audience with Daniel O’Donnell. ‘That was Victorianna.’
‘Really,’ said Lou.
‘She sends her love.’
No, she bloody well doesn’t, thought Lou again.
‘Will you give me a lift to the post office with that parcel for her on Tuesday? Everything’s all wrapped up now,’ said Renee, pointing to an enormous box in the corner.
‘Course I—Flaming heck, Mum. That’ll cost you a fortune. I don’t know, she really is a…making you do this.’ Lou omitted the word. She was having trouble finding one that summed up Princess Victorianna without resorting to expletives.
‘She didn’t make me, she asked. I could have said no. Oh Lou, why are you always so aggressive where Victorianna is concerned?’ snapped Renee. ‘What on earth did she ever do to deserve all that sniping?’
Mum, you really don’t want to know the answer to that one , Lou said inwardly.
‘You were so close when you were young as well,’ said Renee, shaking her head in exasperation.
That wasn’t quite the way Lou remembered it.
‘Anyway, are you going to do it for her or do I have to get a taxi?’
‘Yes, of course I will,’ sighed Lou, adding to herself, but I’m doing it for you, Mum, not Goldentits .
When it was time to go, she woke up Phil who was snoring in the armchair. Fed and watered, he had dropped off stretched out on Renee’s enormous leather recliner next to the radiator that was pumping out heat. When Renee shuffled off this mortal coil, he thought sleepily, he would have to make sure Lou got him that chair.
It occurred to Lou, as she walked out to the car, that she couldn’t remember the last time anyone had said they loved her.
Chapter 13
‘Hello, Keith Featherstone,’ announced a voice thick with the smoke of twenty years of filterless fags.
‘At last, Mr Featherstone! It’s Mrs Winter,’ said Lou, with half-shock, half-relief at finding herself speaking to his actual voice and not the gravelly answering-machine message.
‘Ah, Mrs Winter, I am so sorry, everything’s been mad. I was going to ring you later on today.’
Yeah, right. Lou steeled herself.
‘Mr Featherstone, I really need you to finish this bathroom. It’s been over six weeks now since you left it.’ Lou dropped her voice so Phil wouldn’t hear the next bit, as he would have gone totally bonkers. ‘And I did pay you cash in advance so you’d treat this as a priority. As you promised you would.’
Lou felt sick saying it. Sometimes she was like a stupid daft puppy that trusted everyone and invariably got booted, although no one could have kicked her more over this whole bathroom business than she had kicked herself.
‘You are totally right, Mrs Winter. I feel awful about it, and I will be along as soon as I can. I’ll ring you thisafternoon when we’re a bit closer to completing this job that we’re on with now.’
‘I’ll be at work. Have you got my mobile number?’
‘I have indeed, Mrs Winter, and your home number just in case.’
‘I must have this finished. It’s not very fair of you.’
Crikey, talk about the hard-line tactics she had planned. She’d stamp her foot in a moment and that would really show him.
‘I can’t leave what I’m on at the moment, that’s the problem. Old lady, you see, got broken into and her windows and doors are all totally smashed. You should see it, Mrs Winter. Terrible. I couldn’t forgive myself if I didn’t sort her out.’
‘Oh dear,’ said Lou, feeling humbled and a little like a child screaming for cake after just being told there were children starving in Africa.
‘I’ll be there as soon as this is finished, Mrs Winter. I promise.’
‘OK, Mr Featherstone. As soon as you can then. Thank you.’
She could have sworn she heard sniggering before the line went dead.
Her phone bleeped the arrival of a text message as Lou pulled into the office car park. It was from Michelle.
LETS GO OUT FRIDAY TO CELEBRATE YOUR BIRTHDAY. SORRY HAVEN’T RUNG. MET G 8
‘Really,’ said Lou.
‘She sends her love.’
No, she bloody well doesn’t, thought Lou again.
‘Will you give me a lift to the post office with that parcel for her on Tuesday? Everything’s all wrapped up now,’ said Renee, pointing to an enormous box in the corner.
‘Course I—Flaming heck, Mum. That’ll cost you a fortune. I don’t know, she really is a…making you do this.’ Lou omitted the word. She was having trouble finding one that summed up Princess Victorianna without resorting to expletives.
‘She didn’t make me, she asked. I could have said no. Oh Lou, why are you always so aggressive where Victorianna is concerned?’ snapped Renee. ‘What on earth did she ever do to deserve all that sniping?’
Mum, you really don’t want to know the answer to that one , Lou said inwardly.
‘You were so close when you were young as well,’ said Renee, shaking her head in exasperation.
That wasn’t quite the way Lou remembered it.
‘Anyway, are you going to do it for her or do I have to get a taxi?’
‘Yes, of course I will,’ sighed Lou, adding to herself, but I’m doing it for you, Mum, not Goldentits .
When it was time to go, she woke up Phil who was snoring in the armchair. Fed and watered, he had dropped off stretched out on Renee’s enormous leather recliner next to the radiator that was pumping out heat. When Renee shuffled off this mortal coil, he thought sleepily, he would have to make sure Lou got him that chair.
It occurred to Lou, as she walked out to the car, that she couldn’t remember the last time anyone had said they loved her.
Chapter 13
‘Hello, Keith Featherstone,’ announced a voice thick with the smoke of twenty years of filterless fags.
‘At last, Mr Featherstone! It’s Mrs Winter,’ said Lou, with half-shock, half-relief at finding herself speaking to his actual voice and not the gravelly answering-machine message.
‘Ah, Mrs Winter, I am so sorry, everything’s been mad. I was going to ring you later on today.’
Yeah, right. Lou steeled herself.
‘Mr Featherstone, I really need you to finish this bathroom. It’s been over six weeks now since you left it.’ Lou dropped her voice so Phil wouldn’t hear the next bit, as he would have gone totally bonkers. ‘And I did pay you cash in advance so you’d treat this as a priority. As you promised you would.’
Lou felt sick saying it. Sometimes she was like a stupid daft puppy that trusted everyone and invariably got booted, although no one could have kicked her more over this whole bathroom business than she had kicked herself.
‘You are totally right, Mrs Winter. I feel awful about it, and I will be along as soon as I can. I’ll ring you thisafternoon when we’re a bit closer to completing this job that we’re on with now.’
‘I’ll be at work. Have you got my mobile number?’
‘I have indeed, Mrs Winter, and your home number just in case.’
‘I must have this finished. It’s not very fair of you.’
Crikey, talk about the hard-line tactics she had planned. She’d stamp her foot in a moment and that would really show him.
‘I can’t leave what I’m on at the moment, that’s the problem. Old lady, you see, got broken into and her windows and doors are all totally smashed. You should see it, Mrs Winter. Terrible. I couldn’t forgive myself if I didn’t sort her out.’
‘Oh dear,’ said Lou, feeling humbled and a little like a child screaming for cake after just being told there were children starving in Africa.
‘I’ll be there as soon as this is finished, Mrs Winter. I promise.’
‘OK, Mr Featherstone. As soon as you can then. Thank you.’
She could have sworn she heard sniggering before the line went dead.
Her phone bleeped the arrival of a text message as Lou pulled into the office car park. It was from Michelle.
LETS GO OUT FRIDAY TO CELEBRATE YOUR BIRTHDAY. SORRY HAVEN’T RUNG. MET G 8
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