Unfinished Portrait (4 page)

He held out a hand to her. ‘Seriously, are you sure about this? I'd be perfectly all right, you know.'

‘I'm sure you would,' she replied, giving it a squeeze, ‘but you gave me a fright and I want us to have a normal day together, with no hospital visits.'

‘Me too,' he said, ‘but promise me one thing.'

‘Not to tell the girls?' She'd invited Rona and Lindsey to supper the following Tuesday, on the eve of their departure. Max, of course, would be at his evening class.

‘Got it in one.'

‘All right, I promise. Now, we've spent quite long enough discussing your health, Tom Parish; let's have another look at that hotel brochure.'

Sunday was warm and sunny, and the little walled garden the perfect place for pre-lunch drinks.

‘This is the life!' Lindsey declared. ‘What could be better than sitting in the sun, G and T in hand, with the gorgeous smell of roast beef wafting over us?'

‘Almost like being back in Italy,' Avril remarked happily, ‘especially with the paving and all the containers.' She and Lindsey had spent ten days there the previous month, an arrangement made, to Lindsey's chagrin, just before she and Dominic came together, and he'd proposed a holiday in South Africa – a proposal that, having necessarily been postponed, had so far not been rescheduled.

Max glanced at his watch; still fifteen minutes till the meal would require attention. ‘So, what's everyone been doing since we last met?' he asked.

Lindsey drained her glass and put it on the table, shaking her head as he mimed a top-up. ‘I've decided to revamp the flat,' she said. ‘New colour-scheme, new furniture, new curtains. The lot.'

‘You said you'd like to, when we looked round Willows',' Rona remarked. Willows' Fine Furniture, the emporium on Guild Street, was the last local firm whose history she'd researched. ‘I didn't realize you were serious.'

‘I probably wasn't, then, but the idea's been growing on me. I thought I'd ask Nina and Nicole for suggestions.'

‘It'll cost you,' Max said shrewdly.

‘Well, I've nothing else to spend my hard-earned cash on, and I'm sure they'd give me a discount.'

‘What will you do with the things you have?' Rona asked.

‘Send them for auction. Anything they fetch can go towards the new stuff.'

‘I sometimes wish I could do that,' Avril remarked.

Rona and Lindsey exchanged a worried glance. Selfishly, they preferred ‘home' to remain the same, even though they no longer lived there.

‘But it's perfect for you, surely?' Rona said tentatively. ‘Especially since the alterations you had done, before taking in lodgers. En suite and everything.'

At the thought of Sarah, Avril's face clouded; had Guy broached the difficult subject yet?

‘Mum?' Lindsey's voice reached her. ‘Is something wrong?'

Avril shook herself. ‘No, no. At least, I hope not.'

‘What do you mean, you hope not?'

She hesitated, then made up her mind. ‘It's just that Sarah's father and I saw quite a lot of each other during the summer, and we're wondering how she'll react when she finds out. He's . . . intending to tell her this weekend.'

‘But Mum, that's wonderful!' Rona exclaimed. ‘It's about time you had some fun!'

‘Certainly is!' Lindsey confirmed. ‘Isn't he the one we saw at the Clarendon?'

Avril nodded, her face colouring. ‘It's . . . not really serious, or anything. Just that we enjoy each other's company. I knew you two would understand,' she added in a burst of gratitude, ‘but Sarah's reaction's not as easy to predict. She's had her father to herself all her life.'

‘But she's not living at home now,' Rona objected. ‘And didn't you say she has a boyfriend?'

‘She has, yes.'

‘I'm sure she'll be fine about it,' Max said firmly. ‘It sounds an excellent arrangement.' He turned to Rona. ‘We've heard your sister's and your mother's news, darling. Are you going to tell them yours?'

Avril and Lindsey looked at her expectantly.

‘Nothing's settled yet,' she said defensively.

‘But?' Lindsey prompted.

‘I've been asked to do another bio.'

‘So that
was
what Prue wanted!'

