‘Besides, Mary wants you to have them. Don’t worry. I’ll find somewhere for them. Sam’s mother can’t need an entire wardrobe for her things, can she? She’s only staying for a few nights.’
‘But she’ll moan!’ said Hattie.
‘I don’t care. She’ll moan anyway. She might as well have a reason.’
Hattie stayed one more night with Rose and Sam, earning her keep by helping Rose put several boxes of shop supplies in the loft the following morning. ‘I will need to get this room a lot clearer before she comes.Sam is lovely, most of the time, but he treats his mother as if she’s the queen and has to have everything perfect.’
‘Oh dear! That can’t be easy to live with.’
‘It’s not great, but as we only have his mother about once a year, it’s not really worth the trouble of divorcing him for.’
Hattie laughed. ‘I’m glad of that! My visions are supposed to pair people for life, or what’s the point of having them?’
‘You don’t like having them, do you?’
Hattie shook her head. ‘Life would be so much easier if I didn’t. But on the other hand, finding a man for Leonie would be a real result.’
‘When is Xander due back?’
‘I’m not entirely sure. He’s spending August with his father, which means at least another couple of weeks or so. I suppose he might go and stay with Lennie afterwards. I’m sure someone will tell me. I gather their summers are always a bit fluid.’
‘Have you got time for another cup of coffee before work?’ asked Rose. ‘I should go myself but I’d love an excuse to linger a bit.’
‘No, I must get on. I have a lot to do today.’
Since she had not heard back from her landlord about the lodge, Hattie decided to sleep at Mary’s house for a few days, trusting Clive wouldn’t find her out, even though it made her a bit anxious. She fleetingly considered phoning Luke and seeing if she could stay there, but decided she’d rather manage on her own. She couldn’t let herself get dependent on Luke.
It was two nights later, as she went round the house replacing Post-its with some very pretty labels thatRose had designed especially (‘Only the best for Mary,’ she’d said), that Hattie realised the stable just wouldn’t be big enough. She would have to rent a lock-up to fit everything into. Moving from room to room she found herself redecorating in her head. The rooms were so full of light she could have dark colours or wallpaper – things that could have made another house seem smaller. She sighed. She’d never get the opportunity to do anything to the house now.
Knowing she was wasting time, Hattie still couldn’t help looking on her phone for wallpaper. She found the perfect thing for the bedroom. It was Zoffany, with small flowers. It managed to look vintage but not dated. But seeing the price per roll made Hattie almost relieved she wasn’t going to have it in real life. She would be tempted to have a washstand to go with it, and a large jug and basin. Rose would help her source a cheaper version of the wallpaper if she ever found herself actually living here.
She shook her head sharply and ran her fingers through her hair; it was all just a dream anyway. This house could never be hers.
When she’d done the labels, she settled herself with a cup of tea before getting out her phone again to look for storage solutions. She did hope Mary could go to the home of her choice very soon and not just for Mary’s sake – the units were expensive!
Hattie got lucky and by the evening of the following day everything Mary had wanted to save from the house was stored; she had added a frighteningly large amount to her credit card and still didn’t have anywhere to live herself but it felt as if she’d done the hard bit.
She was just in a supermarket, getting some things for supper, milk, bread, things like that, when there was a ping on her phone. It was a text from Fiona.
Hattie! Just checking in to say hi! I’d love to get together so we can thank you for everything and have a proper catch up. I love Nick’s new house, by the way! You could almost have had me in mind when you found it for him! I also want to hear all your news.
She was tapping out a reply as her old landlord finally called to say the lodge was – unfortunately for her – booked up.
She added some wine and chocolate to her trolley: she’d have to slink back to Mary’s. At least there was a bed to sleep on, heating, light, a kettle. And Clive hadn’t come near the place. She’d be fine.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Hattie came home from the supermarket to find Clive sitting on her bed.
‘Well, well, well,’ he said. ‘If it isn’t the glamorous house hunter I’ve caught squatting in my aunt’s house!’
Hattie put her bag on the floor, glad most of her possessions were safely in her car. ‘If it isn’t the man who made me homeless.’ She wanted to add ‘totally illegally’ but she hadn’t had time to check if that was actually true. ‘You know perfectly well that Mary wouldn’t mind me staying here.’ She held his gaze trying to convey confidence.
‘Have you asked her?’
Hattie felt herself blush and hoped Clive wouldn’t notice. ‘She’s got a lot to get used to, being put in a home which was not of her choosing and far away from everyone who visits her.’
If she was trying to make Clive feel guilty she immediately knew she’d failed.
