Cinnamon Gardens

by Anna Jacobs

  She couldn’t bear the thought of being estranged from him permanently.

  Nell spent the afternoon clearing out the dining-room cupboards, which were in as chaotic a state as the kitchen ones had been, again with some beautiful pieces mixed in with rubbish.

  Suddenly she realised it was half past four and she was filthy, so she rushed upstairs to shower quickly and change her clothes before the dry rot people arrived.

  A tall, thin woman was nominally in charge, but the two seemed to be more of a team than a boss and subordinate. The minute they were inside the house, they stood and sniffed the air.

  ‘You’ve definitely got dry rot somewhere, Ms Chaytor. You can’t mistake that smell,’ the man said.

  They both took out face masks and at a nudge from the woman the man handed one to Nell.

  ‘Better safe than sorry, eh?’

  That didn’t bode well, she thought as she put it on.

  In the attic the woman held up one hand. ‘Please stay by the door, Ms Chaytor.’

  The man took a couple of steps forward, making hissing noises under his breath, then stopped and sniffed again, staring from one area to another.

  ‘Lionel has one of the best noses in the business,’ the woman said in a low voice. ‘He could tell you’d got dry rot even from outside.’ She moved to and fro, sketching a quick outline of the attic layout on the pad attached to her clipboard, then said, ‘Ready.’

  She watched her companion intently, making notes on the plan every time he spoke.

  He held up one hand. ‘Don’t come any further, Meg. It feels spongy to me underfoot, so it’s probably unsafe at this end.’

  He came back to get a segmented rod out of his canvas bag and screwed it together. Then he moved cautiously towards the rear again, pausing well before he got there and poking the floorboards ahead of him.

  ‘One of Lionel’s little inventions,’ Meg whispered to Nell.

  After another of those hissing noises, he turned, shaking his head. ‘Not good, Ms Chaytor. Not good at all.’

  They both took out powerful torches, and from a careful distance, surveyed the whole rear wall from one end to the other. Then Meg took out an electronic gadget and used it to measure something on the wall.

  She put it away, scribbled more and looked across at Lionel. ‘Got enough?’

  ‘Yep.’

  She turned to Nell. ‘Can we talk downstairs, Ms Chaytor?’

  ‘Yes, of course. Would you like a cup of tea?’

  ‘No, thank you. We’ll just have a quick chat, then get off home and leave you to decide what to do next.’

  Nell took them into the kitchen and they all sat down.

  ‘It’s one of the worst cases of dry rot we’ve seen in a long time,’ the woman said. ‘Don’t you agree, Lionel?’

  ‘Yep.’ He gave Nell a sympathetic look. ‘Sorry to be the bearers of bad tidings, but that top storey should probably be knocked down and rebuilt. Or even the whole house. It’s a good thing someone had already cleared out the attic or you’d be risking falling through the floor to do anything up there.’

  ‘Oh, dear.’

  ‘Family home, is it?’

  ‘An elderly aunt used to live here. I inherited it but I lived in Australia, so until this week I hadn’t seen it for nearly forty years.’

  ‘Your aunt can’t have looked after it or she’d have noticed the rot. They don’t always keep up with things as they get older. I read somewhere that they lose some of their sense of smell.’

  ‘Yes. It’s very sad.’ Fliss had been so lively in the old days.

  ‘To be frank, Ms Chaytor, I doubt the house is worth repairing. It’d be cheaper to knock the whole thing down and build a new one. But get a surveyor in if you want to confirm that and do some costing of your own.’

  ‘I’d already guessed it was in a bad way. And I’m not so attached to the house that I’m desperate to preserve it. Anyway, I have someone wanting to buy who intends to knock it down, so it seems the decision to sell has been made for me.’

  She looked from one to the other. ‘I’d be really grateful if you’d keep this news to yourselves or the buyer will probably try to knock the price down. I’ll tell him about the problems in general, but I’m not going into details. I don’t need a report from you other than this verbal one and I’ll pay you in cash today if you’ll tell me how much I owe you.’