‘I still haven't decided . . .' Rona's voice tailed off, and, catching Max's smiling glance, she knew it was no longer true. ‘Well, perhaps I have,' she amended.

‘So who is it?' demanded Avril.

‘The artist, Elspeth Wilding.'

‘Well, she's certainly a big name,' Lindsey remarked. ‘Well done, sis.'

‘You say you've been asked,' Avril said. ‘Does that mean you didn't choose her yourself?'

‘No, her sister approached my publishers.'

‘Hang on,' Lindsey broke in. ‘Wasn't there something funny about her? I seem to remember—'

‘She disappeared,' Rona said bluntly. ‘About eighteen months ago.'

Avril looked puzzled. ‘She's still alive, then? I thought you usually—'

‘We
hope
she is,' Max put in. ‘But part of her sister's reason for approaching Rona is because she's also known for solving mysteries.'

Lindsey sat back. ‘Uh-oh.'

‘All I'm committing myself to,' Rona said firmly, ‘is the bio. I am not – repeat not – going out of my way to solve any mystery. If something surfaces during normal research, fair enough, but I'm certainly not digging for it.'

‘Well, just be careful, dear,' Avril said uneasily. ‘You've given us enough frights over the last year or two.' She glanced involuntarily at the high wall between their garden and that next door.

Max, intercepting it, said, ‘The Furnesses are coming back, did Rona tell you?'

Avril brightened. ‘Permanently?'

‘Not immediately, but they want to look over the house with a view to modernizing it, and in the process erasing any reminders of . . . past occupants.' He glanced at Lindsey. ‘More work for your friends at
Double N
, perhaps.' He got to his feet. ‘Excuse me – time to make the gravy. Lunch in ten minutes, ladies.'

‘Good morning, Eddie.'

‘Dear girl! Have you reached a decision?'

‘Yes, I'll go for it. It would be foolish not to; it's bound to attract a lot of interest.'

‘My thinking exactly. Fine, I'll get on to Prue and come back to you with her offer. Then, once the contract's signed, you can approach the family.'

The die was cast, Rona thought fancifully as she put down the phone; she only hoped she wouldn't come to regret it. In the meantime, she should warn Barnie Trent, the features editor, that she'd be taking a sabbatical from
Chiltern Life
.

‘So you're returning to your first love?' he observed, when she'd explained the position. ‘Well, I'm glad for you, though obviously sorry we'll be losing you, at least for a while. As you know, your series have proved very popular.'

‘I've enjoyed doing them, and part of me wants to continue, but it was always an interim arrangement; I've carried on longer than I should – sheer laziness, really.'

‘We're running the Willows one next month. I suppose, as it turns out, it'll be your last in that series?'

‘Probably, but in any case I've covered most of the firms eligible.'

‘Well, despite the hiatus on the business side, we still have the social. Dinah was saying the other day it was some time since she'd seen you. I'll get her to give you a call.'

‘That would be great. Thanks, Barnie.'

‘And good luck in the meantime,' he said.

‘Avril.'

‘Oh, Guy, you've been on my mind all weekend! How did it go?'

‘Sarah's left the house?'

‘Yes, five minutes ago. She's been pretty . . . monosyllabic.'

‘I thought she might be. Look, I have to come over this morning. Can we meet for lunch?'

‘Yes, yes, of course, but I'm at the library till one. Will that be too late?'

‘No, but it'll save time if I come out to you.' Belmont, the suburb where she lived, was a twenty-minute drive from Marsborough. ‘Where do you suggest we meet?'

Avril thought for a moment. ‘The Jolly Wagoner, in the High Street?'

‘No chance of running into my daughter?' She heard the smile in his voice.

‘I doubt if the school encourages lunchtime drinking.'

‘Right, I'll be there at one, and bag us a table. See you then.'

It didn't sound as though their news had been well received, Avril thought anxiously, as she shrugged on her coat and let herself out of the house. The local library, where she worked part-time, was within walking distance, as, for that matter, was the primary school where Sarah taught – the reason she'd chosen to come to Avril. Oh dear, she did so hope it would be all right. But there was no point in worrying; Guy would put her in the picture soon enough.

