It was now the height of summer and she found the room became unbearably hot as the day wore on, with the warm air rising through the cottage and accumulating in her workplace. In one of the downstairs cupboards she remembered having seen a three-blade electric fan, on a tall stand, and to her relief, when she tested it, it appeared to be in full working order. Not only did it have three speed settings but the fan itself could be set to rotate through an arc of about one hundred and twenty degrees before retracing its path. Placed at a respectful distance from her desk, to prevent her papers being scattered by the fan’s action, it proved the ideal solution to the problem. Although it had proved quite simple to remedy the situation, in this instance, Bella had become very resourceful over the many years of living by herself. In fact, she was often more adept at fixing things around the home than many of the men she knew. Especially if the problems were of a technical nature. It was a happy knack she seemed to have developed, through having a practical approach, and came in very useful in her particular circumstances. Also, something in her nature made her baulk at asking a man to look at a problem when the answer was probably staring her in the face. With her working environment dramatically improved, Bella worked through the afternoon and on into the early evening until her eyes began to get scratchy, but she was very happy with what she had achieved. The pattern was repeated the following day as she began to flesh out the outline of the story and develop thumbnail sketches of some major and minor characters. Now that the juices were flowing, it was imperative for her to have contact with the child of her inspiration on a daily basis, to live the lives of her characters as she would live her own life. The less distraction she had, therefore, throughout the evolution process, the better and she blessed her uncle Foxy yet again for his benevolence. Tuesday followed much the same pattern as Monday, the only interruption being a call from Jane, to thank her for the weekend. At first, Bella had thought the call might be from Kyle and answered the phone in a state of excited anticipation.
“It’s only me, darling!” Jane had said, and immediately asked if she had heard from Kyle to which Bella replied that she hadn’t. “Before I forget,” Jane continued, “you’ve still got my watch down there. You can’t believe how frustrating it is to keep looking at a bare wrist. I’m going to go out and get a cheap replacement this afternoon until you can get mine back to me. Do you have a postal service there?”
“Jane!” Bella warned her, menacingly. “Behave yourself, or I won’t take you to The Lamb, the next time you come down!”
“Well, there’s a threat I can do without. And on that subject, thanks for the weekend. I haven’t enjoyed myself so much for ages, Bell, and I thought you were looking really good.”
“You too!” Bella enthused. “And you’ll be pleased to know that I worked solidly, all day yesterday, and the ideas are coming thick and fast and I hold you entirely responsible.” Good humour permeated her words and Jane was pleased and excited to hear the news. She asked no questions, knowing Bella would contact her for advice or guidance, if necessary, and present her with a synopsis and excerpt when she was ready.
“Ok, sweetie! Gotta go. Just called to say thanks. Let me know if you’re coming up this way, eh?” Bella replied that of course she would and thanked her for calling before getting back to work.
On Wednesday morning, Bella received the call she’d been waiting for, a week to the day after her accident. After enquiring as to her health, Kyle had nothing but good news, informing her that her car would be delivered to her the following day and, that if it was ok, he’d like to drop in and see her. Because of work commitments, he was unable to make it this weekend but he would like to call by the Saturday after. Perfect, Bella thought, wondering where he was phoning from. It sounded like a pitched battle was going on around him.
“What’s all that noise?” she asked him. “I can hardly hear you sometimes.”
“Sorry!” he apologised. “We’re creating a building site at a disused school in Keynsham and it looks more like a war zone, at the moment. Anyway, looks like someone’s calling for me, I’d better go. See you Saturday week!” After he had rung off, Bella sat back in her ergonomically-designed chair savouring the intense pleasure generated by his phone call. It was one of those rare periods in her life where everything seemed to be falling into place. Jane had scoffed at her suggestion of fate but Bella knew better than to dismiss it. So many strange things happened to people that couldn’t be explained by mere coincidence. Was it Freud who’d called it synchronicity? No matter.
“Well, Ubix, my friend, I think you’d better brush up on your manners before Kyle comes back.” The cat looked up, lazily, at the mention of the name he had quickly become accustomed to. “You might just have to get used to seeing him around more often!” Ubix miaowed, stridently, as if giving his opinion on the matter, then lay his head down once more, the subject closed. Feeling pretty pleased with life in general and with a self-satisfied smile firmly in place Bella returned to her task with renewed enthusiasm. Before her fingers even touched the keyboard, much to Bella’s amazement, the phone rang again.
“Bella Foxton!” There was no answer, immediately, and Bella had an awful, sinking feeling who her caller was.
