Restoring Grace (17 page)

‘
Perhaps
I shouldn't have taken them,' she said, to no one in particular. 'I think they
may have been given to Rick by his mother.'

‘
We can always take them back if Grace doesn't
need them,' said Demi eagerly.

Ellie glanced at Demi but then Flynn said, 'Where's this
futon, then?'

‘
On the roof of the car,' said Ellie. 'I'll show you.'

‘
Don't
worry,' said Grace to Ellie. 'We'll get it. You move
the blow-up mattress out of the way. That's for
you,
Demi,' she said, and went out into the dark, followed by Pete and
Flynn.

Demi and Ellie loaded
themselves with plastic bags and
boxes and went upstairs together.
'Where are you going to sleep?' Ellie asked.

‘I used to sleep in a little room by the
bathroom. It's really pretty in a chintzy sort of way. Dad was going to have it
decorated for me but I liked it as it was.’

They reached the landing. 'Put the light on,
there's a love. I can't let go of anything.'

‘I don't know where the light switch is.'

‘
Oh, hell.
We'll have to do it by feel. Let's dump the
stuff.' The landing light at
last on, Ellie said, 'So, which way to your room?'

‘Along here,' said Demi, leading the way.

The room revealed itself to have very pretty
Victorian wallpaper, possibly original, very much nicer than the
ghastly overblown roses Ellie had covered with grey
paint. There was a little fireplace, too.

‘I always wanted to have a fire here,' said
Demi, 'but Dad said the chimney probably needed sweeping.'

‘
He was
probably right.' Ellie dumped her load of bags
on to the floor. 'I'm
glad we got the chest of drawers in. It's very small, but it's better than
nothing. Would you like it in here?'

‘
Oh, that's
really kind. I could use the top as a dressing
table, for my make-up and
stuff. But don't you want it?'

‘
I haven't got all that
many clothes, I'll be fine with
those boxes you were practically sitting on.'

‘
We got quite a lot,
really.' Demi frowned. 'Will Rick
be all right without furniture? I
don't know how you can leave him. He's so gorgeous.'

‘Not that gorgeous to live with,' Ellie said
wryly. 'And he didn't want me to keep the baby.'

‘Oh,' said Demi, and Ellie realised she didn't
quite understand.

‘I think we'd grown apart, really,' she went
on, 'but he
was the best-looking bloke in
college.' She shook herself,
there
was no benefit to reminiscing. 'Let's go and get your
mattress.'

‘I don't think Grace likes Flynn,' said Demi as
they carried the mattress along the passage.

‘I don't know why not. He's a nice bloke.'
Ellie sighed. 'She was very upset when your dad left her.'

‘Being dumped is always crap,' said Demi, as if
she
knew from personal experience. 'And she
was potty
about him. You could see it.' They lowered the mattress on to
the floor in the corner of the room. 'Although she
was always so nice to me,' Demi went on. 'His new wife
is potty
about him, too, but I don't think she realises I exist.'

‘
Oh, dear. Doesn't she make an effort at all?’

Demi shook her head.
'Nope. And Mum only cares
about her new
bloke - that and having beauty treatments
so she
can keep him. He's a bit younger than she is.'

‘Oh. My mum's very keen on therapies too,' said
Ellie.
'Her house is like a show home. I
feel like an old sack
tied up with string when I'm next to her.'

‘
My mum's
like that too! She only ever speaks to me
to tell me to do something to my skin, or to do my college
work.’

They smiled at each
other, a moment of mutual under
standing, then turned as they heard
a crash from the landing.

The futon
was coming up the stairs on the shoulders
of Pete and Flynn, and Grace trotted behind them,
carrying
an armful of bedding.

‘Where do you want it?' asked Flynn.

‘In here,' said Ellie. 'We've moved the
mattress.'
Flynn and Pete deposited the
futon on the floor in Ellie's
room. 'Is the base still in the car?'
asked Flynn.

‘No, we brought it in,' said Ellie.

‘Right. I'll go and fetch it.'

‘I'd better come with you,' said Grace,
sounding reluctant as she followed the two men.

‘
I don't know why she doesn't like him,' said
Ellie
sotto voce
to Demi.

Demi shrugged again. 'He's
not good-looking like Dad.’

‘
No, but
he's OK-looking, in a rugged sort of way.' Demi giggled. 'If Grace liked rugged
men she would never have married my dad.'

‘Oh. That might explain it.'

‘Anyway, it's a bit soon, isn't it?'

‘I don't know. After all, your dad's got
someone new.'
The more she thought about
it, the more she thought an
affaire
with someone like Flynn might be just what Grace
needed. But as the
futon base was announcing its imminent arrival by the grunts and stifled
expletives of its bearers, they were forced to abandon their conversation.

‘
Now,' said
Pete, when all the various bits of pine,
fixings and Allen keys were
assembled on the floor. 'Do you want a hand putting this thing together?'

‘Oh no!' said Grace. 'It's been very kind of
you to help, but we'll be fine now.’

