Chapter 6
The next morning, I was waiting for Isaac outside the house at ten to eight just in case he came early. Which he did.
‘Morning!’ I said, determined to turn things around.
He gave me a suspicious look. ‘Morning. Ready to get going?’ The tone in which he asked this had a rather ominous undercurrent.
‘Absolutely!’
‘Good.’ He pressed the accelerator on the little golf cart he’d turned up in and we set off.
I sneaked a glance in his direction and noticed the curve of a smile on Isaac’s lips.
Ordinarily, I’m all for smiling. Ordinarily, I’d have been cheered by the thought that perhaps he’d decided he’d give me a fair crack at this job, degree or not.
But there was something in that smile, that look, that made me think that wasn’t the case at all.
* * *
‘Holy shit.’
‘Not holy,’ Isaac said, stepping out of the vehicle, ‘but the second part is right.’
In front of me was the biggest pile of muck I’d ever seen in my life. And a wheelbarrow.
‘All this needs to go on as a thick mulch on the borders up by the house.’
‘OK. Is there a trailer that fixes on the back of this or…’ I turned away from where I’d been indicating the golf cart.
‘Needs a new tyre.’
Of course it does.
‘I can change that.’ I kept the smile in place.
‘Haven’t picked it up yet.’
‘I could do that first.’
‘Nah. I can do that in a bit. We need to get going on the mulching.’ He pulled a shovel from the back of the cart and laid it with a clang in the wheelbarrow before looking back at me. ‘Any problems?’
‘Nope. None at all. Would you be able to show me exactly where it needs to go, though? I want to make sure I get it right.’
I did, of course, have my own ideas as to exactly where it could go and with enough left over for Lord Snooty Pants to boot.
‘Sure. Hop in.’
He drove along the estate road then turned up another path that eventually brought us to a formal garden that was looked over by an Italianate terrace.
Large floor-to-ceiling glazed doors that led to the terrace formed the centre of the house’s rear aspect with several more large windows to each side, flooding – I imagined – the interior with light.
The pale stone gleamed in the morning sun and pots and pots of daffodils edged the wide stone steps that led between the terrace and the garden itself.
To each side of the steps were two large, wide borders.
To the side of the house were about twelve more, laid out in a grid pattern.
‘All those need mulching.’
‘OK.’ I glanced back down the way we’d driven. ‘I’m not being funny but me wheeling one barrow at a time doesn’t seem the most efficient use of my time.’
‘This job is hard work, Emmeline. If you’re not up to it—’
‘I didn’t say I’m not up to it and I’m not afraid of hard work. If you want to prove something and make a task take far longer than is necessary just to do so, then that’s fine with me.’
‘Great. I’ll leave you to it then.’ And with that, he got in to the golf cart and drove off, leaving me to walk back to the enormous pile of manure and make a start.
By lunchtime, I’d completed my step count several times over and hadn’t made much of a dent in the pile of poo but neither had I complained.
And I wasn’t about to. I was out in the fresh air.
OK, sort of fresh air but I was becoming nose blind to the manure now so that was handy.
Birds were singing in the trees, the sun was shining and although there was an easterly breeze cutting across, it was light and not chilling.
On a run back to the heap, a few hours later, I found Isaac sitting on a low wall, tucking into a packed lunch. My stomach growled.
‘Heard that from here. Bring anything with you?’
‘No. Haven’t had a chance to get much in.’
‘Thought Lady Penelope left you some stuff?’
Now he tells me she is Lady Penelope…
‘She did but I had a bit of a problem last night and didn’t get a chance to prepare anything.’
He raised his eyebrows in question. ‘Oh yeah?’
‘No water.’
‘Oh. Right. They’ll have sorted that out by now I expect.’
‘Yes. I’m sure.’
‘Assuming you told someone.’
‘Yes. They’re aware.’ I’d spent some of the night lying awake thinking just how many home truths I’d told Lord Ashington and wondering whether I’d still actually have a job to go to this morning.
As a kid, I’d got into a lot of fights but I thought I’d left all that behind years ago, much preferring now just to blend in.
It seemed Edward Ashington brought out the worst in me.
Isaac tossed me a set of keys. ‘Turn right at the entrance and go into the next village. There’s an M&S there to get a sandwich. Don’t be late back.’
‘Thanks. I won’t.’ I gave a tentative smile at the apparent thaw in our relations.
‘And make sure you organise yourself enough to be properly prepared tomorrow.’
