fancies driving in. And you must make her promise that she is nothing to do with these others.’
‘OK. OK. I’ll make you some breakfast. Toast?’
‘Please.’ Louise got out of bed and pulled on her fraying towelling dressing gown. The silky one with the matching pyjamas was in the bottom drawer waiting for Toby.
She picked up the telephone. She knew Andrew Miles’s three-digit number by heart. Again she waited while the phone rang and rang. Just as she was going to give up, he picked it up. He was breathless. ‘Yes?’
‘It’s Louise Case.’
‘Hold on a minute.’
Louise heard him shouting at a dog to get out of the kitchen with those dirty paws and then he picked up the phone again. ‘Yes?’
‘I’ve just had Captain Frome on the telephone,’ she said.
‘Oh, him.’
‘He says there is a convoy of travellers headed this way.’
Andrew Miles said nothing.
‘I want a gate put across the gap in the fence,’ Louise told him. ‘The neighbourhood watch people are advising everyone to close up their paddocks and fields.’
There was a suppressed snort on the other end of the telephone which sounded like Andrew Miles trying not to laugh. ‘A bit difficult on a two-hundred-acre farm and a common with common rights,’ he pointed out.
‘Yes, but about my orchard …’
‘All right,’ he said. ‘I’ve got a hurdle I can put across. I’ll come down now.’
‘Thank you,’ Louise said. ‘And the gear box for the van?’
‘I’ve not found one yet,’ he said. He had forgotten all about the van. ‘I’ll ring a couple of garages and then I’ll come down.’
‘Thank you,’ said Louise again but he was already gone.
By the time Louise was dressed, in well-cut jeans and acrew-neck cream cotton sweater, Andrew Miles’s Land-Rover had already shuddered to a halt outside and Miriam had opened the front door to him. ‘Hello, come in.’
Andrew hesitated. He had never been inside the house since Louise had moved in. All their business had been conducted at the overflow end of the septic tank, or pacing the boundaries. ‘Louise will be down in a moment,’ Miriam said with her meaningless social-worker smile.
Andrew heel-toed his Wellington boots off and stepped over the threshold, leaving them in the porch. His knitted socks were thick and grey. He wriggled one adventurous toe back out of sight from a small hole. Miriam was too polite to stare but she was unused to people taking their shoes off before entering a house like faithful Muslims in a temple.
Louise came downstairs and recoiled slightly at seeing Andrew Miles, so big, and with such big woolly feet, in her dainty sitting room. ‘Oh, hello.’
‘She asked me in,’ Andrew said gracelessly.
‘Coffee?’ Miriam offered.
Andrew gave Louise a quick embarrassed look. ‘If you have the time,’ Louise said. ‘I expect you want to get on. You’re always so busy.’
‘Haymaking,’ Andrew explained quickly. ‘Soon,’ he added more honestly. ‘I’ll start on that hurdle.’
He backed out towards the door and stepped into his Wellington boots again.
Miriam looked curiously at Louise. ‘Is that your drunk neighbour? I thought you said he was old.’
‘I never said old.’
‘Take a cup out to him,’ Miriam commanded. ‘You can’t drag him down here and then not even pass the time of day.’
‘I pay him,’ Louise said. But she poured coffee into a mug and went out into the drive.
A black-and-white collie observed her silently from the cab of the Land-Rover, too well-trained to do more than beam at her and stir a silky tail.
‘Coffee?’ Louise offered, and handed Mr Miles the mug.
He was untying the hurdle from the back of the Land-Rover. But he straightened up and took it from her. Louise noticed for the first time that his eyes were an unusually dark blue, as blue as periwinkles. The old woman was right, he was an attractive man; but hardly an appropriate partner for her. Louise smiled at the thought of life
‘OK. OK. I’ll make you some breakfast. Toast?’
‘Please.’ Louise got out of bed and pulled on her fraying towelling dressing gown. The silky one with the matching pyjamas was in the bottom drawer waiting for Toby.
She picked up the telephone. She knew Andrew Miles’s three-digit number by heart. Again she waited while the phone rang and rang. Just as she was going to give up, he picked it up. He was breathless. ‘Yes?’
‘It’s Louise Case.’
‘Hold on a minute.’
Louise heard him shouting at a dog to get out of the kitchen with those dirty paws and then he picked up the phone again. ‘Yes?’
‘I’ve just had Captain Frome on the telephone,’ she said.
‘Oh, him.’
‘He says there is a convoy of travellers headed this way.’
Andrew Miles said nothing.
‘I want a gate put across the gap in the fence,’ Louise told him. ‘The neighbourhood watch people are advising everyone to close up their paddocks and fields.’
There was a suppressed snort on the other end of the telephone which sounded like Andrew Miles trying not to laugh. ‘A bit difficult on a two-hundred-acre farm and a common with common rights,’ he pointed out.
‘Yes, but about my orchard …’
‘All right,’ he said. ‘I’ve got a hurdle I can put across. I’ll come down now.’
‘Thank you,’ Louise said. ‘And the gear box for the van?’
‘I’ve not found one yet,’ he said. He had forgotten all about the van. ‘I’ll ring a couple of garages and then I’ll come down.’
‘Thank you,’ said Louise again but he was already gone.
By the time Louise was dressed, in well-cut jeans and acrew-neck cream cotton sweater, Andrew Miles’s Land-Rover had already shuddered to a halt outside and Miriam had opened the front door to him. ‘Hello, come in.’
Andrew hesitated. He had never been inside the house since Louise had moved in. All their business had been conducted at the overflow end of the septic tank, or pacing the boundaries. ‘Louise will be down in a moment,’ Miriam said with her meaningless social-worker smile.
Andrew heel-toed his Wellington boots off and stepped over the threshold, leaving them in the porch. His knitted socks were thick and grey. He wriggled one adventurous toe back out of sight from a small hole. Miriam was too polite to stare but she was unused to people taking their shoes off before entering a house like faithful Muslims in a temple.
Louise came downstairs and recoiled slightly at seeing Andrew Miles, so big, and with such big woolly feet, in her dainty sitting room. ‘Oh, hello.’
‘She asked me in,’ Andrew said gracelessly.
‘Coffee?’ Miriam offered.
Andrew gave Louise a quick embarrassed look. ‘If you have the time,’ Louise said. ‘I expect you want to get on. You’re always so busy.’
‘Haymaking,’ Andrew explained quickly. ‘Soon,’ he added more honestly. ‘I’ll start on that hurdle.’
He backed out towards the door and stepped into his Wellington boots again.
Miriam looked curiously at Louise. ‘Is that your drunk neighbour? I thought you said he was old.’
‘I never said old.’
‘Take a cup out to him,’ Miriam commanded. ‘You can’t drag him down here and then not even pass the time of day.’
‘I pay him,’ Louise said. But she poured coffee into a mug and went out into the drive.
A black-and-white collie observed her silently from the cab of the Land-Rover, too well-trained to do more than beam at her and stir a silky tail.
‘Coffee?’ Louise offered, and handed Mr Miles the mug.
He was untying the hurdle from the back of the Land-Rover. But he straightened up and took it from her. Louise noticed for the first time that his eyes were an unusually dark blue, as blue as periwinkles. The old woman was right, he was an attractive man; but hardly an appropriate partner for her. Louise smiled at the thought of life
Similar Books
