The House in the Clouds

by Connelly, Victoria

  ‘I’m Edward Townsend.’

  ‘Yes,’ she said. ‘And is it Edward or Eddie or Ed perhaps?’

  ‘No, it’s Edward,’ he said seriously.

  ‘Right.’

  ‘Thank you for coming, by the way.’

  ‘I was surprised to get your email,’ she confessed.

  ‘It seems a bit early to be thinking about wallpaper.’

  He frowned. ‘Excuse me?’

  ‘Wallpaper,’ she repeated. ‘That is why you called me, isn’t it? I’ve brought my portfolio.’ She showed him the folder she was carrying as he was still looking confused.

  ‘I think there’s been a misunderstanding.’ He glanced around the room. ‘Listen, let me get you a drink. Tea? Coffee?’

  ‘Tea, please.’

  ‘Good. Then I’ll explain – erm – what’s going on.’

  Abi watched as he walked across to a little table at the far corner of the room with tea-making things on it.

  ‘Things are a little primitive here,’ he said, ‘but at least it’s clean. The kitchen isn’t fit for humans at the moment apart from the new fridge.’ He switched the kettle on.

  ‘You’ve been living here full-time?’ Abi asked.

  ‘Er, no. I’m back and forth between London and my work. That is…’ he paused. ‘Yes. Back and forth.’

  Abi nodded, wondering what he’d been about to say.

  ‘Milk? Sugar?’

  ‘Just black, thank you.’

  He handed her the mug and motioned to a pair of office chairs by his desk and they both sat down. Abi was growing more and more curious as he closed his laptop and then cleared his throat.

  ‘Were you very upset not to make the winning bid on Winfield?’ he suddenly asked.

  Abi’s mouth dropped open. She hadn’t expected such a blunt question.

  ‘Yes,’ she told him, thinking it merited a blunt answer. ‘I was.’

  He nodded as if he’d known.

  ‘Have you been looking at other places since?’ he asked.

  She sighed. ‘I have.’ She shrugged. ‘Nothing like this has come up again.’

  ‘No. It is a one of a kind, isn’t it?’

  Abi shifted uncomfortably in her chair. ‘I hope you didn’t bring me here just to gloat over winning the auction.’

  Edward looked mortified. ‘God, no!’ he cried.

  ‘Because that’s how it’s feeling at the moment.’

  ‘No, no. You misunderstand. I’d never do that. I asked you here because things have changed for me since the auction. My situation has changed.’ He sighed and Abi thought that he looked as if he was in pain.

  ‘What’s happened?’ she asked gently.

  He looked directly at her then and she noticed that his eyes were clear hazel.

  ‘Things have got a little bit more expensive than I envisaged,’ he began, ‘and I envisaged a lot, believe me. I wouldn’t have gone into a project like this blindly. I did my homework, but there’s only so much you can guess will need doing on a project like this and it isn’t until you start physically taking walls down and going up into the roof that you realise the full extent of the work that needs doing.’

  ‘I see,’ Abi said, wondering what this all had to do with her and realising that he probably hadn’t invited here on the strength of her wallpaper designs.

  ‘No, I don’t think you do.’

  ‘What is it you want to talk to me about?’ Abi asked him. ‘I still don’t understand why I’m here.’

  He nodded. ‘I have a proposition for you. A proposition that doesn’t involve wallpaper or decorating or anything like that.’

  ‘You’re selling Winfield?’

  His face darkened. ‘Good lord, no! That is – not the whole place. I’ve invested too much and I want to see this project through. But I am going to sell half of it.’

  Abi frowned. ‘Half?’

  He nodded. ‘I’m afraid I have to. You see, I’ve just been made redundant. Winfield was already taking all of my money, but I should have been able to manage. What I didn’t factor in was, well, this happening.’

  ‘I’m so sorry to hear that,’ Abi told him sincerely.

  ‘Thanks, I’m still trying to process everything. But one thing I have processed is that I’m not giving this place up. I’ll do whatever I can to keep it and if that means selling half of it then so be it.’

