Tina watched Sam working from the scullery window. Every now and then he flashed out of view, as he carried bundles of cut branches and brambles to the other end of the garden to be burnt later.
There was a self-contained air to the volunteer gardener which Tina couldn’t put her finger on. She’d have said it was a contentedness, but somehow that didn’t sit right with a man who still hadn’t set foot across the threshold of the manor.
Her mind flicked to Leon. No wonder Sam had flitted through her mind while she’d sat in the restaurant last night. He was Leon’s polar opposite. Un-groomed and uncaring as to the opinion of the world on the subject. Sam just was. I bet he wouldn’t see using a dating site as failure.
*
Sneaking into the scullery via the back door, so she lessened the chances of encountering Mabel, Thea was relieved to find Tina there.
‘Thanks for taking Sam out for a cuppa this morning. He clearly appreciated it.’
Her habitual smile strained, Tina pushed thoughts of her non-date from her mind and got straight to the point. ‘What did Malcolm say? Did my accounts help?’
Thea’s eyes fell on a note on her desk in Mabel’s wobbly script. ‘We have another volunteer?’
‘What?’ Tina tucked a stray blonde hair behind her ear. ‘Oh yes. A bloke turned up to enquire about helping shortly after you’d left. Mabel gave him the tour as I wasn’t here.’
‘One thing less for us to do I suppose. Hope he’s not too old to swing an axe. The rotten trees at the back of the drive need clearing before they fall on someone’s car.’
‘Sod that! What did Malcolm say? Come on Thea, I’m worried sick here.’
‘I think we’re going to need coffee for this one.’ Taking off her smart jacket and top, Thea put on the oversized chunky jumper that hung across her chair and immediately felt more herself.
There was no trace of a smile on Tina’s expression now. ‘We’re screwed, aren’t we?’
‘Unless you came across someone in Upwich this morning with an ability to freeze time, then it isn’t looking great. Your figures were good. They did help, but…’
‘Too little too late?’
‘It was all I could do to convince Malcolm that we hadn’t been lying about needing more money and time than we’d claimed after his conversation with Mabel and her conviction we could be ready to open on 21st July.’
‘Oh hell.’ Tina followed Thea to the kitchen, her need for caffeine accelerating.
‘As it happens, it made no difference that Mabel interfered. The trustees are on the defensive. That financial cock-up you uncovered means we were about to have our work time shortened anyway. Ironically Mabel may have done us a favour by bringing the issue to light earlier rather than later.’
‘But we’re still to keep going? Malcolm didn’t mention selling?’
‘I’m afraid he did. We have to make Mill Grange pay for itself as soon as we can. We also have to start selling Open Day tickets. Preferably by yesterday. And even then, the house may well be sold.’
‘That must mean we’re to go ahead with the restoration for now then.’ Tina took her coffee cup and held it like a talisman. ‘Thank God we have Shaun then.’
‘Assuming we still do.’
‘What do you mean? Didn’t the tour go well last night?’
Thea hooked the biscuit tin under her arm and grabbed her mug as they returned to the privacy of the scullery. ‘It went well. Shaun loved the place.’
‘So, what’s the problem?’
‘Problems. Plural.’ Thea dunked a chocolate digestive into her mug. ‘He’s a television personality. If the call comes from his production team, whether his intentions to help are pure or not, then he’ll be off in a puff of smoke. A bit like the cat on the clapper bridge.’
‘What the hell are you talking about?’
‘Ask Sam next time you take him tea.’
Tina rolled her eyes. ‘You wouldn’t be trying to matchmake in the middle of a crisis would you?’
‘Light relief.’
Her smile restored, Tina took a cookie from the tin. ‘Have you spoken to Sam today?’
‘I caught him in the drive just now. He’s found the start of the old walkway the Victorian ladies would have strolled around. Isn’t that great?!’
Tina gave a thumbs up as she crunched her cookie.
‘I apologised to him for my rant yesterday. He was very good about it.’
‘Will you apologise to the others?’
