gaffe.
‘That’s very kind of you, but I’ve made other plans,’ Jill said quickly.
It wasn’t a lie. She’d just decided to pay Michael a visit.
With his father out of the way, he might open up a little.
Doubtful, but it was worth a try.
She was heading down the path, away from the church, when she spotted Bob again.
‘Bob!’ She broke into a run to catch up with him. ‘I’m sorry, but I don’t know your surname. I don’t think I was told.’
He smiled at that. ‘I’ve an even worse confession. I’ve forgotten your name and you’re the celebrity’
‘The celebrity you’d never heard of,’ she reminded him with a smile. ‘Jill Kennedy’
‘Bob Murphy - at your service.’ He took a business card from his suit pocket and handed it to her.
‘How busy are you?’ she asked. ‘There’s quite a bit I need doing, and I’d like it done soon. If I leave it much longer, I’ll have no roof left.’
‘I’m pretty busy at the moment,’ he said, ‘and that’s unusual at this time of the year.’ He took a pen and another card from his pocket. ‘Give me your phone number.
I’ll give you a call and make an appointment to have a look. If it’s not me, I’ll send Len along. OK?’
She scribbled down her name and number on his card.
‘I’m in and out a bit at the moment, but you can leave a message on the machine.’
‘OK. I’ll try and make it for the end of the week, probably late afternoon. I’ll give you a ring to confirm.’
‘Thanks.’ A huge raindrop landed on her nose. ‘Oh, great. No car and no umbrella.’
St Lawrence’s had been built long before parking had been a consideration and, as it hadn’t looked like rain, Jill had decided to walk.
‘I’d offer you a lift,’ Bob said, ‘but I’m in the same boat.’
He looked back at the crowd still outside the church.
‘There’s Len - he’s my roofing man. He’ll give us both a lift.’
Jill saw that he was referring to the couple with whom he’d shared his pew.
Len and his wife, Daisy, were more than happy to oblige and she and Bob climbed in the back of their elderly car.
‘I’ve been itching to get my hands on that roof of yours,’
Len told Jill as he drove them away from the church.
‘Nothing bugs me more than seeing a good roof allowed to get in that state. It should have been done years ago.’
‘Ah, but old Mrs Blackman didn’t have the money,’
Daisy reminded him. ‘It would have cost more than she paid for the cottage in the first place. Mind, she had the garden lovely, didn’t she?’
Len talked roofing, and Daisy talked gardens - at the same time. It was impossible to get a word in. For all that, they were a delightful couple, clearly devoted to each other. Although they’d dressed for church, there was something of the hippy about them. Len had a huge, untidy beard and his thin dark hair was tied back in a short ponytail. Daisy had long auburn hair tumbling this way and that, and bangles, rings and chains on every limb.
Minutes later, Jill was back at her cottage, waving them off. Bob would have to take her place in the conversations.
‘Call on us sometime,’ Daisy yelled at Jill through the open car window. ‘We’ve got a narrowboat on the canal.
Can’t miss us …’
Jill was still chuckling to herself as she went inside the cottage. What a lovely couple. One of these days, she’d go and find that narrowboat.
Chapter Thirteen
The church clock was striking twelve as Jill parked her car on the drive at the vicarage. Hopefully, Jonathan would be at the manor by now. Not that she had any objection to seeing him, she just thought Michael might be more talkative if she could get him alone.
That, of course, was assuming he answered the door.
She rang the bell a second time.
She could understand perfectly his wish to be left alone.
In the same circumstances, not that she’d ever come close to being in those circumstances, she would want to lock the world away, too.
Michael
‘That’s very kind of you, but I’ve made other plans,’ Jill said quickly.
It wasn’t a lie. She’d just decided to pay Michael a visit.
With his father out of the way, he might open up a little.
Doubtful, but it was worth a try.
She was heading down the path, away from the church, when she spotted Bob again.
‘Bob!’ She broke into a run to catch up with him. ‘I’m sorry, but I don’t know your surname. I don’t think I was told.’
He smiled at that. ‘I’ve an even worse confession. I’ve forgotten your name and you’re the celebrity’
‘The celebrity you’d never heard of,’ she reminded him with a smile. ‘Jill Kennedy’
‘Bob Murphy - at your service.’ He took a business card from his suit pocket and handed it to her.
‘How busy are you?’ she asked. ‘There’s quite a bit I need doing, and I’d like it done soon. If I leave it much longer, I’ll have no roof left.’
‘I’m pretty busy at the moment,’ he said, ‘and that’s unusual at this time of the year.’ He took a pen and another card from his pocket. ‘Give me your phone number.
I’ll give you a call and make an appointment to have a look. If it’s not me, I’ll send Len along. OK?’
She scribbled down her name and number on his card.
‘I’m in and out a bit at the moment, but you can leave a message on the machine.’
‘OK. I’ll try and make it for the end of the week, probably late afternoon. I’ll give you a ring to confirm.’
‘Thanks.’ A huge raindrop landed on her nose. ‘Oh, great. No car and no umbrella.’
St Lawrence’s had been built long before parking had been a consideration and, as it hadn’t looked like rain, Jill had decided to walk.
‘I’d offer you a lift,’ Bob said, ‘but I’m in the same boat.’
He looked back at the crowd still outside the church.
‘There’s Len - he’s my roofing man. He’ll give us both a lift.’
Jill saw that he was referring to the couple with whom he’d shared his pew.
Len and his wife, Daisy, were more than happy to oblige and she and Bob climbed in the back of their elderly car.
‘I’ve been itching to get my hands on that roof of yours,’
Len told Jill as he drove them away from the church.
‘Nothing bugs me more than seeing a good roof allowed to get in that state. It should have been done years ago.’
‘Ah, but old Mrs Blackman didn’t have the money,’
Daisy reminded him. ‘It would have cost more than she paid for the cottage in the first place. Mind, she had the garden lovely, didn’t she?’
Len talked roofing, and Daisy talked gardens - at the same time. It was impossible to get a word in. For all that, they were a delightful couple, clearly devoted to each other. Although they’d dressed for church, there was something of the hippy about them. Len had a huge, untidy beard and his thin dark hair was tied back in a short ponytail. Daisy had long auburn hair tumbling this way and that, and bangles, rings and chains on every limb.
Minutes later, Jill was back at her cottage, waving them off. Bob would have to take her place in the conversations.
‘Call on us sometime,’ Daisy yelled at Jill through the open car window. ‘We’ve got a narrowboat on the canal.
Can’t miss us …’
Jill was still chuckling to herself as she went inside the cottage. What a lovely couple. One of these days, she’d go and find that narrowboat.
Chapter Thirteen
The church clock was striking twelve as Jill parked her car on the drive at the vicarage. Hopefully, Jonathan would be at the manor by now. Not that she had any objection to seeing him, she just thought Michael might be more talkative if she could get him alone.
That, of course, was assuming he answered the door.
She rang the bell a second time.
She could understand perfectly his wish to be left alone.
In the same circumstances, not that she’d ever come close to being in those circumstances, she would want to lock the world away, too.
Michael
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