Lindsey had taken a packed lunch to work, and ate it hastily at her desk, a weather eye on the door. It was not a practice approved of at Chase Mortimer, particularly among the partners, and one she seldom engaged in. Today, however, she'd an important errand to see to, and, having dusted the crumbs off her lap and disposed of the evidence, she left the office and set off in the direction of
Double N
.

She had known Nicole and Nina since schooldays, and even then they'd been interested in art and design. After obtaining their degrees, they'd set up a small business together, which, in succeeding years, had continued to flourish, until they now owned handsome premises on Guild Street, offering a complete personal service with a wide range of options.

Lindsey pushed open the door and went inside, pausing to take stock of the Aladdin's cave around her. Materials and fabrics of every kind hung suspended in a riot of colour down the length of the shop – brocades, velvets, chintzes, soft furnishings, plain, patterned, rough and smooth. To her left stood a row of sloping stands bearing a dozen or so wallpaper books; two of the high stools in front of them were occupied.

A smiling salesgirl approached her. ‘Can I help you, madam?'

‘I'd like a word with the proprietors, please.'

‘If I could have your name, I'll see if they're available?'

‘Lindsey!'

She turned, to see Nicole Standing hurrying towards her. ‘How are you? I haven't seen you for ages!' She nodded at the assistant. ‘It's all right, Deirdre, I'll see to this.'

‘Actually,' Lindsey said, ‘I'm in search of professional advice.'

‘Then come into the office and tell me about it.'

The room at the back of the premises looked, to Lindsey's mind, more like a sitting room than a workplace, furnished as it was with easy chairs and sofa as well as the obligatory desk.

‘Look who's here!' Nicole carolled as they went in.

Nina Martin looked up from a sheaf of papers, her face breaking into a smile. ‘Lindsey – hello! How are things?'

‘In need of a make-over,' Lindsey replied. ‘On the home front, at least. I've decided to scrap everything and start again.'

‘Then you've come to the right place.' Nicole went to a coffee percolator and poured out three cups.

‘So what's the first step?' Lindsey asked, seating herself on the sofa and accepting her coffee. ‘Do you have a selection of brochures to look at, or do I just go through the fabulous materials out there and select something?'

‘We do have brochures, yes, but we usually start by coming to your home to take measurements, while you give us a rough idea of what you have in mind.'

‘That's just it – I haven't anything, beyond clearing everything out. The flat's quite modern, so I'd like a contemporary feel, but at the moment it's all so
bland
. I want to change that – make it a statement about
me
!'

Nina laughed. ‘That could be tricky! You say you're ditching the lot – does that include furniture?'

‘Except for the odd piece, yes. Thankfully the carpets are OK, but I'll be wanting new curtains, bedspreads, cushions, furniture. A total make-over.'

‘Obviously, we'll be more than happy to oblige. How many rooms are we talking about?'

‘Sitting room, two bedrooms, and the hall, stairs and landing. Not that it's really a hall, just a tiny entrance before the stairs begin. The kitchen and both bathrooms are fine.'

‘You've saved yourself several thousand there!'

‘So the first step is for you to come round and measure?'

‘That's right. We can fix a time now, if you like.' Nina went to the desk and brought back an appointments diary.

‘I'm afraid it'll have to be an evening or weekend,' Lindsey said apologetically. ‘I can't take time off work at the moment.'

‘No problem. How about this evening?'

Lindsey hesitated. Dominic was hoping to be back . . .

‘Or tomorrow?' Nina suggested, glancing at the diary.

‘Sorry, no, I'm out tomorrow. Better make it Wednesday, if that's all right? After six thirty?'

‘Wednesday it is.'

Lindsey leant back and drew a deep breath. ‘I can hardly wait!' she said.

Avril saw him as soon as she entered the pub, and he raised a hand in greeting, standing up as she reached him to give her a quick kiss.

‘As you see, it's pretty busy; I suggest we order our food straight away, then we can settle down to talk. What do you fancy?'