Page 24 of Lost in Love
“Yes, that’s her.”
Katherine led them across the expansive hallway into the sitting room. Anna hung back to take a few deep breaths to calm herself. It didn’t work; the breaths were infused with a hint of Katherine’s perfume, and she felt her heart pound harder in her chest.
Harry stood open-mouthed at the ridiculously sized television in the corner of one end of the sitting room.
“Has it got all the channels?”
“All the channels you could want and more.” Katherine guided him to a comfy-looking leather armchair beside a fireplace. Beside it was a small table and a reading light. Anna assumed that was where Katherine would settle herself in the evenings. The room was so big there were two large sofas sitting opposite each other with a table between them at the other end. That looked more like an area for entertaining.
“Here.” Katherine placed a remote in his hand and gave him a quick run-through on its use.
Anna examined every inch of the room whilst Katherine was distracted. She particularly wanted to see if there were any photographs around that might indicate if Katherine had anyone special in her life.
There were no photos, just several landscapes hanging from the large walls.
Anna slipped a sandal off and pushed her foot into the plush carpet, stopping herself before the groan inside became involuntary externalised.
“Come through to the kitchen,” Katherine called over to her.
Anna quickly slipped her sandal back on, hoping Katherine hadn’t noticed, and followed her through a pair of French doors into a show-home kitchen. Light grey cabinets ran the full length of the walls until they reached a wall of bifold doors that opened onto the garden.
“Take a seat.” Katherine gestured to the marble-topped island in the centre of the room.
The pop of a bottle made Anna jump. Katherine placed two flutes on the work surface and filled them from what Anna presumed was prosecco, but on closer inspection, the bottle appeared to be champagne.
Katherine slid one over to Anna. “Cheers.”
Anna lifted her glass to meet Katherine’s and then took a sip. Whatever it was, it tasted great.
“I’m glad we went with flowers now instead of a cheap bottle of wine. I thought you would have expensive taste.”
“When you don’t have anyone to spend money on, you end up spending it on yourself. Then you develop an expensive taste. I’ll get dinner started, and then I’ll show you around.”
Katherine flitted around the kitchen pulling dinner together whilst Anna watched.
“I hope you’re not going to too much trouble for us.”
“Nonsense, but I did settle on my one-pot lemon chicken to free me up a little.”
Scratching at the patio doors caught Anna’s attention. “It’s Virginia.”
“Could you let her in for me, please?”
Anna got up and opened the door. Virginia scurried in, and, noticing Anna, she pushed into her legs before running out of the kitchen.
“Do you not have a cat flap?”
“Well, Virginia had cat-flap privileges revoked in our old house. She’s a mouser.”
Anna wondered if she meantoursas in Katherine and Virginia or as in Katherine and someone else.
She stepped out onto the patio and examined the garden. The lawn was extensive; a long fence ran to the end of the garden marking the boundary with the abbey. Virginia was a lucky cat.
Katherine poked her head around the patio door.
“Right, come on, it’s in the oven. I’ve got something to show you upstairs that I think will make you weak at the knees.”
“You have my attention.”
