‘I’m Anthony Armstrong-James,’ she’d mimicked in a snooty voice, with her nose in the air.
Jasmine too, had thought the open day a fantastic idea.
‘Can I come and pretend I’m interested?’ she’d asked eagerly, wanting to share the experience and see the house in all its glory.
‘Of course, darling, the more the merrier,’ Bunty said, keen to get a full house.
As Bunty’s Morris Minor pulled up outside the cottage, Robin and Jack went out to meet her. They were taken aback when they saw she wasn’t alone.
‘Hello, boys, this is Perry,’ she said. ‘Perry, meet Robin and Jack.’
All three shook hands before making their way inside.
Looking round the kitchen, Perry couldn’t help but be astonished. He’d hardly recognised the place. The only thing that hadn’t changed was the view from the window.
‘Well, you’ve done a fabulous job, lads,’ he said as his eyes took it all in.
‘You approve then?’ smiled Robin.
Perry nodded. ‘I do, it looks so much bigger with the adjoining wall knocked through.’
‘Doesn’t it?’ agreed Bunty.
‘Wait till you see upstairs,’ Jack chipped in, impatient to show it off.
With pride, Robin and Jack opened the bedroom doors to reveal freshly varnished floors and smooth white walls. They each had the original cast iron fireplaces restored.
‘Can they be lit?’ asked Bunty in delight.
‘Yes, they’re in working order,’ Jack told her. ‘And the chimneys have all been swept,’ he went on, pleased at seeing her face light up.
‘Very romantic,’ muttered Robin, who couldn’t resist the mischievous remark. This earned him a nudge from Jack, who was at pains to create the best impression. Luckily it had gone unnoticed by Bunty, but was that a sly smirk from Perry? The old fox!
Perry blinked in disbelief at the transformation of the attic.
‘This is incredible,’ he exclaimed in awe. His eyes scanned the corners, and Robin saw a frown flicker across his face.
‘There were two trunks left behind,’ he said, turning to Perry. ‘I’ve kept one of them, if you’d like it back.’
‘They had the photographs in it,’ Bunty supplied.
Perry gave a knowing smile and shook his head.
‘You keep the trunk, Robin,’ he replied. ‘It belongs to the past.’ Facing Bunty, he continued, ‘It’s the future that matters.’
Once the viewing had completed, in true Bunty style she asked outright, ‘So, boys, what are we looking at, price wise?’ Her eyes swept from one to the other in expectation.
This was where Robin began to feel uncomfortable, but thankfully Jack took the initiative.
‘We want you to get it valued Bunty.’
‘Why?’ she frowned.
‘Because we’d feel better if an outsider gave their opinion.’
‘Plus, we’d reduce it by the same amount you did for us,’ Robin added.
‘There’s no need to do that, boys,’ replied Bunty shaking her head.
