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Gordon moved away, leaving Holly to her own devices, but he reappeared about ten minutes later and put a cup of coffee in her hand.
‘You look like you need caffeine.’
Remembering back to Kate and Charlie’s party – what a long time ago that seemed now – it was apparent this man was going to make a habit of plying her with drinks every time they met, be they alcoholic or not.
‘Does it show?’
‘No, but it takes one to know one. Anyway, it would be less than hospitable of me not to offer you some kind of sustenance, seeing as how we’re friends.’
‘We are? Nice of you to say so, particularly on such short acquaintance,’ but it gave her a warm feeling. After a little while he was back, asking if she’d like to see the rest of the premises.
‘There’s more?’
‘Much more,’ he said and proceeded to give Holly a guided tour of what was plainly his pride and joy. She loved the musty smell of the place and was delighted when Gordon didn’t rush her but told her to take as long as she liked.
‘As you can see, I’m not overwhelmed by customers at the moment.’
Holly picked up a piece by Clarice Cliff, loving the way she used colour and wishing she could buy it. This was not the time, however, for self-indulgence and regretfully she put it back in its place.
Gordon put a ‘please ring’ notice on the front door, slipped the latch, and led her through to the back. This was a much larger area even than the shop and it housed all sorts. There was a beautiful ancient spinning wheel that she immediately wanted, seeing her parlour as a perfect setting for it. She wouldn’t have had a clue how it worked but it would make a lovely ornament. She rather liked the picture she’d conjured up and for a moment felt a bit dreamy.
‘Earth to Holly. Where are you, Holly?’
‘Picturing this at home in my parlour. Anywhere else and I would have called it a lounge or a sitting room, but parlour definitely suits the cottage.’
‘I’d love to see it.’
It was an innocent enough remark but Holly couldn’t help feeling there was more than politeness in Gordon’s statement. He sounded a tad eager. She wasn’t quite sure how to respond but then her attention was drawn to a magnificent old pine chest that she lost her heart to – it would have really set off her studio table and the, for her, awkward moment passed.
‘I could keep masses of stuff in here,’ she said, pulling out one of the drawers. ‘And the room is big enough to take it.’
Reluctantly she turned her back on it. A glance at the ticket had told her the price and there was no way she could justify spending that much money on something that wasn’t a necessity. Gordon wasn’t a fool. He summed up the situation without her uttering a word.
‘I could give you first refusal if anyone shows any interest.’
It sounded like Mrs Foster all over again.
‘I wish, and thank you but no.’
She moved from one beautiful piece of furniture to another, this being mainly what the back area was given over to. More than once she ran her hand over smooth wood, marvelling at how it could feel cool and warm at the same time.
‘You’re so lucky to work with such fabulous craftsmanship. How can you bear to part with any of it? I’d go under in no time because I’d never be able to let any of it go.’
‘So what do you do when someone wants to buy one of your paintings or any other piece of artwork that you’ve made with your own fair hands; put your heart and soul into?’
He had a point. He also had chairs! Exactly what she wanted, six of them and at a price that made her wince but which she could afford. She didn’t haggle but he still gave her a discount, insisting that he’d have done the same for any customer who tried to push the price down. It was how his business worked. People expected him to be beaten down and he built it into his asking price. He also promised to deliver them.
‘How about this evening, after I close?’
‘Thank you. That would be fantastic.’
Then she remembered that Emma and Tom and the boys were coming for supper, so of course she asked Gordon if he would like to come too and she was delighted when he said yes. The twinkle in his eyes that she’d seen at Kate and Charlie’s was back. Interesting.
As it was close on lunchtime and supper was going to be early Holly thought she’d better go home and start preparing, particularly as Gordon was coming as well. He was her first new grown-up visitor and she felt one should try to make a good impression.Who did she think she was kidding? Then she thought of Harry again and the bleakness returned as she remembered the dinner parties they’d had with friends, how proud he’d always seemed to be of her, how badly he’d let her down. She gave herself a mental shake. I’m moving on now. I’ll have my own dinner parties.
***
It was a fantastic evening! As Easter wasn’t too far away, Holly had cut some yellow cardboard into egg shapes and drawn a line just below the middle to represent a belt. Using different coloured card, buttons, and paints, she’d put everything on the newspaper-covered studio table, together with scissors, glue, and cotton wool.
Gordon was the first to arrive and together they unloaded the chairs and set them around the table. Holly was delighted with them and grabbed a couple of scatter cushions from the parlour to raise the seats for the twins. Being little herself she knew how uncomfortable it was if you couldn’t quite reach. They’d just finished organising the furniture when the Carters arrived.
‘Come on, this way, you’ll have to work for your dinner,’ Holly said, herding them into the studio. ‘We can’t eat without tablemats,’ she declared seriously, totally ignoring the fact that the table was already engraved with her childhood carvings. ‘As I haven’t got any, we’ll have to make them. We’ve got half an hour before dinner will be ready, so let’s get to it.’