‘Derek has already congratulated me on my dragon slaying, so I think he’s fine with it. I’ll try and see Diane later, then talk to the others at tonight’s meeting. Can you email everyone to check who is coming?’
‘No problem. What time? Seven?’
‘Perfect.’ Thea regarded the heap of paper on the desk. ‘I should have shifted this lot by then. Honestly, when am I supposed to get some actual restoration done?’
‘What is all that?’
‘Some of it is quotes for work on the house, but a surprising amount is applications from schools for trips in the future and stuff like that.’
Tina’s face burst into its missing grin. ‘But that’s fantastic. We can start to take bookings and charge a holding deposit. If Malcolm is insisting we get Mill Grange to pay its way, then this is a way to start doing just that.’
‘There’s no way we’ll make the £35,000 deficit he was talking about by booking a few school trips.’ Thea grimaced. ‘If only Malcolm was definite, one way or the other, about the sale. I think we have to assume the house won’t be with the Trust by the end of the summer? How can we take a deposit for something that might be cancelled?’
‘Won’t it be harder to sell the house if we have loads of event bookings in place?’
Thea laughed. ‘You’re a devious woman, Tina Martin.’
‘Thank you.’ Tina raised her mug in salute. ‘Shall I draw up a visitors’ pre-booking agreement form?’
‘Please.’ Thea’s conscience pricked her palms. ‘But make sure it states that if unforeseen circumstances occur, their money will be refunded.’
‘I will, but I’ll say that only 50 per cent of the money will be refunded. If I make it clear there’s a risk from the start, then it’s up to them if they go ahead and book.’ Seeing Thea’s uncertain face, Tina added, ‘We need the funds. This isn’t for us, it’s for the local community.’
‘Agreed. As long as it’s clear that we aren’t trying to con anyone. Goodness knows the local schools don’t have money to waste either.’ Thea re-read the note from Mabel. ‘How many volunteers will this make if Mabel’s latest recruit joins us?’
‘Eighteen regulars plus the three students helping Derek with clearance until their university term re-starts and… hang on…’ Tina rifled the papers on her side of the table. ‘From 18th June the students we have now are coming back until we’re done, and they are bringing another four with them.’
Thea picked up one of the photographs of the house she had on her desk. It was of Mill Grange in 1882. There was a splendour about the house which shone out of the sepia colouring. A carriage was parked outside its front door. A proud if somewhat puffed-up groom held the horse as Lord and Lady Upwich posed by the carriage door.
‘I wonder how long they stood there before that photograph was captured.’
‘Anything up to four hours, probably.’ Tina glanced up from her laptop screen. ‘I’m surprised there isn’t a pile of dung steaming beneath the horse.’
Thea chuckled, ‘I bet there was a stable lad just out of view, ready to dash in with a shovel.’
Seeing the wistful expression on her friend’s face as she stared at the photograph of Mill Grange in its heyday, Tina said, ‘We can do this. We can save Mill Grange from being sold.’
‘Can we?’
‘It won’t be easy, but despite any differences we have with one or two of the volunteers, we all have one aim in mind. To get Mill Grange manor house open to the public. To get it up and running.’
Thea nodded. ‘You’re right.’
‘It happens occasionally.’
‘More than occasionally.’ Thea pulled her clipboard closer. ‘Time we stopped with the negative.’
‘We?’
‘Okay, time I stopped being negative. Every major restoration project has problems. We’ve just had ours all in one go, avalanche style.’
‘Absolutely.’
Pulling her old lists from the clipboard, Thea dropped them in the recycling box. ‘New list for new time schedule.’ She grabbed a pen. ‘We’re lucky in that the building is structurally sound. The lion’s share of the deep cleaning has been done, and the house retains much of its original possessions, albeit with an accompanying hint of vinegar.’
Eagerly Tina added, ‘Once we’ve cleared your bedroom and emptied this place – because people always like poking about in the scullery – cleaned and made up all the beds, we’ll be able to arrange the furniture as we see fit. Then the inside of the house will be good to go.’
