Page 43 of The Beekeeper's Cottage
‘Actually, what I was wondering was how long you reckon this place is going to take to sort. I know Flora is already beginning to think about how to market everything and now that we know Grace will more than likely get to keep the house, it makes everything a little more real, doesn’t it?’
Over the last couple of days they had already removed half of the false ceiling in the milking parlour, and another day would probably see it finished. In many ways, though, this was the easiest part.
‘I think we’ve got another week at least to see the ceiling down and all the batons removed. After that the original beams will all need checking, as will the windows. Then there’s the electrics to sort, the walls to paint, floor to finish and any dividers to add. About six weeks all told if we’re lucky.’
‘So the end of the summer then?’
Amos nodded, turning his attention back to the tile above his head. He just hoped that Ned wouldn’t ask him what his plans were, because he really didn’t want to have to answer that question.
‘But what about the work that Grace needs doing?’ Ned asked. ‘Shouldn’t that take priority at the moment?’
‘I’m going around this evening to make a start,’ replied Amos, evenly. ‘Fortunately, the light nights mean I can keep working for longer, and it won’t take much to spruce up the few rooms that need attention.’ He was about to add that the last time he had seen Grace she was up to her neck in curtain fabric, when the door at the end of the room clanged open. He held up an arm to alert Ned and stop him from what he was doing.
Flora stood in the doorway, cautiously peering inside. Amos had made it very clear that the milking shed was now effectively a building site and should be respected as such. He waved to attract her attention once he was certain that Ned was not about to send another ceiling tile crashing to the floor. She walked forward, picking her way over the debris until she was standing close enough that they would hear her. Both men began to climb from their ladders.
‘That looks amazing,’ she said, gazing up, right to the top of the building where the original rafters could just be seen. ‘I can’t believe we didn’t know all that was there. It seems criminal to have hidden it away.’
‘But it made the building more cost-effective,’ said Amos. ‘Easier to heat, light and keep clean; but I agree, now that there are going to be people in here and not cows, this is a much better option.’
She smiled at Ned who, like Amos, was covered in dust. ‘Although, I bet you’d have argued that the cows would have much preferred the building the way it’s going to be rather than the old one.’
Ned grinned back. ‘Cows like nice things too,’ he said.
Flora rolled her eyes. ‘Anyway, I popped over because I’ve just noticed there’s a message on the pad in the kitchen for you, Amos, and I wasn’t sure how urgent it was. A lady has rung called Maria, and she asked if you could call her back.’
Amos had been expecting her to get in touch. He turned to Ned. ‘It’s not urgent, but would you mind if I took care of this now?’
‘You don’t even need to ask, Amos. Of course it’s all right.’
Amos added his thanks and followed Flora back across to the main house.
‘Is everything okay?’ she asked when they were halfway across the yard.
It was natural that everyone was curious, Amos knew that. It was always the same, the longer he stayed, the better people got to know him and the more they wanted to know. It was one of the reasons he moved on, better to be safe than sorry. He had already mentioned Maria to Grace and had thought that would be the end of any explanation he’d need to give, but then he’d been really careless and broken his phone and he’d had no other alternative but to call Maria and let her know.
‘It’s fine, thanks, but I hope you don’t mind my giving Maria the farm’s number? Hannah said it was okay for me to call her.’
Flora shook her head. ‘Of course not. Amos, you can use the phone any time you need.’
‘I don’t normally need to but Maria’s a friend from back home who just checks in with me every now and again, or if there’s a problem. She normally rings my mobile but I’m afraid that came a cropper under a brick so, until I get a new one, it would be reassuring if I knew she could call here if she needed to.’
They had reached the back door and Flora waved Amos inside. ‘The phone is in the hallway, just help yourself. I came in to make some drinks actually, would you like one?’
‘A glass of water would be lovely, thank you.’
He would have preferred to make his call in private, or perhaps even to have shut the kitchen door, but he didn’t wish to draw attention to his conversation. Besides, he didn’t suppose that Flora would listen in for one minute. He dialled the number and waited for it to connect.
‘And how’s my favourite keeper of the flame?’
‘Amos!’ He could hear the smile in Maria’s voice from the other end of the line, but knew it would almost immediately be replaced by anxiety. ‘Is everything okay?’
He was quick to reassure her. ‘Nothing to worry about, I’m just checking in. But I went and dropped a brick on my mobile phone so it’s rather useless at the moment.’
‘Ah, I did wonder when I saw you’d called me from a landline. Not like you at all.’ The line went quiet for a moment and Amos knew exactly what she was going to say next. Maria didn’t miss a thing. ‘And in Shropshire too…’
Amos smiled. ‘Maria, don’t pretend. We both know you’ve googled the address, or the phone number, or both, and that therefore you know exactly where I am.’
‘Oh, but you’re so close, Amos. When are you coming home? It will be so good to see you.’
