‘Well, it’s not that easy,’ Dominic said quietly, leaning forward slightly in his chair.
Nina began to fidget. ‘You know you can tell me anything, don’t you?’ she encouraged.
Dominic nodded. ‘I know. You’re marvellous.’
‘Don’t be starting all that again,’ Nina warned.
He pushed the remains of his pasta around on his plate. He wasn’t going to eat it, but he hadn’t quite finished with the cutlery yet.
‘Dominic!’ He looked up from the large swirl he’d created in the thin layer of sauce. ‘Are you going to tell me or not?’
He put his knife and fork down and nodded. ‘As long as you don’t interrupt. Just listen to what I’ve got to say – before you say anything.’
‘Okay,’ Nina said, a mixture of anticipation and anxiety bubbling in her stomach.
Dominic cleared his throat to begin. But a sudden loud knocking on the door prevented his words from ever leaving his mouth.
Chapter Fifteen
‘Helloooo! Anyone at home?’ a cheery voice called.
It was Alex. Of course it was Alex. It was always Alex. Who else could arrive with such an accurate sense of timing?
‘Hi, Dom! Hope I’m not interrupting anything,’ he said as he barged into the room, a mischievous grin lurking in the corners of his mouth as he eyed Nina and Dominic at the table. Together. Alone.
‘Well, you are actually,’ Dominic began, but he might just as well have said nothing.
‘I was looking for Nina,’ Alex said, as if that was the most natural explanation in the world.
‘Were you?’ Nina met his gaze full-on and felt herself reddening.
‘Yes,’ Alex said, moving an artists’ palette off a nearby stool and noisily drawing it up to the table. Dominic watched in amazement as his brother stretched an arm towards the centre of the table to reach the baguette.
‘Mind the candle!’ he warned, his voice fuelled by fury. Alex shrugged and blew it out.
‘You should watch these things – dangerous, you know.’
‘Only when you’re around,’ Dominic said under his breath.
The brothers looked at one another and Nina half-expected to see a bolt of lightning at the place where their eyes met.
‘What are you eating, anyway?’ Alex asked, eyeing the remains of Dominic’s plate with unreserved disgust.
‘Pasta salad,’ Nina smiled. ‘It’s really good, Dominic.’
‘What – Dom made it?’ Alex said incredulously, as if the notion of making one’s own food was preposterous. ‘Sure it’s not a defrosted M&S job?’
‘No, it isn’t,’ Dominic all but growled. ‘Just because your idea of food is to throw a couple of tenners across a pub counter—’
‘Excuse me, bro, but my idea of food is to take a beautiful young lady out for a meal, not subject her to eating in a room that smells like a cat’s weed in it.’
‘It’s turps. And it doesn’t smell that bad,’ Dominic said with a weary sigh.
‘So, what was it?’ Nina asked in a slightly raised voice, trying to dispel the tension that was rising between the brothers as fast as her colouring. Honestly, it was as if the last decade had slipped away and she’d reprised her old role as referee, trying to keep the warring brothers from starting a fight.
Alex eyed her leisurely as he stuffed his mouth with a portion of torn bread. He then shrugged. ‘Nothing in particular. Just wanted to see you.’
‘Well, we’re eating,’ Dominic pointed out.
‘No!’ Alex laughed.
‘Yes!’ Dominic retaliated. Nina was beginning to feel rather uncomfortable and fidgeted in her chair. But it wasn’t her job to intervene any more. She couldn’t tell them off and send them running to their bedrooms like she had done in the past.
‘I was thinking,’ Alex said, breaking the brief barrier of silence, ‘we should really go swimming.’
‘What?’ Dominic blurted.
‘Yes!’ Alex cried. ‘It’s certainly warm enough.’
‘But it’s after eight o’clock,’ Nina said.
‘So?’
‘And we’re still eating,’ Dominic said.
‘God – you’re such a killjoy, Dom,’ Alex groaned, scraping his stool back from the table. ‘Nina? Fancy a quick dip in the river?’
‘Er—’ she looked at Dominic, but his eyes were fixed firmly on his plate. ‘Maybe another time?’
