Page 125 of Kate and Clara's Curious Cornish Craft Shop

As we try to kiss my phone begins to ring in my bag. ‘Leave it,’ I say, leaning forwards again to Jack. ‘It won’t be important.’

But as soon as the phone rings off, it starts again.

‘Don’t worry, they’ll leave a message this time if it’s important,’ I say.

The third time it rings Jack insists I answer. ‘You’d better get it, Kate. It sounds urgent.’

Reluctantly I lean over and reach into my bag but as I suspect it’s an unknown number. Of all the times to get a junk call.

‘Yes!’ I snap aggressively into the phone. ‘Who is this?’

‘Kate,’ a distant voice says. ‘Kate, is that you?’

‘Julian!’ I cry, ‘Where are you? You sound like you’re in the middle of nowhere.’

‘Sorry … line isn’t great here … breaking up quite a lot … you like your surprise?’

‘What surprise?’ I ask.

‘… you get the email?’

‘What email?’ I say. ‘What email, Julian? I’m losing you …Julian, can you hear me?’ I shout into the phone.

‘Yes, I’m still … just! We’d better make it quick. I might … at any moment. You should have got an email, Kate, from … solicitor. I’m giving you the house. The one you liked in St Felix … house on the hill with the blue door … all yours.’

‘What do you mean all mine? How?’

‘… bought it, Kate!’ Julian is now shouting too. ‘Agreed … really good price with … Susan and … your Maggie … wanted you to have it … bought it with Mother’s money … ago … now I’m giving it to you to live in … to say thank you.’

‘No, Julian, you can’t!’ I cry. ‘I can’t let you. If you bought it, it’s yours.’

‘Sorry, Kate … losing you,’ Julian says, sounding fainter by the moment. ‘… solicitor will be in touch … what Maggie wanted, and youpromisedme, remember?’

The line goes dead.

I stare at Jack. He looks as mystified as I feel right now.

‘Julian is giving us the house,’ I say slowly, so both Jack and I can try to take this all in. The last few minutes have been complete madness.

‘What house?’ Jack asks.

‘The house in the painting – the one with the blue door. It’s ours.’

‘How can he do that?’

‘I think he said he agreed a good price with Susan and both he and Maggie want us to live there.’

‘I was wondering how we were going to afford that house,’ Jack says, grinning at me. ‘I thought we would have to win the lottery or something!’

I smile and shake my head at him. Trust Jack to bring me back to reality.

I stare at the painting again, and I try moving the door back into place to make the images come to life once more. I wanted to see more of my future with Jack.

However, this time the images remain still.

‘I think that’s it,’ Jack says, watching me. ‘I think our time as guardians of these magical images has come to an end.’

‘A very happy end,’ I tell him, sitting down next to him again and taking his hand, ‘for everyone who’s been created and crafted by one amazing little sewing machine …’

‘… and one very clever easel,’ Jack finishes for me.

‘May their owners past and present be united together for ever.’