Chapter 12
12
I t was a few weeks following the expedition to get the dress. Cally had risen at the crack of dawn for chatbot work and made her way to the manor, not as Logan’s girlfriend but working for Nina’s company, A Lovely Organised Life. She had wanted the job for the financial reward, but, to be frank, she hadn’t quite fancied bumping into Logan’s mum or his aunt Cecilia as she went about her business. Bottom line, she was basically doing their dirty work for them and it was rather tricky all around. Cleaning out the stuff of over-indulged people who lived a very different life to her had its downsides. As she arrived at the manor, she felt a pang of awkwardness. There was a glaring contrast between her role as a worker at the manor and her occasional presence in its social settings. She again felt doubt about her place as if there was a huge elephant in the room that would only be amplified a millionfold at the races. Determined not to jump down that rabbit hole, she stuck her nose in the air and clutched her new confidence tightly to her chest.
Just as she was checking her phone for the code to punch into the pad on the door of the east wing, Doreen, the housekeeper, with a huge trug of hydrangeas in her arms, came the other way.
Doreen smiled. ‘Hey, our Cally, how are you?’
‘Great, thanks. You?’
‘Yeah, good, thanks. Coffee?’ Doreen asked.
‘Love one before I get going.’
‘Good to see you.’
‘You too.’
‘How do you think you’ll get on with the storage rooms?’ Doreen asked as Cally fell into step beside her and they made their way to the old, original part of the manor house.
‘Not too bad as long as we crack on.’
As they entered the huge old kitchen, the aroma of freshly baked bread wafted through the air. Doreen bustled around and inhaled. ‘Nothing beats the smell of fresh bread, don't you think?’
Cally smiled, inhaling deeply. ‘It smells heavenly. You’re so clever.’ She looked up at the gleaming copper pots hanging from a rack above the large, central kitchen table and the huge old Aga on the far wall. Sunlight streamed through the windows, landing in a puddle on the well-worn wooden floorboards and loads of bunches of lavender scented the room.
'Sit yourself down. I'll put the kettle on,' Doreen said, gesturing to the large, farmhouse-style table.
Cally sank into one of the chairs and chatted as Doreen filled the kettle and put it on the Aga.
‘What time will Nina arrive?’ Doreen asked.
Cally checked her phone. ‘Not sure.’
‘Will I make her a coffee?’
‘Yep, she might just need to warm it up.’
‘She’ll need coffee for her work this week. That's a big job, that is. Those rooms haven't been touched in years, as far as I can remember.’
Cally nodded, watching as Doreen gathered mugs from a cupboard. ‘I think there is a lot of history over there, just waiting to be discovered.’
Doreen smiled. 'Oh, I'm sure there are plenty of secrets hidden away in this old house. If these walls could talk, they'd have stories to tell. You don’t know what you might find…'
‘Hopefully nothing bad.’ Cally chuckled.
Doreen set two mugs of coffee down on the table with a clink. 'Now, what's this I hear about you going to the races with the family? That's quite the occasion.'
Cally’s stomach turned over and steam curled up into the air as she took her coffee. 'Oh, yes. It's a bit overwhelming, to be honest.'
'Ah, well, it's the highlight of the social calendar around here. Not long now. All the posh folks come out in their finest, sipping champagne and showing off for the Lovely races.’ Doreen chuckled.
Cally hoped her face didn’t show as much alarm as she felt. She couldn’t think of anything to say. ‘Right.’
Doreen clearly read her thoughts. 'Don't you worry. You'll fit right in. Just be yourself, and they'll love you just as much as we do.'
Cally felt grateful for Doreen’s words, but nerves fluttered in her stomach. She lowered her voice. 'It’s so different from anything I've ever experienced. I don't know the first thing about horse racing, or what to wear, or how to act.'
‘You’ll be fine,’ Doreen said as she moved to the large farmhouse sink, where the bunch of hydrangeas from the garden sat in a bucket of water. ‘Just follow your nose.'
Cally was reminded of her grandma as Doreen started to pull the bottom leaves off the hydrangeas and deep purples, soft pinks, and vibrant blues swirled in front of her eyes. ‘I don’t have much choice. Gosh, those hydrangeas are so pretty. They remind me of my grandma.’
'I know, same here. My mum had a big bush in our garden when I was a girl. I used to pick them for her and bring them inside to brighten up the kitchen. Just like I’m doing now, actually.'
Cally smiled. 'That's a lovely memory.’
Doreen nodded. ‘Funny, isn't it? How a scent or a flower can transport you back in time.' Doreen finished arranging the vase and stepped back to admire her handiwork. 'There. That's better. A bit of colour to liven up the place.'