‘Might not be another time,’ Alex said, unbuttoning his shirt as he strode over to the door. ‘Best to go with these things, I say.’
Nina watched in amazement as he whipped the shirt from his body and turned around to look at her. ‘Sure you’re not tempted?’ he asked, his hand on the door.
‘No, she’s not,’ Dominic said angrily and, for a moment, Nina thought he was about to get up from his chair and thump his brother right in the middle of his tanned chest.
‘Okay!’ Alex held a hand up in resignation, the twinkle in his eyes seeming to brighten.
‘But thanks,’ Nina said and Alex nodded before leaving and closing the door quietly behind him. For a millisecond, Nina could have sworn he’d winked at her, but it was so fast that she convinced herself she must have imagined it.
Turning her attention to Dominic, she watched as he stood up and collected her plate, piling it noisily on top of his own.
‘Dommie—’
‘It’s Dominic, Nina. Please don’t call me Dommie anymore.’
‘Sorry,’ she said quickly. ‘I was just going to say that that was really nice. Thank you.’ Again, she was fully aware that his high spirits at the start of the evening had evaporated the moment his brother had appeared.
‘Dessert?’ he asked, making it sound like an order instead of an offer. Nina nodded and Dominic disappeared behind a wicker screen that sectioned off his tiny kitchen.
What had he been about to say when Alex had waltzed in? Nina rested her head on her hands and sighed. That was the second time Alex had done that to Dominic. He really did have an uncanny sense of timing. Perhaps that was all part of being an older brother? But how could she find out what it was that Dominic had been about to tell her?
‘Do you want a hand in there?’ she asked, trying to sound as jolly as she could.
‘No,’ Dominic said simply and curtly.
Nina listened as he moved about the kitchen, and almost leapt from her seat when she heard a plate clatter into the sink and Dominic cursing under his breath.
No, she thought, she wouldn’t find out what Dominic had wanted to tell her tonight. The moment had been lost.
Nina woke from a sleep so troubled that even the rush of the river couldn’t soothe her. She leapt out of bed and shook her head vigorously, like a waterlogged dog. Her bedroom at the top of the house was hot and humid and she walked across to the window to open it, the night air warm and still, filled with the scent of honeysuckle and roses.
She took a few deep steadying breaths.
‘Oh God!’ she whispered, as she acknowledged what was happening. She started to pace the room, her nightie twisting around her legs in a gauzy bondage as she moved.
‘Dommie Milton has a crush on me?’ she said into the empty room and, if she wasn’t mistaken, she was beginning to believe that Alex was making a play for her, too. She’d done her best to block it out, but it had been quite obvious tonight and there was no running away from it any more.
She thought about the way Dominic had behaved – the little looks, the blushing, his being tongue-tied, and she thought about his fury when he’d been interrupted by Alex. She’d been so naive to think that she could just be friends with the boys.
‘Oh God,’ Nina groaned, wondering if it was too early in the morning to ring Janey for advice. She could just imagine what her friend would say though.
‘What are you complaining about? Why not enjoy the attention? It’s not every woman who has two handsome brothers running after her! You’d be mad not to make the most of something like that.’
/> Yes, Nina thought, Janey would probably not be the best person to advise her with something like this. Anyway, maybe it was just a rivalry thing. Maybe the two brothers were just asserting themselves, and their feelings were nothing more than a kind of game to see who could win her first.
Nina sighed. She’d thought that coming to the mill was a sure-fire way of turning the page and making a new, simpler life for herself. However, this particular page not only refused to be turned, but seemed to repeat itself on subsequent pages like some freak printing error. Was it ever possible to get away from everything, she wondered? Was it ever possible to find some peace?
She walked to the window again and stared out into the velvety darkness, glimpsing the rush of the river under the bridge in the moonlight. This was such a special place and Nina didn’t want to do anything that would jeopardise her time there. She was there to work – not to get into some weird love triangle with two brothers. She had to nip this thing in the bud before it got out of control. As much as she adored the Milton boys, she could never see them through romantic eyes. It just didn’t feel right, however handsome they might be.