  When they’d gone, she sat staring into space, worrying about where she’d go until she was jerked out of her thoughts by someone knocking on the front door.

  Angus took one look at Nell’s expression and pulled her into his arms for a hug. ‘Bad news, eh?’

  ‘The mould is even worse than we’d thought. The house is only fit for knocking down. They even told me not to go into the attic at all from now on. So if you can see that Jeffries fellow tomorrow and get him onside about me selling the house, Angus, I’d be really grateful.’

  ‘I’ll have to spin some tale or other. Will you trust me to suss out what’ll work best?’

  ‘Yes, of course. I’ll go along with whatever you say.’

  ‘I’ll call him tomorrow, then.’ Angus sniffed the air and frowned. ‘The smell seems to get stronger each time I come.’

  ‘It’s because we’ve had the attic door open, I suppose. I’d better check that it’s closed now.’

  ‘I’ll do that. You grab your coat and handbag. We can walk into town from here.’

  He took her to a pub on the main high street, a place where he was clearly a regular. She cheered up as they enjoyed a hearty meal, chatting as if they were old friends. She could feel herself relaxing.

  When they got back to her house, Angus gave her another of his hugs. ‘I have to get back and finish a job. I’ll be in touch tomorrow, after I’ve seen Jeffries.’

  ‘I feel guilty at taking up so much of your time when you’re busy.’

  He put one finger on her lips. ‘Shh. Getting to know you and helping you is far more important than working non-stop.’

  She stared, not knowing how to respond to that.

  He changed the subject. ‘Anyway, I’m still getting in a few hours’ work every day.’

  ‘You’re so reasonable,’ she said in wonderment. ‘Does nothing ever faze you?’

  ‘It used to when I was younger, but by the time the kids arrived, I’d sorted myself out. Losing Joanna hurt like hell, and for a while afterwards I wasn’t all that reasonable about the world. But I still had the kids to care about, even though they were grown up, and they helped me get through the worst of my grief.

  ‘Losing her emphasised what’s important in life, and that’s people and love and seizing the moment, not quarrels and avariciousness. It helped so much that she and I had been very happy together. I had nothing to regret about our relationship except losing her, you see.’

  He hadn’t tried to kiss her today, so Nell kissed him. It was a comforting kiss this time, not a passionate one, and he held her close afterwards, not speaking, just cuddling. It was what she had needed for years, to be held, cared about, really listened to.

  She was getting addicted to Angus, to his warmth and kindness as much as to his masculine attractions, though those were definitely in the equation too.

  He held her at arm’s length. ‘Get some sleep now, love. You look strained. I’ll be in touch tomorrow.’

  As she locked the door, she wondered whether he’d called her ‘love’ because some people in England did that to everyone … or because he was starting to care about her. Was she being a naïve old fool about him? She thought not, hoped not.

  The old house creaked around her as she walked up the stairs to her bedroom. It no longer felt welcoming. Quite the opposite.

  The sooner she was out of it the better.

  But where could she go? She didn’t want to leave Sexton Bassett, not now she was starting to make friends. Not now that she’d met Angus.

  And she still wanted to find some of her relatives and was hoping they’d still
be living nearby. They might have photos of their mutual ancestors to share. She’d love that.

  Then there was Miss Parfitt, such a feisty old lady. Nell was sure she’d have some interesting tales to tell and wanted to get to know her better.

  No, she was definitely going to stay in Sexton Bassett. Once she’d sold the house, she’d find somewhere to rent. She couldn’t impose on Angus.

  On that thought she snuggled down and fell asleep.

  She dreamt again, walked round the garden, heard the woman’s voice.

  ‘You’ll be happy in your new home, Nell. Don’t hesitate. Seize the moment.’

  She woke with the words still echoing in her mind. It was strange that the dream was ongoing, matching her new circumstances. Well, she wouldn’t mind the new predictions coming true, as the one about selling her Australian home had done.

  Oh, she was being silly again.

