‘What if he’s a neat freak? Oh, God, I’m not sure I can cope with that!’
‘What if he has terrible hygiene habits? Clips his toenails in the living room? Leaves shaving soap around the sink? Pubes in the shower?’ Marieke, less used to cider, was openly snorting with laughter.
‘He doesn’t seem the type,’ Bella replied, ‘he’s always smelt nice to me.’
‘Oh, yes? Been sniffing your new landlord regularly, have you?’
Bella giggled. ‘Not if I can help it, but I can confirm he’s not unpleasant.’
‘A ringing endorsement!’ Marieke raised an eyebrow. ‘Do you fancy him, then?’
‘What?’ Bella’s response was quick, even to her own ears. ‘I mean, he’s a weekend wanker, really, isn’t he? All posh jobs and London living. We’ve got nothing in common except a soft spot for Monty, and as soon as he manages to sell Jack’s cottage he’ll be back off to London, and even richer, and I’ll be looking for somewhere else to live.’
‘You haven’t answered my question.’ Marieke’s eyes glinted.
Bella stroked the condensation off her glass thoughtfully. ‘Well, he’s not unattractive.’ She flushed as she recalled that when he’d asked her to be his impromptu tenant, he’d seemed kind, gentle and very concerned for both her and Monty.
‘Earth to Bella, come in, Bella.’ Marieke’s teasing tone cut into Bella’s reverie.
‘Sorry?’
‘You were miles away. Or maybe not? Maybe only a couple of roads away, imagining what it’ll be like to share averysmall space with our Mr Hathaway?’
‘Oh, bugger off, Marieke, and do some clog dancing or something,’ Bella retorted lightly.
‘I’m not wrong, then?’
‘He seems like a decent bloke. As for anything else… well, thatwouldbe awkward, what with us being part-time housemates. Almost as awkward as hearing you and Gerard through my bedroom wall!’
‘Well, that won’t be a problem much longer,’ Marieke grinned. ‘Here’s to having our own space but still seeing lots of each other.’ She raised an eyebrow. ‘You can bring Noah over for dinner, too, if you want.’
‘I don’t think so!’ Bella laughed. ‘I’ve no intention of subjecting him to your particular brand of scrutiny. He’s only my landlord, and that’s the way it’s going to stay.’
‘If you say so,’ Marieke replied. ‘But you never know…’
‘I do!’ Finishing her cider, Bella headed off to pack her things. She’d always travelled light, but over the time she’d been at Marieke’s she’d accumulated a surprising amount of stuff. Thinking about it, she’d been living in Lower Brambleton for longer than she’d ever stayed anywhere as an adult.
Having left home in her teens on a gap year that had become a gap decade, Bella was used to being itinerant. Settling anywhere for too long seemed an alien concept, but having Marieke’s house as a base had meant that she’d acquired a few more things in addition to the guitar that went everywhere with her. There was a selection of books, some additions to her wardrobe and various other items.
Surveying her room, she surmised that she was going to need quite a few boxes to pack it up. She resolved to ask Paddy if he had any going spare when she was back at the pub tomorrow night. Things felt as though they were changing, and, as ever with Bella, it wasn’t a conventional change, but it was one that she definitely felt optimistic about.
29
The following Saturday morning was bright and breezy, and Bella did a final check around her small bedroom, making sure she hadn’t forgotten anything. It wasn’t as if she was moving miles away, but she didn’t like leaving things unfinished. Glancing into the wardrobes for the third time, and checking under the bed for the fourth, she finally satisfied herself that there would be no lurking socks or objects when she left the room for the last time.
‘Is that the lot?’ Gerard called up from the downstairs hallway.
‘Yup!’ Bella called back. She drew a deep breath, silently thanked the room for looking after her, as she did when she left any of the places she’d lived, and then headed down the stairs.
Noah had handed over a newly cut set of keys on the day they’d talked about her impromptu tenancy, and they’d arranged with Mollie that, once Bella had settled in, Mollie would bring Monty back to the cottage. Bella and Mollie had been concerned about the upheaval of the work on the cottage, but with the aid of some calming meds and a designated room where Monty could take refuge, they were sure they could manage him so that he wasn’t too stressed.
Jack’s cottage was only a road away, but Bella was grateful for Marieke’s car – carrying her boxes would have been a tiring way to start. She hopped into the car and within a minute they were outside Bella’s new home. Taking a deep breath, she turned the key in the Yale lock and stepped inside.
Noah, to his credit, had obviously given the place a bit of a clean before she was due to move in. Far from being musty, the air smelt of a flowery disinfectant, and the beige carpet in the hallway looked as if it had been recently vacuumed. Wandering through to the kitchen at the back of the cottage, she noted that, while old-fashioned, having been installed in the early 1990s and a symphony of melamine and wood veneer, it was spotlessly clean and even the chrome electric kettle shone. The air felt still, and as Bella unlocked the back door that led to Jack’s garden, a slight breeze stirred it.
This was a place she could definitely call home, despite the dated decor. She’d never been precious about where she laid her head and she’d crashed out in places far less salubrious than this stone cottage. At times, the only roof she’d known had been the roof of a car.
‘Where do you want the boxes?’ Gerard called from the hallway.