Then there was Justin. In the busy daily life at the mill, she’d almost forgotten her new dog-walking friend and the little slip of paper he’d given her with his phone number on. He was still waiting for her to call him, wasn’t he? She sighed. Nina wasn’t used to so much male attention; she was used to being one man’s doormat. It was a strange situation to find herself in – but not a totally unpleasant one, she had to admit. However, she had made a vow, which Faye had witnessed and seemed very keen for Nina to adhere to. She was not going to get involved with a man. It was too early. Way too early. So Dominic’s love-struck looks, Alex’s flirtatious ways and Justin’s suggestion of dinner all had to be put on the backburner because she was unavailable.
A few hours later, after finally managing to get to sleep, she was awoken by a knock on her door.
‘Who is it?’ she asked grouchily, wondering who would have the nerve at half past seven on a Saturday morning.
‘It’s me – Dominic.’
Nina gasped. ‘What do you want?’ she asked, feeling horribly embarrassed that he was standing outside her bedroom after she’d just dreamt about him. It was almost as if she’d conjured him up.
‘I need to talk to you.’
Nina panicked, grabbed her dressing-gown and pushed her hands quickly through her hair.
‘Just a minute,’ she stalled, before padding across the room with bare feet and opening the door.
Dominic was leaning against the wall. His face was pale and unshaved, and he was wearing combat pants with slashes all the way down them and a T-shirt splattered with red paint, making him look as if he’d had a horrific nosebleed.
‘What is it?’ she asked in concern.
‘I can’t believe what’s happened,’ he said, somewhat cryptically. ‘I guess I just didn’t believe it.’
‘Believe what?’ Nina urged impatiently.
‘Mum – she’s taken three portrait sittings for today!’
Nina’s mouth dropped open, half in relief and half in surprise that he hadn’t been about to declare his undying love for her. ‘But that’s good, isn’t it?’ she said.
‘I didn’t think it would happen so soon,’ he said, looking totally stunned.
‘Dominic – you didn’t think it would happen at all, did you? You were hoping it wouldn’t happen anyway – weren’t you?’ she said, cocking her head to one side.
He met her gaze and nodded. ‘I’ve got this group exhibition in Norwich coming up and I really need to get organised for that, but I don’t think Mum believes that we’re actually going to sell anything. She thinks I’m just playing.’
‘Oh, I don’t think that’s true.’
‘But this portrait thing – that’s proper money, agreed upfront. She believes in that,’ Dominic said. ‘But I just don’t feel ready for it. Look.’ He handed her a piece of paper with three names written on it.
‘Edna Bowridge. Felicity Makepeace. Maisie Myhill,’ Nina read the names and smiled.
‘And that’s just today’s. Mum thinks I can cope with that workload each day. She’s already talking about Monday’s bookings.’ Dominic’s voice was barely audible. His dark eyes looked terrified, as if he’d been told that his life depended upon his artistic skills. ‘I’ve never speed-painted before. It usually takes me weeks to complete a canvas.’
‘Yes, but we’re not talking Turner Prize stuff here, are we?’ Nina kindly pointed out. ‘We’re just talking about a few old ladies who want something to hang on their walls. Half of them probably can’t see properly anyway.’
‘Oh, thanks very much!’ he said, rolling his eyes at the ceiling.
‘No – I didn’t mean the paintings wouldn’t be good,’ Nina added quickly, ‘I’m just saying that they won’t be expecting you to create the Mona Lisa.’
Dominic sighed loudly and Nina watched his body slump against the wall. She hugged her dressing-gown to herself, aware that it had gaped open at the neck.
‘Did I wake you?’ he asked, suddenly noticing her attire.
Nina bit her lip. ‘No,’ she said although, in a way, he had. Or his face in her dream had – but she wasn’t going to tell him that.
‘What do you want, Nina?’
‘Pardon?’ she said.
‘From life?’
‘God, Dominic. You’re getting rather profound for a Saturday morning, aren’t you?’
‘What I mean is, would you be happy doing something you really didn’t want to be doing?’