  Well, why not? She’d had decades of being sensible and responsible. Time to enjoy a more relaxed life.

  Chapter Ten

  The following morning at the start of the working day, Angus rang the estate agent’s office and asked to see Jeffries about selling a house. When he declined an offer for Jeffries to come to him and evaluate the house, he wasn’t surprised to be given an appointment for that same morning.

  He dressed smartly (for him), though not going as far as a suit. Hell, no! He’d worn those all too often when he worked for other people. They’d been hanging up in dust bags for years. As for ties, he’d cut all except two of his up when he ‘retired’ and burnt the pieces ceremonially in the garden incinerator. The two he kept were for ‘emergencies’ – one black, for funerals, and one which would go with anything – but he hadn’t used either yet.

  He studied himself in the mirror, something he didn’t often bother to do. Yeah, he looked OK today, smart casual, wearing trousers instead of his usual jeans. He didn’t want Nell to think him scruffy.

  Oh dear, he thought as he walked out of the house. You’ve got it bad for her.

  And did that worry him? Nope. He was old enough and experienced enough to know what he wanted and if this went further, he was OK with it because he missed being part of a couple.

  He saw Jeffries from the reception area, sitting in a glass-walled office talking on the phone.

  Angus didn’t have to wait long before the office door opened and the manager surged out, smiling at him, holding out his hand. ‘Grant Jeffries.’

  ‘Angus Denning. I’m a close friend of Nell Chaytor,’ He shook the other man’s soft hand with its manicured nails as briefly as possible.

  ‘Ah. Did she send you to see me?’

  ‘On the contrary, I came of my own accord. You see, I heard her the other day when you were trying to tell her about an offer for that house of hers. She might love the place, but I think it’s an eyesore and I’m damned if I’m going to live in it with her, even temporarily.’

  ‘Ah. I thought I’d seen you somewhere. So may I ask what you’re here for if you’ve not come from her?’

  ‘To let you know you’ve an ally in her camp if you want one, though only because I think it’s in her best interests, mind, not because I’m after her money or care about your sales. I’ve been working on her to give you a hearing and at least find out about the offer.’

  ‘She seemed very certain she didn’t want to sell.’

  ‘Yes, well, you caught her when she’d just had bad news from her family in Australia, news which made her feel she wasn’t going back there for a long time, so she figured she’d need the house. She wasn’t all that polite, was she? I got my ears bitten off after you’d gone for trying to tell her she’d been too sharp with you.’

  ‘Sharp is putting it mildly.’

  ‘Yeah. But she really wasn’t herself that day. So perhaps you could let me know more about this offer? I thought I’d tell her I bumped into you in town and we got talking. Is it a genuine offer for her house? If it’s not, I’ll let the matter drop.’ He leant back in his chair and waited.

  ‘Hmm. Will she listen to you? She seemed a very … well, stubborn sort of woman.’

  Angus hoped he was managing to look smug. ‘Yes, she will listen to me. We’re … um, a newish couple and things are going well enough for us to discuss living together. The only problem is that damned house, which she loved as a child. She thinks it’d be romantic if I moved in with her for a while and we started our life together there. Hah! I already have a perfectly good house and moving into that one of hers would be a daft thing to do.’

  The penny dropped quite visibly with Jeffries. ‘You’re that Denning, from the big house.’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘No wonder you don’t want to move into her place. You’ve had a few offers for your own property recently, I hear.’

  ‘Yes, but when a house has been in the family for over two hundred years, one doesn’t sell it, except in extremis. In fact, I’d rather sell my soul and keep the house.’

  ‘You could make a fortune with all that land so close to the town centre. You’d never have to work again.’

  How the hell had they got on to talking about this? Angus wondered. ‘It’s a listed property, Grade I. Even if someone bought it, they couldn’t demolish it or alter it. The wood panelling is thought to be rather special, and the early stained glass windows are of a rare type. Some of the garden features are listed, too, so it’d be no use for building land, either. It’s not only the garden structures and statuary, but there are some rare old species of plants that conservationists are rather excited about.’

