‘Come, everyone, let me show you to your rooms, and then we can all get stuck into making dinner in time for the others to arrive!’ Opal looked gleeful, almost skipping back into the house. Ruby retrieved her rucksack from the boot and watched everyone file through the door.
She had the distinct sense that one day she would look back at this moment and think about her life in two halves: before and after it. A shiver ran down her spine.Get a grip, Ruby, you’re going to need to keep your head if you’re planning on walking away with that prize money.
Chapter 14
Gareth headed straight to the kitchen to find himself a drink while Opal led the trio up the main staircase and turned left, towards the eastern wing. There were four rooms overlooking the grounds and one facing the gravel drive at the front of the house.
‘The two at the end of the corridor are the largest, and they have their own bathroom,’ Opal explained. ‘The other three will need to share a bathroom, so maybe the boys should go in those?’
‘Are there more of us to come?’ Adam’s voice was so deep and soft that Opal had to strain to hear him.
‘Yes! Two more, so there will be five of you in total. As well as your rooms I’ve also set up a studio area for you, Adam, and for Heather, who is coming later. Johan … I’m sorry Jojo, I’ve turned one of the outhouses into a makeshift darkroom, and Ruby …’ Opal trailed off. She worried she was speaking too quickly, or maybe at too high a pitch? She took a deep breath, regaining her confidence. ‘Ruby, you’re more than welcome to work wherever you like. I’d like you to treat Fairfax as your home, and feel free to roam wherever you wish.’
‘What’syourbedroom like?’ Ruby’s expression was deadpan, but Opal sensed a challenge in her tone.
‘Um well, you’re more than welcome to have a look at the master. It’s right at the other end of the hall. Of course, you understand that my husband deserves his privacy, but um … well my room is right here.’ She gestured vaguely at the guest bedroom door and then immediately regretted having revealed so much about herself.
A satisfied smile flashed across Ruby’s face. Opal was getting the same feeling she had from that group of blondes at university. As though she was being prodded for sport.
‘You and your husband don’t sleep together?’ Ruby raised a single, devastating eyebrow.She should feel ashamed for asking such a personal question. But it was Opal who felt her cheeks burn. Johan stifled a laugh, and Adam looked down at his clasped hands.
‘I … um … no, we don’t, not recently.’ Opal hadn’t even told Debbie that she’d started sleeping in the guest room, although she had probably guessed. Suddenly, though, having been cornered into an honest response, Opal felt lighter.
‘Interesting.’ Ruby shrugged, suddenly uninterested in her prey now that it had stopped fighting for its life. ‘I guess when you have as much room as this …’
Opal plastered on a bright smile. She had tried not to set herself up for disappointment by keeping her expectations of this experiment in check, but she realised now that she had assumed that these artists would be grateful. Maybe not kissing her feet, but at least visibly happy to be there.
‘Do you want to take this one then, Ruby?’ It wasn’t really a question. Opal picked up the scruffy backpack at Ruby’s feetand strode towards the door at the end of the corridor. She was relieved to hear footsteps following.
The room was big, with a heavy oak desk nestled in the alcove of large bay windows overlooking the lawn. In the middle of the room, the four-poster bed was draped with lavender gauze, which matched both the bedding and the wallpaper.
‘I hope you’ll be comfortable here.’ Opal placed the bag on the bed and busied herself plumping the purple pillow on a large cream armchair.
Ruby’s expression was blank. Adam and Johan stood awkwardly in the doorway.
‘It’s very matchy-matchy, isn’t it.’ Ruby walked to the far end of the room and poked her head into the bathroom. ‘Bath is wicked, though.’
For a second Opal relished the hint of enthusiasm in Ruby’s voice.
But then: ‘Can I smoke in here?’
Opal was deflated again.
‘I’d rather you didn’t. The smoke really clings to the drapes you see and—’
Ruby cut Opal off. ‘Yeah, yeah, I get it. I’ll go outside …’ Ruby seemed to be wrestling with herself as to whether she should continue, and then she did. ‘I’ll have to have a spliff or two in that bath, though. I’m sure you get it.’
Opal had only ever tried to smoke pot once. It had been at Gareth’s behest, sometime early in their friendship. She had practically coughed up a lung, and she’d not been tempted to try again since. Opal felt that somehow Ruby could sense this. As with the bedroom questions earlier, Ruby had a nose for weakness.
‘Sure, just keep the window open, if that’s OK?’ Opal became aware that she was wringing her hands, and vowed to keep them sternly at her sides. Before Ruby could protest, she turned on her heel and marched out. Adam and Johan duly followed.
Their inductions went far more smoothly. Both thanked her politely when she showed them their rooms, even though they were both far less grand than Ruby’s. Opal left them all, saying, ‘Settle in and unpack before coming down for dinner.’ As she walked down the stairs, she took a shaky breath. She momentarily entertained the possibility that she was making a terrible mistake.
‘Opal darling, whatever is the matter? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.’ Gareth was standing by the French doors, when Opal walked into what Martin insisted on calling the drawing room. Most of the furniture was more ornamental than functional. A pair of spindly-legged, paisley-printed armchairs faced a fussy cream and magenta-patterned chaise. The coffee table between them was large and low to the ground. The mantelpiece was topped with their wedding photo and a garishly yellow-gold trophy Martin had won at his golf club’s yearly members tournament.
With the backdrop of the vast pea green lawn behind him, Gareth was holding a drink in each hand. One was far less full than the other. Opal reached for it, on autopilot. He handed it over. ‘Whatever it is, a Harvey Wallbanger always helps.’
Opal collapsed onto the chaise. ‘That Ruby, she’s …’ Opal paused to take a sip and Gareth finished her sentence.
