by Anna Jacobs
‘No. And you?’
‘I like to be on my own sometimes, but I like to be with people. Or creatures. I love animals, beetles, birds, you name it. They fascinate me. I grew up roaming the English countryside and my biggest ambition is to save enough money to buy myself a fairly big slice of it and keep it safe from developers.’
‘Maybe if your new series is successful, you’ll be able to do that, or at least put down a deposit on somewhere suitable.’
‘From your mouth to God’s ear!’ He raised his glass again, then took the empty glass from her and put it down. Pulling her into his arms, he said huskily, ‘I’ve been dying to kiss you. I love it when your hair gets all ruffled and bouncy. It’s not wildly curly but it has a very nice bounce, as if it has a life of its own.’
He ran his fingers through it and she shivered, reacting to his touch but also feeling shy. ‘It’s starting to go grey.’
He chuckled. ‘Who cares? You’re what? Mid-fifties?’
‘Fifty-six.’
‘And you have only faint streaks of greyish hair at the temples. I think you’re doing very well for someone so decrepit.’
‘Your hair is the same.’
‘Ah, but I’m younger than you.’
She frowned at him and he grinned at her. ‘I’m only fifty-four.’
She gave him a mock punch in the arm. ‘Decrepit indeed!’
‘When I was involved in the accident in Australia, I felt past my use-by date for a while. I’d only just got there too. I was going to suss things out for filming a series there, but I’m not in a hurry to go back now that this other project has turned up. I still get nightmares about that bushfire. I’ve recovered most of my physical functions, I’ve found myself a home and I’ve met you. What more can a man want?’
She stilled and he looked at her thoughtfully. ‘Now, why are you looking so wary?’
‘Because I’ve vowed not to rush into any more relationships. I did that once a couple of years after my husband died, and it was an utter disaster.’
‘I’m not rushing you into anything.’
‘And – I definitely don’t want to get married again.’
‘Have I asked you to marry me?’
‘No. But I want to make it clear from the start.’
‘How about a nice love affair? Would you be against that?’
‘No. As long as we take it slowly. I’m not very experienced, Russ. I got married young and the other guy only lasted a few months.’
‘Suits me to take things slowly. We can have an office romance – without an actual office most of the time because we’ll be out and about.’
He could see how tense she still was, so plonked a kiss on her cheek. ‘Lighten up, Simone. Let’s just enjoy some time together.’
‘All right. That I can do.’
When he’d walked her to her door, he went slowly back into his house. Phew! She was very wary of commitment as he’d noticed before, and rather lacking in self-confidence where men were concerned. What had her life been like with her husband? Quietly, happily domestic, from the sounds of it. They didn’t even sound to have travelled outside Australia. And what had the other guy done to her to make her so reluctant to commit?
He picked up the bottle and poured the last of the fizzy wine into his glass, raising it and murmuring, ‘To Simone. I might have to wait to marry you, my love, but I’m very likely to do it.’
He just knew she was right for him.
He hadn’t told her yet that he too had lost a spouse. He had vowed at the time never to marry again – until he’d met Simone and suddenly experienced the same sort of feelings as had led him into marriage with Poppy.
Oh, yes, he had plenty of experience and he knew for certain that Simone was right for him.
It had surprised him, he had to admit, because the two women in his life were nothing like one another. But the feeling was the same and made him just as willing to follow his instincts a second time.
His marriage had been very happy until poor Poppy died.
For some reason, he had high hopes that life with Simone would be happy too.
He’d take it slowly, but he could be very determined when he wanted something.
Chapter Fifteen
Russ stopped the car in front of the gates of Pennerton House. ‘Ready to enter the lion’s den?’
Simone smiled. ‘Yes, of course. Someone’s even opened the gates so maybe they’re friendly lions today. The gates were firmly closed on the world last time.’
He set off down the drive and stopped the car in front of the double doors. ‘You’ve got my number. I’ll only be ten minutes or so away.’