  Abi had literally been sitting on the edge of her seat throughout this revelation, but she sat back now, slowly digesting what he’d told her.

  ‘What do you think?’ he asked her. ‘I mean, you were the first person I thought of.’

  Abi placed her unfinished cup of tea on the floor beside her chair. ‘You’re asking if I want to buy half of Winfield Hall?’

  ‘Yes,’ Edward said. ‘That’s it exactly.’ He sounded relieved now that it was out.

  ‘And you’ve not approached anybody else?’

  ‘I didn’t really want to go through the rigmarole of putting the place on the market. Not if I didn’t need to.’

  ‘So I can go ahead today and buy half of Winfield – right now – if I wanted to?’

  ‘Well, I thought we could get to know one another a little. Maybe ask each other a few questions? I mean, if this is something you want to do, perhaps it would be a good idea to make sure we get along together.’

  Abi nodded. ‘This is rather a lot to take in,’ she confessed, feeling slightly spaced out by what she’d been presented with.

  ‘I know. I didn’t know how else to ask you,’ Edward said. ‘I mean, it wouldn’t have been right over the phone, would it?’

  It was then that something occurred to her.

  ‘How did you find me? I mean, how did you know who I was?’

  Edward cleared his throat. ‘My friend recognised you at the auction.’

  ‘Oh, I see.’

  ‘You’re something of a celebrity, I believe.’

  ‘I wouldn’t say that.’

  ‘People recognise you,’ Edward pointed out.

  ‘Not very often.’

  ‘Well, I’m glad my friend did,’ he said, and then he glanced away as if embarrassed.

  Abi got up from the chair and walked across to the window, gazing out over the expanse of the downs.

  ‘How do you propose to divide the house?’

  Edward got up and joined her. ‘It would be pretty straightforward actually. I’ve spoken to my builder about it.’

  ‘So where would the division go?’

  ‘Well, the staircase is central and it seems that the house naturally divides itself from there into two sides. So everything to the left of it upstairs and downstairs would make up one half, and then the right-hand side both up and down would be the other half.’

  Abi thought about this for a moment. ‘And do you have a preference?’

  Edward smiled as he gazed out of the window. ‘I’ve kind of got used to this side.’

  ‘With the view of the downs?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘I suppose it’s only right that you get first choice,’ Abi admitted reluctantly.

  ‘I suppose so.’ He looked back at her.

  ‘And how are you proposing to half the place?’ Abi asked. ‘I mean, will you be putting up walls and barriers and things?’

  ‘Nothing that restrictive. Nothing that will detract from the character of the place.’

  Abi nodded, relieved to hear this.

  ‘Listen,’ she said, ‘this is a bit of a bombshell, I have to admit, and I’m not quite sure what to think. Would you mind if I took a look around the garden? I often think better outdoors.’

  ‘Okay,’ Edward said. ‘I’ll be here if you need me. Oh, and there’s a hard hat on the windowsill by the front door. You’ll need to put that on if you’re looking around the rooms.’

  ‘Thank you.’

  They looked at each other, an awkward sort of silence falling between them. Then Abi pointed to the door.

  ‘I’ll be in the garden then. For
a bit.’

  She left the room and walked back down the corridor that led to the entrance hall, her ears assaulted by the builders’ noise.

  Escaping out into the fresh air, she took a deep, settling breath as she glanced up at the hills. The bright sky had darkened now and there was a mist hanging over the downs. As she rounded the hall towards the walled garden at the back of the house she thought that it truly was the House in the Clouds today. That was its nickname, wasn’t it? The estate agent had told her that and she’d remembered it. Looking back at it now, her heart swelled with love for the place.

  And it could be yours, a little voice told her.

  Well, half of it could be hers. If she wanted it. And did she? Could she? Would Edward Townsend interview her formally before she was allowed to purchase the half he loved the least. How would this all work? She wasn’t at all sure, but she was sure of something – the deep, unsettling, wonderful feeling of excitement, like a great big bubble about to burst inside her. And that told her one thing – she had to make this work. Every other property she’d looked at had left her feeling empty and frustrated because she’d known in her heart that Winfield was the one. She’d known it the first moment she’d seen it and she knew it now. Even if that meant sharing it.

