4
WHILE NORA WAS at the pottery, Michelle from the sales office had popped her head around the door and asked Nora if it was Croftwood that she’d moved to.
‘We’ve just signed a new account. A retailer called Candles and Cushions. Do you know it?’
Nora shook her head, beginning to feel ashamed of her lack of interest in exploring the town so far. ‘Why don’t you put together some samples and I can pop in and introduce myself.’
‘Really? That’d be amazing. They haven’t placed their first order yet, so it might encourage them.’
And so, Nora sat in her car in the only car park she could find, which was behind the church, plucking up the courage to go and be friendly and smiley. Not that she wasn’t naturally a friendly, smiley person, it just took more effort these days. Since Julian had called it a day on their almost twenty-year relationship, she’d slightly lost her confidence in all aspects of her life, except her work. Her work had ultimately been the reason he’d left, unable to cope with her success and not able to keep his feelings to himself that he deserved that kind of success more than she did.
She paid for an hour’s parking on the app, picked up the pretty paper bag that Michelle had packed the samples into, and headed past the church towards what looked like the centre of town. On the opposite side of the road was a coffee shop. It was trendy, with a kind of hipster vibe that made Nora fully expect to come across a man with a well-groomed beard as part of the staff. It was tempting to stop off there now, but it was better if she had that to look forward to after she’d got the work part out of the way.
Candles and Cushions was further up the road on the same side of the street as the coffee shop. Its window lifted Nora’s spirits because she could see immediately that she’d find things in this shop that she’d want in her own home. It was a great fit for Hart Pottery to be stocked here.
A bell gently sounded as she pushed the door open. The lighting was soft. Bright enough to shop by but dim enough to make you feel cosseted in the warm hug of the shop, as if no one was watching you. Candles were dotted here and there on shelves that were otherwise empty of stock — presumably so that the cushions didn’t go up in flames.
‘Hi there,’ said the woman who appeared behind the counter. ‘Give me a shout if you need anything.’ She smiled and sat down, going back to whatever it was she was doing.
Nora loved that. No pressure at all. Exactly what she wanted, so before she announced herself, she wandered around having a good look and picked up a couple of candles and a new lampshade for her bedside light.
‘That’s such a lovely choice,’ the woman said when she stood up as Nora placed her things on the counter.
‘Believe me, there were several I could have chosen. I’m sure I’ll be back once I finish unpacking properly.’
‘Oh, you’ve just moved here?’
Nora wondered if she’d live to regret sharing that information, but this woman seemed like the kind of person who was easy to open up to. ‘Yes, about a month ago.’
‘I moved here about a year ago and I’ve still got boxes I haven’t unpacked. It’s never ending, isn’t it?’
Nora felt her shoulders drop. ‘Yes, I’m never moving again.’
‘Me neither! I’m Hilary. Lovely to meet you.’
‘I’m Nora. Actually, I popped in because I work for Hart Pottery and once they realised this is where I moved to, they asked me to bring a couple of samples in. They’re complimentary since you’ve just opened a new account with us. You’ve sidetracked me with your lovely wares.’
Hilary laughed. ‘You’re Nora Hartford? Oh my god! Sorry, I’m going to fangirl for a sec. I absolutely love your pottery. I’m thrilled to be a stockist and thrilled that you like my shop!’
This kind of thing happened sometimes. It was exactly what Julian hated. If he’d been with her he’d have stalked out of the shop at this point. But Nora tried not to think about that.
‘That’s so kind of you.’ Nora handed over the bag and Hilary delved in straight away.
‘I can’t believe you’ve moved here. I don’t suppose you’d consider doing some sort of meet and greet thing one evening? No, sorry. I shouldn’t be putting you on the spot. Ignore me.’ Hilary put the samples aside and began wrapping Nora’s purchases. ‘These are on the house.’
‘Absolutely not. I’ll never be able to come here again if you do that,’ Nora said.
‘But you’ve given me stuff for free,’ Hilary protested.
‘Because you’re a new client. You must get free samples from other suppliers. Let’s keep the business side of things… professional.’
‘Right. Of course. You’re right.’ Hilary seemed a little flustered, and Nora hoped she hadn’t offended her because Hilary might be the first friend she made in Croftwood. Aside from Archie, she was certainly the first person she’d spoken to.
‘What time do you close? Maybe we could grab a coffee or something?’
Hilary brightened. ‘I’d love that. Shall I meet you in Oliver’s in half an hour?’
As Nora could have guessed, Oliver’s was the hipster coffee shop she’d seen on her way to Hilary’s shop. She pushed the door open and the aroma of great coffee hit her, followed closely by an eyeful of the most tempting looking cakes. Her stomach grumbled reminding her that a slice of toast and a banana probably hadn’t been enough for lunch.
‘Hi there,’ said the young man with a big smile who was behind the counter. ‘What can I get you?’
‘I’ll take an oat milk latte and a piece of whatever that chocolate slice is.’ She pointed to a traybake that looked like it might be solid chocolate.
‘It’s healthier than it looks,’ he said, reading her mind. ‘It’s got lots of dark chocolate in it and is at least half dates. Great choice.’
