Nic was appalled. ‘You’re kidding?’
‘Duh, of course, I’m kidding. Ten minutes into pre-dinner drinks, I realised I’m not up to having company. Everything tires me out right now. Even going to the fridge is an effort. And wading through our accounts didn’t exactly reenergise me. The bottom line is the future’s grim unless we claw back some capital, pay back some loans, sell off vacant properties or bring in new investment.’
Nic sighed. ‘Higher costs of materials and shipping, awol contractors, planning hold-ups, the freak weather—’
‘We know all the problems, Nic. We need solutions. I’m back as your number two to keep a closer eye on things and hopefully put right some of the mistakes made by that idiot you hired. But you need to make some hard decisions. Do we push back construction on the London buildings? Go hell for leather with the northern sites? We’re teetering on the brink, and my guess is we might need an angel, after all.’
Nic wondered if sponsoring the swim was wise, given Theo’s remarks. But that was a small issue. Bringing in more outside investment was a bigger scenario they’d discussed many times and could never agree on the outcome. Now the stakes were higher and the options more limited. No one wanted to back a sinking ship.
‘Dad.’ Nic didn’t speak his name lightly, and Theo’s response was grave.
‘No way. I’m not going to let you go begging.’
‘It’s not begging. He’d only come in if he was making money. He has enough to bail us out. And he’s family,’ argued Nic.
‘He’s a conman. And Mum would never speak to us again if we climbed into bed with him. You’re already on shaky ground with her, although I don’t know why she blames you and not me. Plus, Dad would interfere with the projects, while encouraging you to cut corners. You know he would. He might get us out of a tight spot but, ultimately, he’d do something to tarnish our reputation.’
‘But we’d still be around to have one?’ Nic fired back. ‘Look, maybe we’re walking before we can run. He might not even be interested in propping up a failing business and it’s not like we’re so close he’d jump in out of loyalty. Canyou do me a favour and put together a page that sets out where we are and where we need to get to, with and without a quick fix on the Lakeland development, please? I need to get my head around everything before I even think about going to him cap in hand.’
‘The only headwear you need to wear is a hard hat. I’m going to have to refuse—’
‘It wasn’t a request. I said please to be polite.’
‘Fuck you,’ his brother said, leaving a second or two before sighing. ‘All right then, but I’m not happy about it.’ When they finished their conversation and rang off, Nic clicked on a new email from the Spring into Summer Swim committee. They thanked him for offering to sponsor the swim event and would like to chat. Despite his earlier worry, he felt pleased to have achieved anything at all, and went to bed praying tomorrow would be more productive.
19
That week, the weather warmed up a little more, allowing Aria to weed and plant up the garden around the hut, discreetly swimming when no one was around. She’d travelled into town to see a couple of cheap rental properties only to find they’d already gone. So, she resigned herself to squatting for now, trying to make herself comfortable on a sofa bed with Tiger snoring beside her. At the end of the week, she went to assess the house on the lake so she could put in a quote for tidying up the garden. She wandered the winding pathways, crossed the stone bridges and jumped slippery stepping stones in pointless ponds until she’d landed back where she started, at the front of the house. Her verdict: the paths were overgrown, the streams were clogged, the hedges needed cutting back and the ivy was out of control. This property made her inherited piece of land look like a small flower bed. There were hidden walls and not-so-hidden follies. There were fountains and arches and gates. But, most of all, there were penises. So many phallic-shaped statues that she didn’t know where to look. Wandering back around the circular route, she stopped in front of a mermaid flouncing out of the fountain, and decided she’d be throwing a hissy fittoo if she had to swim in that much weed and mud. Although she’d already bathed in the lake that morning, the pull of the water made her want to head straight back home for a lunchtime dip. Some parts of the landscape were undeniably lovely and needed little work – like the carpet of bluebells that wound its way towards a mosaic wall. But the whole thing gave her a bit of a headache as she attempted to guess what each part of the job should cost.
Back at home, she added it all up before rounding it up to the nearest hundred pounds and pressing send.
Then she started to do some proper research into the state of the lake.
***
‘I had no idea the water was so toxic,’ Aria said to Belinda the following day, her statement ringing around the small shop. ‘We need more regulation! Phosphorus levels have doubled in the last few decades. Companies have been allowed to ditch wastewater contaminated with sewage into lakes left, right and centre. And the algae problems have been increasing annually since—’
‘Pah, you’re preaching to the choir here,’ said Belinda. ‘I’ve been banging that drum for years.’
Aria put her hands on her hips. ‘We have to educate people. Stop them getting away with it. See if we can get anything done before the Spring into Summer Swim.’
‘Yes! LikeErin Brockovich! Or the guy who shouts at the pigeons at Poet’s Panorama.’
Aria opened the notes in her phone. ‘We need a plan.’
‘We could turn the tourist office into a resistance bunker? I could get some tea-towels printed?’
‘Who are the biggest offenders, and can we find stats to back our arguments? We’ll need to print some leaflets.’
‘It’s a toxic shocker!’ Belinda said, pushing her grey hair behind her eyes.
‘Great headline. We’ll use that. But I’m worried people won’t listen to me. I moved away for a while, and I have no friends or influence. I’ve zero experience of campaigning or local politics, except vicariously through my dad. He was a force to be reckoned with, but he’s gone. I can’t even be sure my research will be taken seriously.’
‘That’s why you need a journalist. I have a contact on the local paper. Well, it’s regional now actually, as they closed the Inglemere office last year, but this story is of wider interest, in any case.’
‘Is there anything in this town that isn’t at risk?’ Aria sighed.
‘We will never give up our toilets!’ Belinda cried, with more Dunkirk spirit than necessary.
