“I have no idea where to get peacocks from, or how to look after them if I did.”
“That’s what the internet’s for. What do you think? About the whole idea, not peacocks. Though I’d like to know that, too.”
“I think—” I paused, torn between desire for privacy, and the thought that, if Ollie was right, it would relieve some of my financial pressure. His plan would restore the Court to its former glory, the way it should be. I thought Tim would love that.
“I’ll need to consult with Tim and Mia. It’s their home, too.”
I had no idea why Ollie was suddenly hugging me, but I wasn’t going to complain.
June left soon afterwards, promising that Chris would contact me.
“Looks like she really did sell her car,” Ollie said as we watched her walk down the drive to catch the bus back to Winchester. “But handbags? How much can a handbag possibly be worth?”
“I’m scared to think about it,” I told him. “When I started doing commissions, I was stunned by what rich people will pay for something if they want it badly enough. Though they’re alsothe first to try and haggle you down, so…” I shrugged. “I don’t know how their minds work.”
“I can’t believe you gave Chris a job after everything he did.”
“Only provisionally. I want to be sure he’s truly sorry and has given up on his head of family claim. You think I shouldn’t have?” It was Ollie he’d threatened and hurt. I should have spoken to him first.
“After hearing about the treasure, I think it was the right thing to do, though super generous of you in the circumstances. But then, that’s part of why the family’s so fond of you.”
I didn’t know where Ollie had got that idea about the family being fond of me. He saw everything through rose-tinted glasses.
“It’s not a particularly generous thing to do. I’d have done it for any member of the family who was having problems finding work, and he’s either family or he isn’t.” I glanced sideways at him. “We still don’t know if he’ll take it. Might be beneath his dignity to dig flower beds.”
“I can’t imagine June spreading horse shit,” Ollie said. “Hey, does donkey shit have the same properties as horse shit? Because that would be a cheaper way to fertilise your roses. We could just scoop it out of the field.”
I looked at his face, alight with enthusiasm and ideas, and something slotted into place. “You know, if we go ahead with this garden scheme, we’re going to need a Director of Operations. I can’t think of anyone better than you.”
Ollie flushed bright red. “I don’t know what I’m doing. I just talk a lot.”
“You’ve come up with about twenty solid ideas plus some lateral thinking in the last thirty minutes. Let’s leave it for now because we don’t know what the others will say, and we don’tknow if people will want to come, but if they do—oh, shit. I shouldn’t sleep with my employee, should I?”
“I don’t think it counts if we’re sleeping togetherbeforeI get the job. That just makes it favouritism.”
It was supposed to be a joke, yet once again, he was putting himself down. “If I ask you to do this, Ollie, and I don’t even know if it’s something youwantto do, it’s not because we’re together. It’s because you’d be damn good at it.”
“Oh,” he said, and his eyes shone like stars.
“Come on. Let’s call Tim and get his input.”
Tim was in a lecture—so why was he replying to my text?—but said he’d be up for a call in another twenty minutes. That gave us time to make some tea and talk a little more about things we could do.
It also gave me time to realise the enormous assumption I’d made when I’d offered Ollie a job. Somehow, I’d blotted out the fact that he wasn’t here forever. He’d be going home in another few weeks, back to his real family and all his mates and his best friend.
I didn’t have enough to offer him, compared to that, for him tolivehere. But I knew he loved me, and I thought we could make it work. Tunbridge Wells was only a couple of hours’ drive away. I could visit him, and he could come and stay here frequently enough to oversee his ideas about the gardens coming to fruition.
It wouldn’t be perfect, but it was so much more than I ever thought I’d have.
OLLIE
Tim was in favour of the idea, though once we finished speaking to him, I realised there was a hole in my plan.
“Mia won’t be able to join in, will she? Mixing with humans, I mean.”
“She turns eighteen in three weeks’ time, so you know what? I think it’s going to work out fine.” Archer had gone from flat-out resistance to almost embracing the idea. If it took some of the weight off his shoulders, ithadto be a good thing.
Thinking of his burden as head of the family reminded me of something strange that June had said.
