Alice was still getting used to just how different Wisteria House now was to how it used to be. The close quarters of the flats contrasted so much to how large the rooms used to be. Theoriginal kitchen of Wisteria House had sprawled across much of the downstairs.
Her father had employed a cook and a cleaner, but never a nanny at the insistence of her mother. She and her sister went on long walks with their mother, an author, to local parks and museums, sparking her love of outside spaces and culture. Her father’s role as a diplomat would often take him off around the world, especially during the war years, which she realised, when she was older, must have been difficult as well as dangerous.
‘Shall I make some coffee while I’m in the kitchen?’ asked Declan, but Alice declined, as did Mark.
She offered them a nightcap that only Mark accepted. ‘But help yourself to coffee.’
Jess thought coffee would keep her awake half the night so poured herself a glass of water from a large bottle of Evian in the fridge.
‘Anything I can do?’ Mark asked Alice.
‘There is. You can go to that cupboard and get the bottle of single malt and two glasses,’ Alice instructed him, indicating a nearby cupboard.
Mark returned with the whisky and two glasses, and Alice poured them both a generous measure.
‘I might regret this in the morning,’ said Mark as he swirled the whisky in his glass, chuckling.
‘Don’t feel obliged to drink it all,’ said Alice, but Mark tasted the whisky and smiled. It seemed the quality of the single malt might mean he would make short work of it.
When Jess and Declan came back in to collect some plates, Alice saw the possibility of something more than neighbours between them. As she finished dealing out some cards for herself and Mark, she was struck again with memories of living here before.
‘I can’t remember the last time this house was filled with so many people,’ she found herself saying.
‘This house?’ asked Declan, confused.
‘Yes indeed. It was once a grand house that has been converted into apartments, as I am sure you know.’
She hadn’t really intended to mention it, as she rather hoped it would be a discussion for another day.
‘So you came here when it was a house?’
‘Yes.’ Alice smiled. ‘I spent my childhood here. It’s one of the reasons I rented this flat.’
‘Are you saying you lived here once before?’ asked Jess, open-mouthed.
‘I did indeed. But I think that is a story for another time.’
THIRTEEN
JESS
Back in the kitchen, Jess filled the sink with hot soapy water and dropped the plates in.
‘That was some meal,’ she said, grabbing a nearby dish brush. ‘I wonder where Alice learnt to cook?’
‘I know, it was fantastic. I bet she went to a cookery school or something. Cordon bleu, I reckon,’ Declan said with a broad smile.
‘Probably. And, I must admit, I haven’t heard of the Tiller Girls but I am going to google them later,’ said Jess. ‘But, wow, dancing at the London Palladium. It sounds like Alice has led a really fabulous life.’ She sighed, as she placed a clean plate onto a drying rack.
Not like me, she thought to herself. Married and pregnant at twenty-two, the extent of her travelling had been a couple of holidays on the Spanish Costas. Not that she was complaining. She enjoyed her life and knew she was very lucky compared to some people. You only had to look around parts of the city to realise that. It was just that her life was a bit short of adventure, she realised, maybe even a little fun.
They both went to place some cutlery in a drawer at the same time, and when their hands collided, she felt something passbetween them, but was not sure if it was purely the effects of the wine. Or if Declan had felt it too. She did know that she enjoyed being in his company, though.
When they returned to the lounge, Mark and Alice were laughing about something, as Alice nodded towards the couch, where Maisie was snoozing gently, her toy zebra clutched to her chest. It was just after nine fifteen.
‘She did well to stay awake for this long,’ said Jess. ‘I had hoped she might stay awake until we had finished in the kitchen but never mind. Once she’s asleep, there is no waking her. I’ll head off soon, though.’
‘I’ll carry her up for you, if you like. If you think she won’t wake,’ offered Declan.
