by Heidi Swain
‘Yes,’ he said, tearing his eyes away from the crackling blaze. ‘Sorry. I was miles away.’
He took two digestives from the packet I offered and then sat back, munching away and looking around the room.
‘You haven’t decorated yet,’ he observed. ‘The décor still matches the details the estate agents had online.’
He obviously had a good memory.
‘No, I haven’t done anything yet.’ I swallowed. ‘I’m waiting until the spring.’
‘That sounds like a good idea.’
‘I thought it would be better to take a few months to get a feel for the place in case I ended up doing something rash and regretted it.’
He nodded in agreement and I carried on.
‘The lady who lived here before me had been here all her life and I know it probably sounds strange, but I feel I kind of owe it to her not to rush into changing anything. Once you start ripping things apart, you can’t put them back together, not in quite the same way anyway.’
I hoped he had the sense to interpret the deeper meaning of what I was insinuating. It was my feeble attempt to say a whole heap of things without spelling out the finer details.
‘So, tell me,’ he said, picking up his mug. ‘What were you doing wandering around the gardens of Prosperous Place this afternoon? I didn’t have you down as the trespassing type.’
‘I’m not,’ I said quickly.
He raised his eyebrows.
‘All right,’ I accepted. ‘I’m not as a rule.’
‘So, what tempted you today?’
‘It was Carole,’ I said, passing the buck. ‘Well, a combination of her and my neighbour Harold. He and I had spent the afternoon looking at old photographs of the house and gardens and when Carole called round and pointed out that the for sale board had been pulled down, he suggested we should go and have a look at the place before the bulldozers moved in.’
‘I see,’ Luke said thoughtfully. ‘And what makes Harold think that the bulldozers will be moving in?’
‘We all think it,’ I said bluntly before I could check myself. ‘We aren’t stupid. We know what this so-called group of developers have got in mind for the place.’
‘But why do you all care so much?’
‘Well, obviously I can’t speak for everyone,’ I carried on, ‘but I know Harold and I have a definite fondness for the house’s history, a respect for what it once was, for what the whole area once was to Norwich really.’
‘Are you talking about the Wentworth legacy?’
‘You’ve heard of it, then?’
I knew I needed to rein in the sarcasm, but the fact that he, and I daresay the rest of the development consortium, knew all about what Mr Wentworth had given and sacrificed only made their determination to obliterate it even more distasteful.
‘Yes,’ he said, ‘I’ve heard of it.’
‘We residents have a vested interest in the little of what’s left of it, actually,’ I added, thinking it was now or never as far as the green was concerned.
‘What do you mean?’
‘The green here,’ I said, getting up and moving to the window. ‘We want to turn it into a community growing space, one big allotment where we can all come together and grow our own.’
Luke joined me at the window.
‘I think it looks good as it is,’ he said, staring out into the gathering dark. ‘From what I saw of it earlier. And isn’t this all a part of the Wentworth legacy as well? This little Square and the green is still exactly how Mr Wentworth wanted it to be, isn’t it?’
He had a point.
‘Surely if you lot dig it up, even for such a worthy cause, then you yourselves will be chipping away at another tiny bit of all that’s left of his creation, and what you say you’re so keen on preserving.’
I hadn’t looked at it like that and I wasn’t too sure I liked the taste of my own medicine.
‘Can’t you go and grow somewhere else?’ he suggested.
‘We would if there was somewhere close enough for everyone to be able to access it,’ I said, feeling suddenly less convinced about our plans. ‘The key to the whole idea was maintaining the sense of community,’ I explained, trying to justify what we were proposing and make it sound very much like something Charles himself might have put into action, had he thought of it. ‘We all want to work together.’
‘I see,’ said Luke, moving across the room to peruse the bookcase.
I decided not to say anything else.
‘You have some lovely books,’ he said, bending his head to read the spines.
‘Thank you.’
‘I take it you’re a bit of a history expert?’ He smiled, running his finger along the shelf.