‘I know. You’ve said that three times.’ She got out of the car.
The right-hand part of the front door opened before she reached it and a woman of about her own age stood smiling at her. She smiled back then turned to wave goodbye to Russ. She doubted she’d need her personal Sir Galahad to rescue her but it was nice to know Russ was going to be nearby.
‘Welcome to Pennerton House, Simone. I’m Elizabeth, Henrietta’s secretary.’
‘Lovely to meet you.’
‘Don’t you have a car of your own? We’d have sent one for you if we’d known.’
‘I do have one, but my neighbour was coming to this district on business, so we decided to travel together and perhaps explore a little more later this afternoon.’
‘He must be a nice neighbour. Now, Henrietta is waiting for you impatiently. Just one thing, if you don’t mind me saying it: please don’t treat her as if her brain is slower than yours just because she’s old and physically slower. She’s as quick-witted as anyone I’ve ever met.’
‘I’d never do that.’
‘Some people do. They speak slowly and clearly to her, using simpler words as if she’s an idiot and it absolutely infuriates her. Give me your jacket and I’ll hang it up before I take you through.’
They went into a cosy little sitting room. ‘Oh!’ Simone stopped in surprise because her hostess bore a distinct resemblance to her mother, or what her mother might look like in another ten years.
‘Is something wrong?’ Henrietta asked.
‘No.’ She explained what had surprised her and got out her phone to show a photo of her mother and prove it.
‘You carry a photo of her around with you?’
Simone smiled. ‘I’ve got all my family with me, which includes two daughters and four grandchildren.’
‘May I see them?’ Henrietta patted the sofa beside her.
Simone sat down next to her and went through a few of her family photos.
‘I like that you carry them with you. I envy you your big family. I never had the chance to marry, spent a lot of my later years looking after my parents and then my brother. Now I’m the last of my generation and have only distant relatives.’
‘That must be lonely, to have no one who shares your early experience of life, I mean.’
‘It is. However comfortably one is cared for, and I can’t fault my dear Elizabeth for that, some shared childhood memories would be enjoyable.’ Henrietta smiled across at the woman who’d let Simone into the house as she spoke. ‘Perhaps you’ll tell Jane we’re ready for lunch now, dear?’ She turned back to Simone. ‘Jane’s my cook-housekeeper. She’s been with me a long time.’
When Elizabeth came back, she helped Henrietta to stand up and passed her a walking stick, then let her lead the way into the next room at her own speed.
Just then a bell gave a double chime and Elizabeth said, ‘Oh dear. I’d better check that.’ She went across to a small screen on a side table and tapped it to bring up an image.
‘We’ve set up a protected area at the far side of the grounds to encourage some of the rarer birds to nest,’ Henrietta explained. ‘We keep a careful eye on it, though we don’t often get people invading the wood since we fenced it off.’
‘Modern technology can be marvellous.’
‘Those birds are marvellous, too. My f
avourites are the lesser spotted woodpeckers. There are several nesting pairs there this year. Go closer and have a good look. Can you see the red cap on their heads? Gives them a cheeky look, don’t you think?’
‘Oh, my!’ Simone suddenly realised who the man on the screen was. ‘Elizabeth, that man is my neighbour, Russ. I’m sure he won’t hurt your birds.’
Indeed, Russ was already backing away carefully from the nests, camera raised to photograph the birds as he moved.
Henrietta joined them. ‘I wonder why he’s taking so many photos.’
‘He’s a wildlife photographer, specialising in smaller species of the UK, not just birds but other creatures too,’ Simone explained.
‘It’s Russell Carr! Why didn’t I recognise him?’ Elizabeth suddenly exclaimed. ‘Is he going to do another telly series? If so, it’d be better for him not to mention the location of those birds on his programme or people might try to track them down.’
‘I’ll tell him. I’m sure he’ll understand the need to protect them.’
