Xander nodded and looked pleasant. Hattie was proud of him. He was so much less shy than he had been when he’d first been thrust upon her.
Hattie had brought her own bedding from the lodge and soon made up beds for her and Xander. Initially, Mary fretted about dampness but once she’d accepted that Hattie could manage, settled back in her chair with a cup of tea.
Xander was surprisingly helpful and volunteered to walk down to the end of the village to get fish and chips. While he was gone, Mary said, ‘He’s such a nice boy, isn’t he?’
‘He’s usually very shy but he obviously felt at ease with you,’ said Hattie, who had made a fresh pot of tea and had brought it into her sitting room. ‘I think Luke’s been a very good influence on him. And talking of Luke, would you like me to make a list of jobs for him? Nothing major, but maybe he could fix the guttering to stop the damp? And a few other things that would make the house more comfortable for you. Maybe a handrail for that little step into the kitchen?’
‘Yes, please, dear.’
Luke came over one evening after work early the following week. ‘So what needs to be done?’ he asked when he had said hello to Mary.
‘Hattie has a list but I think you should tell us what you see needs doing,’ said Mary. ‘Hattie, you go round with him and take notes. Just in case we need to involve Clive. Financially, I mean. He does have control over most of my money.’
Hattie, who didn’t like this arrangement at all, took Luke outside. ‘Clive hasn’t been maintaining theproperty properly. It’s such a lovely house, it should be looked after.’
‘Itisa lovely house,’ said Luke, pressing at a windowsill with his fingers. ‘But you work with lovely houses all the time. What’s so special about this one? You’re different when you talk about it. Almost as if it was a beloved pet.’
Hattie laughed. ‘Do you need to ask? It’s got such lovely proportions and character. It faces southwest so it gets sun almost all day, and the garden is wonderful. It’s hard to find a garden that’s remotely level round here. You wouldn’t exactly call it flat, but it does have flattish areas. It’s also full of very unusual plants. Mary was a great gardener in her day. And I love the shed.’
Luke laughed gently. ‘Well, I think that’s a good list of reasons as to why you love it.’
‘I do love it,’ said Hattie. ‘It’s like home to me, in a way none of the many houses I’ve seen have. I’m not sure I know why. It’s just the way it makes me feel.’ It was only now that she realised that she’d missed this feeling of home; she’d thought she was perfectly happy with her peripatetic life.
‘Well, I’ll keep it standing as long as possible,’ said Luke. ‘And it’s not that bad, I don’t think.’ He paused. ‘Would it be rude to ask for a cup of tea? I’m gasping.’
‘I’ll put the kettle on!’ said Hattie. For some reason she was eager to get away. She felt she’d exposed herself to Luke in some way. A cup of tea would make everything seem more normal.
It was barely a week since Hattie and Xander had moved in with Mary, the night before Xander was dueto meet his father in London. They were having his favourite meal, of pasta with peas, bacon and cheese.
‘We’re going to miss you,’ said Mary, spearing a bit of fusilli with skill. ‘We’ve become a family so quickly. And I really enjoy playing Scrabble even if you do often win.’
‘I think Luke will miss you too. He said you were really helpful the other day,’ said Hattie.
‘I’m good at carrying buckets,’ said Xander, laughing. ‘And will you miss me too, Hattie?’
‘Strangely, I will! Who knew having a Gen Z person around could actually be quite fun?’ Hattie put a hand on his arm. ‘And you’re quite happy to go up to London, take the tube to Victoria and then on to your dad’s?’
‘Of course I am!’ Xander was adamant. ‘I’ll be fine. There’s no need to worry.’
These were pretty much the same words as Hattie had said to Leonie when she had tried to persuade Hattie that Xander needed an escort. As it turned out that Xander’s father Charles and Tom had both said the same thing, Leonie had to agree.
‘I don’t suppose I’ll ever go to London again,’ said Mary, ‘but I did used to enjoy it.’
‘Would you like to go again?’ said Hattie, wondering if she should arrange to take her.
‘I don’t think so really. I had a job in Knightsbridge and used to go to Harrods in my lunch hour.’
‘The food halls?’
‘Salon de Parfum as they used to call it. I used to spray myself with as many scents as I could get away with.’
‘Didn’t they smell weird, all mixed together?’ asked Xander.
Mary shrugged. ‘I had a scarf which smelt wonderful. Although I dare say others may not have agreed with me.’
‘Mary’s fun, isn’t she?’ said Xander as he and Hattie cleared up after the meal. ‘I wish my grandparents were more like her.’
‘I’m sorry you feel like that, but I agree, they are rather – formal.’
