Read Online Up Close and Personal by Leonie Fox - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Leonie Fox
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now?’ He looked at Dante. ‘I didn’t mean to get on my high horse,’ he said gruffly. ‘It’s just that hunting is something I’m very passionate about.’
‘It’s okay,’ Dante replied as he helped himself to a wholemeal roll. ‘I know you guys do lots of things differently over here.’ He pulled the butter dish towards him and picked up a knife.
Eleanor, who was sitting next to him, rapped his wrist. ‘Not that knife, Dante,’ she said in a loud voice. ‘That’s for the fish.’ She tapped her own butter knife. ‘In this country, we start from the outside and work our way in.’
‘Don’t you have knives and forks in America?’ Piers quipped.
Dante’s jaw tightened. ‘All us Yanks eat with our fingers, didn’t you know?’ he said. ‘After all, who needs cutlery when our diet consists almost entirely of hamburgers and fried chicken?’
At this Piers threw back his head and laughed uproariously. ‘I like a chap with a sense of humour.’
He failed to notice that Dante wasn’t laughing.
During the main course of herb-crusted monkfish with roasted vegetables, talk turned, as it often does at dinner parties, to the price of property.
‘I see that timbered cottage opposite the church is up for sale again,’ remarked Catherine. ‘I can’t believe it’s on for 1.3 million. Who in their right mind is going to pay that sort of money for a house with no off-street parking?’
‘You’d be surprised,’ said Piers, tweaking the cuffs of his tweed jacket ostentatiously. ‘Property in Loxwood’s always in demand. When houses come onto the market, they’re snapped up almost before the details have been printed.’
His wife pursed her lips. ‘But if that new development gets the go ahead, house prices in the area will plummet,’ she declared. ‘Isn’t that right, Piers?’
‘Damn right they will,’ he said. ‘Buyers like Loxwood because the properties are so individual. A modern estate is certainly going to lower the tone.’
Yasmin turned to Dante. ‘A developer has put in a planning application for twenty executive homes on the site of the old fruit farm. It’s about half a mile from here.’
‘It’ll be a bloody eyesore,’ Eleanor said. ‘Let’s just hope those planning officers at the council see sense.’ She gave along, heavy sigh that made her shoulders droop. ‘Gus would’ve been up in arms about it – and he’d have got the whole town behind him.’ She banged the table with the palm of her hand, making the cutlery jump. ‘Wouldn’t he, Juliet?’
‘I expect so,’ Juliet murmured as she drove her fork through a roasted tomato. ‘Gus was certainly never backwards about coming forward.’
Piers released a sudden chuckle. ‘Do you remember when he heard the council was threatening to revoke the licence at the cricket-club bar after those allegations of underage drinking?’
‘How could we forget?’ Catherine cried, clapping her hands together. ‘I thought I was going to die laughing when I saw him.’
Yasmin nodded. ‘He even made it into the paper. It was quite a talking point on our letters page.’
‘What happened?’ asked Dante.
Yasmin smiled. ‘Gus was so incensed at the prospect of an alcohol-free cricket club that he chained himself to the railings outside the pavilion in protest.’
Connor grinned. ‘She’s left out the best bit … Gus was completely starkers.’
‘On a Saturday lunchtime,’ Richard added.
‘People couldn’t believe their eyes,’ said Eleanor. ‘Drivers were stopping their cars to gawp at him – it caused a tailback through the town a mile long.’
‘He spent most of the afternoon chained to those railings,’ said Piers. ‘He would’ve stayed even longer, but some old dear called the police. They were going to charge him with indecent exposure but, Gus being Gus, he managedto charm his way out of it.’ He looked at his daughter-in-law. ‘He certainly had the gift of the gab, eh, Juliet?’
‘He
‘It’s okay,’ Dante replied as he helped himself to a wholemeal roll. ‘I know you guys do lots of things differently over here.’ He pulled the butter dish towards him and picked up a knife.
Eleanor, who was sitting next to him, rapped his wrist. ‘Not that knife, Dante,’ she said in a loud voice. ‘That’s for the fish.’ She tapped her own butter knife. ‘In this country, we start from the outside and work our way in.’
‘Don’t you have knives and forks in America?’ Piers quipped.
Dante’s jaw tightened. ‘All us Yanks eat with our fingers, didn’t you know?’ he said. ‘After all, who needs cutlery when our diet consists almost entirely of hamburgers and fried chicken?’
At this Piers threw back his head and laughed uproariously. ‘I like a chap with a sense of humour.’
He failed to notice that Dante wasn’t laughing.
During the main course of herb-crusted monkfish with roasted vegetables, talk turned, as it often does at dinner parties, to the price of property.
‘I see that timbered cottage opposite the church is up for sale again,’ remarked Catherine. ‘I can’t believe it’s on for 1.3 million. Who in their right mind is going to pay that sort of money for a house with no off-street parking?’
‘You’d be surprised,’ said Piers, tweaking the cuffs of his tweed jacket ostentatiously. ‘Property in Loxwood’s always in demand. When houses come onto the market, they’re snapped up almost before the details have been printed.’
His wife pursed her lips. ‘But if that new development gets the go ahead, house prices in the area will plummet,’ she declared. ‘Isn’t that right, Piers?’
‘Damn right they will,’ he said. ‘Buyers like Loxwood because the properties are so individual. A modern estate is certainly going to lower the tone.’
Yasmin turned to Dante. ‘A developer has put in a planning application for twenty executive homes on the site of the old fruit farm. It’s about half a mile from here.’
‘It’ll be a bloody eyesore,’ Eleanor said. ‘Let’s just hope those planning officers at the council see sense.’ She gave along, heavy sigh that made her shoulders droop. ‘Gus would’ve been up in arms about it – and he’d have got the whole town behind him.’ She banged the table with the palm of her hand, making the cutlery jump. ‘Wouldn’t he, Juliet?’
‘I expect so,’ Juliet murmured as she drove her fork through a roasted tomato. ‘Gus was certainly never backwards about coming forward.’
Piers released a sudden chuckle. ‘Do you remember when he heard the council was threatening to revoke the licence at the cricket-club bar after those allegations of underage drinking?’
‘How could we forget?’ Catherine cried, clapping her hands together. ‘I thought I was going to die laughing when I saw him.’
Yasmin nodded. ‘He even made it into the paper. It was quite a talking point on our letters page.’
‘What happened?’ asked Dante.
Yasmin smiled. ‘Gus was so incensed at the prospect of an alcohol-free cricket club that he chained himself to the railings outside the pavilion in protest.’
Connor grinned. ‘She’s left out the best bit … Gus was completely starkers.’
‘On a Saturday lunchtime,’ Richard added.
‘People couldn’t believe their eyes,’ said Eleanor. ‘Drivers were stopping their cars to gawp at him – it caused a tailback through the town a mile long.’
‘He spent most of the afternoon chained to those railings,’ said Piers. ‘He would’ve stayed even longer, but some old dear called the police. They were going to charge him with indecent exposure but, Gus being Gus, he managedto charm his way out of it.’ He looked at his daughter-in-law. ‘He certainly had the gift of the gab, eh, Juliet?’
‘He
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