Chapter Thirty-seven
When I go downstairs at a quarter to five, I can smell baking from Leonie’s café which means she’s up early, too.
Before I can even think about coffee, I need to print out my task lists.
I turn away, fishing out my key to the Hub, only to find it already open, the lights on and machinery humming.
Alex and Llewellyn sit at a large computer screen with a cluster of teenagers trying to look over their shoulders.
“Did you?” Llewellyn scoffs gently when he sees me start typing almost immediately.
My to-do list for today is long but manageable if it’s organised. I split it into three sections: inside, outside and personnel.
Inside is welcome, tickets for each activity, leaflet handouts, and – biggest of all – the video loops.
These are clips and slides with my voiceover explaining the growth cycles of some of the rare plants we’ve introduced in the garden.
Each will be played on a continuous loop on one of the big screens around the house.
Outside is the fun, easy part: the arranged walks and making sure all the plant labels and info signs are in the right places and there is at least one volunteer at each fan to stop people stepping into the flowerbeds.
“What are you all doing here?” Evan calls from the door.
The teenagers know he’s talking to them and instantly stand up straighter. I’m always impressed by his management of boys, most of whom have been excluded from their schools for bad behaviour. I guess when he holds the carrot of training them on their favourite subject, they listen to him.
Wyn, one of the teens, says, “We’re trying to see Alex’s presentation. It’s about the Blue Lady.”
The Blue Lady? Despite myself I’m intrigued.
She’s one of two riddles no one can solve.
The mysterious lady in a blue gown and the enigmatic gentleman in a top hat.
Both images pop up here and there in Kendric House.
In portraits, stained glass, miniatures and of course mosaics.
Alex and the professor are convinced they’re real people with an important link to the history of the house.
“No Blue Lady.” Alex clicks his mouse, peering closely at the screen. “I think this slide needs to go before,” he says to Llewellyn. “The professor has a thing to read afterwards.”
“Make him tell us.” Another of the boys appeals to Evan.
“If you don’t have actual jobs, don’t hang around getting in the way. The doors of Kendric House open at ten; I’m sure there’s some cleaning or setup you can do. Go find Haneen.” His no-nonsense voice makes all the teens move. They might slouch and grumble, but they move.
He strides forward and holds a hand out to me. “Show me.”
I look up from behind my screen. “What?”
“You have a task list in there, haven’t you?”
Without a word I turn my screen so he can see. Evan bends down to read through everything. “Wyn, stay,” he says, reaching for the mouse and highlighting most of the items related to my video presentations.
Wyn, the most reliable of the boys, ambles over, his jeans hanging so low the frayed hem scrapes the floor.
Evan glances at him. “Do you want a temporary promotion to technical assistant?”
The boy’s face brightens. “Yeah?”
Evan clicks a couple of times to copy and paste part of my list into a clean page.
The printer hums and spits out two pages.
“You are in charge of Evie’s videos. You tell me everything you do before you do it and let me check it afterwards.
You don’t mess around. Any hiccups, you ask, don’t improvise. ”
“Are you sure?” I glance from Evan to Wyn, who looks like all his dreams have come true.
“Don’t worry, I’ll keep a close eye. And you have far too much to do and never ask for help.”
He hands him one copy of my video task list and keeps the other for himself so he can check it. Then he turns back to my computer and prints the rest of the inside list. “We can take care of these, too. The Squad are manning all the entry and information points. So this is easy.”
He sounds so capable, I want to cry or hug him. In two minutes, he’s taken a third of my jobs off me.
Then, just as I think Evan is the most serious man in the world, he turns to Alex and asks, “So? The Blue Lady.”
Alex shakes his head. “We’ve found something. Not necessarily the Blue Lady. But it’s certainly the secret to what made Kendric House what it is.”
“And you’re not going to give us a quick preview?”
Alex presses his lips together. Evan turns his gaze to Llewellyn. “And you’ve been sworn to secrecy?”
Llewellyn sends Alex an uncertain look.
“Wait for the lecture.” Alex wags his finger like a teacher. “We have a different lecture every day. This one here will be on Monday evening.”
Evan leaves with Wyn and I reorganise the now-reduced task list.
Alex and Llewellyn whisper something to each other. They both look very excited.
“Can you give me a clue?” I rise to collect the last four pages from the printer. “Come on, Alex, the Blue Lady is in the stained-glass panel above my door and is modelled on the pond in Hope Gardens. Shouldn’t I know?”
He shakes his head.
“Not as if I’m going to get on the internet and tell everyone,” I try.
“You’ll tell Osian. The two of you are inseparable and tell each other everything.”
“No, we don’t. Only if it’s to do with gardening.”
Alex winks. “I’ve heard it called many things but never gardening.”
The heat in my cheeks could probably boil eggs.
“Don’t be an ass.” Llewellyn nudges him in the ribs. “Tell her.”
A jarring sound outside draws my gaze to the window.
Nora, in skin-tight jeans and heels, drags two suitcases behind her across the car park towards her Vauxhall Corsa.
With angry movements, she shoves her luggage into the back seat then climbs in and reverses so violently, the wheels throw up a shower of loose gravel.
A loud horn blares, disturbing at this early hour.
It goes on blaring as if she’s leaning on the steering wheel with both hands all the way as she drives out of the car park, down the drive and through the main gates.
I can still hear it when the car is halfway up the hill on the Llancaradoc road.
“I guess she wants to wake us all up,” Alex says, watching her disappear. “A last ‘up yours’ to Kendric House.”
“She’s wasting her energy because no one is asleep this morning,” Llewellyn says, turning away from the window. “Let’s go and have some breakfast.” He suddenly looks five years younger, and much happier.
The cheerful relief on his face makes me realise how grim he’d been all the time since her return. I’m so happy for him that I forget all about my to-do list and agree to breakfast.
“Great idea.” I collect my things. Hopefully, they’ll tell me more when we’re eating.