wish I hadn’t eaten so much lunch, Pat!’
The woman grinned, calling up the narrow staircase, ‘Mum? We’ve arrived. Are you decent?’ She turned to Fleur. ‘Mum has a rest after lunch every day.’
‘Of course,’ Fleur said. ‘Is she really all right, Pat—to have me up here, I mean…Has she recovered?’
‘Perfectly,’ Pat assured her. ‘She gets these funny turns fairly regularly, but they soon pass. And she’s been looking forward to your visit—insisted on baking the cakes. I could have done it, but no, she’s the one in charge here.’
Just then Beryl appeared, wearing a pretty pink jumper and navy skirt, with her almost-white hair brushed up into a knot.
‘You look nice, Beryl,’ Fleur said.
‘Well, we don’t often have visitors,’ the woman replied. ‘Now, let me have your jacket and scarf and you sit there—kettle’s already boiled.’
The modest-sized room was simply furnished but cosy and immaculate, the small dining table laid with a white lace cloth and rose-patterned china. Fleur leaned back and looked around her admiringly. ‘This is the sort of room you’d see in a child’s picture book,’ she said, looking up at Beryl. ‘So…appealing…and lovely.’
‘Old fashioned, you mean,’ Pat said good-naturedly. ‘But it’s how we like it, don’t we, Mum?’
Beryl poured boiling water into the pot, then brought the plates of cakes over to the table. ‘Now, dear, have you ever tasted potato cake—the real thing, I mean? Like we make down this way?’
Fleur studied the plate she was being shown, on which was a rather flat-shaped cake, criss-crossed on the slightly browned top and dusted with sugar. ‘I don’t think so,’ she replied, her mouth already watering. ‘How’s it made, Beryl?’
‘Easy,’ Beryl said. ‘Cooked, mashed potatoes, big spoonful of fresh beef suet and the same of sugar, all mixed up by hand, add a few currants, shape it up on a baking sheet, mark it out so it’s easy to serve, and let it cook slowly for about an hour. Eat it hot. Like this.’ And, with the deft use of a sharp knife, she lifted a generous piece onto Fleur’s plate and stood back. ‘Try it,’ she said.
Fleur did—and it was delicious. Her obvious enjoyment naturally pleased Beryl, and for the next half an hour all three women tucked into it, their teacups being refilled regularly.
‘Now, how about a saffron bun—have you ever had saffron buns?’ Beryl said, really getting into entertainment mode, but Fleur shook her head regretfully.
‘Honestly, Beryl, I’ve had three slices of potato cake! I couldn’t eat another mouthful!’
‘Well, have a rest and come back in a minute,’ Beryl said happily. ‘I’ve looked out those two books we were talking about the other day, by the way.’
‘Oh, I don’t think I’ll be here long enough to read them,’ Fleur said. ‘I’m going home tomorrow, Beryl—a bit earlier than I originally thought.’
‘Well, take them with you, dear, and you can bring them back next time you’re here.’
There won’t be a next time, Fleur thought, but instead she said, ‘I can’t thank you both enough for all you’ve done to make me so welcome…I’ve never had a holiday like this, and I’ve loved every minute of it.’ Bending down, she reached for her bag and took out the tissue-wrapped bottle of sherry which Sebastian had left out for her. ‘This is just a little thank you, Beryl—and don’t drink it all at once!’
‘Oh, my goodness—thank you so much,’ the woman replied, ‘but you shouldn’t have, you know. You’ve been a rather special guest—it’s been a pleasure to look after you. Not that I’ve done much, but I know Pat’s enjoyed your company.’ She hesitated, then added rather slyly, ‘To say nothing of our lord and master.’
Fleur looked away at that, then reached for her gift for Pat. ‘And I hope you’ll find a use for this, Pat.’
Pat unwrapped the watering can, holding it up to admire it. ‘It…it’s beautiful, Fleur,’ she said. She paused. ‘Of course I’ll use it. And I shall always treasure it.’
No one spoke for a few minutes after that, and Fleur wondered whether it was time to go back.
‘You’ve done Sebastian the world of good, Fleur. We’ve not seen him so…so relaxed in a long time,’ Pat said, breaking the silence. ‘And both Mum and I think that it’s because you’re here. He obviously likes you a lot and it’s good to see him happy again—especially after what happened.’
Fleur had coloured up at the words, but admitted to being curious as to what Pat was talking about. ‘What did happen?’ she asked.
‘Oh, don’t you know—hasn’t Mia told you?’
‘Told me what?’
‘Well, Sebastian was going to be married to one of Mia’s friends—well, actually, Mia hadn’t known her for that long but she introduced her to Sebastian and he fell for her. Hook, line and sinker. He never tended to bring girlfriends down here—though he had plenty of them, I believe, and he was considered a bit of a playboy when he was younger. Anyway, we all got excited when this one turned up—Davina, her name was. She looked like something out of a fashion magazine—and actually I quite liked her. She was friendly enough. But obviously something pretty disastrous must have happened because, out of the blue, they finished, everything was cancelled. And, after that, Sebastian didn’t come home for a while—he left everything here for Frank and the others to deal with. Most unlike him. Anyway, it became a taboo subject very quickly and no one ever refers to it now. But Mum and I think it’s high time he found someone else—and we think that you’d be just the one for him, Fleur.’ She sat back with the satisfied air of someone who had just made a profound and world-changing statement.
Fleur gave a slightly hysterical giggle and covered her mouth with her hand. ‘You must be joking!’ she exclaimed. ‘My goodness, Sebastian has been a very kind host, I can’t deny that, but I assure you that’s all he is. I know neither of us is looking for a relationship…I’m very dedicated to my work…but though I’m flattered that you place me in the elevated position as a possible partner for him, I don’t think he would share your enthusiasm. In fact, I’m sure he wouldn’t,’ she added, remembering the morning’s conversation.
‘Well, that’s where you’re wrong,’ Pat said flatly. ‘I know the bloke, have known him all his life, and I’ve seen the way he looks at you.’ She shook her head briefly. ‘Mum and I have been chatting and we think it would be fantastic if you could bring him out of his shell again, bring him back to how he used to be. When that woman departed—whatever the reason was—it took the life right out of him.’ She shrugged. ‘Anyway, we can’t do anything about it, but we just wanted you to know what we think. We think he’s fallen in love with you, and that’s all there is to it. And it would be wonderful for Pengarroth Hall to have someone like you around permanently.’
Fleur smiled at the two women. ‘Beryl—Pat—you’ve been reading too many of those romantic novels,’ she said. ‘Life—real life—isn’t like that. Sebastian and I only met a few weeks ago; he doesn’t know me, and I don’t know him. But thank you for all the nice things you’ve said—and I’m sure that someone will eventually be the right one for him. It’s just not me, I’m afraid.’
No more was said after that and presently, after Fleur had thanked Beryl again for her hospitality, she and Pat made their way back down to the house so that Pat could prepare the evening meal.
‘I hope you don’t think we spoke out of turn, Fleur,’ Pat said as they reached the house. ‘You know—about you and Sebastian…what we were hoping…’
Fleur smiled quickly. ‘Of course I don’t, Pat,’ she said. ‘I thought it was rather sweet of you to be so concerned for Sebastian’s well-being.