  ‘Ah. Grade I listed can be tricky. And the conservationist lobby too! They’re always pushing their noses in where they’re not wanted. Pity.’

  ‘Anyway, I’m here to talk about Nell’s house, not mine. If you don’t want me to try to persuade her to sell, I’ll leave you in peace.’

  Jeffries pretended to consider this. ‘I suppose it’d be worth a try. Can you get her to listen to me if I call round again?’

  ‘Might be able to if the offer’s a good one.’ He waited, frowning when he heard the amount. ‘Not good enough. I’d advise her to refuse an offer like that. If it’s all you have, I’ll keep out of this.’

  Jeffries lost his air of relaxed bonhomie. ‘Her house is falling down, dammit. You only have to look at it. It’s subsiding at the back and I’d guess it has dry rot.’

  ‘But the block is the final piece of the jigsaw puzzle for Nolan, isn’t it? Well worth paying a good price so that he can get started on the next stage of his development without any fuss and botheration.’ Angus smiled and added gently, ‘Ms Chaytor listens to my advice and I couldn’t possibly recommend accepting that paltry offer.’

  ‘I’ll talk to my client and phone you later. I’m sure we can nudge the offer up a bit.’

  ‘Nudge it up a lot and save us all a lot of toing and froing.’ Angus handed over his business card. ‘Don’t waste my time, though. Remember, Nell is ridiculously attached to the house and if you don’t have me on your side, you’ll not even get to chat to her.’

  ‘I’ll do my best.’

  Angus hummed happily as he drove back up Peppercorn Street. Now, if Nell would just play this his way they’d get her a good price from that rat Nolan.

  As he pulled up at her house, he realised yet again how much he wanted to live with her and get to know her. And he already had a house where they could cohabit. He chuckled. He loved that word: cohabit.

  It was the second time in his life he’d felt like this about a woman and you couldn’t mistake that feeling. It had been quick to happen with Joanna, too. You just … knew someone was right for you. Well, he did.

  His old aunt had told him once that his family had fey blood and could sometimes see the future or sense ghosts. Perhaps that explained it. Who knew?

  His aunt had insisted that some of their ancestors were still keeping an eye on Dennings. A lovely idea. She’d said they talked to her sometimes, but he hadn’t seen any ghosts.
r />   He didn’t want to see them, either. They might put Nell off living there.

  When she opened the door, Nell let out a squeak of surprise as Angus grabbed her and demanded a kiss as his reward.

  ‘What hap—’

  He cut off the words with a searing kiss, which just about melted her bones. She was breathless when he ended it, but so was he.

  ‘Does that mean things went well?’ She tried to speak calmly but failed.

  ‘Yes. But I told him we’re madly in love and about to start living together, so we need to practise kissing to make this convincing.’

  He kissed her again, so of course she co-operated. Oh, his lips were so warm and soft.

  Angus drew back, still holding her, and it was a few moments before she came down to earth enough to focus on his face and remember her question. ‘So what did happen today?’

  ‘I told him we were going to live together.’

  ‘You did?’

  ‘Jeffries knew who I was, so I said you’d gone all sentimental, wanting us to start our life together in your family home for a while.’ He pulled her closer. ‘You’ll have to pretend to be madly in love with me when we talk to him. Can you do that?’

  There was dead silence, then she said, ‘Yes.’

  ‘Because you’re a good actress?’

  She couldn’t lie to him; she wasn’t a good liar at the best of times. ‘No. Because I do find you very … attractive.’

  ‘Good. I find you luscious. Let your feelings show when he comes to see us, hold my hand, give me melting looks. I’ll do the same.’

  He gave her a mock soppy look that had her laughing. When had she last had so much fun with someone?

  She ran her fingers down his cheek and pressed a slow gentle kiss on his lips.

  He sucked in his breath quite audibly and muttered, ‘Keep practising.’

  ‘I will if you will.’

  They stared at one another without speaking and she was aware that their relationship had just moved on a stage.