The Way to a Woman's Heart (5 page)

Chattering happily, he beckoned her over to the dirt pit.

‘Sorry? Ah, right… you’d like me to help you with the digging?’

George nodded enthusiastically and picked up a second shovel.

‘Great.’ Grinning in delight, tucking her hair behind her ears, Ella eased herself up from the swing seat and hurried to join him.

Poll ushered Ash upstairs to the second floor room he’d be sharing with Roy, and to her relief and delight he was as volubly pleased with his accommodation as Ella had been with hers. Poll wanted to kiss him.

She beamed. ‘Oh, I’m so pleased you like your room – and I hope Roy approves too, of course. I know it’ll all be a bit strange to start with – but please just make it your home. If there’s anything at all you need, just ask. Oh, here you are – two front door keys – and if you forget them I always leave a spare one hanging in the back porch. I’ll leave you to settle in now, go and sort out lunch, and pop back in a minute. OK?’

‘Perfect, thank you.’

And relieved that so far Ash’s arrival had gone without any problems, Poll hitched up her skirts and practically skipped downstairs.

Finding no sign of Ella or George anywhere in the house,
she hurried through the kitchen, peered into the garden, and chuckled to herself. They were kneeling side by side in the dirt pit, industriously chugging lorries back and forth, lost in their own world.

Maybe for once she’d made the right decision, Poll thought happily, watching them together. There had been plenty of better qualified applicants for the job of mother’s help, but Ella’s openness and honesty about her lack of formal experience had been endearing, and her overwhelming love of children had outweighed any last doubts. And to be honest, Poll admitted to herself, she’d have been terrified of most of the Career Nannies who’d applied. No, it was far better this way – to have someone who not only loved George but was also, hopefully, going to become a friend.

‘Enjoying yourselves?’

‘This is the best fun I’ve had for years.’ Ella, now fairly grubby, looked up, shading her eyes from the sun. ‘George and I are building a new motorway. It’s going to have a special lane just for lorries, and one for buses and another for cars, and lots of sweet shops and a funfair, oh, and a swimming pool.’

Poll laughed. ‘Sounds perfect. You’ll have to submit the idea to the Ministry of Transport. And does this mean you and George are already starting to talk the same language?’

‘Absolutely.’ Ella sat back on her heels. ‘I’ve not managed to get all of it yet, but give me time. As it is, we’re communicating OK with the basics.’

‘Amazing – and oh, Ella, I’m so sorry for all this confusion and delay because you must be starving.’

‘Hungry, yes,’ Ella admitted, ‘but you’re busy and I can wait. Have Ash and Roy moved in now?’

‘Ash has. Well, he’s in the process. With a friend called Joe helping him.’

‘Not the mysterious Roy?’

Poll shook her head. ‘No, not yet. Roy’s been staying somewhere else and will be along later. I said we’d give Ash and Joe a few minutes to get the stuff upstairs and then I’ll introduce you.’

Ella nodded. ‘Fine – but I still wonder why isn’t Roy here helping with the move.’

‘I’ve no idea. Maybe you’d like to ask?’

‘And maybe I’ll just do that,’ Ella laughed. ‘Are you suggesting that I’m nosey?’

‘As I don’t know you well enough yet, I wouldn’t dream of it.’

Ella chuckled. ‘I’ll save you the bother, then. I am. Very.’

‘Me too.’

They smiled at one another.

Grabbing his favourite lorry, George suddenly clambered from the dirt pit and scampered happily towards the kitchen door.

‘I think he wants to go and see what’s happening and do the introductions now, too.’ Ella grinned. ‘So clearly we’re not the only nosey ones.’

Poll stood up. ‘Come on then, I expect they’re still unpacking, but I promise you, you will adore Ash.’

As they reached the front door, there was no sign of Joe outside, but Ash was dragging a final heap of bags from the
estate car and George and the dogs rushed to issue their customary greetings.

Ash, as Ella had done, was reacting very nicely to the onslaught, Poll noticed with pleasure. He certainly was very charming.

