Chapter 16
Finn was having a very productive afternoon. Eleanor Smythe, his agent, had put him in touch with the couple who wanted the commission and he’d just been in to discuss the finer details. They wanted a painting of Salisbury Cathedral for their anniversary. Apparently they’d been married there.
Finn hadn’t even realised it was possible to get married in such an exalted location but the couple, Bill and Sarah Grant, had explained that it was, you just needed a qualifying connection.
Like you’d been baptised there, or had lived in The Close, where the cathedral was located, for more than six months.
Finn didn’t imagine many people lived there.
The Grants were about quarter of a mile away.
He hadn’t asked what their connection was, and they hadn’t volunteered it.
They’d been more interested in asking him about the painting.
How did he work? Would he set up an easel outside or would it be from photographs?
Could they see the painting midway through?
Finn had answered their questions, feeling strangely liberated.
He loved talking about art; it was the one time he didn’t feel self-conscious.
His passion for the subject overrode his hypercritical inner voice and the little demon of self-doubt that so often sat on his shoulder.
He told them he mostly worked from home and they were very welcome to visit and see their painting in progress.
When he’d given them the address they’d been thrilled to hear he lived in an animal sanctuary.
‘We could look at the animals too while we were there.’ Sarah had turned to her husband, starry eyed. ‘We’ve been talking about getting a dog or cat for a while, haven’t we, love?’ She looked back at Finn. ‘If that’s OK, of course?’
‘It’s more than OK. My fiancée Jade is the proprietor. She’d love to show you around, I’m sure.’
When Finn left their house he was on a high.
For once his impostor syndrome had vanished.
The sun was shining and the sky was cyan with patchy streaks of white cloud that appeared to be stationary there was so little wind.
He left his Toyota where it was and walked round to Salisbury Cathedral, deciding he might as well take some photos while he was so close by.
The iconic spire, apparently the tallest in Britain, could be seen for miles around, so he’d have found it even if he hadn’t had Google Maps open on his phone.
A short while later he was on the wide stretch of grass that bordered the cathedral.
There were clusters of people milling around, going in and out of the main doors, and a few were sitting on the grass, which looked patchy and yellow in places, thanks to the long hot summer they were having.
But the cathedral, close up, was gloriously imposing.
Today its light-coloured stone looked almost gold in the late afternoon light, its one spire soaring high into the sky.
Finn took a series of photos on his phone.
It wasn’t going to be easy to paint, with all those dozens of windows, but he liked a challenge.
For a while he was immersed in his work, moving around to get different angles, with a backdrop of birdsong and the sounds of distant traffic. He could smell food drifting from somewhere close by and eventually the rumbling of his stomach reminded him that he was hungry.
He was just about to leave and go in search of sustenance – he’d missed lunch, thanks to his nervousness about the meeting – when he heard his name called.
‘Finn? Hey. Over here.’
He shielded his eyes against the sun and saw a hand waving from one of the groups of people not far from him.
It was his half-brother, Declan, he realised, focusing in on the man still sitting on the grass, and feeling a little stirring of unease. He hadn’t seen him lately, but Declan was the one dark spot amidst all the excitement of meeting the Irish side of his family last year. His mother’s side.
Finn was pretty sure Declan was no more a fan of his than he was of Declan, but his voice had been friendly enough, and he could hardly just ignore him.
‘Hey,’ he said, moving across to where Declan sat with his group of friends. Two women and another guy, he saw as he got closer.
Declan didn’t bother standing up, as the group focused in on Finn, but he did introduce him.
‘My brother, the artist,’ he said, waving an insouciant hand. ‘What are you up to, Finny boy? Thinking of painting the local sites to sell at craft fairs?’
They all smiled and one of the women laughed lightly and Finn felt as though all of the sunshine had fled from the day.
‘I am working, yes.’ He was determined not to let his younger brother’s casually insulting tone get to him. ‘I see you’re hard at work too.’
‘It’s POETS day. I’ve done my stint this week. Don’t need to work myself into an early grave. No starving in garrets for me.’ Declan leaned back on his elbows on the grass and smiled but his eyes were as hard as stone.
The woman beside him, a pretty blonde in a strapless blue summer dress, who couldn’t have been much more than twenty to Declan’s twenty-seven, sat up and said eagerly, ‘I’ve never met an artist before. Are you famous?’
‘No.’ Declan and Finn spoke in unison. ‘And I’m not rich either,’ Finn added before his brother could beat him to it. ‘But I’m making a living, which means I can spend most of my time doing something I love. And that’s pretty priceless to me.’
She looked enchanted and Declan looked pissed off. One all then, Finn thought with satisfaction. He decided to quit before Declan could have another dig. ‘I’d better get on. Nice to see you, Declan. See you at the wedding.’