‘We’ll make sure he understands,’ Henrietta said. ‘When he comes back to collect you, we’ll invite him in and I’ll tell him.’
‘Is he on your land? I thought from what he said that the park was public land.’
‘It used to belong to the council but I bought it from them for a bird sanctuary last year. It’s got caveats on what can be built on it and I’m not allowed to sell it to developers, but then I wouldn’t want to.’ Henrietta smiled at Simone. ‘You were quick to defend him. You must like him.’
‘He’s been very kind to me and I’m going to be working for him as general factotum on his new project, doing anything and everything needed for his new series.’
‘Could be interesting – or boring,’ Elizabeth said.
‘Or both. Most jobs have tedious patches and tasks.’
Conversation flowed easily but nothing was said about Henrietta’s will, to Simone’s relief.
Elizabeth kept an eye on the screen but the tone didn’t sound again and there was no further sign of Russ near the nesting area.
After a leisurely lunch, Henrietta said, ‘Why don’t you call your friend now and ask him to join us for coffee? We can check that he won’t reveal where the nesting area is and there are other parts of my land where he’s welcome to look for creatures to film as well, the grounds of this house, for example. I’ve let a lot of it grow more naturally again.’ She gestured towards the windowsill where there was a pair of binoculars. ‘I spend hours watching my little visitors.’
Simone got out her phone and called Russ. ‘I’m still with my great-aunt and Elizabeth and you’re invited to come round to the house and join us for a cup of coffee.’
To her relief he must have picked up on the hint she was dropping about Henrietta being nearby and didn’t ask anything which might have upset her hostess.
‘That’ll be nice. I’ll be about fifteen minutes.’
As the call ended, Henrietta said abruptly, ‘While you’re waiting, Elizabeth can show you round the ground-floor rooms.’
Simone noticed Elizabeth shoot a quick, assessing glance at her employer but what she saw must have reassured her, because she turned to Simone and said, ‘We’ll make it a quick tour today. You can come back another time and have a full tour, if you’re interested.’
‘I’d love that.’
When Russ arrived, Simone watched in amusement as he charmed Henrietta with tales of his adventures filming animals – and sometimes his misadventures where the creatures were definitely the winners. She liked that he didn’t mind laughing at himself.
In fact, the better she got to know him, the more she liked him. Too much. She’d better be careful. Rat man had seemed charming at first.
‘You certainly seem to know your business, young man,’ Henrietta said after a while.
‘One can never know enough about the world around us. You certainly know a lot more about the local wildlife than most people, if you don’t mind me saying so.’
‘I know about the creatures living close to me. I’ve enjoyed watching over my world, been lucky to live here during my retirement and have access to so many different creatures and their habitats. If you like, you’re welcome to come here and photograph what’s going on in the grounds.’
‘Really? That would be wonderful.’
She sighed and leant back. ‘I’ve enjoyed chatting to you, Russ, but I’m going to have to throw you out now because I’m tired. One could do with shorter days as one gets older, because one’s energy doesn’t last as long as it used to.’
Elizabeth showed them to the door. ‘I hope you’ll come again, Simone, and you too, Russ. She’s thoroughly enjoyed your visit.’
‘Did she mean it about me photographing the wildlife in the grounds?’ Russ asked. ‘I’d love to come and do that, but the grounds are big enough for it to take me a week or two at least to do them justice. It’s getting increasingly difficult to find somewhere undisturbed by bustling hordes of sightseers.’
‘Yes, of course she meant it. There are parts which haven’t been disturbed for over a decade. When the National Trust takes over, things will no doubt change and that’ll be a pity. But it’s the only way we can think of to preserve the house and grounds, given the lack of a willing and suitably rich heir. I’ll phone you soon about another visit, Simone.’
‘Just a thought, but would Henrietta like to come and have lunch with me one day, do you think? Does she have one of those mobility scooters? There’s a lovely lake nearby and the paths are designed to be wheelchair accessible.’