  Okay, she told herself, think. Don’t get carried away by this.

  She looked up at the hills, now shrouded in low cloud, admiring the dark beauty of the day. It was a true testament to her love of the place if she could adore it as much on a cold, winter’s day as she could on a golden autumn one. But adore it she did. Walking around the garden, she noted once again the long red-brick wall and the lean-to greenhouse with its missing panes of glass. How she longed to breathe new life into it and to raise seedlings here and to grow as many sunflowers as she could within the safe, warm walls.

  If Edward was making his home to the left of the staircase, that would give Abi the rooms and the garden to the right. As she looked around them now, working out the position of the sun during the day and how easy it would be to grow her beloved sunflowers, she felt her heart flooding with peace. Of course, if she accepted Edward’s proposal to buy half of Winfield, it wouldn’t be the same as being its sole owner, she knew that, but that wasn’t an option, was it? She had hoped to run art courses and to lease rooms to arty types and turn Winfield into a delightful retreat from the world. Would that be an option if she didn’t own the whole place? Would Edward become a sort of landlord or boss over her? She’d have to find out exactly how this would work before she let her heart run away with her and she ended up crushed for a second time.

  The front door was still open when she returned to the hall and, as she entered, a builder was coming towards her with a wheelbarrow full of rubble. She quickly grabbed the hard hat Edward had told her to wear and put it on.

  ‘Excuse me!’ he said cheerily and Abi smiled, wondering if some of that rubble was from what might well be her half of Winfield.

  ‘No,’ she told herself. ‘Facts first. Fantasies later.’

  She popped her head round the doors of a few of the rooms, reacquainting herself with the place, but it was so dusty and noisy that she finally gave up the idea of a proper house tour and returned to the room Edward was in, knocking lightly on the door which had been left ajar.

  ‘Hey,’ he said, turning around from his laptop.

  ‘Thank you.’

  ‘What for?’

  ‘Giving me some time to walk around and think.’

  ‘Can I get you another tea?’

  She shook her head. ‘How much?’

  His eyes widened. ‘You mean…’

  ‘How much would you be selling half of Winfield for?’

  Edward leaned across his table and picked up an envelope, handing it to Abi. She opened it and took out a sheet of paper on which was a neatly typed price together with his contact details. She folded the sheet and placed it back in the envelope.

  ‘Are you going to keep me in suspense?’ he asked with a nervous kind of laugh.

  ‘No,’ she said. ‘I’m interested.’

  ‘You are?’

  ‘But I have a few questions as I’m sure you do of me.’

  ‘Okay, good,’ he said. ‘You want to sit down?’

  Abi shook her head. ‘I’m too hyped up to sit down.’ She walked towards the window and gazed up into the misty hills.

  ‘What are your plans for Winfield?’ she asked.

  ‘You mean my half if you buy in with me?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘I’m going to split the place up into apartments.’

  ‘Apartments? You’re not going to sell them, are you?’ Abi asked. It was what she’d been dreading for the fate of Winfield – to become a collection of second homes for people based in London. They’d be left unloved for weeks on end.

  ‘No, I’m going to lease them. They’ll make a good income and enable me to live here.’

  ‘I see. And how will you decide who rents them?’

  ‘Well, I want professional people who appreciate a beautiful space but who aren’t going to be partying in it every weekend.’

  Abi smiled. ‘Good. I value peace and quiet.’

  ‘Me too. And I want to keep the leases short. You know – in case we do need to get rid of anyone.’

  Abi noted his use of the word ‘we’ then. Already, he was thinking of them as co-owners.

  ‘What would you do with your half?’ he asked.

  ‘The same. Make a few apartments to rent out.’

  ‘Really?’

  Abi nodded, deciding to hide the fact that she wanted artists in her half. She wasn’t yet sure how he’d react to that announcement and she didn’t want to risk losing the opportunity to live here.

  ‘Then we’re on the same page,’ he said.

