Practically Perfect (29 page)

Anna, who did like the Gherkin building twisting its way into the sky, ignored this dig and indulged in the view. Tucked in among a plethora of innovative vibrant buildings that had gone up during the last century, Anna found herself gazing at St Paul’s. For so long it would have been the tallest building, a landmark for the whole of London. It wasn’t that she didn’t appreciate the new as well as the ancient, but it was the ancient that made her think of London’s long and beleaguered history.

‘So, are you ready for a tour?’ Max came out and touched her arm.

Obligingly, Anna went in with him, although for preference she’d have stayed in the summer air and gazed at the view for quite a bit longer.

‘This is the living room,’ he gestured. ‘Only one, but as you can see it divides up quite nicely into an eating and living space.’

The floors were polished wood, far finer and deeper in colour than Anna’s were. ‘What sort of wood is this?’ she asked.

‘Cherry. Expensive, but the best always works out cheaper in the end.’

Anna kept to herself the thought that only rich people could afford to make statements like that.

‘And the walls?’

‘Polished plaster. I like the rawness. It’s white, but not just the ordinary white. It was hand done.’ Of course.

He took her to the achingly extravagant kitchen with polished granite surfaces and appliances that gleamed with quality. Her professional eye told her that the range cooker probably cost more than she planned to spend on her entire kitchen. Doubt touched at her; could Julian, who was Max’s friend, possibly like her old, simply designed house with original features that belonged in a workman’s cottage?

The bathroom had a walk-in shower with a head the size of a football. There was also a semi-sunken bath.

‘It’s carved out of a single piece of limestone,’ said Max. ‘Again, expensive but worth it.’

‘Lovely,’ said Anna, feeling a little overwhelmed.

‘Now tell me, would you like some champagne?’ He turned her so that she faced him and lifted her chin with his finger.

Anna blinked. ‘Yes, I rather think I would.’ It might help her relax.

‘Then come with me.’

He led her, not to the kitchen or sitting room, but to the bedroom.

The bed was enormous, with a bedspread that looked suspiciously like fur and seemed to take up most of the space. Opposite was a wall of mirrors that were probably wardrobes. Two ebony side tables were set into the wall, one on either side of the bed. On one of these was an ice bucket with a bottle of champagne in it. On the bed and round it were scarlet rose petals.

‘My goodness,’ said Anna, her heart pounding. ‘When did you do all this?’

‘While you were looking at the view.’

Anna sighed, and watched him open the bottle and half fill two glasses.

‘To you, Anna.’ He raised his glass to her, smiling seductively.

Anna sipped her champagne. This was her perfect moment – her perfect evening: the private view, the restaurant, the perfect city apartment. What could be better?

When Anna had finished her champagne he gently took the glass from her and enfolded her in his arms.

I’ve dreamt of this for years, she reminded herself, and returned his embrace.

Chapter Eighteen

‘THESE ARE THE
nicest croissants I’ve had since I was in France,’ said Anna, who still felt tired. ‘And I can’t remember when I last had oranges squeezed before my very eyes.’

‘It’s a shame you have to rush off,’ said Max. ‘We could have taken in an exhibition and gone out for lunch, possibly on the river.’

Anna sighed. ‘That would have been lovely, but unfortunately I can’t leave my dog on Chloe’s hands for too long. Next time,’ she added, not wanting him to think she was too eager to escape, ‘I could get my sister and brother-in-law to stay. Then I could stay for longer.’

‘Unless you’ve sold by then. Julian’s very keen.’

‘Well, that’s good news.’ Anna looked at her watch. ‘I really should be going or I’ll miss my train.’

‘I’ll come down and get you a taxi.’

It went against the grain with Anna to take a taxi when she could perfectly well have managed on the tube, but she was in a hurry, and she thought she’d cut it a bit fine to do that.

‘You’re all right, love,’ said the taxi driver when she asked him if she was likely to catch the ten o’clock train. ‘Traffic’s not too bad this morning. I’ll get you there.’

