suspect that’s all he can manage. And of course he’d expect me to turn it down. Yet he still put the offer in. He must want it quite badly, don’t you think?’
‘I suppose so, but that’s no reason to accept. I can’t think what possessed you… Without even consulting me.’
‘It’s my house,’ Phoebe replied, sounding petulant. ‘And I knew you’d try to persuade me to reject the offer.’
‘I certainly would!’
‘Because you want the best for me, don’t you?’
‘Of course I do.’
‘Just as I want the best for you,’ Phoebe said, studying a point on the wall over my right shoulder.
‘Mum, I don’t see what—’
‘It’s high time you got on with your life, Ann. Stopped worrying about me. I need to get shot of this place and move on.’ She looked down and regarded her shabby carpet slippers. ‘I wasn’t much of a mother to you, but I’m damned if I’ll be a burden.’
‘You aren’t , Mum. I’ve enjoyed spending time with you. I think it’s done us both a world of good. I love working in the studio and the garden and I quite enjoy looking after you. It’s taken my mind off Jack and the divorce and… well, all the past. Please don’t feel you have to sell up because you’re a burden . I do understand how you feel about Garden Lodge. I love it too. I had no idea just how much.’
Phoebe was looking at me, but her expression was hard to read. ‘My God,’ she said softly. ‘You don’t actually want me to sell, do you?’
‘Of course I do!’ It was my turn to avoid her eyes. ‘But only at the right price.’
Phoebe pulled out a kitchen chair and sank onto it. ‘Come on, Ann. Be honest. When you arrived, you wanted me to get rid of it, didn’t you? But now you’ve settled in. You’ve spent so much time in the garden… worked so hard… you’ve invested something in the old place. And I suppose you must feel closer to Sylvester out there too.’
I couldn’t speak. Blinking furiously, I said, ‘Not just Dad. I feel closer to you now. I just… I just didn’t think we’d be selling up so soon . I was going to carry on renovating the garden, so we could have one last summer here. To say goodbye. Then move on.’
Phoebe nodded. ‘That’s when Sylvester went... You won’t remember.’ She looked up and searched my face. ‘You don’t, do you?’ I shook my head. ‘It was autumn. He always got depressed in the autumn. As soon as the days began to get shorter, he’d panic. It was the thought of winter, you see. It used to get him down every year.’ She sighed and said, ‘Shall I ring the agent? Tell her I’ve changed my mind?’
‘ Do you want to sell up, Mum?’
‘I don’t know now. I thought I did. But I certainly like the idea of one last summer. Time to make our peace with the old place and say goodbye… I think perhaps I’ll ring back and do my batty old woman act. Tell her I’ve had second thoughts. But can I ask a favour, Ann?’
‘What?’
‘If she’s already spoken to Connor, would you ring him and apologise? I don’t think I can bear to speak to him. I feel bad, messing him about. Would you do that for me?’
‘Yes, of course.’
‘Right then. You get lunch on the table and I’ll be back in a jiffy.’ When she got to the door, she turned and said, ‘I’m glad we got all that sorted out. After all, there’s no need to rush into anything, is there? But we know where we stand now.’
She went back to the sitting room and closed the door. After a few moments I heard the magisterial tones she used when speaking to unco-operative tradesmen. It was an impressive performance and I found myself feeling sorry for the agent.
Phoebe said a curt goodbye, then I heard a whooping noise. She re-appeared in the doorway, brandishing her stick. ‘The deed is done! Let’s have a drink. I’ve never turned down half a million before. For that matter,’ she said, taking a bottle of white wine from the fridge, ‘I’ve never turned down a
‘I suppose so, but that’s no reason to accept. I can’t think what possessed you… Without even consulting me.’
‘It’s my house,’ Phoebe replied, sounding petulant. ‘And I knew you’d try to persuade me to reject the offer.’
‘I certainly would!’
‘Because you want the best for me, don’t you?’
‘Of course I do.’
‘Just as I want the best for you,’ Phoebe said, studying a point on the wall over my right shoulder.
‘Mum, I don’t see what—’
‘It’s high time you got on with your life, Ann. Stopped worrying about me. I need to get shot of this place and move on.’ She looked down and regarded her shabby carpet slippers. ‘I wasn’t much of a mother to you, but I’m damned if I’ll be a burden.’
‘You aren’t , Mum. I’ve enjoyed spending time with you. I think it’s done us both a world of good. I love working in the studio and the garden and I quite enjoy looking after you. It’s taken my mind off Jack and the divorce and… well, all the past. Please don’t feel you have to sell up because you’re a burden . I do understand how you feel about Garden Lodge. I love it too. I had no idea just how much.’
Phoebe was looking at me, but her expression was hard to read. ‘My God,’ she said softly. ‘You don’t actually want me to sell, do you?’
‘Of course I do!’ It was my turn to avoid her eyes. ‘But only at the right price.’
Phoebe pulled out a kitchen chair and sank onto it. ‘Come on, Ann. Be honest. When you arrived, you wanted me to get rid of it, didn’t you? But now you’ve settled in. You’ve spent so much time in the garden… worked so hard… you’ve invested something in the old place. And I suppose you must feel closer to Sylvester out there too.’
I couldn’t speak. Blinking furiously, I said, ‘Not just Dad. I feel closer to you now. I just… I just didn’t think we’d be selling up so soon . I was going to carry on renovating the garden, so we could have one last summer here. To say goodbye. Then move on.’
Phoebe nodded. ‘That’s when Sylvester went... You won’t remember.’ She looked up and searched my face. ‘You don’t, do you?’ I shook my head. ‘It was autumn. He always got depressed in the autumn. As soon as the days began to get shorter, he’d panic. It was the thought of winter, you see. It used to get him down every year.’ She sighed and said, ‘Shall I ring the agent? Tell her I’ve changed my mind?’
‘ Do you want to sell up, Mum?’
‘I don’t know now. I thought I did. But I certainly like the idea of one last summer. Time to make our peace with the old place and say goodbye… I think perhaps I’ll ring back and do my batty old woman act. Tell her I’ve had second thoughts. But can I ask a favour, Ann?’
‘What?’
‘If she’s already spoken to Connor, would you ring him and apologise? I don’t think I can bear to speak to him. I feel bad, messing him about. Would you do that for me?’
‘Yes, of course.’
‘Right then. You get lunch on the table and I’ll be back in a jiffy.’ When she got to the door, she turned and said, ‘I’m glad we got all that sorted out. After all, there’s no need to rush into anything, is there? But we know where we stand now.’
She went back to the sitting room and closed the door. After a few moments I heard the magisterial tones she used when speaking to unco-operative tradesmen. It was an impressive performance and I found myself feeling sorry for the agent.
Phoebe said a curt goodbye, then I heard a whooping noise. She re-appeared in the doorway, brandishing her stick. ‘The deed is done! Let’s have a drink. I’ve never turned down half a million before. For that matter,’ she said, taking a bottle of white wine from the fridge, ‘I’ve never turned down a
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