‘Something like that.’
‘Hence your interest in the Wentworth legacy?’
‘Exactly.’ I nodded. ‘Sometimes I can’t help thinking that looking back into the past is preferable to living in the present.’
I instantly regretted the admission, but thankfully he didn’t start questioning me about what I meant.
‘That thought has crossed my mind recently,’ he said simply, before dazzling me with an almost too perfect smile. ‘Tell me about this neighbour of yours.’
‘Which one?’
‘Harold,’ he said, reclaiming the armchair and looking instantly at home. ‘The chap with the photographs.’
I was happy to fill him in about Harold and how his family, like Doris’s, had lived in the Square ever since it was built. I even suggested he should call round and ask to look at the photographs for himself. It might make all the difference to what happened next and I felt determined to make him fall in love with Prosperous Place, just like I had. I was beginning to feel as though I would go to any lengths to stop him and his cutthroat crew ripping the heart out of the place.
‘But won’t he think it’s a bit funny if I just turn up on his doorstep?’
‘Not if you tell him your connection to Prosperous Place.’
I waited for him to explain his connection to me, but he didn’t say a word.
‘You obviously have one because why else would you have been in the house this afternoon?’
Still nothing.
‘I could go with you if you like,’ I suggested, when it became obvious that he wasn’t in the mood to share. ‘Because you really should take a look at all the stuff he’s got. It might make a difference to your plans. Assuming you have some of course?’
You couldn’t blame a girl for trying.
‘I might take you up on that,’ he said thoughtfully. ‘Have you thought about getting a cat?’
‘A cat?’ I frowned. How on earth had the conversation gone from Prosperous Place to cats in two seconds flat? ‘What are you talking about?’
‘If you don’t like living on your own,’ he said seriously, pinning me with his dark eyes as he pushed an errant curl away from his face.
‘I never said I didn’t like living on my own,’ I reminded him. ‘You were the one who said that.’
‘Was I?’
‘Yes.’
‘Then perhaps I should consider getting a cat.’
‘You don’t strike me as the cat type.’
‘What type do I strike you as then?’
‘I couldn’t possibly say,’ I said, busying myself with the biscuit packet and gathering the mugs together on the expectation that he would take the hint and leave.
Not only had he cleverly steered the conversation away from his connection to Prosperous Place, he had also made me blush. He really could be a most infuriating guy.
‘I don’t suppose there’s a chance of another tea, is there?’ he asked, making himself more comfortable in my armchair again.
‘If I were you,’ said Luke, looking out at the back garden as we washed up the mugs after our third cup of tea, ‘I’d be inclined to replace this entire back kitchen wall with a concertina-style glass window.’
‘Would you?’ I yawned.
I was feeling tir
ed and rather shell-shocked. Somehow Luke had ensconced himself in my little house, next to my fireside, in my armchair and we had spent almost two hours discussing life, but not love, the past, but not our own and the joys of a real fire versus the electric alternative. I was still none the wiser as to what his role, interest or financial investment in Prosperous Place was, but I didn’t think there was any harm in getting to know him. He might still turn out to be very handy if we needed a direct link with the developers, as Carole had pointed out, and I was sure she would be overjoyed that I was going to such lengths to secure us an ally.
‘Yes,’ he said. ‘Your patch of garden out there, it’s slightly terraced, isn’t it?’
‘It is,’ I confirmed.
‘Don’t you think it would be lovely if this whole end of the house looked out over it?’ he said, conjuring the image in my mind’s eye.
‘It would,’ I agreed. It would certainly be glossy magazine stylish. ‘But I also think it would be far too modern for this place. You have to remember I’m trying to preserve what’s already here.’
‘Rather than enhance it?’ he questioned. ‘Preserve it in aspic; keep the antimacassars firmly in place, that sort of thing. Is that what you had in mind?’
‘I’m not creating a museum,’ I tutted, ‘and besides, I thought you said you preferred the past.’
