Liv wasn’t sure why she was creeping about but it was probably because she wanted to get her hands on the old bedside lamp she’d seen when they’d been moving the boxes and feared that if she asked for it one of the others would decide they were more deserving than her. She also wondered if there was anything that might uncover a bit more about the mysterious Fraser. She crept into the room now full of boxes. It was getting dark and she knew she’d trip over something if she started moving around so she put the light on. That was better.
But there were so many boxes, she had no idea which one the lamp was in. This was getting more and more like the story of Aladdin and that made her chuckle to herself. The chuckle seemed to echo in the room. Or was there someone or something else in there? Liv’s skin prickled. This place gave her the creeps, but it was something she had to get over. She steeled herself and inched forwards. Her heart started to thump and it annoyed her. What was she scared of? A picture of Janet the witch loomed unhelpfully into her mind.
‘There’s nobody here. You’re imagining it,’ she whispered in an attempt to refocus. ‘Janet doesn’t exist.’
There was a brief pause before a reedy voice whispered, ‘Yes she does.’
‘Shitting hell!’ shouted Liv, turning around and promptly tripping over a large box and landing with a thud.
‘What’s going on?’ said Effie popping up from the other side of the bed looking startled.
‘Effie! You’ll be the death of me.’
‘What are you doing?’ asked Effie, craning her neck.
‘I’m just looking for a um…’ Something in the box she’d tripped over caught Liv’s eye. ‘This lamp,’ she said holding it aloft like a prize trophy.
‘You made me jump,’ complained Effie, hauling a box into her arms and making her way around all the detritus.
‘Me? What were you doing sitting in here in the dark?’ Who voluntarily did that? thought Liv.
‘I like the dark; it’s comforting. I was looking for some decorations and I’ve found them.’ Effie stepped over Liv like she were another box.
‘Great. The fact you almost gave me heart failure is okay then.’ Liv got to her feet and followed Effie out of the room, but not before she gave it a cursory check and put the light out.
Liv took the lamp back to her room and popped it on the bedside cabinet. She’d sort it out later.
Downstairs Fraser was in a huddle with Dolly and they both stopped talking when she approached – not off-putting at all. She poked a stray piece of hair behind her ear. ‘What do you need me to do now?’ she asked.
‘I like her,’ said Dolly as if Liv wasn’t there. ‘She has a good work ethic.’
Fraser seemed doubtful. ‘There’s not much else to do when you’re snowed in.’
‘I could be outside making snowmen. We don’t see snow like this my way.’
Effie popped her head above the large box she was sorting through. ‘I’d be up for making snowmen,’ she said.
Liv glanced at her to see she had lots of strands of fairy lights around her neck.
‘You okay?’ she asked.
‘I’m sorting out the decorations,’ she said holding up a large knot of lights.
‘Fraser’s kitchen staff aren’t due in today so he needs help in the kitchen,’ said Dolly.
‘Sure. What can I do?’ asked Liv, but Fraser was already shaking his head. She was starting to lose her patience with him. ‘What now?’
‘I don’t have time to train you,’ he said.
Liv hated being underestimated. She put her hands on her hips. ‘I might be a Michelin-starred chef for all you know. You’ve not bothered to ask.’
‘Are you?’ asked Dolly, her eyebrows and expectations raised.
‘No, but the point is he didn’t ask.’
Fraser threw up his hands. ‘Okay so what do you do for a living?’
‘I’m an SEO expert.’
‘That sounds made up to me,’ said Fraser. ‘Or is it like when they call a window cleaner a transparency enhancement engineer?’
‘I am a very good search engine optimisation expert, but I guess it could also be called online marketing.’ Fraser clicked his fingers in a ‘there you go’ fashion, which annoyed Liv. ‘But I do have other skills and to put those into fancy terms I am also an underwater ceramics technician with additional domestic water-erasing abilities.’ She left a pause where they looked at her blankly. ‘I can wash and dry dishes.’
‘That’s useful,’ said Dolly. ‘Isn’t it, Fraser?’
He did not look impressed. ‘Barely,’ he said. ‘We have two commercial dishwashers.’
‘I can also peel and chop things.’ Including you into little pieces if you don’t stop being an arse, she added in her head.
Fraser did not look convinced. ‘It doesn’t look like I have a lot of choice.’
‘I have rarely felt so valued and welcome,’ said Liv. ‘Shall we?’ She stood back and elaborately waved for Fraser to lead the way to the kitchen. He stomped off in that direction.
Liv found him in the kitchen banging about. She put on an apron and joined Fraser where he was scanning a handwritten menu. ‘What are we cooking, boss?’
‘Cullen skink to start, venison with Hasselback potatoes or foraged wild mushroom and truffle ravioli, and for dessert cranachan with a pistachio crumb.’
‘Nothing fancy then?’ Liv grinned at him.
