The Knapthorne Conspiracy by Malcolm Ballard (best english novels for beginners txt) 📕

cottage. The idea of bringing her laptop down from London didn’t appeal, it would be simple to buy another one and install it here. She had spotted the telephone connection points but hadn’t seen an actual phone in the house but that was not important. Her mobile seemed to function ok but her understanding of Wifi was matched by her knowledge of quantum gravity. As long she could get an Internet connection that was all she was worried about. Coffee cup in hand and towel over one arm, she left the kitchen and headed for the stairs, making for the room in the roof. The cat padded along, a little way behind, its tail perpendicular, like a ship’s mast. Bella was enjoying herself. She felt excited by the prospect of this sudden opportunity that had opened up for her. As she stepped across the threshold into the room she studied the whole area and tried to visualise the best way to set it up. The dormer windows she had first seen, from the front, were repeated on the other side of the house, letting in a good deal of natural light but probably not enough to facilitate a good working environment. Setting up a desk underneath one of the windows, along one side, would probably be the most sensible thing. Her thoughts were interrupted by the cat, bunting at her legs with its head.

“Look, you,” she said, gently chiding it. “Somebody’s probably wondering where you are.” She bent down and stroked its head and the cat stretched its neck upwards, almost appearing to have a smile on its face. “I think you could put up with this all day, couldn’t you?”

The morning sun’s rays streamed into the room, from the front of the cottage, and Bella imagined it would get quite warm as the day progressed. That was something she’d have to bear in mind but, for now, seeing the sun made her anxious to get out into the garden as soon as possible. For being able to work from here wasn’t the only bonus. The apartment in Holland Park didn’t even have a window box so the thought of having her very own garden was sheer heaven. She decided that, before she left to go back, she would take the measurements of the room then she could play around with how she would like it to be, in her own time. Never far from her thoughts was the deadline for the book and the fact that she should be giving serious thought to it, right now. If she left it for too long, there would be Jane to contend with.

“Ok, cat, we got work to do. Let’s go get the vacuum cleaner.”

As soon as she switched the cleaner on, not surprisingly, the cat disappeared. It wasn’t long before Bella started to warm up from the effort of pushing the cleaner around so she peeled off her sweatshirt and continued in t-shirt and jeans. After working her way round the ground floor she was desperately in need of a caffeine fix and stopped for a coffee. It wasn’t until she was seated on the sofa, coffee by her side, that she realised the cat was nowhere to be seen but she wasn’t allowed to dwell on the fact as the ringing of her mobile distracted her and she had to remember where she’d put it. Following the direction of the sound, she tracked it down to the kitchen, where she had left it on charge, overnight.

“Bella Foxton!” she said, with a sigh, beginning to sag a little.

“Bella, where are you?” She recognised the voice of Jonathan Carey, a photographer friend whom she’d known almost as long as she’d been in England.

“Jonathan, hi! I’m in Knapthorne.” That’ll serve him right for asking, she thought.

“Where the hell’s that?”

“In the wilds of Dorset, seeing as you ask.” There was a stunned silence on the other end of the line. “Didn’t expect that, did you?”

“Well, no, I certainly didn’t. I rang to ask you what you’re doing for lunch but I guess I’ve got my answer.” Jon had been her first lover, in England, and they’d managed to remain friends ever since. Many’s the time they’d cried on each other’s shoulders and, somewhere along the line, Jon had been married twice, and divorced. “I feel quite disappointed now, I was looking forward to seeing you.”

“Yes, it’s been a while, hasn’t it.” Suddenly, she wanted to see him, to let him know what had happened, knowing he’d be pleased for her and as excited as she was. Perhaps he’d even like to come down, one weekend. “Maybe we can meet during the week, how does that sound?”

“I’ll have to check my diary, I’m not at home, otherwise I’d love to. What d’you want to do?”

“How about I give you a ring tonight, when I get back? You going to be in?”

“Yeah, I’ll be there. Look forward to your call, then.”

“Ok. Thanks for ringing.” His call gave her a new lease of life and she returned to do battle with the vacuum cleaner with renewed gusto, turning her attention to the upper floors.

It seemed like she’d been cleaning for ever but, finally, she’d got it all done, having just finished the small bedroom. Exhausted, her t-shirt wet with perspiration, she leaned against the wall and slowly let herself slide to the floor. With her head resting on her knees, she closed her eyes and realised she was starving. And nothing in the house to eat. Her initial plan had been to take a slow drive back to London, late Sunday morning and have lunch somewhere that took her fancy along the way. Her head slumped further forward. The thought of going down The Lamb didn’t appeal so she might have to look further afield. All of a sudden she felt close to tears. How stupid could she have been? She might have known that it was fanciful, to say the least, to think