‘I do,’ he admitted, ‘in some ways, but that doesn’t mean you can’t meld it with the new and modern to create something even better. Architecturally speaking, I’m all for it.’
I narrowed my eyes, wondering if this was a glimpse of the modern versus old architectural juxtaposition that Susan from the council had hinted would be happening when the developers got their paws on Prosperous Place.
‘So that’s the sort of thing you’d go for, is it?’ I asked lightly. ‘If this was your place, you’d be all for ripping out that back wall and opening up the view?’
‘Definitely,’ he said.
I couldn’t help but feel disappointed.
‘But only if it could be done sympathetically of course.’
Was that a glimmer of hope?
‘Of course,’ I agreed, trying to reel him further in, ‘and I suppose it would be nice to bring the outdoors in a little,’ I conceded.
‘And it would lighten this end of the house no end,’ he went on.
‘Well, I’ll think about it,’ I said, knowing I wouldn’t and that even if I had wanted to, the cost would have been prohibitive.
‘Let me know what you decide,’ he said. ‘I might be able to put you in touch with someone who can help.’
Oh dear.
‘And you’ll introduce me to Harold and his many photographs, won’t you, Kate?’
‘Happily.’ I was pleased he hadn’t forgotten about that at least. ‘I’ll even help you choose a cat,’ I generously added. ‘If you do decide to get one.’
‘I’ll hold you to that,’ he laughed, walking back to the sitting room and finally pulling on his jacket and scarf.
The front door was barely open an inch before I saw the curtains twitching in Carole’s front bedroom. I was amazed she had managed to negotiate the stairs and wondered how long she had been perched in the window waiting for Luke to leave. I wanted to ask him if he was heading back to Prosperous Place, but I didn’t.
I had enjoyed his company, and his sense of humour, even if for a while he had felt like the house guest who was never going to leave, and didn’t want to end his visit knowing for certain that he was going to be one of the team responsible for destroying the last piece of the Wentworth legacy.
His views on architectural improvements were almost enough to take the shine off his appeal and I didn’t want to tarnish his personality further.
‘Thank you for your hospitality, Kate,’ he said, turning back to me after he had opened his car and in the process lit up half the street.
‘And thank you for not reporting Carole and me to the police,’ I smiled, wondering how many more upstairs windows were now privy to his departure.
‘I really will hold you to your promise to help on the pet selection front you know,’ he grinned, taking a step towards me as I instinctively took one back. ‘Well,’ he said, looking a little confused, ‘bye then.’
‘Bye.’
I had shut the door before he had even closed the gate, my heart hammering in my chest. I was certain he had been going to kiss me; granted it would have only been a peck on the cheek, but it was a very long time since any man, other than David, had kissed me and I wasn’t sure I wanted to be kissed, innocently or otherwise.
And, I reminded myself, Luke could still turn out to be the enemy for all I knew and more intimate fraternising with the enemy, however handsome they were, was definitely not a depth I was prepared to sink to.
Chapter 14
I couldn’t resist taking a walk back to Prosperous Place early the next morning. I didn’t go through the gate again for obvious reasons, but I could see what I thought was the window that Luke had yelled through. It was firmly closed and the place looked as deserted as ever. If he was still loitering behind the walls he was certainly keeping a low profile.
It was eerily quiet, almost too quiet, and there were no tell-tale wisps of smoke coming from any of the chimneys to suggest that he had lit his own fire. He had seemed mesmerised by mine. In fact, he seemed to relish the cosiness of both hearth and home and I wondered if he really was lonely, with no such simple comforts in his own life.
After all, he had readily admitted he didn’t like living alone but then, I reminded myself as I turned my back on the empty house and strode back to the Square, if he was a ruthless property developer looking to make a quick million then he deserved to be on his own, and unhappily so.
‘Where have you been?’ Lisa’s voice called out the second she spotted me crossing the road back into the Square. ‘Did you not get any of my messages?’
Heather’s car was parked in front of my house and she was sitting inside it with Evie strapped into her car seat in the back.