‘We’ll be there, won’t we, Grace, darling.’ Declan ran his hand over the blonde’s bare shoulder with a proprietorial air and she smiled at him adoringly.
Finn felt his blood pressure rising. Why did his half-brother get to him so much? It was crazy and it was slightly toxic and he wished he was secure enough to let Declan’s barbed comments fly over his head without injury, but he wasn’t. Not when it came to his art anyway.
It was an effort to stroll casually away across the summer grass. But he managed it. The last thing he wanted was for Declan to see that he’d riled him.
‘I know he’s your brother but that man is a complete muppet,’ Jade said when Finn told her about it later that evening.
They were doing the bedtime round, which was one of their favourite parts of the day.
A last brief stroll around the sanctuary to check that the geese and hens were in for the night, that the horses’ fly sheets had been removed, that the cattery and kennels animals were settled, and that Hammy Hamster, their newest resident, was safe in his run.
Jade had eventually decided to put him in reception because it was one of the few places that Diesel never ventured.
He’d always been slightly wary of Mr Spock and he hadn’t worked out yet that the parrot was no longer in residence.
Finn loved this time of the evening just before sunset when all the volunteers had gone, and it was just him and Jade, and occasionally Diesel, but more often Mickey, accompanying them on their rounds.
‘Declan is a muppet. I’m fine with you calling him that.’ Finn paused as they went past the dog-walking field so he could shut the gate properly. He knew Jade had no more time for Declan than he did, and it was rare for her to insult anybody. She rarely spoke ill of anyone.
Now, she touched his arm and looked at him consideringly. ‘Maybe we could uninvite him from the wedding. Is there wedding etiquette for uninviting guests once they’ve accepted your invitation?’
‘I doubt it.’
‘I’ll ask Zoe next time we speak.’
‘I won’t hold my breath.’
‘More importantly, how did your meeting go? Dawn said you were talking to someone about a commission.’
‘I was. And it went great, thanks. And even more great is that they want to have a look around the sanctuary. They sound as though they’re interested in rehoming a dog or cat.’
‘That’s excellent.’ Jade clapped her hands, startling Diesel who was sitting on the roof of the cattery block, swishing his tail. ‘When do they want to come?’
‘They want to come and see their painting when it’s a work in progress. So that won’t be for a little while yet, but I said you’d give them a guided tour when they do. Hope that’s OK?’
‘Of course it is. I’d be delighted.’ Jade stroked Diesel and he purred loudly. ‘Butter wouldn’t melt in his mouth,’ she said to Finn. ‘When we both know he’s gearing up for a night’s hunting. Field mice beware.’
‘Yes.’ Finn looked at the black cat thoughtfully. ‘Murdering feline masquerading as cute pussycat, huh?’ He glanced back at Jade. ‘And talking of masquerading, getting that commission helped chase off that impostor syndrome feeling. It really did.’
At least it had until Declan had started having a dig, but he wasn’t going to dwell on that.
‘Good.’ Jade reached for his hand. ‘You’re so talented, Finn. Believe it.’
Her words warmed him. She was so supportive. He was so very lucky to have her. ‘Thanks. Enough of me. How did the dress fitting go?’
‘Great. Everything fits. We’re all set. And I have two more pieces of good news to share with you and a couple of dilemmas.’
Before she could tell him what they were they were distracted by Mickey barking furiously at something in the dusk beyond the hedgerows.
It was a fox, they discovered, slinking across the road in the direction of the duck pond. ‘Watch out ducks too by the look of it,’ Jade said, frowning. ‘Still, I suppose foxes have to eat too.’
They got back to the house without any more distractions and Finn asked her what she’d been going to say before they’d been interrupted.
‘Well, the good news is that Sarah gave us a batch of amazing brownies. Callum made them, but she’s worried if she eats any more she’ll put on weight and won’t fit into her dress.
And the other good news is that Malcolm sent me a video of Mr Spock and Talky Tallulah behaving in a very loved-up way. Which I will show you after supper.’
‘Very good news on all counts.’ He paused. ‘And the dilemmas?’
‘The first one’s not too much of a dilemma but I wanted to run it by you because it affects you too.’
That would be an animal then, Finn decided. Most of Jade’s dilemmas had four legs.
He was proved right a few seconds later. ‘I’ve been wondering whether we should give Buddy a home in the cottage with us. He’s the oldest boy in the kennels. A liver and white spaniel. He always gets passed over for adoption and he’d be great company for Mickey. Would you mind?’
‘Of course not. We’ve definitely got room for another dog.’ Finn didn’t add that he’d always been quite surprised that Jade didn’t have at least six dogs in residence at the cottage considering her love for them. She had impressive restraint.
‘What’s the other dilemma?’
She frowned and he felt a flicker of concern.
‘This one might be a bit trickier. I’ve been wondering whether or not I should ask Hector to the wedding.’