‘I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to keep you. And it’s Alice, please.’
He reached out and shook her hand. ‘See you tomorrow, Alice. Come to think of it, if you delay coming to see me until the afternoon, that’ll give me time to get some prices together for you. That way you’ll have a better idea of what it’s all going to cost you.’
‘Thank you so very much.’ She gave him a little wave as he made his exit.
She sat back with a contented smile on her face. Things were looking better. The bar had filled up a good bit by now. A glance at her watch told her it was almost eight o’clock. She took a sip of wine and began studying the faces of the locals. A bleep from her iPad told her she had received an e-mail. It was from Danny.
Dear Alice
How awful. I do hope you manage to get things sorted out. I feel terribly responsible. It was, after all, my idea for you to look at auction sites and I was the one who recommended Beauchamp. Maybe if I hadn’t suggested it, you wouldn’t be in this fix now.
Can I at least try to make up for this in some small way by buying you dinner on Saturday night? I would love to see you again and to hear all the gory details. That is assuming you are still talking to me….
Danny
She pressed Reply and started to type.
Don’t be so silly. I’m a grown woman and I should have known better. And, of course, there’s no need to buy me a meal. But, anyway, I would be very happy to have dinner with you on Saturday. Why don’t you come round to my place for a drink before we go out? By the way, I spent half an hour holding you, then five minutes scratching your ears this afternoon and you enjoyed it.
XX
Alice
She read it through, hesitated, then removed the last sentence. It sounded a bit flirty. That wouldn’t do at all. After all, she was soon to be his landlady.
The sun was still shining the following day, although it was a cold start. Breakfast in the cosy kitchen would have been even more enormous if she hadn’t stopped Mrs Tinker from filling the frying pan with food. In the end she consumed a bowl of cereal, two fried eggs with bacon, toast and numerous cups of tea. She vowed not to eat again that day assuming, of course, that she could raise herself from her seat. Danny the dog was in a playful mood and she found she actually enjoyed his company. He kept giving her not so gentle nudges under the table when Mrs Tinker wasn’t looking. By the time she had demolished the bacon and eggs, she could feel his head resting on her thigh.
‘You can give him the bacon rind, if you like.’ Mrs Tinker was well aware of what was happening under the table. ‘It’s the one exception I allow and he knows it.’ At the sound of her voice, the dog emerged like magic and took the leftovers very delicately from Alice’s hesitant hand.
‘He’s very gentle, isn’t he? I thought he might have my hand off.’
‘He’s a lovely dog.’ Breakfast over, the dog wandered over to his mistress and sat at her side. She scratched his ears.
‘So, you’re staying on for another night?’
‘Yes, if that’s all right, but no cooked breakfast tomorrow, please. I have a dinner date on Saturday night and I need to have a bit of room left over.’
‘I was sure a pretty girl like you would have a young man. Have you been together long?’ Mrs Tinker had a distinct twinkle in her eye. It did not waver, even when Alice blushed red.
‘Oh no, he’s not a boyfriend or anything like that. He’s a friend from work. He’s going to rent my flat when I come down here.’
‘But you did use the word “date”, didn’t you, my dear?’
‘Well, yes, but it’s only an expression. We’re just friends, really.’
Mrs Tinker decided to change the subject. ‘So what are your plans for today?’
‘I thought I would do a bit of exploring this morning. This afternoon I’ve got an appointment with your Peter. I need to give him some keys and he’s promised me some prices.’
‘Why don’t you start here in the village? The church is eight hundred years old, you know. Danny and I will come and show you the way, if you like. It’s time for his walk.’ At the sound of this magic word, the dog leapt to his feet.
A few minutes later they set off. The dog was clearly delighted to be out in the fresh air. Alice was very impressed to see that he walked to heel, without the need of a lead, even though the first part of their walk was down a road. As they passed the pub, she could see the church tower sticking up just behind it.
‘I didn’t realise I was so close to the village centre last night.’
‘Woodcombe isn’t big. There used to be two pubs, but one closed down. Mind you, we’ve still got a shop, sort of a general store.’ She stopped as they reached the lychgate in front of the church. ‘Danny and I will leave you here. We go up in the fields beyond the church for our walk. I’ll see you later. Enjoy yourself.’
Alice watched them walk off then turned and went through the gate into the churchyard. She walked up among the tombstones, soon realising that the same three or four surnames appeared regularly. The earliest date she could read was 1667, but some of the stones were so covered in moss and lichen she felt sure they must be even older. The church was cold and a bit damp, but surprisingly light. Most of the windows were clear, although there were a few stained glass scenes here and there. George and a very fiery-looking dragon took pride of place behind the altar.
Between two rows of choir stalls she spotted a bottom.
‘Good morning.’ She felt she should say something.
The sound of her voice must have surprised him. He jumped visibly and she heard a thud as some part of his anatomy hit the woodwork.
‘Sorry if I gave you a shock. Are you all right?’ Her voice was hesitant.
He rose to his feet, gently rubbing the side of his head. He was a handsome man, dark-haired, with broad shoulders. He could have been her age, maybe a year or two older.
‘I’m fine.’ He looked a bit shifty and did not meet her eye. She began to feel strangely anxious. She glanced around the church. It was quite empty apart from the two of them.
‘Did you lose something?’ She did her best to keep her voice level.
‘No, just a bit of wet rot.’ He sounded more normal now. ‘The problem is, I’m not a carpenter.’
Reassured, Alice relaxed and took a better look at him. He was well-spoken and dressed in a dark jumper. Presumably he was the vicar. But she hadn’t seen such a handsome vicar before. She decided to introduce herself.
‘I’m Alice Grant.’ She reached out her hand. ‘I’ll be living here for the next six months or so, while my house in Beauchamp is being refurbished.’
‘Daniel Tremayne.’ She recognised one of the surnames that cropped up on a number of the tombstones outside. He turned towards the door, clearly uncomfortable. ‘I’d better get on the phone to somebody who can sort this out. Good morning.’ And he was gone.
She continued her tour of the village. The village green was surrounded by ancient trees, all just coming into leaf. In a few weeks it would no doubt be a lovely shady spot. She saw that the war memorial had recently been cleaned. The granite looked as if it had only been hewn a few days before. The brass letters of the names of the fallen had been