They fall silent, walking through the house – all eighteen million pounds’ worth of it – in respectful silence. Teddy occasionally announces information from the floorplan, adding to the feeling that they are in some kind of museum.
‘This is the turret sitting area,’ she casually explains. Then, a few minutes later, ‘Here’s the spa.’ Followed, oddly, by, ‘Oh look, the chapel. Theformerchapel, I mean. In case anyone fancies getting married. Or re-married, I should say.’ This elicits a huge peal of laughter from Audrey.
It takes them over an hour to finish the tour of the main house, and Teddy suggests in a far too casual tone that they check out the gardener’s cottage, followed by the stable block. The four of them head out of a back entrance, passing through the largest utility room Paula’s ever seen. As they make their way slowly down a path, moving to a soundtrack of bird song and dog yipping, Audrey once again takes Paula’s arm. ‘Twenty million, eh, my darling?’ she says conversationally, thoughtlessly fiddling with her scarf. ‘That’s a lot of money.’
Paula sighs her acknowledgement, unsure how to feel about all this touching. She hasn’t been touched so much in years, never mind by a stranger. Audrey seems to be a woman who touches everyone, always holding someone’s arm or hand, always hugging and reaching for you, always using people’s names. She is an excessively affectionate person. Paula finds it . . . unnerving.
The older woman continues, ‘I’m actually the lottery loser of the three of us. I only won the Thunderball.’ She giggles and her lovely wrinkled face creases into familiar laughter lines. ‘All five numbers, plus the Thunderball wins you five hundred thousand! I’m practically a pauper in this trio.’ She shrieks and Paula swallows hard. ‘Luckily, darling, I already had money – the Swift family castle I mentioned, you remember?’ Paula nods solemnly as Audrey grins cheekily. ‘So you needn’t worry about me keeping up. I can holiday in the Bahamas with the best of ’em.’
Paula turns to Teddy, who falls into step with her and Audrey. ‘And Teddy won Set For Life?’ she confirms, remembering their conversation in her kitchen. ‘Ten thousand pounds a month for life.’ For some reason, the statement makes Audrey cackle again. It turns into a cough and shestops to pound on her own chest, releasing some old tar build-up. ‘Is that what Teddy told you?’ She cackles again.
Teddy looks on coolly. ‘I didn’t want to frighten our new friend,’ she says conversationally, examining her perfect pink nails.
‘Frighten me?’ Paula asks, thinking of how casually Teddy had spoken of murder during their first encounter.
Audrey is still laughing that filthy laugh. ‘Teddy didn’t win Set For Life, she won the . . .’ She pauses, looking around herself with wide, furtive eyes as if people might hear. She hisses the next part, ‘She won thePowerball.’
The way Audrey says this, it’s clear to Paula this is meant to be a magic word. But she hasn’t got the first idea what it connotes. Powerball sounds like some kind of laundry detergent.
At her blank expression, Teddy gives her a hard stare. ‘Powerball? It’s the American lottery?’ She waves at herself. ‘You didn’t notice the accent? Or the white teeth?’ She flashes them. Audrey removes her dentures and waves them at Teddy, ‘Thesh Britishhh teeth are whitesh, too!’
Teddy gives her a withering glance then turns back to Paula. ‘All I’m saying is that I’m not from the UK. I’m not evenallowedto win the Lotto over here. You really should’ve figured that out. It’s a good job we’re not a group of detectives.’
Paula feels a surge of defensiveness. ‘Well, you might’ve been born here! Or . . . Or you might’ve become a British citizen.’ She trails off. ‘So wait, how muchdidyou win?’
Audrey hops excitedly from foot to foot, waiting for Teddy’s reply. It takes her too long and the older woman answers for her, ‘She won eight hundred million dollars!’
Teddy shrugs. ‘Actually, it was a little over 774 million bucks.’
Paula feels the air vacate her lungs. ‘Eight hundred million?’ she gasps. It is an impossible figure. Impossible to fathom, never mind spend. No wonder Teddy spent six thousand pounds on a skirt. Why not six hundred thousand pounds? Why not six million? It would be a drop in the ocean of what she won.
Paula looks back at the huge red house in the distance. A mere eighteen million pounds. It must feel like chicken feed to Teddy.
‘See, now, Audrey?’ Teddy tuts, using her sunglasses to gesture. ‘You’ve scared Paula.’
The dog barks.
‘No, I’m not scared, I’m . . . fine,’ Paula says faintly, feeling admittedly very scared. She pats her coat pocket, where she’s still carrying around John’s notebook.
Audrey chuckles and retakes her arm, leading the group down a path to a charming little cottage with its own white picket-fenced garden.
‘Oh, isn’t that lovely?’ Paula says genuinely, taking in the sweet building before her. They make their way up a garden path flanked by hydrangeas, up to a country cottage door surrounded by white, pink and yellow roses. It’s undeniably magical. ‘This is part of the estate?’
Teddy nods, her nose inside the brochure. ‘This would be for the house staff. It’s a two bed.’
Paula shakes her head. ‘I don’t need staff.’ She shakes her head again. ‘I don’t need a big house. I definitely don’t need sixty acres! How would I even get around the grounds?’
Audrey looks excited. ‘You could get yourself a little mobility scooter?’
‘A scooter?’ Paula is horrified. ‘I’m only sixty-one!’
Audrey smiles, looking amused. ‘You’re being awfully uncooperative, Paula.’
Paula stares at her, feeling the edge of something she hasn’t felt in such a long time: anger. She takes in her surroundings again; the endless greenery, the ostentatious wealth. It’s like she’s stepped through a magical portal-wardrobe into rich-people Narnia, and these women are acting like talking fauns and friendly lions are the norm.
‘You should buy it!’ Teddy shrugs, fiddling with a diamond bracelet on her wrist that probably cost thousands – tens of thousands! Paula imagines Teddy all in white now, wearing a twinkling tiara like the Snow Queen. She is – they both are – a whole different species. They have no idea who Paula is. They have nothing in common.
‘No!’ she says sharply, much more sharply than she’d intended. They’re trying to take this decision away from her and she won’t let them. She won’t have it.