‘They're beautiful. You’re really good at arranging them too. I just plonk flowers in willy-nilly.’
Doreen waved away the compliment. 'Oh, it's nothing. Just a bit of practice, that's all. You have to turn your hand to everything working here.' Doreen rolled her eyes and then moved to the oven and peeked inside. 'The bread's coming along nicely. Should be ready in a bit. Anyway, back to the races. Have you got your outfit sorted?'
Cally didn’t want to talk about the races. ‘Yes.’
'I remember the first time I went to the races,' Doreen reminisced, a faraway look in her eyes. 'I was just a young thing, barely out of school. My mum had saved up for months to buy me a new dress, and I felt like a princess. Those were the days.' She chuckled, shaking her head. 'Of course, I had no idea what I was doing. I picked the horses based on their names if you can believe it. But I had the time of my life, just soaking up the atmosphere and the excitement. You’ll love it.'
Cally smiled. ‘I hope so.’
‘Just remember to enjoy yourself, and don't get too caught up in trying to impress anyone.'
The Aga oven timer dinged, and Doreen jumped up to retrieve the bread. She pulled the loaves out and set them on a cooling rack. ‘Another coffee?’
Cally looked at the time on her phone. ‘I should get to it.’
Just as Cally was polishing off the last of her coffee, Alastair, Logan's cousin, came hurrying in from the main house. ‘Morning, all,’ he said in his usual posh-boy voice.
‘Morning, Alastair,’ Doreen and Cally said in unison.
‘How are you, Doreen?’ Alastair asked, flashing a charming smile.
‘Yes, good, thank you.’
‘I'm after a coffee, please,’ Alastair said, then turned to Cally. ‘How are you, Cally? All good with you?’
‘Good, thanks. Yep.’
‘What are you doing here? Where's Logan?’ Alastair asked.
‘I'm not with Logan.’
‘No? What are you up to then?’ Alastair probed with a frown.
‘I'm with Nina. I'm doing a job over in the east wing.’
Alastair raised an eyebrow. ‘Oh, decluttering, is it? Good luck. That’s quite the task, sorting through all that old junk. You need a medal. Oh, no, actually, you’re getting paid for it, so there’s that.’
Cally felt her cheeks flush. Alastair had a way of putting his foot in it and making her feel bad, even though it was completely unintentional. She didn’t know what to say. ‘It’s a big job.’
Alastair’s voice was not unkind, but to Cally’s ear, it dripped with condescension. ‘A big job of sifting through a load of crap, old newspapers, and broken furniture. As I said, good luck with that. Best of British. Rather you than me. Someone has to do it, though.’
Cally tried to keep her voice steady. ‘Thanks.’
Doreen handed Alastair his coffee. ‘Here you go, Alastair. Freshly brewed.’
‘Thank you, Doreen,’ Alastair said, taking the cup. ‘You always make the best coffee.’
Alastair sipped his coffee, seemingly oblivious to the fact that his words had made Cally feel awkward. ‘So, do you enjoy working here? It must be quite different from, you know, that little job thingy you were doing in the chemist.’
Cally took a deep breath. ‘It’s good. It's given me an appreciation of the manor's history.’
Alastair nodded. ‘Well, I suppose it's good to find joy in the little things. We always say that, don’t we, Doreen?’
Cally felt her jaw clench. ‘Yes, I suppose it is.’
‘Well, I guess I'd better get back to it. Time waits for no one. Enjoy your morning ladies.’
As Alastair left the kitchen, Cally let out a breath through tight lips. ‘Yes, see you later.’
Doreen rolled her eyes. ‘Ignore him. He's something else. Completely in a world of his own.’
Cally laughed. ‘That's one way to put it.’
‘Always been the same. Absolutely harmless at the end of the day. He doesn't understand the value of hard work because he’s never done a day of it in his life. It is what it is. He means no harm.’
Cally nodded. ‘You said it.’
Doreen patted Cally's hand. ‘You're doing great, love. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.’
‘I should get on. Thanks for the coffee.’
‘Anytime.’
Doreen raised her eyebrows. ‘And don’t you be fretting over what big mouth did or didn’t say. Not being funny, but he’s not quite all there, so don’t worry about it. Got it?’
‘Yeah, thanks,’ Cally affirmed, but as she walked out of the kitchen, she made a wincing face. Alastair had pushed her buttons hard and fast, and she didn’t like how it made her feel. She heard a very strange, out-of-context cross between a growl and a croak come out of the back of her throat. Big mouth Alastair had not made her feel very good at all. Trouble was, how she felt was going to get worse. Bumpy ride upcoming. Hold onto your race hat Cally de Pfeffer. Strap yourself in girlfriend. Things are not going to be that fun.