Ash paused in the introductions and patting and stroking and smiled again. He really did have the most devastating smile. ‘I’m almost done here. We’ve got most of the stuff in. It’s a fabulous room – absolutely perfect. Thanks so much.’

‘You’re very welcome.’ Poll winced slightly at the warmth of the reception George and the dogs were giving Ash. ‘I hope you’ll both be very happy here and –’

‘Oooh.’ Ella’s eyes widened as Ash strolled past Poll. ‘Wow. He’s really fit – and absolutely gorgeous.’

‘Mmm,’ Poll chuckled. ‘And maybe I’ve got this wrong, but didn’t you say in your letters that you’d got a boyfriend in London?’

‘Yes, well, yes, but it’s a long story.’

Poll raised her eyebrows. ‘Which, as I’m incurably nosey, you’ll tell me all about sometime soon?’

Ella laughed. ‘Maybe I will, and maybe I won’t.’

‘Of course you will.’ Poll smiled. ‘I’m a good listener. It goes with the nosiness. Anyway, even if you didn’t have a boyfriend at home,
he
is definitely not your type.’

‘Actually, he is,’ Ella said happily. ‘In a totally hypothetical way, of course, given that I’m no longer young, free and single. But he’s drop dead gorgeous. I love dark hair and blue eyes, and look at those cheekbones and the length of those eyelashes…’

‘Yes, gorgeous he may be, but he’s definitely not your type.’

‘Oh, believe me he is – a girl can look and appreciate these things, can’t she? What did you say his name was again? Joe?’

‘No… No, Ella, listen. He’s
not
Joe. Joe’s the friend who’s sorting stuff out upstairs.
He’s
Ash. Ash Lawrence.’ Poll stretched her eyes and lips in exaggerated agitation. ‘
Ash Lawrence
… Get it? Gay chef, boyfriend called Roy…’

‘Ah – damn.’ Ella nodded slowly. ‘That’s Ash Lawrence, is it? Now I see why he’s very not my type. What a shame, because he’s too stunning for words. Blimey then, I wonder what Roy’s like?’

‘Beautiful,’ Ash Lawrence said smoothly, appearing between them and hauling various bags and suitcases up the steps, ‘and the love of my life.’

Poll was amused to notice that Ella was blushing. ‘Ash, this is Ella. She’s just arrived too and –’

‘Another waif and stray?’ Ash beamed at Ella. ‘I can see I’m in good company. Ash Lawrence.’

‘Ella Maloney. Great to meet you. And not a waif and stray, a mother’s help and a willing convert to the rural life.’

Once George had insisted on shaking hands solemnly again, and Ash had been introduced to the dogs, the cats and three of the hens by name, and they’d all helped in hauling the remainder of his luggage from the estate car into the hall, Poll suggested to Ella that it might be kinder to Ash if she removed George and the animals to the relative calm of the garden again.

‘OK.’ Ella nodded, grabbing George’s hand. ‘Is there anything you’d like me to do for lunch?’

‘Good heavens, no, you’ve only just arrived yourself. I’m being a completely useless hostess.’ Poll shook her head. ‘Actually, lunch is all ready, thanks. And as soon as Ash is unloaded we’ll be able to eat and drink all afternoon and have a lovely chat together.’

‘Great.’ Ella grinned. ‘Come on then, George, we’ve got a motorway to construct.’

Once they were alone again, Poll looked at Ash. ‘As soon as you and Joe have finished, please come and have some lunch with us.’

‘Thanks, but I did promise I’d drop Joe off at work and then go and pick Roy up as soon as I’d unpacked. It’s not far so we shouldn’t be long. We don’t like being apart.’

Poll smiled happily at such devotion. ‘Of course you don’t. Maybe you and Roy could join us, then? I’ve done loads of food and we can all get to know one another. Come straight through the house and into the garden when you get back. Oh, I’m so pleased you’re here. It’s going to be such fun.’

Ash nodded. ‘I think it is, too. Thanks so much for this, Poll. I’m really grateful.’

