‘I’d offer to make you a drink in the spirit of being hospitable if you wanted to wait, but I’d have to boil the mugs first and I’ve discovered the kettle doesn’t work.’
‘Right. I’ll come back in fifteen minutes or so.’ He dipped his head to step through the door. ‘Don’t tell Lily I said so, but I probably wouldn’t even let Prim sleep in here now I’ve seen it.’
‘Thanks for that. It’s good to know I’m below Prim in the pecking order. And you don’t even like her.’
‘I do like Prim,’ he protested, blowing on his hands. ‘I like her a lot, especially as she’s really good for the kids.’
Ella saw Stan strolling past below and he offered a cheery good morning, happy to hear Max had ordered the new chainsaw. She managed a polite reply, then hurriedly shut the door. Marvellous. Now Stan had seen Max visiting her on a Sunday morning and Ella still in her pyjamas. She curled into an armchair and unwrapped her bacon butty. It was delicious and exactly what she needed, and always her favourite hangover cure. Not that she had a hangover. This made her think of the low-alcohol beer from last night and she glanced at the top she’d worn yesterday, with the orange stain on its chest. It was all the reminder she needed of her and Max staring at one another for those few seconds when he’d flung the beer over her.
Dressed and ready fifteen minutes later, she saw Prim running across the courtyard with Lily and Arlo hot on her heels, Max not far behind.
‘Ella!’ Lily was bundled up in a hat and scarf with pink wellies, and she halted at the bottom of the steps. ‘We’ve come to help you move out of the flat. Daddy said it’s got to be re, re…?’ She looked at him questioningly.
‘Refitted, Lily, everything’s got to come out and be replaced,’ he confirmed. ‘Wait there, you and your brother aren’t to go up, it’s not safe. We’ll pass you down something you can carry. Those steps need a handrail, that’s another thing to go on Pete’s list.’
‘Pete?’ Ella gave her case to Max when he reached the door. She gently dropped the bag with her running trainers in and Arlo caught them. He grinned and she gave him a cheery thumbs-up.
‘Pete the Plasterer. That’s what they call him, but he’s a builder too, a very good one. Ashley put me on to him. I’ve texted to ask him to put the flat on his list, but he won’t get to it before Christmas. Is that all right? They’re busy with the old studios in the stables and there’s other work he needs to do as well. The barn needs some attention.’
‘Okay.’ Ella swallowed down her alarm, hoping Max hadn’t noticed the flush of anxiety on her face at the thought of weeks alone in the big house. Noelle emerged from the door to his office, swathed in her cape and Cossack hat.
‘Oh, Ella, you are moving out already.’ Noelle clapped her hands together. ‘Parfait, Max, how very sensible of you to offer Ella the use of the house. It will be so much more comfortable than the flat. I should have thought of that myself.’
Ella glanced at him and spotted the glare he was giving Noelle, who wasn’t hanging around for a reply. A red sports car screeched to a halt on the drive through the arch and she waved merrily as she dashed off.
‘Au revoir, darlings. Maxence, make sure Ella has everything she needs.’
He opened his mouth and Ella was sure he was about to swear until he caught a glimpse of Lily’s jubilant expression, no doubt waiting to collect his fine for the dog shelter. ‘I never mentioned the house,’ he spluttered. ‘How does she know where you’re going?’
‘Lucky guess, I expect.’ Ella bit back her smile and grabbed her coat.
It took only one trip between the four of them to carry her few belongings into the house, then the children dumped their load and raced off to explore. Max disappeared upstairs with her case and Prim was made to wait in the porch so she couldn’t muddy the new drawing room carpet, looking longingly through the glass.
Certain she was going to feel like a mouse in a mansion, Ella tried to take in her new, generously proportioned home. Doors led off along the hall and a huge atrium allowed light to flood down onto walls painted a warm cream with a suggestion of yellow to lift it. A wide staircase turned twice before it reached the first floor, and she could hear Lily and Arlo charging around somewhere out of sight. Ella was glad of the noise to banish the silence, at least for now, as Max returned to join her.
The space beneath the stairs was filled with books and games, and the overall effect of the house was beautifully stylish and elegant. The paintings were a clever mix of traditional and modern, and furnishings blended period design with contemporary, keeping the effect simple. Lamps stood on occasional tables and a huge fireplace was already laid with logs. A stunning, glossy black grand piano sat in the centre, a matching stool beneath the gleaming keys.
‘Wow. And I haven’t even seen the other rooms yet.’ Ella glanced at him. ‘Ashley did all this?’
‘Pretty much. The house was very run-down, but we saved everything that didn’t need to go in a skip. Some items have been professionally restored and put back. It had already been divided into two when we bought it and made sense to keep it that way. So, two-thirds is for guests, and my mother and I share the rest. You’ve seen my office, and she has her flat and studio above me.’
‘Ashley is very talented; it feels so warm and welcoming.’
Max nodded and the silence seemed to be singing until Ella pointed to the piano. ‘Do you play, or did that come with the house as well?’
‘No, it’s mine. It wouldn’t fit in the cottage and it’s a shame not to let others play it if I can’t.’ His gaze found hers and she saw the quick regret in his face. ‘Practice is everything and I’m not as good as I was. I keep meaning to buy an upright for home, but I haven’t found one yet.’
She sensed the piano was important to him and something he missed; she remembered the classical music he had been listening to last night in the cottage. Ella understood perfectly; she knew what it was to miss something you were good at. She waited to see if he would say any more, and when he did the business-like tone was back, the wistfulness banished.
‘Come and see the kitchen. I’m hoping this one meets with your approval.’
‘Depends if you’ve got any mice,’ she joked, happy to see him smile as he opened a door and stood aside to let her go first. ‘Wow. Again.’
‘Wow good or wow bad?’
‘I think you know which, Max. This is stunning. Very different to the images I found online.’
‘Yes, a new website is another thing on my to-do list, we’ve taken the old one down now. I think that’s something I’m going to transfer to your list.’