Nora paid, and the barista said she could take a seat and he’d bring it over. The place was buzzing. There were a few people engrossed in their laptops, interspersed with other people taking time out of their day to have coffee with a friend. Nora chose a table for two where she could keep an eye on the door for Hilary coming in, and while she waited, she checked her phone for messages.
There was an email from Julian to let her know he had a box of her stuff that had got mixed up with his during the move. Had it really taken him a month to realise? He was suggesting it would be too expensive to post since it was mostly books and had said he could drop it round to her in a couple of weeks when he would be passing. That was the last thing she wanted. She needed her house to remain a Julian-free zone, untainted by him and with no memories of any kind made there with him, good or bad. She replied and said she’d collect them at the weekend since she was planning to visit a friend and swim in the sea pool. Not a lie. She’d just have to arrange it.
She and Julian had ended things relatively amicably. The ending had been the most amicable part of the last few years, and Nora was surprised to find that she wasn’t lonely living by herself. If anything, it was relief not to be walking on eggshells all the time, worried that the wrong remark about how her day had been, or her side of a telephone call could trigger a major sulk from Julian that would make a couple of days at a time unbearable. As her star had risen, his had stayed where it was. He tried to disguise his jealousy as a belief that she was selling out, thinking that he was staying true to his craft and she wasn’t. But it was the challenge that Nora loved, in her work and in the business side of things, and that fed her creativity, spawning more ideas and avenues that she wanted to explore. And they could have done it together. When she thought back to their days at college and then as struggling artists, finding it hard to pay the rent, she remembered those days with affection because their relationship had been so much easier then. The moment she made more money than Julian, even though she was happy to share everything with him, he began to shut her out. And that had been the beginning of the end. So what she didn’t want was to give him any opportunity to criticise the new life she was building. The days of her putting up with that were over.
She looked up from her phone at the moment Hilary walked in. She waved and Nora left her jacket on the chair and her empty plate and took her cup over to the counter.
‘Hilary, let me get these.’
‘Absolutely not,’ Hilary said sternly. ‘Would you like the same again?’
‘That’d be lovely, thank you. Oat —’
‘Oat milk latte?’ the barista said at the same time.
‘See? You’re a regular already,’ Hilary said. ‘Flat white for me please, Jack.’
‘I started making it when I saw you,’ he said. ‘Take a seat and I’ll bring them over.’
Hilary followed Nora over to the table, waving at a man who was smiling at her from behind his laptop. He had headphones on and age-wise was somewhere in between herself and Hilary.
‘That’s my partner, Toby,’ Hilary said. ‘I mean, he’s my boyfriend. It’s so ridiculous at our age, you don’t know what to call it.’
‘What does he do?’
‘He’s a barrister. He gives online legal advice.’
‘Wow. Useful person to know.’ Even though she and Julian hadn’t been married, they’d been together long enough for their lives to have been intertwined to the degree where they’d needed a solicitor. The house had been in joint names and there had been some back and forth over the finances involved in that. Nora had paid off the mortgage once her business had reaped dividends, and her solicitor had wanted her to fight for a bigger share of the house. She’d decided to split it fifty-fifty with Julian and he’d been so disdainful about it, she wished she’d listened to her solicitor. But she wasn’t about to tell Hilary all of this when they’d only just met.
‘Whereabouts do you live?’ Hilary asked.
‘Off the Worcester Road, down a lane near Croftwood Court.’
‘Oh, really? That’s such a nice area. Some friends of ours live down that way. Their garden backs onto the woods. Great for walks.’
‘I’ve been walking in the woods every day.’ Again, it felt too soon to admit she’d been swimming in the lake, but she was interested in finding out what Hilary might know about Archie. ‘Do you know much about Croftwood Court?’
‘Lord Harrington, Archie, helped with the Croftwood Festival last summer. He lent some of his land and a huge marquee. I think he’s doing the same this year.’
‘Does he have a family?’
‘He and his mother live in the manor house. I don’t know much about him, but I’ve always assumed he’s single. Isn’t that awful of me?’ Hilary said with a shocked expression. ‘Jess would know. Her partner, Seb, is friends with Archie.’
‘And whereabouts do you live?’
‘A couple of streets behind the church. Toby and I live on the same street and we’re sort of living between each other’s houses. I feel too old to start thinking about going all in with someone again. I like my independence and I think Toby likes that too. Having said that, we hardly ever spend a night apart.’ She grinned and sipped her coffee, her eyes darting over to Toby. ‘How about you?’ She put her coffee down, looking worried. ‘I’m finding it hard not to think of you as Nora Hartford, famous businesswoman. I’d never ask Nora Hartford about her personal life. You don’t have to tell me anything. I won’t be offended.’
‘Look. Can we pretend I didn’t walk into your shop unannounced today because I’d much rather be friends with you than sell you any pottery.’
Hilary beamed. ‘Okay. In that case, tell me everything.’
And Nora did. Everything about Julian and the slow rot of their relationship and how she felt the same way as Hilary about living with someone again.
‘So you’re not on the lookout for a man?’
Nora laughed and shook her head. ‘Not at all. I can’t think of anything worse!’ But at the exact moment she said the words, the image of Archie in his threadbare woollen jumper and tweed trousers, looking at her with his soulful brown eyes popped into her mind and she wondered whether she was telling Hilary the truth.