Anna wondered at her anxiety to get away from her lover. He’d been so attentive, so skilled, she might even have said loving, but for her the earth hadn’t moved. And surely it should have been the culmination of all her dreams? It was
probably
because she’d been dreaming about it for so long, it was bound to be a disappointment. Or possibly it was because whenever she closed her eyes she saw bits of staircase. She’d spent too long on her knees sanding it; she couldn’t get it out of her head. The last time she came back from London she could have floated down the railway lines without the train. This time she felt edgy and disconcerted.

The next time she and Max were together would be better, she thought, gazing blindly out of the window. Next time she’d be really into it.

She telephoned Chloe to tell her that she had managed to catch the ten o’clock train. It was good to hear her friend’s voice.

‘I told you it was fine if you caught a later one!’ said Chloe. ‘We’re loving looking after Caroline.’

‘I’m sure she’s loving it, too,’ Anna said, thinking of little Harry’s tender ministrations.

‘So, did you …?’

‘What?’

‘You know!’

‘I am not talking about things like that!’ Anna whispered vehemently into her phone. ‘I’m on a train, Chloe!’

‘People don’t care what they say on trains these days,’ Chloe said dismissively.

‘Well, I do! I’m going to be with you in less than an hour. I’ll tell you everything then.’

Sighing, Chloe ended the call. No sooner had she done so than Anna’s phone rang again.

As Anna registered who it was, she thought how nice it was to hear from someone who wanted nothing from her. ‘Hello, Rob.’

‘Hi! Good time to call?’ he asked.

‘It’s fine. I’m on a train.’

‘Oh! Been anywhere nice?’

‘London. A private view. With Max,’ she added after a moment’s hesitation.

‘Ah.’ He paused, too. ‘So, are you still OK for Sunday? The Country Fair and Novelty Dog Show?’

‘Oh, is it this Sunday? Yes, I’m certainly still on for it.’ She found herself smiling at the thought of a novelty dog show – a bit different from a sophisticated private view, but so much less stressful! Max had murmured about taking her to have tea with his mother sometime soon. If it was this Sunday, she had a perfect excuse to refuse. ‘Do you know what we’re doing to help?’

‘It could be selling raffle tickets, or ice cream. My sister isn’t sure. Apparently the committee members are still fighting it out.’

‘Well, I don’t mind what I do.’

‘Great. Can I pick you up on Sunday at about eleven? We can have a bite to eat in the pub before the show.’

‘I really should work in the morning but if you wanted to come at about twelve you could see what I’ve done to the house.’

‘I’ll make it twelve then. I’m looking forward to seeing it.’

Anna smiled to herself as she dropped her phone back in her bag.

‘So?’ asked Chloe, the moment Anna’s bag was tossed into the back of the car, nudging aside a couple of booster seats as it went.

‘What?’

‘You know what I mean!’ Chloe was beside herself. ‘I know I shouldn’t ask, but I’m desperate to know.’

‘To know what? Did I buy a picture? Is Max’s flat wonderful? Definitely, if you like that sort of thing. Not sure I do, actually.’

‘Not that! Although you can tell me afterwards, but, come on, tell me, did you and Max fall on each other like rabbits?’

‘In a manner of speaking. I’m not terribly up on the mating habits of rabbits.’

‘Ah … it wasn’t good, was it?’ Chloe said as they drove away from the station.

‘It wasn’t bad! Max is very attentive, and all that. And he’d gone to a lot of trouble to make it romantic. He’d put rose petals all round the bed.’

‘That’s lovely,’ Chloe said brightly. She glanced at Anna. ‘Oh well, first times never are all that good, in my experience.’

‘No,’ agreed Anna, not saying that there had been a second time and that hadn’t been very inspiring, either. Then, to change the subject as much as anything, Anna said, ‘I’m going to a novelty dog show with Rob on Sunday.’

‘Oh, that’s nice!’ said Chloe.

‘Why don’t you and Mike and the boys come? It should be a great day out for a family. Novelty dogs! How sweet is that?’

‘Very sweet,’ agreed Chloe, ‘but we’ve got something else on.’