“Hello, sister dear. I bet you couldn’t wait to hear from me!” Bella closed her eyes as her happy mood disintegrated at the sound of Laura’s voice and the room seemed to grow cold. She said nothing, waiting for Laura to continue, not wishing to encourage her in any way.
“Maggie and I will be down for lunch, on Saturday, to have a look round. Unfortunately, we can’t stay as Maggie’s got a show to attend on Sunday but at least we can see where we’ll be staying, in future, when we come down. We’re so lucky that you’ve got this place now!” The thought of locking her in the saloon bar of The Lamb, with the locals, then throwing away the key, suddenly occurred to her.
“Laura, why are you doing this? I don’t want you here, you must know that…”
“Precisely, Arabella!” Laura seized her opportunity like a predator grasping its prey. “Like you never wanted me in your life when you were younger. It’s all been so easy for you, hasn’t it, especially with Rupert’s help, the old pervert. Fancy playing around with your own brother’s daughter. You could always see how much he fancied you, you could see it in his eyes.” Just like your eyes, Bella thought, when you looked at your own brother. Listening to Laura, Bella felt nothing but anger, infuriated by her groundless insinuations.
“Well, you’ll just have to take your chances, if you persist with this ridiculous idea. I’ve got a visitor coming down so I may or may not be in. As for directions to the cottage, you’re certainly not getting them from me. I don’t want you here, Laura, it’s as simple as that!” If it had been a receiver she was holding, Bella would have slammed it back down. As it was, she felt like hurling the portable across the room after cutting her sister off.
“Serves me right for feeling so bloody pleased with myself!” she exclaimed, pushing her seat back, violently, and standing up. “I should have known better.” Not sure exactly where she was heading, Bella took herself downstairs, finally ending up in the back garden, taking deep, regular breaths of fresh air. What she really craved, of all things, was a cigarette. Christ, it must be bad, she reflected. The thought of Laura turning up at the weekend was distressing enough, to say the least, but what if Ben and Laura met? Laura was about as stable as nitroglycerine with a similar explosive capacity. Should she warn Ben? And say what? Oh, it was all too much. From feeling so good twenty minutes ago her world had been turned upside down, thanks to one phone call. And look at this garden, she said to herself. I really must do something about it. Being outside felt so good after being cooped up for the past couple of days that she decided a spot of weeding would be ideal therapy and help to restore her good mood.
By the next day, Bella had reconciled herself to the fact that there were some things in life that it really wasn’t possible to do anything about and Laura came i
nto that category. Weighed up against the positive things that were happening, her visit wasn’t likely to cause more than a gentle blip on the Richter scale of life’s dramas. By 7am she was immersed once more in the process of creating popular fiction and looking forward to getting her car back at some time during the day. When the doorbell rang a little over two hours later, Bella stopped what she was doing immediately and flew down the stairs, eager to see what her vehicle looked like. One thing was certain, it definitely didn’t look like a pony and trap which was what she spied through the window. Quickly trying to get her thoughts in order to cope with this unexpected turn of events, Bella put a smile on her face before answering the door.
“Cora…” the name died on her lips as she faced not one but two people at her front door.
“This ‘ere’s Joshua Bodkin.” The man she referred to stood next to her, only coming up to her shoulder. Bella’s first impression was that he looked crumpled, like he had been caught in a compacting machine and squashed. At a guess, he would be around sixty to sixty-five years old, she imagined. Dressed in a baggy old brown suit and flattened trilby hat, his flat rounded face bore a grin that virtually closed his eyes and compressed his lips across toothless gums. Sporting a pensioner’s version of designer stubble he came very close to looking like a human turnip and the fact wasn’t lost on Bella and she wondered if Jane’s ears were burning. She found it difficult not to laugh.
“Joshua’ll look after your garden, if that’s what you’re wantin’.” Cora Flint held her arms folded across her ample bosom. “I’ll speak for ‘im as I knows him an’ I’d say there’s none better in these parts.’ There was no subtlety to Cora’s approach and Bella found her imperious manner quite intimidating yet she knew the woman had redeeming qualities. Perhaps it was her way with strangers and, if that was the case, only time would tell if her character would change.
“To be honest with you, Cora, I haven’t given the matter a lot of thought…”
“That’s what I reckoned, Miss Foxton and I told Joshua as much. Be a right shame to let that garden go, that’s what he said.” Bella wondered if Joshua had a voice.
“Look, it’s very kind of you…”
“That’s agreed then, is it? He can work Thursdays like I does, if you like, then I can bring ‘im along with me, like I just done.” Inwardly cursing herself for yet again giving Cora Flint an opening, Bella tried to hide her exasperation. Taking a deep breath to collect her thoughts she tackled the problem head on.
