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

but didn'tactually take in what it said. 'I'd better be going.Thank you so much for your time. I'm sorry to have wasted so much of it.'

‘Hangon! Don't walk off in a huff! There's still room for negotiation.’

Flora had hoped this was the case. 'Oh?'

‘Will you come out to dinner with me?’

Sheenjoyed flirting with Henry. He, like her, seemed to be anatural flirt - he flirted as naturally as he breathed - and thatreassured her that he didn't have any particularlyserious intentions towards her. It did seem to bedelightfully free of complications, though as she was pretty sureshe didn't want the relationship to develop beyond afew casual evenings she rather felt she should make herfeelings clear. 'Well,' she answered, 'it rather depends.Would I be doing you a favour in going to dinnerwith you? In which case you're more in my debt than I amin yours. Or are you doing me a favour by feeding me,when I'm obviously so near starvation? Because Icould only come to dinner if I was the one doing you the favour.’

Hehad a very sexy laugh, she decided. 'Don't worry, Flora. I won'tread anything into dinner. So shall we sort out the favours at a later date?'

‘Could do,' she agreed.

‘And in themeantime, could you ask one of your experts to give the library the once-over?'

‘Icould do that, too. But I can't make any deals about commission oranything. That would be up to my cousin.'

‘Well,I could talk to him when he comes to look at the books.'

‘No,'she said hurriedly. 'It won't be him, and our book expert isn't a company director. He won't have the authority to make that sort of decision either.But when we know if there's much ofvalue here, we can sort it out.'

‘I suppose I'll have to be satisfiedwith that.’

She put herhead on one side. 'And with the pleasure of taking me out to dinner.'

‘That is some compensation.'

‘Also, thepleasure that the choir will repair your roof and cutyour grass and very much enjoy singing in your orangery.'

‘DidI agree to let the choir come? When did that happen?'

‘WhenI said I'd go out with you.' She gave him her most provocative smile.

‘Iknow taking you to dinner will be a pleasure, but I'm still not sure about the choir.' He didgenuinely look a bit worried.

‘Trustme. It will be a very positive experience. I'll get Geoffrey to come and give your library a thoroughgoing-over.'

‘Will you come too?'

‘I might.'

‘I'll walk you to your car.’

Dear Henry,he was a sweetie. And quite sexy too. She wishedshe could develop a crush on him. It would be much more convenient.

As Floraopened the door of the Land-Rover, he said, 'I mightsee if they've got a table at Grantly Manor. It's very good. They've got a chefdown from London going for his third Michelin star.'

‘Sounds horrifically expensive.'

‘Oh,it is, but far less than it would be in London.’

‘That wouldbe lovely,' she said, and kissed his cheek.

*

'Well?'demanded Geoffrey, when Flora had tracked him down in thecellar of the house, sticking labels on the furniturethat had come in via the roadshow. 'How did you get on?'

‘Notbad, but not perfect, I'm afraid. The orangery has got a hole in the roof, and therefore there's a small lake in it. I suggested we could mop up the waterand pray for a dry night but HenryBurnet wasn't too keen on that idea.I don't think he believes in the power of prayer.'

‘Ifeel a bit bad sending you, Flora. It's why I thought I'd better come inand do some work.'

‘It was fine! Henry's a friend, afterall.'

‘Justa friend, Flora?' asked Geoffrey, in loco parentis again.

‘Well,maybe a bit more than that. He's going to take me to Grantly Manor.'

‘Oh. Very grand.’

Flora wastired of talking about Henry. 'I did say the choir wouldfix the hole in the roof. One of the basses is a builder, isn't he?'

‘Oneof them is a cabinetmaker, if that's what you mean.’

Flora made a gesture with her hands thatasked Geoffrey to be a little more helpful.'For the choir, do you think he'd godown a few grades and fix a hole in theroof ? He must know people with scaffolding and stuff.'

‘Now you're talking big money.'

‘Well, ifit's impossible, there's always the hall. But although I wasn't too keen onhaving to beg Henry to let us use it, I do think the orangerywould be lovely to singin.'

‘I'msorry, my dear. I wasn't thinking. I'll ask about fixing the roof.'

‘Healso wants you to go and value his library. He doesn't think there's much there, but you never know. Someone did give them a cursory glance before,when they valued everything when hegot divorced, but they didn't look thoroughly.'

‘Iexpect I can do that. If I'm not needed here. It'll be a real pleasure to use my knowledge and experiencefor once, instead of pretending Ihaven't any.' He regarded Floraseriously. 'Annabelle won't like it if she finds out. She's always been dead set against me doinganything except moving things from one place to another.’

Florainwardly protested the waste of his talent. 'I'll square it with Charles. It'll be allright.’

Geoffreysmiled. 'Well, that's all looking very promising,Flora. You've done well.' Geoffrey was obviously verypleased at the notion of being a valuer again, instead of just aporter. 'If there's enough to give us a basis, we could do aspecialist book auction. Put all the stuff up on the Internet.'

‘Right. I'mglad you're pleased. I just hope it's not all just book club editions andSunday school prizes.'

‘Verycollectable those, you know, especially if they've got good book plates in the front.'

‘Yes,well, I'd better go and see if anyone's missed me upstairs.’

She metAnnabelle in the hallway 'How did you get on at Burnet House?' she asked.

‘OK.He has some books that might be quite valuable.'

‘That's good.But I have to warn you, Charles was livid! I told him it was veryunlikely there was a house sale in the offing, but he was reallycross about you going there alone.'

‘But he knows I know Henry, that we've been out a couple of times.' Charles's over-protectivenesscould be exasperating sometimes.

‘It's thegoing to his house thing that so upset him.'

‘Oh. Well,there isn't enough furniture for a house