‘So how—’ Leo stopped, obviously not wanting to pry.
‘There was quite a bit of land which I could sell. There was an orchard which was a bit heartbreaking to lose, but the other bit went as a building plot so I could pay off my husband and turn the house intoa bed and breakfast.’ She smiled at the memory of those early days. ‘At first it was something I had to do to keep my family home but I soon found out I loved it. I love the people – they’re all so interesting. Not even the boring ones are completely boring; they all have something about them that’s fascinating.’
They ended up in the kitchen, which was large – some would say cluttered – and Gilly’s favourite room. ‘And here we have the heart of the home,’ said Gilly. ‘And it really is.’
Ulysses got up from where he was sleeping in front of the range and walked over to them. He sniffed at Leo’s trousers. ‘You’re a fat chap, aren’t you?’ said Leo.
‘His name is Ulysses,’ said Gilly.
But Leo was still measuring. ‘It’s a good size, certainly,’ he said, referring to the kitchen, not the cat. ‘Range cookers are always popular.’
‘Helena – that’s my daughter – said that one cost the same as a small cottage. I’m not sure what part of the country you’d have to be in to get a cottage for that price, but it was very expensive.’ Gilly paused. ‘But it’s in use all the time. I do evening meals as well as bed and breakfast.’
‘No island?’
‘No,’ she said. ‘I prefer a kitchen table that you can move if necessary. Once an island, always an island, and it would annoy me if I had to keep walking round it.’
‘To be honest, if you did sell, whoever bought it would probably rip out the kitchen and start again,’ said Leo, not unsympathetically. ‘I like the mix of free-standing and fitted units myself but people are very into sleek white cupboards with invisible catches.’
‘I’ve never been a fan of integral dishwashers and things. I like a fridge to look like a fridge!’
‘Some of the modern kitchens I see, it all looks like a fridge,’ said Leo.
‘I wouldn’t be without my dresser,’ said Gilly, looking at the huge old bit of furniture that her father had had built in when he and his wife first bought the house. It took up an entire wall and swallowed up a vast amount of crockery, dozens of mugs and jugs that hung on the hooks that edged each shelf and a fair amount of clutter that was stuffed into the cupboards. It was her work of art and she loved it as if it was a family pet. Just the thought of having to live without it made Gilly shudder. It would never fit in that granny annexe her daughter-in-law had been so keen for her to live in.
Gilly cleared her throat. The tour had taken quite a long time, there was a lot of house and it seemed natural, now, to add, ‘Would you like a glass of wine?’
Leo smiled and shook his head. ‘Driving. But I’d love a cup of tea and maybe a piece of the shortbread you put in every room.’
‘There’s always plenty of that,’ said Gilly. ‘Let’s go through to the conservatory and look at the view,’ she said, putting two mugs and a plate of biscuits on a tray.
He took the tray from her hands. ‘Lead the way,’ he said.
Gilly had the very short time it took them to go from one room to another to work out why she found these words so very sexy.
Chapter Six
Helena got back from taking her mother home in a state of repressed anger. She’d been keeping a lid on her outrage all day and now she nearly scraped the side of her car when she pulled up outside her home.
Jago was in the yard and came over. ‘Everything all right?’ he said as she got out of the car.
‘Fine thanks. I didn’t hit anything,’ said Helena.
‘Forgive me but you said that as if you wished you had hit something – or someone.’
In spite of herself Helena laughed. ‘Very perceptive of you. I am in a bit of a strop.’
He regarded her for a few moments as if debating the wisdom of his next words. ‘Would you like to come and have a glass of wine and tell me about it? I can no longer offer you a cat to cuddle. Zuleika and her kitten have gone back to my sister.’
‘I saw them leaving, but even without them, that’s a very tempting idea. Especially if you’ve got a firegoing. I’ve spent the day in a glass house – not a heated one.’
‘With people you don’t awfully care for, I can tell. Wait till you’ve had half a glass of wine and then you can really let rip about them.’
Helena went into her own house first, to use the loo and check on her hair. Cressida always made her wish she’d spent hours coaxing it into fat curls that ended on her shoulder, like the woman who helped Lord Sugar onThe Apprentice. Only Helena never quite had the time or inclination. Now, as it was a mess, she put it in a loose plait and went across to Jago’s. The thought of wine, a fire and a good old grump about her sister-in-law was calling to her.
‘If you pull your chair right up to the fire you feel some heat and, more importantly, overlook the fact you’re sitting in a building site,’ said Jago. ‘One day it’ll be my “des res” but now – well, you can see how it is.’
‘Oh, this is lovely!’ said Helena. ‘I didn’t think you’d actually have a fire, it being April and all.’
