Page 4 of The House at Hope Corner
‘Thank you, but, well, I don’t eat fish either…’
‘Some toast then?’
Flora smiled again, jumping as she felt Ned’s hand slide onto her knee. ‘Honestly, tea will be just fine.’
Hannah brought the teapot to the table, and sat down with it in front of her. She smoothed down her greying bob and pushed her glasses back up her nose, composing herself. Then she poured strong tea into a mug which matched the plates and passed it to Caroline, who passed it down to Flora.
‘So, what do you do, Flora?’ asked Caroline politely.
She was about to answer when Ned got there first. ‘Flora had her own business,’ he said. ‘The most amazing florist’s shop,’ he added. ‘The colours, the smells, I’d never seen anything quite like it. And of course, there in the middle of it all was Flora. It was love at first sight.’
Flora blushed and slipped her hand under the table to take Ned’s fingers. She gave them a squeeze.
‘Hadyour own business?’ asked Caroline. ‘Oh dear, did something happen?’
‘Well, yes it…’ Flora stopped suddenly, staring down the table at Caroline, sitting next to Ned with a sympathetic expression on her face, at Hannah, who was sitting bolt upright and still looking faintly disapproving, and at Fraser, who was busy devouring his food and didn’t seem to be listening anyway. She lifted her chin a little.
‘It was sold. My shop was in Birmingham you see, Caroline, and whichever way you look at it, that’s rather a long commute.’ There was no way she was about to admit what had really happened. ‘I could hardly keep the shop on now that I will be helping here on the farm.’
Caroline smiled. ‘Gosh no, that would be nigh on impossible, wouldn’t it, Hannah? There’s so much to do here, it really is a full-time job all on its own. How lovely for you though’ – she reached over to pat Hannah’s hand – ‘to have some help. I mean – you’ve kept everything running perfectly for all these years, you deserve to have some time to yourself.’
Hannah laid her hand briefly over Caroline’s. ‘Why thank you, dear. There’s a lot to learn of course, but I’m sure that Flora will do just fine. The flowers that Ned bought me were utterly gorgeous. He has good taste.’ She smiled at Flora, who narrowed her eyes at Hannah’s words. Did she just imagine that, or was Caroline’s wrist just verbally slapped?
‘But tell them about your art too, Flora,’ urged Ned, seemingly unaware of the undercurrents eddying around them.
Flora wasn’t sure she wanted to. She had a strong feeling that unless she painted horses Caroline wouldn’t be in the least bit interested, although she wasn’t sure why that should bother her. She looked up to see an expectant expression on her face – at least she was pretending to be intrigued. Fraser flashed her a glance but carried on eating.
‘I make prints,’ she began. ‘Botanical ones, from things I find, so they’re very seasonal. I’ve just taken some beautiful photos this morning as it happens. That’s where I was, earlier…’ She pressed her tongue against the roof of her mouth in consternation.For goodness’ sake, Flora, why do you always feel the need to justify yourself?
‘Oh, photography?’ said Hannah. ‘I thought you said she was a painter, Ned?’
‘Well, yes, I do paint,’ added Flora quickly. ‘I make sketches first, either directly or from photographs I’ve taken, and then I make a watercolour of my design before I go on to cut the block which will produce my prints.’
Ned nodded, beaming at her. ‘You should see them, Mum…’
‘It sounds like an awful lot of work to me,’ Hannah replied. ‘I don’t have a creative bone in my body, dear, but if you enjoy it, then that’s lovely. And what do you do with these prints when they’re finished?’
‘I sell them,’ she said. ‘On Etsy.’
Flora looked at the blank faces around her. Even Caroline, who looked to be roughly the same age as her, showed not a flicker of comprehension.
‘It’s an online shop,’ she went on to explain. ‘I add my designs when they’re ready and then people can buy them if they want to.’
‘And people do that, do they?’
‘Oh yes. It can be quite lucrative.’
Caroline placed her knife and fork together on her plate. ‘Well, that makes sense,’ she said. ‘I was admiring your dress when you came in. All those colours, it’s very… arty. Of course I don’t think I could wear it, I’d be completely overwhelmed by it, but it suits you. How lovely to be so quirky.’
Ned’s grin widened even further, but Flora wasn’t so sure it was a compliment. She took a mouthful of tea to hide her feelings.
Hannah got to her feet again. ‘It’s a shame we have so many pictures up around the house already,’ she said. ‘But I’m sure we’ll get to see what you do at some point.’ She picked up her plate. ‘Now, have you men finished? Come on, let’s have you out of my kitchen, Flora and I have lots to do.’
Flora’s head swivelled.
Within seconds Ned and his father had both jumped up, Ned collecting the plates and taking them over to the sink. He came back to kiss Flora full on the lips. ‘I’ll seeyoulater,’ he said, with a twinkle in his eye, before turning back. ‘Dad, you ready?’
Fraser nodded, and for the first time looked straight at Flora. He was slightly shorter than Ned, but years of hard physical work had given him a build that matched the farmhouse’s solid oak front door. Father and son also shared the same pale colouring, and Flora envisaged Fraser’s hair had been the same bright copper as Ned’s at one time, but now it had faded to a sandy thatch.
