Flora's Lot by Katie Fforde (13 inch ebook reader TXT) 📕

verymuch, but didn't say so. After all, she was his chosen one. It wasn't for her tocomment.

‘This may not be a good time to discussit,' said Charles, 'but after the roadshow,Bob and George were both really keenthat I - we - should buy them out. They're both well past retirementage.'

‘And we could afford it if we sold thehouse?'

‘Wehaven't talked money yet, but I should imagine so.'

‘Well,let's do that then,' Flora said excitedly. 'We don't need a huge great building. We just need a little officesomewhere.'

‘AndI would like a flat. It's useful and when Annabelle and I get married we might move further away.’

‘Right.'

‘Andwe should buy somewhere for you to live, too. We could buy the holiday cottage from Annabelle if you liked.'

‘I'dhave to think about it,' said Flora, wondering why the thought of livingdown here after Charles and Annabelle hadgot married was so depressing. 'Maybe somewherea little nearer town might be more sensible.'

‘Whatever.'

‘Onthe other hand, how much is the building likely to raise? Buying out a coupleof auctioneers, an office, a flatfor you, a cottage for me - it's asking quite a lot of one building.'

‘Ifwe do what Annabelle suggests, and convert it into flats first, we should manage it. But I agree, itmight be stretching our resources too far.'

‘Andit all takes time,' said Flora. If she did feel she had to leave, she wouldn'twant to do it before Stanza and Stanza was on the way to profit, but shecouldn't ask Charles and Annabelle topostpone their wedding. 'AlthoughI'm quite happy in the cottage. Perhaps I should pay Annabelle rent.'

‘Actually,you are. Or rather I am, on behalf of Stanza and Stanza.'

‘Oh?'

‘Ihave a tiny private income. I can't get at the capital, but the interest is useful. Annabelle likes tokeep her books in order,' he wenton, 'but that's something else we must sort out.'

‘What is?'

‘Thefinancial situation. We should know what money is the company's, and therefore yours too, and what is mine.'

‘I'mbeginning to feel bad for not having a private income,' said Flora. 'It would make life so much easier.'

‘On thecontrary, it's much better you not having one. If I hadn'thad any other money to keep me afloat, I might havegone on and got the business on a proper footingbefore now. Having you here, you needing to earn aliving from it, has galvanised me, not before time.'

‘But you love thebusiness! And you work so hard!'

‘Hard, butnot smart,' he said thoughtfully. 'I've just kept doingit the way we always did it, making a loss year onyear and taking no notice. That will all have to change now you're here.'

‘Well, I'm glad I have my uses.'

‘Oh, you do.Now, let's see if we can get this car to go.’

It tookquite a bit of backing and filling and mud churning,but eventually the car was on the track and slowly they progressed along it.Once they reached the main road, Flora said, 'We're bothquite muddy, actually. I expect you want to go home and get someclean clothes.'

‘I'dbetter. Now, would you like to come back with me and drink coffee while I sort myself out? Or would you rather go back to the office? I'm afraid goinghome and getting a change of clothesisn't really an option for you.'

‘Oh,take me to the office, please. I've got lots to do.' She didn't want to sit in Annabelle's drawingroom sipping coffee, knowing Charleswas showering on the floor above.

Floradid have quite a list of things to do, but before she had donemore than wash the flecks of mud off her face, Geoffrey came and found her.

‘There's abit of an emergency with choir,' he said. 'James rangme, quite late last night. It turns out that there's aproblem at the house we were supposed to be doing our concert at.'

‘Oh dear.'

‘Yes. Thevalley guttering in the roof collapsed when it firststarted raining heavily. It so happened that James was on thephone to the woman who owns it shortly afterwards. She was in a terriblestate.'

‘Andso is her valley guttering, apparently,' said Flora, wondering whatvalley guttering was.

‘Yes.And it won't be fixed in time for the concert. We need a new venue.'

‘Couldn'twe just cancel?' This option was very attractive for Flora as she didn't know any of the work very well. She'd welcome an opportunity to learneverything more thoroughly before performing it in public.

‘No!'Geoffrey was horrified. 'We've got an audience, practically ready made, andit's for a very good cause. Wereally can't cancel unless it's absolutely vital. Besides, the choir isgetting paid and we need the money.'

‘Well,let's ask Charles if we can have the hall. We could get chairs from somewhere, it would be fine, I'm sure.’

Geoffrey shook his head.'No, Flora.’

Flora hadsensed that no simple solution would do forGeoffrey and that what he had in mind involved her, somehow.'What then? It seems a good idea to me. We wouldn't have to pay to rent it,I'll see to that. It's local, there's parking, sort of. What's wrong with it?'

‘The concert has been advertised as"A Stately Summer: Music for a SummerEvening". The hall won't do. We need a wonderful house to have itin.'

‘I'mawfully sorry, Geoffrey, I'm fresh out of wonderful houses. Now, had youasked me last week . .

Geoffreyignored Flora's flippancy. 'We know which house wewant. We just need you to go and ask if we can use it.'

‘Why me?'

‘Becauseapart from the fact that you weren't at the meeting tosay you wouldn't, you know the owner of the house.'

‘DoI?' She didn't think she knew anyone with a stately home.

‘Yes. It's Henry Burnet.'

‘Oh. Oh,Geoffrey, I'd much rather not.' It felt terribly awkward.

‘Why?'

‘You can'tjust bowl up somewhere and demand the use of ahouse to have a concert in! I would hate to make himthink I was just using him.' She cast around for more reasons. 'He may not havea suitable room, for one thing.'

‘Jamesknows the house. He says there's an orangery which would be perfect andhas lovely acoustics.'

‘Thenwhy doesn't he ask about it, then?' Flora asked tartly.

‘He'sfar too busy. He's got so much on at the moment. He'll go and check itout if we get permission to go there, but you have to make