Page 36 of The House at Hope Corner
Grace smiled. ‘I’m certain of it,’ she said. ‘I’m only here two days a week –Wednesdays and Fridays – and apart from that I’m usually at home, so come and visit whenever you like, there doesn’t need to be a reason. And don’t forget I still want to see your prints, so perhaps you can bring them with you next time?’
Flora’s face fell. ‘I’d have liked to have completed a few more by now, but it’s difficult at the moment as you can imagine. There isn’t much time for airy-fairy stuff.’
‘Oh…? That doesn’t sound like you.’
Flora chose her words carefully. ‘It’s been pointed out that my role on the farm is to support Ned’s work, not indulge my hobbies.’
‘Ah. Now that sounds like Hannah talking.’ She smiled. ‘We’ve been friends for nearly thirty years and there are many things I greatly admire her for, but her artistic ability is not one of them. She’s just not made that way, Flora. But it’s only her opinion, don’t forget; it doesn’t mean you have to put that side of you to bed. Granted, things are harder at the moment with Fraser being so poorly, but they will improve.’ She broke off, thinking. ‘In fact, if it helps, you’re very welcome to visit just so that you can have a quiet space in which to draw. I’ve got plenty of room.’
‘Could I?’ asked Flora, astonished. ‘Would you really do that for me?’
Grace smiled. ‘Of course! You’re welcome to visit whenever you like, and for whatever reason.’ She pushed the packet of biscuits back towards Flora. ‘Don’t underestimate the strain Fraser’s illness is going to put on you, Flora. You’re a strong independent young woman, anyone can see that, but you’re going to have to wear several hats over the coming months, and I’m not just talking about the fetching number you have on today. That’s not going to be easy, but when the going gets tough, surround yourself with the things you love and remind yourself that there will be a reason why you’re here, why all this has happened, and when you discover what that is, everything else will fall into place…’
Flora’s eyes widened and her hand hovered somewhere near her heart. ‘You really believe that, don’t you?’
‘Of course I believe it,’ she said, throwing her head back and laughing out loud. ‘Because it’s true.’ She lowered her voice again. ‘The bees told me, and didn’t I tell you, they’reneverwrong…’
Chapter Thirteen
‘Oh, my God, Ned, it was dreadful. It didn’t even look like him. Fraser was in there somewhere, but on the surface you couldn’t see him at all.’ And then she stopped. ‘Oh shit… sorry, that came out so badly…’ The images that had played on a loop through her head the entire time she had been driving home from the hospital were slowly beginning to lose their sharpness, but they would stay with her for quite some time to come.
‘It’s just that your dad’s such a big bloke, and he looked so small surrounded by all those wires and tubes and monitors.’ She took a deep breath and squeezed Ned’s hand. ‘But… the main thing is that he’s okay, and the nurses say he’s right where he should be at this point. In fact, he might even be able to move out of intensive care and back up to the normal ward tomorrow, all being well, and then home just before next weekend. I mean, how is that even possible? How can someone have such major surgery and be home in a week? I don’t know whether to think it’s irresponsible or just plain miraculous.’
She was aware that she was jabbering, trying to fill the silence that Ned was making no attempt to fill himself. It was lunchtime and he was steadily making his way through a plateful of sandwiches that Flora had made in a daze.
Ned swallowed and nodded. ‘Where’s Mum?’
‘She’s popped out to get a few things for Fraser.’ She paused. ‘I think she wanted a little time on her own… this morning came as a bit of a shock. But it’s early days, you know. And he’ll be better tomorrow, and the next day…’
Ned took another bite of his sandwich and Flora watched him, tucking her hair behind her ears. She wasn’t sure he had properly looked at her yet. She reached out a hand.
‘Ned?’
He looked up.
‘Your dad was asking about you. He’d love to see you, you know.’
He gave her a sheepish smile. ‘I feel a bit pathetic actually. It’s not that I don’t want to see Dad, I do, but he’ll ask me about the farm and I really don’t know what to say to him. How can I tell him that we need him here and that it’s killing me doing everything by myself? Even if I don’t tell him, he’ll know anyway. He’ll take one look at me and tell me it’s as plain as the nose on my face, you know what he’s like. I can’t do that to him, think how he’ll feel.’
She knew there had been some reason for his reluctance. ‘Oh, Ned,’ she said gently. ‘Do you not think he’ll feel like that anyway? He’s not daft, he knows the score, and yes, he probably does feel guilty as hell, but he’d still like to see you.’
She could see the indecision on Ned’s face. It was understandable, and she was still convinced it was tinged with a fear of what he might find when he got to the hospital, but nonetheless it worried her. She hadn’t thought Ned was the type to keep secrets and yet she was beginning to wonder if things were worse than he was letting on, even to her.
‘I know,’ he said finally. ‘We’ll go tonight.’
He leaned forward across the table and she did the same until their noses were just touching. ‘I’m sorry, I’m such a pain in the arse,’ he murmured. ‘But I do love you, Flora, and I promise when things have calmed down a bit I’ll make it up to you.’
Her stomach rumbled as she walked Ned to the door to say goodbye. Neither she nor Hannah had been able to stomach anything to eat after returning from the hospital and she knew she wouldn’t stop to eat now. Ned wouldn’t be back until teatime and she had the whole afternoon ahead of her. She wasn’t sure what time Hannah would appear, if at all, but no mind, she knew exactly what she was going to do with the intervening hours. She snatched up her mug from the table and marched through into the sitting room, looking around her with an appraising eye. And then she set to work.
There were three reception rooms on the ground floor of the house, but although the smaller of the two sitting rooms was perhaps the nicest room, sadly it had no fireplace so wasn’t suitable for what Flora had in mind. The dining room, however, was never used and would be large enough to accommodate a bed, two if Hannah wished to sleep in the same room as Fraser, a couple of chairs, and at least one chest of drawers. To make the arrangement work would mean moving most of the dining room furniture out and into the other rooms, but with a bit of shuffling, Flora was convinced it would all fit.
An hour later she had squeezed the table and chairs from the dining room into the second sitting room, and ferried the remaining pieces of furniture into new homes elsewhere. All that was left was a huge oak dresser and matching sideboard which were far too heavy to move, but once tidied or possibly emptied would provide Fraser with some storage space for any clothes, underwear and other personal things he might want around him.
She crossed over to the sideboard and pulled open a drawer; the topmost one from a set of four in the centre between two cupboards. It was full of cutlery. Drawers two and three seemed to be full of cloths, napkins, and old placemats, while the bottom one housed an assortment of candles, napkin rings, old playing cards and what looked like the novelties from long-ago Christmas crackers. She was certain that none of it would be needed for now.
During her earlier assessment of the rooms she had spotted a large oak blanket box in the main sitting room which, partially covered with an embroidered cloth, was doing service as a coffee table. She quickly went to check and was pleased to find it empty apart from some very old magazines which had probably been shoved in there a long time ago and promptly forgotten. There was more than enough room to stash the contents of the drawers in there for now.
She got to her feet and was about to make a start when she heard the back door bang.