  ‘It certainly looks like it.’

  There was a pause, but Abi could tell that Edward had something he wanted to say.

  ‘What is it?’ she asked him.

  ‘Why did you sell your company?’

  ‘Excuse me?’

  ‘I’m interested in why you sold your company.’

  Abi frowned at him. ‘You researched me?’

  ‘Yes, of course. As I would before any serious business transaction.’

  Abi bit her lip, trying not to laugh.

  ‘Are you telling me you didn’t research me?’ he asked.

  ‘I might have popped your name into a search engine,’ she confessed, feeling her cheeks flush. ‘But everyone does that these days, don’t they? Even if you’re just meeting somebody for coffee.’

  ‘And what did you find?’

  ‘Nothing much.’

  ‘No. My former employer has already taken my details down from the website so I no longer officially exist. So, why did you sell your company?’

  Abi decided that there was no use hiding the truth. ‘It got too big.’

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘The company. It was all too much and too many of everything. Too many shops, too many people, too many decisions. It had got so far away from what I wanted to do with my life that I felt selling was the only decision left to me.’

  ‘And you just walked away?’

  ‘Yes,’ she said. ‘It was quite easy really.’

  Edward looked astounded by her declaration. ‘But you’re going to start a new company now?’

  ‘What makes you say that?’

  ‘Well, I just assumed…’

  She shook her head. ‘I need some space for a while. I need to be free again.’ She saw the look of panic on his face. ‘That doesn’t bother you, does it?’

  ‘Erm, well, I’ve just never met anyone who…’ he faltered.

  ‘What?’

  ‘Who didn’t want to work.’

  ‘But I do want to work. And I’m working all the time. But it has to be on my own terms and what I was doing before really wasn’t on my own terms anymore. It turned into something quite different.’ Abi stared at him. ‘Are you worried I
’m not viable as a partner in this?’

  ‘No, no.’

  ‘Because you sound worried.’

  ‘I’m not. I trust you.’

  ‘Are you sure?’ she asked him.

  ‘I just wanted to know – well – a bit about you. I have to admit that I was a little bit anxious to hear that you’d walked away from your own company. I mean, will you walk away from this project if you tire of it?’ he asked.

  ‘I might.’ Abi saw him blanch and realised that it had been the wrong thing to say. ‘But I won’t,’ she quickly added.

  ‘How do you know for sure?’

  ‘Because this place is in my heart.’

  ‘Is it?’ he looked surprised.

  ‘Yes! Every damp, dusty, crumbly inch of it.’

  He gave a tiny smile. ‘Mine too.’

  ‘And the truth is, owning half of Winfield is better than owning the whole of anything else,’ she told him candidly.

  ‘I feel the same.’

  ‘I haven’t found anything that comes close to this place,’ she told him, knowing that she shouldn’t be showing all her cards in this way, but she just couldn’t help it. This place, this glorious place, had that effect on her. She had to be honest about it.

  ‘I’m glad you’ve told me that.’

  ‘So do we have a deal? Am I going to purchase half of Winfield Hall?’

  He looked a little hesitant for a moment, but then – to Abi’s great relief – he held his hand out towards her. ‘We have a deal.’

  Abi shook his hand and beamed him a smile. ‘Well, I guess I’d better get back and start organising things my end.’

  ‘Then we’ll keep in touch?’

  ‘Of course,’ she opened her handbag and pulled out a business card. ‘My number.’

  ‘Thank you.’

  ‘Shall I see myself out? I know the way.’

  He nodded and she made to leave. ‘Abigail?’

  She turned around. ‘Yes?’

  ‘Thank you. I mean, I’m glad it’s you. You seem… you seem the right sort of person.’ He grimaced. ‘Sorry, that sounded pompous and condescending. What I mean is, you seem the right sort of person for this place. You appreciate it in the same way that I do.’

  Abi smiled. ‘Thank you.’

  ‘It is special, isn’t it? It is worth saving?’ There was that anxious look of his that Abi had noticed earlier as if he wasn’t at all sure of himself and needed a little reassurance.