Housekeeper wanted for a large period property in a secluded area in Samphire Bay. It is a live-in post and will require a person without dependants. Duties include cleaning, cooking and organisational skills. Honesty and discretion are key qualities required. To apply contact:[email protected]
Perry read it with interest, knowing how much his daughter had wanted to see inside the house. She’d practically begged him to take her with him when he’d first reacquainted with Bunty. When Emma had been asked to step in for the pianist who had let them down on the open day, she’d accepted with elation and had been captivated by the place. With this in mind, would she fancy becoming its housekeeper? She could cook, he’d vouch for that, and clean for that matter. But would Emma want to be responsible for such a big house? And what was the owner like? The ‘Mystery Man’ who’d bought it they knew nothing about.
Bunty assessed him with narrowed eyes, knowing how protective he was over his daughter.
‘Well, what do you think?’ she asked.
‘I could always run it past her…’ He rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
‘Yes, let her make her own mind up,’ she replied. ‘It’d give her some independence. She is twenty-five years old after all Perry.’
The tone in her voice wasn’t lost on Perry. It irked him a touch.
‘Hmm, because the last thing I want to be is an overprotective, controlling father, isn’t it?’ he challenged. He was of course referring to Bunty’s father, who had beenexactlythat.
Touché, thought Bunty. She well and truly earned that response. Their eyes met and she gave a grin.
‘You’re a brilliant dad,’ she said, covering her hand with his.
‘I am,’ he smiled back. ‘I’ll let Emma know about the position this evening.’
However, there was no need. Emma had already seen the advert for herself after hunting through the job advertisement column. The only thing putting her off was that it was a live-in post. Would her dad be OK with her leaving home? It had to happen one day, she wasn’t going to stay living with her dad forever, was she?
With determination, Emma contacted the email address given and received an automated message reply, asking for her to complete an attached application form. She glanced over it. Besides the expected personal details requested, she gave particular attention to the remaining questions.
Did she consider herself a prompt timekeeper?
Err… well… ish. But then, she’d be living there, so what did that matter? she thought.
Was her cleaning to a high standard?
Probably, her dad never complained… apart from when she accidently kicked a full bucket of soapy water all over the kitchen floor when mopping up.
What would she call her signature dish?
That was easy, her spaghetti bolognaise was legendary. But would that be a bit basic? Should she be giving a fancier dish, like duck a l’orange, or what about a traditional Sunday roast, she could cook that too?
The last question on the application form filled her with more optimism.
What, if any, further qualities could she offer to the position of housekeeper?
How about her talent of singing and playing the piano? She knew that grand piano was still in the hall, it had been the only condition the guy buying the house had had, that the sale included the piano. Emma felt cheered when completing the application form, after all, how many of the other applicants could offer entertainment like that? She imagined some stuffy, middle-aged matron type figure applying for the job and chuckled to herself at the comparison. Then again, they would probably have far mor experience than her at running such a house. Oh well, nothing ventured, nothing gained she told herself and pressed the ‘send’ button with hope.
Jennifer was busy sifting through the application forms. She had received fifteen in total, ten of which she’d dismissed outright after reading them. Fancy asking if they could smoke in the house? A definite no-no for Jennifer, who called it a filthy habit. Another application form was full of spelling mistakes and grammatical errors, another bugbear for Jennifer. Knowing the size of Felix’s house and the amount of energy it would need to clean it meant that the two older applicants were perhaps not suitable; such a vast house would need a young pair of legs to get about it, someone full of oomph to run up and down all those stairs. Then there was the personality side to consider. Whoever was employed had to get on with Felix, they would be living together under the same roof after all. After much deliberation she had narrowed it down to three applicants to interview.
As agreed with Felix, they would be held next week. She would be doing the interviewing, but Felix would be present from a distance. They only wanted to disclose who he was, once a candidate had been selected. It was vital to get the right person, especially before the filming started. The house would need strong, steady organisation, given that it would soon be filled with a whole production team and cast of actors. Jennifer cringed. Whoever the new housekeeper was going to be, she didn’t envy them.