After Holly tied an apron around the neck of each twin to save Emma washing their clothes …
‘No chance. If it’s not paint, it’ll be dinner.’
… they all spent a hilarious half an hour cutting and pasting and painting until each had a Humpty Dumpty, though no two were alike, and one definitely had a squint!
‘Okay, dinner’s ready. Sorry it’s paper plates and plastic cutlery. I haven’t got the real thing yet. I’m still waiting for Mummy to take me shopping.’
‘I’m ready whenever you are.’
‘After half-term then. It’s probably not a good idea to go while school’s out. Can you do a Sunday?’
‘Tom?’ Emma queried, looking across at her husband.
‘No problem.’
‘No problem, the man said. We’ll get it done.’
‘Wonderful. In the meantime let’s get this mess off the table and eat. Oh, and by the way, here are some I prepared earlier,’ Holly said, pulling out some tablemats she brought to the Cotswolds because Harry had never liked them.
‘But you said you didn’t have any.’
How do you tell a six-year-old that you lied, without saying that you lied?
‘I know, Jamie. But I knew the ones you made would still be wet, and in any case they are for you to take home.’
‘You told a fib!’
‘Er, well yes, I’m afraid I did.’
He looked thoughtful. Everyone else was thoroughly enjoying the exchange … everyone except Holly.
‘It’s naughty to tell fibs.’
This was getting worse!
‘Yes, but it’s okay,’ he said, brightening. ‘Mummy says it’s all right sometimes to tell a white lie if it’s for a surprise or something. Why is it called a white lie?’
Holly was rapidly getting out of her depth.
‘Do you know, I have absolutely no idea? I bet Mummy knows. Why don’t you ask her? I’ll go and get dinner.’
And she escaped to the kitchen, somewhere between panic and giggles. Dinner was really delicious! You can’t go wrong with meatballs in gravy, can you? And Holly was almost ashamed of the number of desserts she’d made, but she knew from staying with Emma and Tom that she wasn’t the only one with a sweet tooth.
It’s amazing how six people can all talk at once and still listen to everyone else’s conversation. It was noisy and hilarious but it seemed that everyone had a lovely time. Holly certainly did. Sure enough, somewhere around half past eight, Jake and Jamie became suddenly quiet and turned a bit pale and Emma started looking concerned.
‘I think it’s time we went home, don’t you, Tom?’
They spent a few minutes arguing over which Humpty belonged to whom and, when they were all happy that they’d got their own masterpiece, there were hugs and kisses all round and they left. All except Gordon. He insisted on staying to help clear up the mess, but instead they sat in the parlour and polished off the rest of the wine.
‘Thank goodness you brought the chairs. What I hope will eventually be my dining room is full of clutter and in any case I don’t have the furniture to go in there. It’s certainly not big enough to take the table I’ve got.’
‘Isn’t it? I don’t know the house at all. I never came when the Fosters lived here.’
‘Come on, then. I’ll show you. If you’re interested, that is.’
‘Of course I’m interested. Homes, well furnishing them, is a large part of my business.’
‘I wasn’t inviting you to buy anything. Just to have a look.’
They went straight across the hall from the parlour into the room that was destined to be the dining room. Though Holly had complained about Mrs Foster’s junk in the extension, this room was practically full to the ceiling with hers, most of it canvases and other art materials so not junk really.
‘Sorry about the mess.’
‘No worries. You’ve only just moved in. I can see what you mean, though. It’s a lovely room but a bit cosy.’
‘Are you always this polite?’
‘Okay, it’s small. But it’s big enough for a dining room. It’d be different if you wanted to put a three-piece suite in here.’
‘Do you want to see the rest or is that just a girly thing?’
‘It absolutely isn’t. I can be just as nosy as the next person.’
They went into the kitchen and Gordon said he liked the way they’d put the door on the side so it led straight into the studio. ‘Much nicer than knocking a hole in the parlour wall.’
‘Yes, nice too that there’s access from the studio to the side passage. It means people can come in that way without having to come through the house.’
‘So you’ll use that door when your classes start?’
‘Yes, fingers crossed – and now that I’ve got chairs. I was going to put the Carters on my four fold-up chairs and perch myself on a stool. I can’t tell you enough how nice it was to sit at a proper table.’
‘It was really nice to be included. I’m so glad you asked me.’
‘No choice really, seeing as how youwere bringing the chairs. No, no,’ she said, holding her hands up in mock self-protection, ‘only kidding.’
‘How do you feel about opening another bottle? It seems much too early to be going home.’
‘Good idea. I wouldn’t normally eat at that time. Still, I’m pretty sure the twins enjoyed it. I wouldn’t like to do it every day though. By nine o’clock I’d be snacking again!’
Holly picked up a bottle of wine and followed Gordon into the parlour and, plonking herself beside him on the sofa, she was soon into her third glass of the evening and feeling very mellow. Mrs Foster had left all the carpets and curtains and Holly had paid her a nominal fee for the lounge furniture, which went so well with the house. Even the threadbare patches on the arms of the period-looking couch added a certain charm.