The metaphorical balloon of hope deflated with a rude noise and fell in a sad, withered heap.
I bit my cheek in order to remain mute and gave a small nod instead before marching over to the battered Land Rover and hauling myself in.
Being almost as tall as his boss, Isaac had the seat position set practically in the rear of the vehicle.
I hauled it forward and turned over the engine.
Indicators? Nope, that’s the wipers. Clutch down, first gear. Ready to go.
A knock at the window made me jump and the Landy stalled. Isaac, barely hiding a smirk, made a winding motion. I grabbed the window handle and gave it a few turns.
‘Driven one before?’ he asked. ‘Maybe at Kew?’
I gave him what I hoped was a withering look. He remained resolutely unwithered.
‘I have a licence, if that’s what you’re worried about.’
‘Good to know something on the CV was the truth.’
I wound the window back up, restarted the engine and kangarooed the next fifty yards until I got the hang of the clutch. My driving licence was current but living in London meant I hadn’t actually used it for some time. A quick glance in the rear-view mirror revealed Isaac laughing his arse off.
* * *
‘Hi! How’s life in the country?’ Freddy’s melodic tones instantly soothed me.
‘I may have made a horrible mistake.’
‘Oh no! Why?’
‘My boss hates me. My boss’s boss hates me. The plumbing hates me.’
‘Wow. That’s a lot. Want to break it down?’
I picked a sandwich from the chiller cabinet, chose a drink and then added a pot of chopped apple as I gave my friend a rundown of the previous night’s events.
‘Lady Penelope sounds nice, though.’ As usual, Freddy did her best to find the diamond in the muck.
‘Yeah. She was lovely. Actually…’ I nipped back to the other side of the small shop and grabbed a bunch of flowers to drop over at the house after work as a thanks to Lady Penelope for being so kind. ‘I can’t wait for you to come down. It’ll be lovely to see a friendly face.’
‘Talking of faces…’
‘No. Definitely not. Did you miss the part when I said both men I’ve met so far have taken an instant dislike to me? Plus, I’ve no idea if Isaac is married but I’m guessing Lord Fancy-Pants isn’t as he still lives with Mummy.’
Freddy cackled down the phone and I joined her, dropping my sandwich in the process.
I turned to pick it up but the next customer behind me was already on the job.
I looked up to mouth thanks and found myself staring directly into the amber eyes of Edward Ashington.
The laughter died in my throat as he handed the packet back to me.
‘Yours, I believe.’
‘Umm. Thank you.’ I took the sarnie and spun back around, away from him.
‘Emmy? You still there?’
‘There’s a till free here.’ A cheery assistant waved at me, pointing at the empty self-service checkout.
‘Got to go. Talk later,’ I gabbled down the phone and hung up as I scuttled over and began scanning my items. The till next to me freed up and from the corner of my eye, I saw Edward stand in front of it.
Shit.
‘Unexpected item in the bagging area,’ my till declared to the world at a disturbingly loud volume.
The assistant hurried over. ‘Let’s see what’s going on here then. Ah.’ She gave a me a look that was ostensibly friendly. ‘This item hasn’t been scanned.’ She held up the pot of apple.
Beside her, even without him turning, I could see Edward grin.
Double shit.
‘I scanned it, I promise.’
She gave me a big smile and scanned it again, upon which it gave a resounding beep and didn’t complain when it was put in the bagging area.
‘There we are!’ She smiled and walked off to attend another customer.
I concentrated on paying and resolutely not looking in Edward’s direction. As I gathered up my items and turned to leave, my neighbour, having not been waylaid by the machine endeavouring to make him look like a thief, was finished at the same time.
‘After you,’ he said, raising his arm just enough to signal intent. The assistant who’d helped me was practically swooning.
‘Thanks,’ I mumbled and took off at a fast pace back to the car.
Concentrating on the road, I made my way safely back to the estate, pulled the Landy in front of Rose Cottage, grabbed my items and hurried inside.
Turning the tap, I was relieved to see water gushing from it and I ran enough into the bowl for the flowers I’d bought to rest in until I could get them to Penelope.
Next, I made a much-needed cup of tea, boiling enough to fill the thermal drinks mug I’d found in a cupboard, and gobbled down my sarnie and apple. With five minutes to spare, I locked up, jumped into the Land Rover and headed back to the muck pile.
Isaac checked his watch as I pulled up. Dick.