the flue is clear. We use them all the time to check chimneys.” Mike took out his walkie-talkie.
“Steve, I’ve chucked in a smoke log, can you tell me if you see some?” he asked. The radio crackled.
Steve’s voice came back, “Nothing yet. Give it a minute or two.”
“Okay.” Mike smiled at her as they waited. Offering him a biscuit, he perused the box and took out a chocolate wafer.
“Thanks,” he said, stuffing it into his mouth.
“Here it comes,” Steve called back.
“Great, thanks, Steve,” Mike acknowledge. He turned to her.
“We’ll let that burn out, just be sure, but it looks safe enough to use and there’s no smoke backing up. What about wood, what are you going to burn?” he asked.
“I’m sure I can gather some wood from the forest.”
“It will be wet after all this rain,” he pointed out.
“Oh, um my dad had a wood store out the back, would the wood in there still be any good?” Matilda asked, thumbing to the window.
“Maybe, if it’s dry. I tell you what, after we take the lads their tea, how about we go and have a look?”
Matilda lifted her hand and touched his arm, feeling the softness of his cable knit jumper beneath her fingertips.
“Thanks, Mike,” she said.
“No problem,” he replied, smiling at her as he put the fireguard back in place.
Matilda made tea and put the mugs on a couple of trays. Slipping on her jacket, they took the tea and box of biscuits out to the crew.
“Right,” Mike said, finishing his mug of tea and yet another biscuit. “Where’s this wood store?”
“It’s around the back of the Hall. It will be quicker if we go back inside and out the back door,” she replied.
“Parker,” he called to his dog, who was taking a nap. At the sound of his master’s voice, the dog jumped to his feet and followed them back through the Hall, into the kitchen and out the back door.
Overgrown with brambles and thick with weeds, the ground beneath their feet was soggy and muddy from all the rain, making it difficult to walk to the shed. Matilda was glad she had her black, knee high boots on and hitched her dress up to avoid it drooping in the puddles.
“God, this is going to take so much work,” she grumbled, surveying what was her back lawn once.
“You’ve got Rosemary Oskins coming in to do the landscaping right?” he asked.
“Yes, you said she was the best,” Matilda remarked back. “There’s a team coming in to start stripping out all these brambles in a couple of weeks.” She bent down, picked up a stick, and threw it. Parker scampered off after it.
“She’s the best, so don’t worry, by the summer it will be back to its former glory. The Hall and the grounds are going to look stunning when it’s all finished.”
“It had better, it’s costing me a bloody fortune,” she said with a laugh in her voice. Matilda estimated around three to four million to get the place back to how it was, including furnishing it all.
“Do you think you will get lonely, living here all by yourself when it’s finished?” he asked. She glanced at him.
“I haven’t decided whether I will live in it yet. I might turn it into a business, a hotel, or one of these open houses like the National Trust has.”
“Oh,” he replied.
“Oh?” she asked.
“Well, it seems a shame, that’s all. It would make a lovely family home.”
Matilda looked away from him, her mind clearly elsewhere as she felt judders in her heart.
When she finally spoke again, it was just a whisper.
“It was once.”
“I’m so sorry,” he said horrified realising what he had said. He put a hand on her arm pulling her to a halt. “I wasn’t thinking.” She turned, looking at him, her eyes falling into his.
“It’s okay,” she assured, with a gentle shrug of her shoulders. “Sometimes when you least expect it, reality just hits you in the gut.”
“I didn’t mean to upset you,” he apologised,
“Steve, I’ve chucked in a smoke log, can you tell me if you see some?” he asked. The radio crackled.
Steve’s voice came back, “Nothing yet. Give it a minute or two.”
“Okay.” Mike smiled at her as they waited. Offering him a biscuit, he perused the box and took out a chocolate wafer.
“Thanks,” he said, stuffing it into his mouth.
“Here it comes,” Steve called back.
“Great, thanks, Steve,” Mike acknowledge. He turned to her.
“We’ll let that burn out, just be sure, but it looks safe enough to use and there’s no smoke backing up. What about wood, what are you going to burn?” he asked.
“I’m sure I can gather some wood from the forest.”
“It will be wet after all this rain,” he pointed out.
“Oh, um my dad had a wood store out the back, would the wood in there still be any good?” Matilda asked, thumbing to the window.
“Maybe, if it’s dry. I tell you what, after we take the lads their tea, how about we go and have a look?”
Matilda lifted her hand and touched his arm, feeling the softness of his cable knit jumper beneath her fingertips.
“Thanks, Mike,” she said.
“No problem,” he replied, smiling at her as he put the fireguard back in place.
Matilda made tea and put the mugs on a couple of trays. Slipping on her jacket, they took the tea and box of biscuits out to the crew.
“Right,” Mike said, finishing his mug of tea and yet another biscuit. “Where’s this wood store?”
“It’s around the back of the Hall. It will be quicker if we go back inside and out the back door,” she replied.
“Parker,” he called to his dog, who was taking a nap. At the sound of his master’s voice, the dog jumped to his feet and followed them back through the Hall, into the kitchen and out the back door.
Overgrown with brambles and thick with weeds, the ground beneath their feet was soggy and muddy from all the rain, making it difficult to walk to the shed. Matilda was glad she had her black, knee high boots on and hitched her dress up to avoid it drooping in the puddles.
“God, this is going to take so much work,” she grumbled, surveying what was her back lawn once.
“You’ve got Rosemary Oskins coming in to do the landscaping right?” he asked.
“Yes, you said she was the best,” Matilda remarked back. “There’s a team coming in to start stripping out all these brambles in a couple of weeks.” She bent down, picked up a stick, and threw it. Parker scampered off after it.
“She’s the best, so don’t worry, by the summer it will be back to its former glory. The Hall and the grounds are going to look stunning when it’s all finished.”
“It had better, it’s costing me a bloody fortune,” she said with a laugh in her voice. Matilda estimated around three to four million to get the place back to how it was, including furnishing it all.
“Do you think you will get lonely, living here all by yourself when it’s finished?” he asked. She glanced at him.
“I haven’t decided whether I will live in it yet. I might turn it into a business, a hotel, or one of these open houses like the National Trust has.”
“Oh,” he replied.
“Oh?” she asked.
“Well, it seems a shame, that’s all. It would make a lovely family home.”
Matilda looked away from him, her mind clearly elsewhere as she felt judders in her heart.
When she finally spoke again, it was just a whisper.
“It was once.”
“I’m so sorry,” he said horrified realising what he had said. He put a hand on her arm pulling her to a halt. “I wasn’t thinking.” She turned, looking at him, her eyes falling into his.
“It’s okay,” she assured, with a gentle shrug of her shoulders. “Sometimes when you least expect it, reality just hits you in the gut.”
“I didn’t mean to upset you,” he apologised,
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