Poll waved her hands. ‘Don’t mention it. And we’re all going to get on brilliantly. Ella is a lovely girl and –’

‘Very pretty.’

‘Very,’ Poll agreed. ‘And she’s left her boyfriend behind in London to come and work here. I do hope she won’t miss him too much. Still, at least you and Roy will soon be reunited, won’t you?’

Ash smiled. ‘We will. I can’t wait to get him settled in. He’s really going to love it here.’

Poll was lovely if ever-so-slightly mad, Ella decided as, with the sun beating relentlessly on her back, she and George industriously tunnelled through the dirt pit. And Ash Lawrence was, she thought with only a momentary flicker of guilt about Mark, without doubt the most beautiful man she’d ever seen. She’d be sharing her life – her perfect new, albeit crazy, rustic life – living in the same house as the Most Stunning Man in the Entire World.

Oooh, damn it. The Most Stunning Very Gay Loved Up Man in the Entire World. And all her friends had told her she should make this break permanent, and that she was bound to find a far more suitable man and forget about Mark, and Ella had robustly denied it, scoffing at the very thought that she should be so shallow.

And then, with no warning, there he was – Ash Lawrence – her ideal man. Except, of course, he wasn’t, because one, she didn’t know him at all and two, he was gay, and three – great big three – she was in love with Mark. She sighed and concentrated on channelling away at another dirt tunnel.

Poll drifted out of the kitchen door and collapsed on to a wooden seat. ‘Whoo, it’s sooo hot. We’ve had so many wash-outs recently I’d forgotten what hot summers were like. Is George OK?’

‘Fine,’ Ella said, blowing strands of dusty hair away from
her face. ‘Says he likes Ash a lot and wants to meet Roy now. And I hope you don’t mind but I found some juice in the fridge so we’ve both had a drink, oh, and I found a sunhat for him in the kitchen.’

‘Bless you, I can see you’re clearly going to be a godsend. I didn’t mean for you to start work straight away – you must be so tired after your journey – I do appreciate it.’

‘No problem,’ Ella said cheerfully, as George issued a string of construction instructions. ‘And if this is work then I’m more than happy.’

‘Well, I’m still mortified. I’d planned to serve up jugs of iced fruit juice and lashings of food and welcome you properly. My life never seems to run to plan – but you’re obviously brilliantly resourceful. I just knew you would be. So? What do you think?’

‘About what? Oh, Ash Lawrence? After my embarrassing little girlie fan gush, you know very well what I think.’

Poll laughed.

Ella pulled a face. ‘Not funny. I only hope he didn’t hear. So, I gather the devastating Ash is happy up there? And where’s Roy hiding?’

‘Ash is very happy with the room, yes, and is just about to go and collect Roy from the place where he’s been staying. Ash has been sleeping in the car because there wasn’t room for him. Isn’t that sad?’

‘Very. And it’s also very sad, given that he’s possibly the sexiest bloke on the planet, that he’s gay. But I still don’t understand why Roy doesn’t have his own car. Why can’t he drive here himself here? If he’s working on pylons as the
Berkshire equivalent of the Wichita Lineman he must have transport. Has he lost his licence do you reckon?’

‘I don’t know.’ Poll shook her head. ‘But you’ll be able to ask him all those questions yourself pretty soon – that sounds like Ash driving off along the lane now to fetch him. He shouldn’t be too long.’

He wasn’t. Less than half an hour later, heralded by George’s screams of excitement from his dirt-pit quarrying, Ash Lawrence appeared in the kitchen doorway.

‘Hi!’ He looked around with appreciation. ‘Oh, this is gorgeous out here, isn’t it? I’ve collected Roy. I’ll just get his stuff upstairs, and is it OK if I put his food in the freezer?’

‘Of course,’ Poll said. ‘Does he have a special diet? You should have said. I’d have got some things in for him specially.’

Ash smiled the melting smile again. ‘I wouldn’t dream of it. Roy’s well stocked up. Look, I’ll just do the food thing – he’s still in the car. Why don’t you go and say hello?’