‘No,’ I said, shaking my head. ‘What’s going on? Is everything all right?’
‘Everything’s fine,’ Heather called from the car, clearly keen to temper Lisa’s impatience. ‘She’s just in a bad mood, that’s all. Get in and I’ll explain where we’re going on the way.’
‘And turn your phone on for goodness sake,’ Lisa moaned, taking her place next to Evie while I quickly climbed in the front. ‘Anyone would think you didn’t want to be disturbed while you were entertaining handsome strangers late into the night.’
‘Oh, I see.’ I laughed as a dozen or so messages lit up my phone screen. ‘Is this an ambush?’
‘Got it in one,’ Heather winked as she pulled smoothly away from the kerb.
‘So where are we going?’
‘You’ll have to wait and see,’ said Lisa before Heather had a chance to tell me.
Evie was happily gurgling away next to her, completely oblivious of Lisa’s sullen mood.
‘But you can tell us all about your cosy evening in when we get there,’ she added.
‘And don’t even think about leaving out any details,’ Heather chipped in as she joined the rush hour traffic. ‘Or worry about old misery guts in the back there. Apparently, she’d rather be at home this morning than out in the fresh air.’
‘Are you talking about Lisa,’ I teased, twisting round in my seat to look at her, ‘or Evie?’
Thankfully it didn’t take too long to wend our way around the city and less than twenty minutes later we pulled into the car park at Whitlingham Lake.
‘We aren’t running, are we?’ I asked Heather as she manhandled Evie’s buggy out of the boot and set it up with all the speed of a seasoned pro. ‘I haven’t got my trainers on.’
‘Of course we’re not running,’ said Lisa. ‘If you’d read the messages you’d know that.’
Clearly the journey had done little to lighten her mood.
‘I can’t read in the car,
’ I told her. ‘It makes me feel sick.’
She rolled her eyes and zipped up her coat.
‘It’s still too slippery for running,’ said Heather as she buckled her baby in and snuggled her under an extra blanket. ‘I thought we’d ease ourselves in to some exercise with a nice walk instead.’
‘And I thought we’d end the torture with some coffee and a slice of cake,’ Lisa added, pointing to the café at the opposite end of the car park.
Thankfully her voice sounded warmer with the mention of cake and I guessed if the birdsong and gently lapping water didn’t cheer her up, the promise of a toasted teacake probably would.
This time it was Heather who rolled her eyes as she pulled on her gloves.
‘Well, we don’t want to go mad and push ourselves too hard,’ insisted Lisa. ‘You don’t want us going into shock, do you?’
The lake looked beautiful, even if the breeze cutting across it was enough to take our breath away; we hadn’t got far though before we were pulling off our hats, looking rosy-cheeked and feeling slightly out of puff. Perhaps Heather was right and our fireside hibernation had gone on for a little too long.
‘So how did you know?’ I panted, thinking I might as well get the inevitable interrogation off and running. ‘Was it the bells and whistles of the central locking that gave my visitor away last night?’
‘No,’ said Heather.
‘It was Carole,’ puffed Lisa beside me. ‘She was on the phone the second that allegedly gorgeous fella had dropped her off on her doorstep.’
I might have known. I could hardly believe she hadn’t already limped to my door and demanded an update.
‘So . . .’ said Heather.
‘So?’ I said, shrugging my shoulders and stepping ahead.
‘So, what happened?’ said Lisa, hanging on to my arm to make me slow back down. ‘Did you snog the face off him? Carole was fairly certain you’d go to any lengths to find out who he really was and given the description she gave me of him, I can’t say I’d blame you if you did!’
‘Lisa,’ said Heather, with a frown.
‘Sorry,’ she said, clapping her hands together and not sounding sorry at all. ‘I’m just too excited. I’ve been hoping to conjure you up a new Prince Charming, Kate,’ she beamed, turning back to me again, her bad mood conveniently forgotten. ‘And poof! Here he is.’