Ellie shook her head and frowned at Grace. 'No,
we won't! It was hard enough taking the damn thing apart! It would be brilliant
if you'd help us get it set up.'

‘
Yeah,'
said Demi. 'Ellie must be really tired. She'll need
to sleep on it quite
soon.’

Grace glanced at Demi,
wondering at this sudden flash
of consideration and realised that
Ellie and Demi didn't
seem to understand about her wanting Flynn and Pete out of the house.
She didn't really understand it herself, she just knew she'd feel more
comfortable when they'd gone.

‘I'll go and
get the wine,' she said, feeling it would be better if she offered hospitality
now, while everyone was doing something.

By the time she got upstairs with the wine and glasses,
the futon was nearly complete. Demi
was wrestling with a duvet cover and Ellie was putting pillows into cases.

‘
They've been marvellous,' she said as Grace
appeared,
wine bottle tucked under her arm, glasses hanging from between
her fingers. 'Got it together in no time.'

‘
How kind,' said Grace. 'Would you like a glass of
claret
- as you didn't seem to like
the other wine all that much?
It's nothing special. It's from a case I
and my husband bought in France a few years ago.'

‘But he's
not your husband any more,' said Ellie.

‘No, but the
wine's still wine,' said Grace, wondering why Ellie was being so pedantic.

‘Dad's
latest wife doesn't drink,' announced Demi.

‘
You make him sound like Bluebeard,' Grace
protested.

Demi
shrugged. 'Well, it is wife number three he's on now, you know.'

‘Yes, but is
that so many?' asked Ellie.

‘Yes,' said
Flynn. 'More than one is "so many".’

Grace looked
at him. 'Which one are you on, then?'

‘Oh, I'm
Bluebeard too,' he said solemnly. 'My wife
couldn't
stand always living in a building site and walked
out. I'm a property
developer.’

Grace's shudder of
distaste was nearly visible. Sensing
it, Ellie said,
'But what about your present wife?’

‘
Oh, I
haven't found her yet.'

‘So you're not Bluebeard yet?' said Demi. 'Just
sort of gearing up to be?'

‘
Oh, for goodness' sake!'
said Grace, hating this conver
sation for lots of reasons. 'Let's
just have a drink. Pete, did you ever get time to finish your tea?'

‘
Yes, thank you. And a fine cup of tea it was.
And I ate
all the biscuits.'

‘That's fine, we've got a good supply for
Ellie.'

‘
Perhaps
Ellie, or Demi, or whoever's bedroom we're
in, might not like us
drinking wine in it,' said Flynn.
'Oh no,
it's fine. I've only just stopped being a student,’
said Ellie.

‘
And you're
pregnant! You don't want to drink alcohol!’

Grace was mortified with
herself for forgetting and
grateful for an excuse to escape.
'I'll run down and get you something soft.’

She was out of the room before anyone could
speak, but was caught up with by Flynn in the kitchen. 'Actually, Pete and I
really must be going. Thank you for the wine.'

‘You didn't have time to drink it.' Now that he
was
actually going, she wanted him to stay.
'And I should be
thanking you for helping Demi and Ellie with the bed and
everything.'

‘It was no trouble. And I would just like to
say some-
thing.'

‘What?' If he had something to say, why didn't
he just say it, and not announce that he was going to in that ominous way?

‘I'm not the sort of property developer you
thought I was when I said it.'

‘I don't know—'

‘
You
thought I was the kind that puts up nesting boxes
on greenfield sites. I don't. I buy houses, do
them up and
move on.'

‘Oh.'

‘I couldn't help seeing your expression.'

‘I didn't mean to be rude.'

‘
You weren't rude, you just winced.'

‘
The thing is, my family have suggested that I sell off
part of the land, for building, but I won't - can't.'

‘You shouldn't. Besides, nowhere round here
would ever get planning permission.’

She smiled. 'That's a relief!'

‘So you can tell your family that.'

‘Yes. I will, next time they mention it.'

‘I'll be off now. I'll ring you when we can
come round and install the Rayburn. It will make a big difference to this
kitchen, you know.'

‘I'm sure it will. It's very kind—'

‘No, it's not. It's surplus to my requirements.’

Then he walked out, leaving Grace rather
confused.

As she went to join the girls she noticed the
dining-
room light on and suddenly
remembered. She ran up the
stairs.
'Hey! You'll never guess what happened while you
were out!’

Chapter Seven

‘
What happened?' Ellie and
Demi had been patting
pillows into place, and now they
looked up at Grace.

‘I thought I saw a ghost, but it turned out to
be a
painting!' said Grace. 'Come and look!
Bring your glasses
and the bottle. Oh, Ellie! I never got you anything.'

‘Never mind that! Let's go and look at this
painting!’

Demi, who'd drunk her glass of wine rather
fast, said, 'Ooh, this is so exciting!'

‘
It might
not be,' said Grace. 'It might be just a daub.
I was getting a torch to look at it better when Flynn
arrived.'

‘He's really nice, isn't he?' said Ellie,
distracted from
Grace's news for a moment.
'Very kind.' She nudged
Grace in the elbow.