“Now, let’s just hold on a minute. You and I haven’t even come to a fixed arrangement yet, so why don’t you both come in and perhaps we can sort something out while you’re here” It wasn’t actually a scowl that briefly appeared on Cora’s face but the look certainly indicated her displeasure. For a moment, neither of her visitors moved, then Cora propelled Joshua Bodkin forward.
“As you say, then, Miss Foxton, let’s get the matter settled to your likin’ an’ we’ll all be the better for it.”
It didn’t take long to get matters sorted out and Bella had ended up by employing them both, to work on a Thursday, as Cora Flint had suggested. She complimented Cora on what she had achieved on her previous visit and she shuffled her bulk on the chair, self-consciously, but never smiled. If she was pleased at her employer’s satisfaction with her work, it didn’t show. It was obvious the woman was a good housekeeper therefore Bella didn’t insult her by describing her duties in detail but confirmed that Cora knew what was basically expected of her. She thought it would be a good idea if they went out into the garden so that she could show Joshua Bodkin what she wanted done. Knowing that rates of pay in the area would be fairly low, on an impulse she decided to pay Cora the same as her London housekeeper, with Joshua on the same rate. It was the only time she saw a reaction on her normally inscrutable features as one eyebrow arched in a demonstration of surprise. The gardener just continued to smile and Bella had to wonder if, as she had once heard Jane say, he was the full quid. Cora spoke on behalf of the pair of them, throughout, with Joshua Bodkin apparently happy for her to do so. Pleased with herself for resolving the situation with the woman, and now having a gardener as well, she mounted the stairs in a light-hearted mood leaving her two staff to get on with their work and itching to get back to hers. Ubix hadn’t bothered to come down and find out what was going on and she addressed the cat as she seated herself.
“Well, that was a good morning’s work. I’m feeling rather pleased about that!” What she didn’t tell the cat was how nice it felt to have some human company around.
The car didn’t arrive back until the middle of the afternoon and Bella was careful to get details of the garage and the man’s name for future reference. In turn, he double-checked the information about her insurance company and asked for her phone number, strictly for business purposes. He was only young, in his early twenties, with thick, wavy hair the colour of corn and a very pleasant manner about him. When she gave him a five pound tip for bringing the car back, he actually blushed, before thanking her profusely and getting into the vehicle they had left for her to take it back. After he had gone a careful inspection of the Alfa revealed that it was impossible to tell that it had been involved in an accident, just as Kyle had said. It had proved wise council not allowing her to look at the damaged vehicle. While she was outside it seemed prudent to walk around to the back garden and see what Joshua Bodkin had been up to, now that he and Cora had left. The lawns close to the house, which had been virtually unrecognisable as such, had been trimmed then mown and the gardens around the side weeded, with their edges now being clearly defined. It had made such a difference and Bella tried to imagine what it would all look like after a few weeks under Joshua’s stewardship. The prospect thrilled her and she began to realise the benefits of owning a house and garden, something that had never even crossed her mind before, when living in the city. A part of growing older, she asked herself, or just having the time to appreciate it, something that she was rarely blessed with in London. Filled with a sense of pride and well-being she felt inexorably drawn back to the room at the top of the house, to continue working.
Saturday morning found her in the grip of mixed emotions about the day ahead, as she stood in the kitchen making breakfast. Outside, she could see leaden grey skies which threatened rain, a far cry from the warm, balmy summer weather of the past few days. At times like these Bella would give herself a strict talking to, trying to get events into perspective in order to minimise any anxiety. There were so many positive things in her life that she couldn’t afford to let something like Laura’s attitude get to her. Easy enough to say but she was a very destructive influence. What she would desperately like to do was either get her sister out of her life completely or come to some accommodation whereby they could have a reasonable relationship. Knowing Laura, it seemed neither option was a realistic possibility. The woman appeared to thrive on antagonism, an attitude that was totally alien to Bella. How anybody could spend their lives upsetting people and continually be at odds with everyone around them was a mystery. In Bella’s experience, one of the most rewarding aspects of life lay in socialising and making friends and it was a constant source of wonder to her that she and Laura were actually related at all. How could two people, so disparate in their make up, have been the progeny of the same parents? They were the human equivalent of an oxymoron, a conjunction of contradictory elements that was one of the bewildering things about human nature.
Ubix rubbed itself lovingly against her ankles, distracting Bella but at the same time reminding her of the pleasures of love and affection. The cat allowed itself to be picked up, which had only been a recent development in their relationship and Bella’s thoughts turned to Ben, as she stroked Ubix and was rewarded with a deep, throbbing purr.
The Knapthorne Conspiracy Page 19
