‘Good idea.’
Walter eased himself down the stair he had hauled himself up just a moment ago, and struggled to his feet. His anger wasn’t aimed at Otto; it was aimed at himself. What on earth had made him think he could climb a ladder at his age? Just look at where his idiocy had got him. Not only was he unable to have a bath or sleep in his own bed, he had to put up with Beth Fairfax to boot. She had a front row seat, and was currently sitting in the kitchen, smirking at his discomfort as he made his slow, awkward way to the loo, Otto hovering behind him, just in case.
Damn and blast her! The only way things could get any worse, was if Beth was the one who was accompanying him.
CHAPTER FIVE
Beth could have predicted Maisie’s first words, so when her youngest cried, ‘Mum! How could you!’ she wasn’t surprised.
‘I thought you’d be pleased,’ she said, knowing she was poking an angry wasp’s nest but unable to help the sarcastic reply.
‘You’re joking, right?’ Maisie gave her an incredulous look.
Beth tried not to show how hurt she felt. Maisie could at least pretend. Huffing, she stared out of the kitchen window. The kitchen was a nice enough place, but it wasn’t where she would have wanted to spend the day. But with Walter hogging the living room, she didn’t want to sit in there and have to listen to his sarcastic sniping. She wondered whether she should phone the estate agent and hurry them along. She hadn’t been at the farm a day yet and already she was near the end of her tether. And Maisie wasn’t helping.
‘I can’t believe you were going to move into a house in Picklewick without telling us,’ Maisie continued. ‘When did youarrange—?’ She gasped and clapped a hand to her mouth. ‘Ididsee your car in the village a couple of weeks ago! It wasn’t the frequency effect, or whatever Walter called it.’ She turned to Dulcie. ‘Iknewit was her car.’
Beth continued to stare out of the window, unable to think of anything to say in her defence. She was guilty as charged.
Maisie let out an exasperated sigh. ‘Why didn’t you discuss it with us first? Or at least, tell us what you were planning?’
‘I wanted it to be a surprise.’ Beth’s voice was small. She really, really should have told them when the idea first came to her, but she had been too scared that they would have talked her out of it.
‘It was a surprise alright,’ Maisie grumbled. ‘No wonder you’ve been busyde-cluttering.’ She narrowed her eyes. ‘What have you done with all my stuff?’
Beth was confused. ‘What stuff? You took everything with you when you moved into the caravan. Your bedroom was empty, apart from three mouldy plates and a bed with broken slats. Did you use it as a trampoline?’
‘My cheerleading stuff. It was in the attic.’
‘It wasn’t.’ Beth was positive. ‘I got rid of it years ago.’
‘You didn’t! I wanted to keep it.’
‘Is that so? You haven’t thought about it in years, have you?’
‘No, but that doesn’t alter the fact that I wanted to keep it.’
‘I sold the whole lot, twirly baton and all, to a woman six doors down. The money I got for it paid for your school trip to Norfolk.’
‘Oh, okay.’ Maisie visibly deflated.
Beth had always made sure her kids never went without, and if that meant flogging a few bits and pieces, then that’s what she did.
Dulcie hadn’t said a word from the moment her sister had arrived, but now she said, ‘Tea, Maisie? Before you see to the goats?’
Maisie nodded and took a seat at the table. ‘Where will you be living?’
Some of Beth’s tension eased. ‘Hazelnut Road.’
‘What’s the house like?’
‘Two up, two down, small garden. Living room ceiling currently on the living room floor.’
‘So I heard. When will it be fixed?’
‘Soon, I hope.’ Beth hesitated. ‘I won’t be a nuisance, honest. I won’t visit unless I’m invited.’ She ignored Dulcie’s snort. It wasn’t Beth’s fault that she felt the only way she would get to see her girls at Easter had been to rock up at the farm unannounced. If she’d waited for an invitation, she would still be waiting.
Dulcie put a fresh pot of tea in the centre of the table and got the milk out of the fridge.