She received a stony face in response. ‘And it’s yes, chef.’
Liv snorted a laugh. ‘Blimey, you’re serious. Nah, that’s not happening, Fraser. Remember I don’t actually work for you. I’m the one doing you a favour here.’
‘You’re doing me a favour? That’s rich. You turned up here with amnesia. We looked after you, I carried you to your room, arranged for medical attention and now you are stranded by the snow, and I have given you a room and board for as long as you need. I also suspect you will be looking to me to find someone to sort out your blown tyre once the weather lifts?’
‘Fair enough. I’d say that makes us quits. Shall I start on the skink or the cranancanahan thing?’ He shook his head and hauled a sack of potatoes onto the counter. ‘Fine. I’m not too proud to peel spuds.’
‘Do not peel them,’ said Fraser. ‘Do you even know what Hasselback potatoes are?’
She briefly considered giving a smart-arse response along the lines of them being a distant and slightly less glamorous relative of David Hasselhoff, but given the ferocity of Fraser’s frown she thought better of it and shook her head. What followed was a cooking lesson worthy of any TV chef. He was less cranky when he was talking about cooking and surprisingly patient as he explained things. Liv forgot it was Fraser showing her what to do and got caught up in her job as commis chef.
*
Effie was quite pleased with the things she’d rediscovered and spent a happy couple of hours getting the dining room ready for dinner. As Fraser was planning to open a restaurant this was the one room that had been recently decorated, but she wasn’t a fan of the stark white finish. Fraser called it classic, clean and sophisticated. Effie thought it was bland, boring and sterile.
With a bit of effort Effie had pulled some tables together to make a table for three and another for four as that seemed a lot cosier than the restaurant set-up Fraser had explained to her. It wasn’t open yet so this seemed more friendly to Effie and it meant she could sit next to Liv. They’d not had a chance to get the new linen pressed so they were straight out of the packets with creases included. She laid the places and then went to choose a selection of plants from the lean-to greenhouse. She’d been nurturing them for some time. Some she’d planted from seed and others she’d picked up from neighbours and brought on. She picked the best of the pots and gave them a wash in the utility.
The smells coming through from the kitchen were tempting, but she made sure to keep out of Fraser’s way. He took his cooking seriously.
With a few choice items the room seemed more inviting. Dolly wheeled in with Jock’O on her lap.
‘Does it look okay?’ asked Effie.
Dolly gripped her hand. ‘Magnificent. You’ve done a fine job.’
‘Thanks.’ Effie was pleased and relieved. She didn’t always get it right but she could trust her grandmother to tell her the truth, even if sometimes it wasn’t what she wanted to hear. A little voice in her head made her wonder if that was why she’d not told Dolly about John.
‘How long until dinner?’ asked Dolly. ‘The natives are getting restless.’ She pointed a thumb over her shoulder where grumbled conversation was coming through from the library.
‘I’ll go and see,’ said Effie.
‘I’ll give them wine, which should keep them quiet for a bit.’
Effie got an update from Fraser and went to tell the guests. The dishes he had cooked were some of the specialities he was going to have on his menu, and he’d been fine-tuning them with his kitchen team ahead of the restaurant opening.
She went through to the library where she was met by hopeful faces.
‘Dinner will be ready in a few minutes,’ said Effie.
‘We’d planned to have fish and chips on our wedding day,’ said Kacey looking glum. ‘Is it fish and chips?’
‘No. It’s Cullen skink for starters, venison with Hasselback potatoes or foraged wild mushroom and truffle ravioli for mains and cranachan with a pistachio crumb for pud.’ She was very proud of her cousin.
‘I only understood potatoes and ravioli,’ said Kacey.
‘The rest didn’t sound like food at all. I think we’re being experimented on,’ said Shanie.
Dolly wheeled into the room and Jock’O announced their arrival with a sharp bark. He fixed his eyes on Shanie and growled. ‘It’s all cooked fresh from locally sourced ingredients and would cost you an arm and a leg in that there London, so think yourselves lucky. If you take your seats in the dining room I’ll take your choice of main course, either meat or vegetarian, unless you want to take your chances and walk fourteen miles that way to the twenty-four-hour garage that may or may not be open where you might be able to buy one of their out-of-date sausage rolls.’
Nobody replied. They all filed through to the dining room in silence with a flea in their ear, and Effie left Dolly to take orders.
Liv did a quick change and she and Effie ferried in starters to the dining room. The guests peered at the bowls in front of them.
‘What’s this?’ asked Aaron, fishing about with his spoon.
‘Cullen skink,’ said Dolly, sounding even more Scottish than usual.
‘It’s fish and potato soup,’ said Liv.
‘Ahhh,’ said Aaron. He had a small taste and the others watched him closely as if expecting him to convulse and die in front of them. ‘That’s all right that is,’ he declared and the others picked up their spoons.