Page 56 of The Wedding Dress Repair Shop
This would suit me very well, for having seen the effects of childbearing on poor Mama, I retain the greatest terror of it and my resolve never to expose myself to the risk.
Letty finds my attitude on this matter very strange, for these things are women’s lot and, to her, to be a spinster is a sad fate.
19
String-Driven Thing
When I tapped on the door of Bruno Bascombe’s workshop half an hour later, Thom looked surprised but pleased to see me. His hair was tucked behind his ears, so he looked more himself, and was wearing a workmanlike heavy brown canvas apron with lots of pockets.
‘Hi, Garland! Come in,’ he invited, stepping back.
‘I can’t stop,’ I said, resting a heavy carrier bag on the step, so I could fish the plastic box of muffins out of my shoulder bag.
I passed it to him. ‘Viv was baking earlier, when I was over in Pelican House, and she kindly gave me some homemade muffins. They’re huge and I can’t possibly eat them all myself, so I thought you might like half of them.’
‘I would. But surely you could come in for ten minutes, couldn’t you?’ he suggested and then, without waiting for my reply, picked up my shopping and led the way in.
‘What on earth have you got in here? It weighs a ton!’
‘Mostly tins of cat food. I’ve been to the pet shop across the square, though I only wanted to see if they had a cat flap – which they did – but when I saw they also had the expensivefood Golightly prefers, I thought I’d better stock up on it. He never seems to put any weight on, but I don’t want him to waste away.’
I found myself in a long workshop that held that familiar scent of wood, and perhaps linseed oil, together with other, less identifiable elements that I remembered from Dad’s shed all those years ago, and then I spotted some of Dad’s tools on the nearest workbench, next to the big, tiered, wooden toolbox with all the compartments that had been his, too.
I felt a lump come into my throat and had to blink back a rush of tears. Thom might have been able to leave me behind, but he’d treasured those enough to bring them with him.
Luckily Thom, having put down the bag, had his back to me as he switched on a kettle in a sort of little cubbyhole at the end of the room and unhooked mugs from a shelf above.
‘You’ve got time for a drink? Tea, coffee?’
‘A quick coffee, then,’ I capitulated. ‘I’ve already left poor Golightly on his own for most of today.’
I sat on a high, leather-topped, metal stool, and Jester, who had been sitting on a large furry cushion bed, tail thumping a tattoo, now got up and came to say hello.
I stroked his silky ears and said, ‘I think dogs are probably a lot less trouble than cats, and this one always looks as if he’s grinning!’
‘He probably is,’ Thom said. ‘He’s very good-natured and laid-back.’
He put a mug of instant on the bench next to me and sat on another stool, opening the plastic sandwich box.
‘Chocolate chipandblueberry, my two favourites,’ he said. ‘Are you going to have one?’
‘No, those are all yours. I’ve still got some at home.’
‘Fair enough.’ He took a great bite and made appreciativenoises, while I sipped my coffee and Jester switched the melting gaze of his dark eyes on to Thom instead.
‘Did you say you’d been buying a cat flap, Garland? Have you decided to try letting Golightly out, then?’
‘I’m going to give it a go because I think he’ll be bored, with no outside space at all. I talked it over with Honey earlier, and she doesn’t mind if I install a cat flap in the cottage door. I’m hoping he won’t go beyond the mews, but I need to have him microchipped first, just in case. I’ll give Honey’s vet a ring as soon as I get in and make an appointment.’
‘I can fit the cat flap for you, no problem,’ Thom offered. ‘I’ll come over and do it in my lunch hour tomorrow, shall I?’
‘That would be very kind, if you’re sure you have time?’
‘I’m my own master while Bruno’s away, but I often work on into the evening when I’m making something interesting anyway, so I put the hours in.’
‘OK. I’ll probably spend all tomorrow at the cottage, finishing the unpacking and starting to set up my workroom,’ I said. ‘I must say,’ I added, ‘it’s wonderful to have my own big workshop.’
‘I know what you mean. It felt like I’d died and gone to heaven the first time I came here to work with Bruno,’ agreed Thom. ‘Room to spread out, leave my tools around and have everything I could possibly need to hand.’
