Page 66 of Oz
“How far do his lands stretch?”
“Erm, I’m not sure, but as far as the eye can see.”
“Does it include the headland over there?”
I nod. “Oh yes. That’s all Silas’s.”
“Silas?” Jasper enquires.
“The Earl of Ashworth.”
He shoots me a strange look. “You call him Silas? Hmm.”
“Well, I do work for him and he’s really relaxed around the staff.”
I smile at the thought of him up that ladder dusting cobwebs, then flush when I realise Shaun is staring at me. He opens his mouth to say something, but Jasper interrupts him.
“Can we look inside?”
I gesture him inside and we blink as our eyes adjust to the Great Hall. Jasper looks around at the huge mullioned windows, the carved wooden panels, and the massive stone fireplace. “Shit,” he says and then whistles.
I laugh. “I know. I said the same thing.”
“Are they the original curtains? What a bag of shit. They look like they’re about to disintegrate.”
I shoot him a killing glare. “That’s not the only thing that will disintegrate if you don’t keep your shitty remarks to yourself.”
He turns to me, his mouth slightly open. “Really?”
I nod. “I won’t have it. This is a lovely house, Jasper, and the people here are lovely too. Don’t be crappy. Money might be short but fucking decency isn’t.”
He stares at me for a long second and then nods slowly as if he’s realised something. “Okay,” he says quietly. “Show me the rest.”
I nod sternly and, aware of Shaun looking at me open-mouthed, I show him over the house, letting him poke into cupboards and open doors. When he’s finally finished looking and taken what must be the one billionth photograph, I lead them down to the kitchen and put the kettle to boil on the Aga.
Bustling around the kitchen, I make coffee and huge doorstep sandwiches using the fresh bread that Maggie baked this morning and ham from the village butcher. They fall on thefood with gusto and for a while we eat and chat about friends and family.
Finally, when they’ve finished, I push my chair back and look at Jasper. “Going to tell me what you’re looking for?”
He grins. “Do you rememberThe Pendarke Saga?”
I nod. “The steampunk series you were addicted to at uni?” He nods and I sit up straight. “Get out.Really? They’re filming that?”
He nods again. “I’ve been sent here to scope out properties to film in. Cornwall will be fantastic for the world of the series, and the producers want a really special house for the family.” He smiles. “Your call came at just the right moment.”
I can feel my heart beating fast. I hold my breath. “And?”
He lets the silence last for far longer than anyone should and then grins. “I think it’s fucking perfect. I looked at the Branton estate up the road.” I can’t help my grimace, but he doesn’t notice as he’s reaching for his diary and looking at his notes. “It was just too perfect. I know I was a bit sneery about the slightly tumbledown appearance of this but it’s actually just what the producers want.”
I punch my fist in the air. “Yes!” Then I straighten up. “How much will they pay?”
Shaun laughs and Jasper grins. “You’re like a fucking pimp with money, Oz. Nothing ever changes.”
“I watch my money. No one else will,” they intone together, and I stick my finger up at them.
“How much?”
He grins and gives me an astronomical figure. I make sure my only reaction is a slow blink. “Is that it? Can you make it more?”
