a surge of sympathy for her grandmother.
“Certainly does,” Lawrence agreed. “Well, there’s not much point hanging around here, is there? Nothing we can do for the moment.”
She shook her head and stood for a minute looking at the whitewashed cottage with its green shutters. The flower borders were a mass of snowdrops and yellow crocuses and already green daffodil spikes were poking through the soil.
“It’s very picturesque, isn’t it?”
Lawrence had a faraway look in his eye.
“Yes, you should just see it in the summer when the roses are climbing up that trellis. It’s enchanting then. Absolutely chocolate box.”
“I can imagine.” She hesitated and then said in a rush, “I’ve arranged to see Letitia this afternoon. Perhaps I’ll take a walk before then – unless, didn’t you say you intended to look at some properties this morning?”
“Yeah – why, do you fancy coming with me?” Lawrence seemed pleased. “You’d get to see a bit more of Brookhurst that way.”
“Why not?” She tried to sound casual. “I’m only sorry that I can’t help with the clearing up here, but I’ve told Fiona I’ll be returning on Wednesday at the latest. We’ve got a workshop on Friday. I’ve no idea how she’s set it up so quickly, but that’s Fiona for you.”
“What sort of workshop?” He appeared genuinely interested.
“Pottery decorating. It’s the school’s half-term. We’ve had one before and it proved popular. The children choose plates, mugs or dishes all in plain white and then they personalise them. It’s good fun.”
“Sounds it. I’m all for anything creative and hands on for youngsters. It’s far better than them being stuck in front of a computer all day.”
“Absolutely,” she agreed. “They leave their stuff with us for a couple of days to finish off in the kiln and then it’s ready to use. The kiddies come with their parents who seem to enjoy it equally as much.”
Lawrence looked thoughtful. “And do they just turn up or must they book?”
“Some do but it’s pretty informal. We have several sessions so if one’s full they wait for the next. Actually, it’s a bit chaotic.” She laughed. “Noisy and messy.”
“I’m full of admiration. You girls certainly have a wealth of ideas.”
She grinned. “We have to – it’s a question of survival. We don’t charge much per head. It’s a lot cheaper than buying things from the shops. The children might like to make something for a present. We’ve got Mothers’ Day and Easter coming up soon.”
“Don’t worry about the cleaning at the cottage,” he told her as they reached the car. “I’ll ask Ron. He’s bound to have some contacts. I’ll sort it out. It’s unfortunate poor Tish chose the wrong tenants.”
This time he took a different route. It was very scenic in spite of the time of the year. The hedgerows had quantities of evergreen ivy and old man’s beard clinging to them. Here and there a scarlet hip remained undiscovered by the birds. Suddenly, he slowed down to allow some riders to pass.
“There’s a riding school over there. And there are quite a few farms dotted about. Which reminds me - we could stop at the local farm shop on the way back. I’ll give Tish a ring – see if she wants any supplies.”
“Are you planning to stay in Brookhurst for a while longer?”
She tried to make the question sound casual.
He shook his head. “No, I’m afraid I can’t. Family commitments - I’ve promised to return home by the end of the week. But I’ll be back to see Tish from time to time…What have you decided?”
“Oh, I imagine I’ll be spending quite a bit of time here in the future. I’m not going to drop Letitia. She’s a lovely lady. Besides, there’s a lot I need to find out about in this area. I haven’t even had a chance to look at my ancestors’ graves yet. So, Brookhurst will feature quite prominently in my life from now on.”
Lawrence smiled. “That’s great. I
“Certainly does,” Lawrence agreed. “Well, there’s not much point hanging around here, is there? Nothing we can do for the moment.”
She shook her head and stood for a minute looking at the whitewashed cottage with its green shutters. The flower borders were a mass of snowdrops and yellow crocuses and already green daffodil spikes were poking through the soil.
“It’s very picturesque, isn’t it?”
Lawrence had a faraway look in his eye.
“Yes, you should just see it in the summer when the roses are climbing up that trellis. It’s enchanting then. Absolutely chocolate box.”
“I can imagine.” She hesitated and then said in a rush, “I’ve arranged to see Letitia this afternoon. Perhaps I’ll take a walk before then – unless, didn’t you say you intended to look at some properties this morning?”
“Yeah – why, do you fancy coming with me?” Lawrence seemed pleased. “You’d get to see a bit more of Brookhurst that way.”
“Why not?” She tried to sound casual. “I’m only sorry that I can’t help with the clearing up here, but I’ve told Fiona I’ll be returning on Wednesday at the latest. We’ve got a workshop on Friday. I’ve no idea how she’s set it up so quickly, but that’s Fiona for you.”
“What sort of workshop?” He appeared genuinely interested.
“Pottery decorating. It’s the school’s half-term. We’ve had one before and it proved popular. The children choose plates, mugs or dishes all in plain white and then they personalise them. It’s good fun.”
“Sounds it. I’m all for anything creative and hands on for youngsters. It’s far better than them being stuck in front of a computer all day.”
“Absolutely,” she agreed. “They leave their stuff with us for a couple of days to finish off in the kiln and then it’s ready to use. The kiddies come with their parents who seem to enjoy it equally as much.”
Lawrence looked thoughtful. “And do they just turn up or must they book?”
“Some do but it’s pretty informal. We have several sessions so if one’s full they wait for the next. Actually, it’s a bit chaotic.” She laughed. “Noisy and messy.”
“I’m full of admiration. You girls certainly have a wealth of ideas.”
She grinned. “We have to – it’s a question of survival. We don’t charge much per head. It’s a lot cheaper than buying things from the shops. The children might like to make something for a present. We’ve got Mothers’ Day and Easter coming up soon.”
“Don’t worry about the cleaning at the cottage,” he told her as they reached the car. “I’ll ask Ron. He’s bound to have some contacts. I’ll sort it out. It’s unfortunate poor Tish chose the wrong tenants.”
This time he took a different route. It was very scenic in spite of the time of the year. The hedgerows had quantities of evergreen ivy and old man’s beard clinging to them. Here and there a scarlet hip remained undiscovered by the birds. Suddenly, he slowed down to allow some riders to pass.
“There’s a riding school over there. And there are quite a few farms dotted about. Which reminds me - we could stop at the local farm shop on the way back. I’ll give Tish a ring – see if she wants any supplies.”
“Are you planning to stay in Brookhurst for a while longer?”
She tried to make the question sound casual.
He shook his head. “No, I’m afraid I can’t. Family commitments - I’ve promised to return home by the end of the week. But I’ll be back to see Tish from time to time…What have you decided?”
“Oh, I imagine I’ll be spending quite a bit of time here in the future. I’m not going to drop Letitia. She’s a lovely lady. Besides, there’s a lot I need to find out about in this area. I haven’t even had a chance to look at my ancestors’ graves yet. So, Brookhurst will feature quite prominently in my life from now on.”
Lawrence smiled. “That’s great. I
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