For some reason Anna didn’t quite believe her. ‘What?’

‘Lunch with friends,’ said Chloe glibly. ‘Now, do you need anything in town or shall we go straight home?’

‘If we could call in at the paint shop, I need some charts.’

‘My goodness, you’re not at the decorating stage already, are you?’

‘Not really, but it’ll take me ages to decide.’

Anna found herself surprisingly excited at the thought of seeing Rob. It was, she realised, because she wanted to
show
off her house to someone who was likely to appreciate the work that had gone into it. She put on her black trousers, having gone to some trouble to remove Caroline’s hairs from them with parcel tape, only for her to put more back on again.

He was very prompt. Anna opened the door with a smile and an appeal to Caroline not to jump up. Rob accepted Caroline’s welcoming paws with equanimity and returned the smile. He didn’t come in, but he kissed her cheek. Anna’s heart fluttered; this was the first time anyone but Chloe or Mike had seen her staircase and her floor, which had had a final coat of varnish.

‘Well,’ he said, and then paused for a very long time. ‘This is fantastic.’

Anna let herself breathe again. ‘Well, come in and see it properly.’

‘I hardly like to walk on the floor,’ he flashed a smile at her.

‘Don’t worry I am trying not to move furniture or anything, but it seems fairly tough. Keeping Caroline off it while it dried was a nightmare.’

‘How did you do it?’

‘Chloe had her while I actually put the stuff on, then we went for a very long walk. Then camped at Chloe’s for a while. The boys love her.’

He stepped into the cottage and went to the staircase. Anna’s breathing pattern was suspended while he inspected it but then, when he said, ‘You really have done an amazing job,’ she put her arms around him and hugged him.

He hugged her back rather awkwardly.

‘Thank you very much for approving of it!’ she said, almost tearful. ‘I worked so hard. I think if you hadn’t liked it my heart would have broken.’ She paused, frowning a little. This mention of hearts was a little excessive, wasn’t
it?
After all, her heart was in good hands with Max. He and she were definitely an item now, even if she hadn’t officially met his mother.

Rob smiled down at her, a little amused. ‘One does get very emotionally involved with projects like that.’

‘Yes. Sorry! Now do you want to see anything else?’

‘I would like a good look round. It will save an official visit later.’

‘That sounds highly illegal,’ said Anna, cheerfully. ‘Come upstairs.’

Eventually Rob looked at his watch. ‘We’d better be going. What’s happening with Caroline?’

‘Mike and the boys will take her out.’ She frowned. ‘I suggested we all went to this fair. I thought it would be a nice day out for the family, but Chloe said they were having lunch with friends.’

‘Well, they might be.’

‘Hm. Anyway, it means we don’t have to rush back for Caroline.’

‘Let’s go then.’

The Turrellford Country Fair and Novelty Dog show was the other side of the county, where the terrain was less hilly and the villages far more prosperous. This was evident in the perfectly maintained stone walls, the clematis and the well-pruned roses that were just about to burst into flower.

‘My sister’s married to “something in the City”,’ explained Rob, amused and slightly apologetic at the same time. ‘Salt of the earth: I love her dearly, but I wouldn’t want to live any nearer to her than I do.’

‘I would like to live a bit nearer to my sister,’ said Anna, looking out of the window at the picturesque scenes. ‘She’s a real rock and support to me. But I wouldn’t want her next door. Chloe’s enough of a surrogate mother as it is.’

‘What about your own mother?’

Anna turned to look at him. ‘Oh, she’s alive and well, but she’s got a new husband, and Laura, that’s my sister, thinks she doesn’t keep enough of an eye on me. Why should she? I’m an adult, after all.’

‘I’ll always be my sister’s kid brother. It’s just the way it is,’ he said as they arrived at their destination. ‘Right, parking. In this field, obviously.’ He followed the waving arms of a young man in a yellow jacket who was playing cars for real and having a lovely time.

The car disposed of, they joined the throng of people on their way to the field where most of the activities were taking place.