‘If you think that flattery …’ But Gilly didn’t finish her sentence. She knew he would see the smile that she’d couldn’t suppress. She was one of the best B & Bs in the area and no, she wasn’t remotely ready to downsize and retire.
‘I’m not flattering you, Mrs Claire, I’m telling you the facts as I see them. Of course, it’s your decision.’
‘But you think I should say no to any requests for money?’
He smiled. ‘I think you should try very hard to say no, but I do realise how difficult that is for you. You have a very kind heart.’
He had told her before that she was the only client who felt obliged to bring shortbread for the staff and she knew that as an accountant he didn’t see having a kind heart in quite the same way as, for example, a vicar would. ‘Well, I will try to stand firm,’ she said at last.
‘Good. But while you’re here, I wonder if I could take advantage of your kind heart and consult you about a party I’m organizing for the eightieth birthday of one of my aunts.’
‘Oh?’
‘I was wondering if you knew anything about January Barn. Would it be suitable for a family party, with lots of the family being quite elderly?’
‘Oh yes. I quite often have people who are going to events there and they all say it’s lovely.’
‘Which brings me to the second thing I want to ask you. Could I rent all the rooms in your B & B?’
Gilly was a bit taken aback. ‘Of course you can, but it rather depends on when your party is. I may have bookings already.’ She smiled apologetically. ‘I do get bookings quite far in advance. I know I should have my diary on my phone but although Helena explained how to do it I kept forgetting to update it. And frankly, it’s quite nice to have a bit of time to reflect sometimes.’
William nodded. ‘It’s quite soon, I’m afraid – this month. January Barn have had a wedding cancelled and haven’t yet filled the spot. They were quite keen on having a less labour-intensive event although obviously one not quite as lucrative.’
Gilly got up. ‘Why don’t you email me the dates and I’ll get back to you? I’d love to have your family to stay.’ Already she was considering passing on any bookings she might have to her friend nearby whose B & B was nearly as good as her own.
‘And I know they’d love staying with you,’ he said. ‘It would be for my aunts and some cousins. I’m very fond of them.’
‘Of course I’d be happy to give you a special rate as your family will be taking all the rooms,’ said Gilly.
‘As your accountant I shouldn’t let you do that,’ he said firmly, but Gilly could see a twinkle in his eye he couldn’t quite suppress.
She felt a rush of warmth towards this kind man who wanted to do something nice for his elderly relatives. ‘But as your friend I think you have to let me charge what I think appropriate.’
He laughed. ‘I’m glad you think of yourself as my friend, Mrs Claire.’
‘I do, and I think it’s high time you called me Gilly.’
‘And you must call me William.’
Gilly smiled and got up. ‘I must go. Thank you so much for your advice and get those dates to me as soon as you can.’
He got up too and walked her to the door where she stopped, pointing to the wall. ‘I’ve never mentioned it before, but I really love those photographs. Seeing the hills covered in frost with the sunshine just catching them, the river looking magnificent, they’re really beautiful.’
‘Do you like them? I took them from my glider.’
‘Glider? You have a glider?’
He nodded and opened the door.
That’s a bit of a surprise, thought Gilly as she left.
Chapter Three
Helena’s best friend Amy called on her the following evening. Helena had sent her a text – Met our new landlord Jago Pengelly – but hadn’t gone into detail. She knew she couldn’t cheat Amy by being brief. While Helena wasn’t interested in him as a possible date, Amy probably would be.
‘So?’ said Amy, putting the wine down on Helena’s tiny worktop and finding a couple of glasses, knowing exactly which cupboard to look in. ‘What’s he like?’
‘He’s a gentleman-builder,’ said Helena. She liked to be able to categorise people. A snappy two-word ‘type’ and they were filed away into a part of her mind she didn’t often visit.
‘So, good-looking?’ Amy handed Helena a glass of wine and came to sit next to her on the sofa bed.
Helena thought. ‘Not amazingly so, but quite attractive, I suppose.’ She paused. ‘I’m trying to think how you’d see him.’
‘And you’re not going after him yourself?’ It was obvious Amy knew what the answer was but she could never resist trying to bring Helena round to her way of thinking.
‘No, I’m focusing on my career, finding somewhere to relocate to, and getting enough stuff for Woolly World,’ said Helena carefully, as if to a small child who hadn’t heard this many times before. ‘Those are my priorities.’
‘And you can’t multitask? I care about my career too, but I can manage to run a few dating apps.’
‘Come on, Ames! I’m willing to share everything I know about someone you may well fancy. Just get off my case!’ She took a sip from the glass Amy handed to her.
‘You need to sort out your trust issues. Just because your father was a snake, it doesn’t mean all men are,’ said Amy, sitting down next to Helena.
‘I’m sure I’ll know the right man when I’ve got time to focus on it but just now I’m concentrating on my work. I have explained this about a million times, but having met a new man, I thought I’d pass him on to someone who might be interested. You.’
‘OK,’ said Amy, pulling one of Helena’s handwoven throws over herself. The mezzanine of Helena’s studio had been made into a tiny flat, but although it was now April and not actually that cold outside, it wasn’t ever very cosy. ‘About how tall is he?’
‘Tall, big, bigger than me, anyway. Which is why he needed me to rescue the kitten.’
‘You are quite small, Hels,’ said Amy, sizing her up. ‘He wouldn’t need to be huge to be bigger than you.’
‘All right, he looks as if he could play rugby.’
‘What? He has a cauliflower ear?’ Amy appeared put off by this thought.
‘No.’ Helena pictured Jago’s ears. ‘Nothing odd about them.’
‘You should be able to tell me all about him, with your spooky superpowers,’ said Amy.
Helena was a super-recogniser, which meant she had a photographic memory for people even if she’d only glimpsed them. While Amy knew about this, she was a bit sceptical.
‘I could pick him out in a crowd but it’s my powers of description that are failing me now.’ She thought about him. ‘He has a small scar above his eyebrow and his hair has a sort of straw-like quality. Not that it’s like straw exactly, but it’s the colour really.’ Thinking about him, Helena realised she felt a bit warm towards him. While she was perfectly capable of having men as friends and liking them, with Jago she felt the stirrings of attraction which was rare.