Chapter 26 #2
‘Ruby’s off to London on a shoot later this week,’ Lola said proudly, following my eyes now fastened on to the photographs.
A shoot? I had a fleeting picture of this quite devastatingly pretty girl with a gun and plus fours hunting moose.
‘She’s a model,’ Lola went on, basking in the limelight of her mate.
‘Right. That’s… lovely.’ I glanced at my watch, turned and looked at Henry. ‘Look, Mr…’
‘Henry, please.’
‘Are you sure this is all right? Lola being with you all day and overnight?’
‘Well, I think the girls have arranged it all,’ he said vaguely, looking at his own watch, obviously eager to be off somewhere.
‘Could I have a word with this housekeeper of yours?’ I asked.
‘Mum!’ Lola glared in my direction. ‘It’s fine, really.’
We left the room, but not before I’d leaned in to kiss Lola, who batted me off slightly. ‘Just remember your please and thank yous,’ I whispered. ‘How to hold your knife and how to break and butter a bread roll correctly.’
‘It’ll make me feel better if I can have a quick word with your… your housekeeper,’ I repeated to Henry as we walked back down the stairs. (I’d never met anyone who had a housekeeper before: a weekly char at the most.) This house really was something else. ‘And then I really must get off to work.’
‘The White House?’ Henry asked.
‘You remembered?’ I was surprised.
‘Of course.’ He paused. ‘I’m always interested in new ventures. When’s your opening date?’
‘Month or two,’ I said. I pulled a face. ‘Bit nerve-racking really.’
‘I’ll bet. Everything good to go then, is it?’
‘It’s all happening so quickly; sort of snowballed out of control, taking me along with it. I’m just on my way up there now. The thing is, we had a bit of a setback yesterday.’
‘Oh?’
‘Hmm, someone thought it good fun to put a brick through the window. The new big picture window…’ I trailed off. Should I be telling someone I didn’t know about what had happened? The last thing we needed was the locals getting to know about it. Or wasn’t any publicity good publicity?
‘You’re joking? Why would anyone do that?’ Henry was obviously shocked. ‘I know what it’s like starting new businesses.’
‘Oh?’ I was curious to know what he did.
Obviously successful whatever it was: an amazing house like this, a housekeeper; daughter previously at private school.
‘What line of business are you in?’ (Did that sound a bit more grown up than: ‘Come on, Henry, spill the beans, how d’you make all your dosh? ’)
‘Asset management, financial services…’ Henry smiled almost apologetically. ‘Boring stuff. Nothing at all like the excitement of opening a new restaurant.’ He paused. ‘D’you know, I knew I’d seen your face somewhere before. You were the winner of that Christmas TopChef competition, weren’t you?’
‘Goodness.’ I felt myself grow slightly pink as this very gorgeous man continued to smile down at me. ‘Seems ages ago now.’
‘Five months or so ago?’ Henry said, leaning against the huge central island in the kitchen. ‘I followed it all in The Yorkshire Post and Focus North on TV. I absolutely love cooking myself.’
‘Really? Hence this amazing kitchen?’
‘I try,’ he said. ‘Although I rarely get the time. But you, Jessica, you’re quite a local celebrity! Have the powers that be all been in touch with you to write your own cookbook and the rest?’
‘Not yet,’ I said. I wasn’t about to tell this man, tell anyone (even Robyn, who I usually told everything) I’d secretly mocked up my own pudding recipe book: Jessica’s Puddings.
Instead, I laughed modestly. ‘I wouldn’t say that,’ I demurred, but nevertheless felt a surge of pride at what I’d achieved. I was good. I could do all this.
‘And you’ve moved incredibly quickly with this new restaurant venture. Quite amazing.’
‘Well, the infrastructure was all there – just a matter of conversion of the summer house into a restaurant. And that’s the Sattars for you.’ I smiled, proud of what Kamran had achieved so ridiculously quickly.
‘The Sattars?’ Henry turned. ‘The Frozen people?’
‘Hmm. They certainly know how to turn wheels and get things moving. Planning? You know? All sorted? I find it hard enough to get anyone in to mend a fuse, but no, Kamran snaps his fingers and things just seem to happen.’ I paused, ‘To be fair, Kamran had had his eye on Hudson House – the care home? – for a long time before that. Done all the planning in his head, worked out costs and logistics. It was just a matter of changing the venue, up the garden to the summer house.’
‘Great USP,’ Henry said. ‘A place with history, I believe? Coffee?’ He moved towards one of the shiny metal machines.
I glanced at my watch, knowing not only did I have Arthur in the car who would be crossing his legs, but I should have been up at The White House ten minutes ago.
‘I’d love one, but I really must get on.’
‘Shame.’ Henry turned away from me, reaching for a mug.
‘Oh, sorry, you wanted to meet Kateryna and have my contact number?’ He glanced out of the window.
‘I think Kateryna has headed off somewhere. She said she was going to pick up my dry cleaning. But, look, I can see you need to get off.’ He found a pad, quickly wrote down a number and handed it to me with a smile.
‘There, does that make you feel a bit better?’
It did. I nodded.
‘The thing is, Jessica, it’s good for Ruby to have friends round, and your daughter seems to be a good influence on her.’
Lola was? Well, that made me feel very proud. Lola might be an absolute pain in the backside at home, but she was apparently on her best behaviour here. Shades of Kevin and Perry, I reckoned.
‘Ruby can be a bit of a handful at times, Jessica. Sometimes I don’t think I’m getting it a bit right. And now she’s eleven – thinks she’s at least fifteen – this is when she needs a strong female influence to keep her on the right track.’
‘Look,’ I said, ‘if there’s anything I can do to help?’ Goodness, this man was rather lovely. I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand as he patted my arm.
‘Jessica, that’s so kind.’
‘I must go,’ I said reluctantly. Much as I wanted to be up at The White House with Fabian and Kamran, I would love to have sat here, in this wonderful kitchen, drinking coffee and finding out more about Henry CB.
‘Listen, Jessica…’ He hesitated. ‘I don’t suppose… I mean, have you made plans for this evening? You probably have… You’re probably busy?’ Henry appeared shy. How could an intelligent, gorgeous man like this be shy? ‘Sorry, forget it…’
‘I’m not doing anything.’ I smiled at him.
‘Look, I shouldn’t ask, but I need to sort Ruby – and your daughter of course – with food. I was going to cook them something here – try out a new recipe I’ve found for mac and cheese.’
‘Isn’t mac and cheese, well, mac and cheese?
You know, however you make it?’ I laughed in order to hide the huge surge of disappointment I was feeling.
The man just wanted me to cook; a replacement housekeeper now this Kateryna woman didn’t appear to be around.
You are ridiculous, Jessica, I censured myself, the smile still fixed on my face.
‘Suppose.’ Henry gave a rueful laugh himself.
‘Don’t forget, I have nowhere near your expertise with cooking.
All very experimental, I’m afraid.’ He stared at me then, running a hand through his blond hair, holding my eye.
‘The thing is, I really would love to spend some time with you, Jessica. Get to know you… Oh dear…’ Henry paused, obviously embarrassed.
‘I hope you don’t think I’m being too forward.
The thing is, from the moment I met you, I felt, you know…
?’ He trailed off. ‘Look, Jessica, I’d love you to join me for supper.
Would you…? I mean, if you’ve nothing else planned. Sorry, shouldn’t have asked…’
This man was gorgeous. And he was inviting me round for me! For me, and not just to feed his daughter.
‘Why not?’ I smiled back. ‘That would be really, really lovely!’