couple of days, just like Carey has, so it’s going to be open house, really!’
‘I doubt it’ll go viral on the internet, so we’re inundated with teenagers wanting our fairy cakes and cheese straws,’ Carey said.
‘I do a great retro canapé hedgehog,’ Nelson said suddenly, and we all stared blankly at him. ‘You know – lumps of cheese and little pickles and pineapple cubes on cocktail sticks, stuck into half a grapefruit.’
‘I didn’t realize you had these hidden depths,’ Carey said. ‘I think you should go for it!’
‘We’ve got loads of cheese, but that’s about it,’ I said dubiously.
‘I bet the shop in Halfhidden has all the rest,’ Carey suggested. ‘I’ll drive you up there first thing tomorrow.’
Jorge, eyeing the heart-shaped lights as if he’d had a lightbulb moment himself – probably of the kind where you realize you’ve forgotten to buyyour partner anything for Valentine’s Day – said he’d go with them for the run.
‘Well, let’s get things wrapped up here, before the light goes. I want Fang wearing his boots and some footage of Angel standing in front of that wonderful cartoon on the wall, as if she’s working on it,’ Nick said more briskly. ‘It’s a pity Ivan isn’t here today, though, because he’s such a character and the camera loves him!’
I didn’t break it to him that Ivan hated being filmed, which is why he was such an old grump when they were there. But Old Grump seemed to be his allocated role in the series now.
I stood in front of theBig Wave, mahlstick in hand, and pretending to draw, before we moved into the back room where, as a finale, they filmed me standing next to the angel roundel, my translucent twin.
It was almost dark when I locked the workshop door behind us and we set off back to the house. Fang hadn’t wanted to take his boots off and it was freezing out there, so I supposed they would at least keep his feet warm.
‘I can hear a car in the courtyard,’ Carey said as we turned the corner into it and a taxi briefly illuminated us in its headlights as it drove out past us.
‘Someone’s arrived – I wonder who?’ Carey began. ‘I’m not actually expecting anyone but …’
His voice petered out and we all came to a sudden halt, staring at the familiar figure standing under the porch light, a flowered suitcase at her feet.
‘Thank God you’re here, Carey, darling!’ called Daisy. ‘I thought the taxi must have brought me to the wrong place. This is the middle of nowhere!’
Then she seemed to take in the rest of us, hovering like rent-a-crowd behind him and did a double take.
‘What on earth are you doing here?’ said Nick. ‘Carey, you haven’t been having second thoughts about signing up for another cottage series and invited her, have you?’
‘Not me,’ he said. ‘I’ve told them I’m not going back.’
‘I just thought I’d pop up and see Carey – I said I would.’ She gave him an intimate smile as she came forward to offer her cheek for his reluctant kiss. She looked up at him winsomely. ‘You know how impulsive I am, darling.’
