‘Right. That’s… lovely.’ I glanced at my watch, turned and looked at Henry. ‘Look, Mr…’
‘Henry, please.’
‘Are you sure this is all right? Lola being with you all day and overnight?’
‘Well, I think the girls have arranged it all,’ he said vaguely, looking at his own watch, obviously eager to be off somewhere.
‘Could I have a word with this housekeeper of yours?’ I asked.
‘Mum!’ Lola glared in my direction. ‘It’s fine, really.’
We left the room, but not before I’d leaned in to kiss Lola, who batted me off slightly. ‘Just remember your please and thank yous,’ I whispered. ‘How to hold your knife and how to break and butter a bread roll correctly.’
‘It’ll make me feel better if I can have a quick word with your… your housekeeper,’ I repeated to Henry as we walked back down the stairs. (I’d never met anyone who had a housekeeper before: a weekly char at the most.) This house really was something else. ‘And then I really must get off to work.’
‘The White House?’ Henry asked.
‘You remembered?’ I was surprised.
‘Of course.’ He paused. ‘I’m always interested in new ventures. When’s your opening date?’
‘Month or two,’ I said. I pulled a face. ‘Bit nerve-racking really.’
‘I’ll bet. Everything good to go then, is it?’
‘It’s all happening so quickly; sort of snowballed out of control, taking me along with it. I’m just on my way up there now. The thing is, we had a bit of a setback yesterday.’
‘Oh?’
‘Hmm, someone thought it good fun to put a brick through the window. Thenewbig picture window…’ I trailed off. Should I be telling someone I didn’t know about what had happened? The last thing we needed was the locals getting to know about it. Or wasn’t any publicity good publicity?
‘You’re joking? Why would anyone do that?’ Henry was obviously shocked. ‘I know what it’s like starting new businesses.’
‘Oh?’ I was curious to know what he did. Obviously successful whatever it was: an amazing house like this, a housekeeper; daughter previously at private school. ‘What line of business are you in?’ (Did that sound a bit more grown up than: ‘Come on, Henry, spill the beans, how d’you make all your dosh?’)
‘Asset management, financial services…’ Henry smiled almost apologetically. ‘Boring stuff. Nothing at all like the excitement of opening a new restaurant.’ He paused. ‘D’you know, I knew I’d seen your face somewhere before. You were the winner of that Christmas TopChef competition, weren’t you?’
‘Goodness.’ I felt myself grow slightly pink as this very gorgeous man continued to smile down at me. ‘Seems ages ago now.’
‘Five months or so ago?’ Henry said, leaning against the huge central island in the kitchen. ‘I followed it all inThe Yorkshire PostandFocus Northon TV. I absolutely love cooking myself.’
‘Really? Hence this amazing kitchen?’
‘I try,’ he said. ‘Although I rarely get the time. But you, Jessica, you’re quite a local celebrity! Have the powers that be all been in touch with you to write your own cookbook and the rest?’
‘Not yet,’ I said. I wasn’t about to tell this man, tellanyone(even Robyn, who I usually told everything) I’d secretly mocked up my own pudding recipe book:Jessica’s Puddings. Instead, I laughed modestly. ‘I wouldn’t say that,’ I demurred, but nevertheless felt a surge of pride at what I’d achieved. Iwasgood. Icoulddo all this.
‘And you’ve moved incredibly quickly with this new restaurant venture. Quite amazing.’
‘Well, the infrastructure was all there – just a matter of conversion of the summer house into a restaurant. And that’s the Sattars for you.’ I smiled, proud of what Kamran had achieved so ridiculously quickly.
‘The Sattars?’ Henry turned. ‘The Frozen people?’
‘Hmm. They certainly know how to turn wheels and get things moving. Planning? You know? All sorted?Ifind it hard enough to get anyone in to mend a fuse, but no, Kamran snaps his fingers and things just seem to happen.’ I paused, ‘To be fair, Kamran had had his eye on Hudson House – the care home? – for a long time before that. Done all the planning in his head, worked out costs and logistics. It was just a matter of changing the venue, up the garden to the summer house.’
‘Great USP,’ Henry said. ‘A place with history, I believe? Coffee?’ He moved towards one of the shiny metal machines.
I glanced at my watch, knowing not only did I have Arthur in the car who would be crossing his legs, but I should have been up at The White House ten minutes ago.