‘I’ll ask her. She doesn’t go out much these days.’
‘I can fit in with her.’ Simone shot a teasing look at Russ. ‘I think my boss will give me time off. He wants to keep on her right side.’
‘You can phone me when you find out,’ he said.
As they drove away, he added, ‘I ought to put you on the books today. I can’t thank you enough for introducing me to your aunt. The grounds of Pennerton House will make a wonderful place to find creatures to film. And besides that, I really like Henrietta. She’s a feisty old girl, isn’t she?’
‘Yes. I like her too. She isn’t at all old in the head, is she?’
‘On the contrary.’
On the way home he stopped at a big garden centre. ‘I want to buy a couple of bird tables. Well, it will be a couple if you’ll allow me to put one at the back of your house as well as outside mine.’
‘It’s not my house, but I can email the Dittons and check it out with them.’
‘I’ll buy two anyway. Tell them you’ll leave it behind for them and I bet they’ll say yes. A lot of people enjoy birdwatching.’
When they got back, she phoned the Dittons who answered, though it was late, and agreed, and he immediately started assembling the bird tables, which came in flat packs. He seemed to have forgotten that it was teatime as he altered one to make it higher, with a protected ledge underneath it.
‘Some birds like chaffinches can be a bit timid,’ he explained.
‘I don’t think I know what a chaffinch looks like.’
He fumbled in his pocket for his phone, which he always seemed to have at the ready, and flicked through the images. ‘There you are.’
The bird he showed her was delightful, small and fluffy, with the males brightly coloured.
‘I’d love to attract some of those!’ she exclaimed. ‘They’re so different from our native cockatoos, which are larger and can be so noisy and cheeky. Though we do have little honeyeaters. I love to watch them sip the nectar from flowers.’ She stopped with an embarrassed laugh. ‘I don’t need to explain about them to you, though, do I?’
‘I know a fair amount about Aussie birds. I was considering making a programme about them when I was involved in the accident.’
‘You were in the eastern states, I think. They’re a bit different from the west. Well, they’re two thousand miles away from Perth, aren’t they?’
He le
t out a blissful sigh and beamed at her. ‘So much to explore and see in the world. I do hope I continue to be successful.’
‘I must get hold of copies of your first two series.’
‘I’ll give you the DVDs.’
‘Thanks.’
They continued to work with no mention of getting something to eat but she’d had a late lunch so she could wait. She was enjoying herself, passing him tools, and finally filling the dishes with water for the birds. She was sorry when they’d done all they could for the moment. It had been lovely to have a busy day.
When they’d finished they made some sandwiches and sat outside chatting for a while. They’d been together for most of the day and conversation hadn’t faltered once, she thought in wonderment. She did enjoy his company.
And she enjoyed his kisses, gentle as these were. He was holding back, not rushing it, which suited her. There was such a comfort in not being on your own.
Even so, she intended to tread very carefully with Russ.
Did he have the same sort of reservations? A couple of times he’d broken off what he was saying and changed the subject slightly, as if they were heading into something he didn’t want to discuss. Had a past relationship upset him too?
When they said goodnight, she found the phone light blinking to show that someone had called. She hadn’t noticed it ringing, but there had been occasional hammering sessions.
She studied the caller ID, not recognising the number. Oh dear, she hoped it wasn’t Lance pestering her again.
Should she see who it was now, or wait until morning?
No. She’d better find out who’d called or she’d lie awake worrying in case it was bad news from her family in Australia. She pressed the buttons and found that it wasn’t them, thank goodness.
Her relief turned to anxiety, however, when she found out that it was Kit Mundy who’d called. Fern had mentioned Lance’s son, though she’d said Kit was a nice guy, not at all like his father. Only Simone didn’t want to get involved with that branch of the family at all, because she didn’t want to meet Lance again.
She listened to the recording once more, half inclined to delete it.