‘I saw some of your work while we were in the studio, Holly, and in the dining room. I have to say I’m very impressed! Did they give you any idea how long you might have to wait for permission to come through?’
‘I think it’ll be several weeks yet but I’m keen to get the classes up and running before then if I can.’
Gordon, an attentive listener, put his arm along the back of the sofa and started running his fingers through her hair. Well, he tried to, but it was so unruly he got caught up in a tangle of curls and, instead of reducing her to jelly as he’d so obviously planned, he reduced her to giggles instead.
‘Hang on. You’re going to spill that all over your lap,’ Gordon said, rescuing the glass from her unsteady fingers. He leaned across her to put it on the coffee table then turned his face towards her, close to hers. She stopped giggling. Well, she didn’t think it would be polite while he was kissing her. He was very gentle and it was a very nice kiss, and she hadn’t been kissed in a long, long time. He drew back, his face just inches away, his eyes holding hers. ‘Holly, I …’ And that’s when panic set in and she moved back. She wasn’t ready for this. Gordon leaned in again.
Sheer force of will enabled her to slide out of his embrace and away from the sofa. In spite of the amount of wine she’d consumed she was suddenly stone-cold sober and her thoughts were as clear as a crisp morning. But her face was on fire. She raised her hands to burning cheeks.
‘Gordon, I’m sorry. I can’t do this. It’s too soon. I hardly know you.’
He smiled and stood in front of her, a square man, large and reassuring, his hands taking hold of hers.
‘I know. It’s crazy. And you’re right, of course.’
He released his grip and raised his arms, cupping her face, forcing her to look straight at him.
‘But magic has happened here this evening, Holly. Magic doesn’t happen often, does it?’ He gripped her chin with a finger and thumb. ‘People shouldn’t fly in the face of magic, should they? But neither should they abuse it. We won’t abuse it. We’ll nurture it. Don’t look so worried, Holly. We can wait. I can wait.’
And he did – but not before he’d kissed her again and held her close. Gently, oh so gently, but she could feel the passion raging within him, a passion she didn’t share.
‘Sit down, Holly. Sit down and finish your wine. I’ll do the washing up and make coffee.’
She realised she must have fallen asleep, because she woke up on the sofa early next morning, covered with a duvet and with a crick in her neck – and alone. Inexplicably a vision of Adam’s face swam before her. It surprised her and she dismissed it, trying instead to conjure up a picture of Gordon – and failing.
It had been a fabulous evening. In a way she was sorry it had ended as it did but she was frightened too by the intensity of Gordon’s feelings, feelings that her own emotions didn’t reflect. She wasn’t yet ready to jump.
Holly found a note from Gordon on the kitchen table. ‘Can’t believe I’ve just spent an evening with six-year-old twins and had such a great time. The rest wasn’t bad either! Call you later.’
Pouring soya milk onto her muesli Holly realised she was humming to herself. Romance hadn’t figured in her life for quite a while and Gordon was behaving in a very romantic way. She asked herself why she’d really held back last night but she knew the answer. She was terrified. Couples seemed to jump into bed together at the drop of a hat these days. She’d been off the market for such a long time she didn’t know the rules any more.
‘Magic’ Gordon had said. She’d felt something too but she wasn’t at all sure it was magic. She didn’t know what it was. The joy of being desired? The freedom of being able to respond if she chose to do so? And was it real, what Gordon had said, or was it just a chat-up line? And why on earth was it Adam’s face she’d seen when she woke up!
Chapter Six (#u087cf73f-931b-5769-b50f-a7645a10a441)
Holly decided to take a day off and went exploring instead. Her walks so far had mostly taken her through the village when she’d been staying with Emma and Tom. This time she went in the other direction. The only time she’d come this way was the day she’d bumped into Adam. She’d been driven along that stretch of road before and it didn’t look very interesting, or at least not as far as she could see. But as she couldn’t see all that far she decided she wasn’t really being fair. So off she went, bottle of water and apple in her backpack.
Beyond where she’d rummaged that first time it was actually quite pretty. The rivers diverged fairly quickly, one sweeping dramatically away from the road and the other, a much narrower body of water, following the black tarmac ribbon. She stayed with the road till she noticed a footpath between the trees and the river so she headed for that instead.
‘Oh, this is brilliant,’ she said aloud, her voice resonating. Embarrassed, she peeped over her shoulder to make sure there was no one else around. She didn’t usually talk to herself. The river looked really lovely here, not deep and with overhanging branches, and she could see tiny fish sparkling in the water. A flash of electric blue and orange streaked by at lightning speed and the only thing she could be sure of was that it was a bird. She had no idea what she’d just seen but she resolved to search for a book that would identify not just this little wonder, but all the others she could see flitting in and out of the trees.
Holly was fast coming to realise that this peaceful countryside was in fact far from serene. The almost constant birdsong, the trickling of the water, and the wind whispering through the branches all added to the volume, but the noises were very soothing. London with its totally different sounds seemed a very long way away.