Nina sighed. ‘I know you’d rather be doing other things, Dommie – Dominic – but you don’t have much choice at the moment, do you? And yes, I’ve often had to settle for second best. You just have to make the most of it by telling yourself that things will get better.’
Dominic smiled at her. ‘Will you help me, then?’
‘What would you like me to do?’
‘I don’t know – greet them, make cups of tea – that sort of thing. Moral support stuff, I suppose.’
Nina looked at this handsome boy, who seemed so unsure of himself. It was probably a very bad idea to spend any length of time with him, especially after their dinner together.
‘I’d be very grateful,’ he said, a small smile breaking over his unshaven face.
Nina smiled back at him. She felt a strange but pleasant feeling of warmth spreading through her body. It was, undoubtedly, the irresistible knowledge that she was needed, and that she felt truly valued by the people she was working with.
‘I’d be happy to help,’ she said, ‘but on one condition.’
‘What’s that?’
‘You have to stop panicking, have a shave and get yourself into some decent clothes so that these ladies you’ll be painting don’t think you’re some kind of thug.’
‘That’s more than one condition,’ he pointed out with a grin.
Nina grinned. ‘I drive a hard bargain – get used to it.’
Chapter Sixteen
If gossiping were an Olympic sport then Edna Bowridge would have won a gold medal. She’d started chatting away to herself even before Nina had opened the front door.
‘Lovely, aren’t they?’ she beamed, pointing to the terracotta pots at the front of The Old Mill House, the light bouncing off her pink-rimmed glasses.
‘Mrs Bowridge?’ Nina smiled.
‘Edna – please,’ she corrected, stepping into the hall. Nina took her heavy tweed coat from her, wondering how on earth she hadn’t suffocated in the heat. Underneath, she was wearing a crisp white blouse with a pearl necklace peeping through the opening, and a dark green tartan skirt and matching waistcoat. Nina couldn’t help but notice a very large safety pin on the front of the skirt. She hadn’t seen anything like that for years; not since her days at Sunday school anyway, when the teacher, as old as the church itself, had sported similar hairy monstrosities that would make the children wriggle and itch if they h
ad the misfortune to be pulled up onto her lap.
‘We’ve got the studio upstairs,’ Nina explained. ‘It’s a south-facing room, so it’s lovely and warm.’
‘This is the first time I’ve done anything like this,’ Edna said excitedly, ‘But – gosh, all these stairs are going to make me rather red-faced for my portrait,’ she puffed, her hand very firmly on the banister rail.
‘I’m sure Dominic will take that into account,’ Nina said, leading the way up to the second-floor bedroom, which Dominic had turned into a studio. It had been his bedroom when he’d lived at the mill and, being at the front of the house, the light was perfect.
‘Pleased to meet you, Mrs Bowridge.’ Dominic stepped forward to shake her hand as she entered the room. He had obviously taken Nina’s advice because he was now clean-shaven, wearing a crisp denim shirt and had perfected his greeting and handshake so that he gave an instant impression of confidence and serenity.
‘Please, call me Edna,’ she said, somewhat out of breath.
‘Can I get you a cup of tea or coffee?’ Nina asked.
‘A glass of water would be fine,’ Edna said before turning back to Dominic. ‘Right, my boy, where do you want me?’
Nina found herself spending most of the morning with Dominic and Edna. She could barely get a word in edgeways, let alone make up an excuse to leave the room. Edna rabbited non-stop and Nina felt herself going off into a trance.
She covered every subject from her neighbour’s homemade apple strudel to nuclear disasters in the space of her first sitting, but it all rather amused Nina. Every now and then she glanced over at Dominic to try and catch his eye, but he seemed to have built up a sound barrier between himself and his subject – which was just as well, as Nina would probably have started laughing and not been able to stop.
‘Er – Edna,’ Dominic said at length, ‘I’m going to have to ask you to stop talking now. I’m painting your mouth.’
‘Oh, I am sorry! I’m such a chatterbox, aren’t I? I know I am. You just tell me when you’re ready and I’ll be as quiet as a church mouse. You won’t hear another word out of me.’
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