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

‘I met himin town the other day. He was perfectly polite and all that, but I got theimpression he didn't really like me going out with his baby cousin.'

‘I'm not his babycousin! I'm his business partner.’

Henryshrugged. 'So, you want my orangery for some sort of concert.'

‘Yes. My choir needs an appropriatevenue for a concert called' - what was itGeoffrey had said? - '"A Stately Summer - Music for a SummerEvening".'

‘And you want to use the orangery?'

‘Yes. We'dbe terribly tactful about it. We would hardly annoy you at all.'

‘Butwhat about the lake in the middle of it? Anyway, why on earth would I let a whole lot of strangers use my house?' He seemed to be joking, but Floracouldn't be sure.

‘Well. . .' She took a breath. 'It's perfectly possible that among the choir membersthere are people who could fix thehole in the roof. That would be a good pay off, wouldn't it?' She knewone of the basses was a partner in a firmthat made fitted kitchens. It wasn't quitethe same as one who repaired glass roofs, but he probably hadconnections.

Henrylooked thoughtfully at her for a moment. 'Well, yes. Itwould. But what about the other stuff? I really don't likepeople in my house, snooping round, and there'd be cars parked all over thelawn.'

‘Yourgrass hasn't been a lawn for some time,' said Flora bluntly. 'And you could go away for the weekend. Then you'd come back to a manicured lawn and an orangery without a swimming pool. And you'd havethatmuch less to do up before selling it.'

‘Andof course I may change my mind about selling. I may do it up and live in it. If I get over my broken heart.'

‘I'msure you'll recover, but you'd have to earn lots of money to sort this place out. What do you do, again?' She knew she should have known this, but her mind just hadn't been engaged when they firstexchanged all this information.

‘IT.'

‘Oh. That's all right then. You can earn lots of money.'

‘But sadly,not enough. Not right now, anyway. This housewould swallow up a hundred grand and still have room for seconds.’

The thoughtthat Burnet House might be perfect for Annabelleand Charles had flickered through Flora's mind quiteearly. The thought of them living there made heruncomfortable for some reason and the fact that it would be so fabulously expensive torenovate was perversely cheering. She decided to be helpful.

‘Ibet there's something here, something that's valuable, that your wifedidn't know about.'

‘Itwasn't my wife who was the problem. It was her solicitor.'

‘Sorry.Solicitor. I bet though, if I had a look around, I could find something worth selling. I'm an auctioneer, afterall.'

‘Apprentice, you said.’

Floralaughed. 'Well, OK, but I'm not a complete idiot, and if Ifound anything even half interesting, I could get Char—someone to come along to give you a proper valuation.'

‘Well,there's a library, but I think I'd have known if there were any first edition Dickensesin it.'

‘Or James Bond. He's valuable too.'

‘Only ifthe dust-jackets aren't torn and therefore in pristine condition.’

Shelaughed. 'We obviously both watch the same television programmes.’

He regardedher. 'Why don't you finish your tea and come and look,' he said.

She hesitated for amoment.

‘I assureyou there are no etchings involved. Although I might askyou out to dinner, later. We still haven't done dinner, have we?’

She inclined her headpolitely.

‘Would you come?'

‘I wasbrought up to wait until I was asked,' she sidestepped. 'Shall we inspect the library?'

‘Thesolicitor did send someone to look at everything,' Henry explained as they reached a room lined withbookshelves, obviously a custom-madelibrary. 'But he admitted he wasn'tall that up on old books. He searched foranything that was obviously a first edition, but didn't find any. He put ablanket value of five hundred pounds onthe lot, and then went home. I think he was tired by then.'

‘Arethese books precious to you? If you sold them, would you miss them?'

‘No,not really. This is a family house, but I didn't inherit it from my parents, but from an uncle. Sounds a bitunlikely, I know, but it's true.'

‘Oh,I believe you. I'm involved in the auction business because of an unclewho died, too.’

‘You never told me that before.'

‘Didn'tI?' Flora was not willing to be distracted. 'There are a lot of books here.Even if there are no very precious ones,the value in each one would mount up, don't you think?’

Heshrugged. 'I don't know. You're the apprentice auctioneer.'

‘You'dhave to get rid of them, anyway, if you were going to do up the house. Unless you stored them. That might bequite expensive.'

‘Icertainly wouldn't want to do that. Tell you what, if you get your cousin, or whoever, to come andhave a look, and if they agreethere's enough here to have an auctionthat will make a bit of money, I'll let your choir use the orangery.'

‘I see.'

‘But I'd want to pay a lower commission.I know auction houses, they take money fromthe buyer, money from the seller and add in a lotting fee as well.'

‘Idon't think you quite understand how many expenses are involved in arranging an auction,' Florastarted.

‘No, Idon't. But you want a favour. Can you offer me a deal in exchange?’

Florathought for a moment. 'No. Not off my own bat. Idon't know if there's anything here worth a damn.’

‘I want the books gone.'

‘Wecould arrange a house clearance, that wouldn't be difficult, but if you want one of our experts' - Henry wasn't to know there weren't loads of them kickingtheir heels in the office - 'to comeand give a valuation, to look ateverything, we'd need all the commission we're likely to earn.'

‘Inwhich case, I'm not sure, Flora. I could get any auction house to do that for me. I want a bit more, in exchangefor the favour.'

‘Ididn't realise that favours were exchanged. I thought people just did them out of the kindness of theirhearts.'

‘Not thispeople,' he said with a grin that contradicted his words.'The kindness of my heart is all run out.'

‘Well,that's a shame. But no matter. The choir can easilyhave their concert in our hall in town.' She batted hereyelashes just once and then looked at her watch,