‘Apart from information boards or folders.’ Thea wrote ‘info boards’ on her new list. ‘Sam is already producing miracles in the garden and Derek and team are clearing the ground that has been blocking the way to the kitchen garden at quite a pace.’
‘Are you hoping to grow things in the garden? If so, Sam said we need to plant out ASAP. It’s already too late for some things.’
‘You are getting on with Sam then?’
‘I thought you’d given up on the matchmaking.’ Tina kept her focus on the school trip agreement she was mocking up. ‘I told you, he is not my type and I’m certainly not his.’
‘You don’t know that.’
‘I do. The garden. Do you want vegetables planted?’
‘We won’t be cooking here, so is it worth it?’
‘We could sell the produce?’
‘Then let’s get planting.’ Thea added ‘price seedlings’ to her list. ‘Can you ask Sam if he knows where to get seeds from and if he’ll supervise the sowing?’
‘Only if you promise to quit the romance hints.’
‘Deal. But only if you give me all the gory details about Mr Silver Fox later.’ Thea got to her feet. ‘Right now, I’m going to the mill. I want to see if we can use it to help earn money to save the manor, or if I should endorse the trustees’ idea of selling it off.’
Tina winced. ‘I’d hoped it wouldn’t come to that. It seems criminal to split the buildings. I had considered suggesting we open the mill as a demonstration space.’
‘Likewise.’ Thea pulled her old khaki jacket over her shoulders. ‘We could have had spinning displays and so on. But, if we need to reduce our budget then, as the mill isn’t physically attached to the house, it seems the obvious place to start cutting.’
‘Shame though, especially with so many of the villagers’ ancestors having worked there.’
Thea scooped up her clipboard. ‘I’m going to re-examine every part of the project and start again, as if this is a brand new assignment. Hopefully we can do something with the mill, but as the millwheel doesn’t exist anymore, and the water course which drove it has long since dried up and been filled in, I’m not optimistic.’
As she made ready to leave, Thea’s eyes caught the note Mabel had left. ‘Oh damn, I’d forgotten about the new volunteer.’
‘Don’t worry. I’ll do the honours if he shows up again today.’
‘Are you sure?’
‘No problem. Everyone Mabel has drummed up so far has been pretty reliable. Ancient, but reliable.’
*
During the half-mile walk to the mill, Thea’s mind teemed with ideas. Tina had done it again. Her natural rebound view of life had got Thea thinking positively. A desire to achieve the impossible sped her footsteps.
As soon as she was free from Mill Grange’s driveway and pacing towards the mill itself, her phone burst into life, startling a tree full of crows that’d been peacefully admiring the view.
‘What did the trustees say?’ Shaun didn’t waste time introducing himself.
‘Oh hello, I had calling you on my to-do list.’
‘I’m honoured.’
He didn’t sound honoured, he sounded offended, and Thea realised she’d probably made him sound rather less important than de-cobwebbing the scullery. ‘My apologies, Mr Cowlson. It’s been a bit of a day so far. Again.’
‘Shaun, please.’
‘Shaun.’ Thea’s stomach chose that moment to growl in protest that she hadn’t fed it since a rushed bowl of cereal several hours ago.
‘Was that you?’
Thea found herself apologising again. ‘I haven’t had the chance to eat yet.’
‘Let me take you to lunch. I’m in the pub now.’
So much for keeping a low profile. Feeling she ought to offer an olive branch, she said, ‘You’re very kind, but it’s rather late for lunch and I’ve a great deal to do. I wondered if you were free, whether you could come to a group meeting at the manor tonight.’
‘Of course. What time?’
‘Seven.’
‘I’ll be there.’
‘Are you staying at the Stag and Hound?’ Thea didn’t want him to think she was too interested, but at the same time thought she ought to know where their token celebrity was staying.
‘I am, but don’t worry. The landlady is sworn to secrecy. I’m enjoying a little anonymity in my room.’
Cross with herself for misjudging him again, Thea found herself saying, ‘I’m on my way to check out the old mill, so you’d be very welcome to join me if you can sneak out in disguise.’