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

He leant back to Louisa and spoke again,and she whispered to Virginia, who was on hand near the front. Then he carriedon, appearing nearly normal, but Flora longed to get to him. She edged her wayto the front. Then Bob Butler appeared.'I'll now hand you over to Bob Butlerfor the last few lots,' he said, smiling through his obvious agony.'I'll be back with you tomorrow.'

‘Charles! Are you all right?' saidFlora. She followed him into the little side room they used as an office onsale days.

‘Broken a tooth. Bloody rock cakes.'

‘Oh, I'm so sorry!' said Virginia. 'Itwas my fault! My sister made them.'

‘Nonsense,' said Annabelle, 'he shouldhave had that tooth sorted out ages ago! We'll make an appointment. They alwayskeep a slot for emergencies.'

‘I can't go to the dentist when there's a saleon,' Charles said with a panicked look in his eyes. 'Ifyou're in pain, you must!' said Flora.

‘I can't! This is the biggest sale we'vedone. I must be here.'

‘That's just silly,' said Flora, awareshe was being bossy, but too worried about him to help herself. 'Bob and Georgewill do it for you. I'll catch Bob when he's finishedand ring George at home. He's in the book under Woodman, isn't he? Bob'shere tomorrow anyway, to finish off the furniture.’

Charlesshook his head. 'No, that won't do. Bob doesn'tusually do books and he's nearly eighty, his wife will neverspeak to me again if I make him do even more. He'sgot a bad heart, he shouldn't work when he's tired, and he'll be exhausted aftertoday.'

‘He loved it today. He'll be fine,' saidLouisa.

‘He won't,' said Charles forcefully.'Look, I can't just abandon ship because I'vegot toothache! I'll just have to keep going.'

‘You wouldn't be abandoning anything.It's called delegating, and it's a very goodthing to do. You go to the dentist. We'll manage here until you getback.'

‘I can't.'

‘You can. No one is indispensable,Charles.' Still he remained looking at her.Flora decided it was time to pull rank. 'I am your partner. And I'mtelling you to go to the dentist!’

He laughed, in spite of his pain.'You're getting to be a very bossy woman, Flora.'

‘I know. Good, isn't it?'

‘God, Charles! You would never haveagreed to that for me,' said Annabelle. 'It must be because Flora's the seniorpartner.’

Flora felt herself go white. She wouldnever be the senior partner, even if she owned every share in the business and Charles owned nothing. She looked athim, aghast that he might think shevalued herself so highly. 'Urn, not really,' she murmured.

‘Well, until Charles has got his toothfixed anyway,' said Louisa, to Flora's enormous relief.

‘Come on. I'll take you home and thenmake an appointment,' said Annabelle.

Watchingthem leave the building together forced Flora toconfront the idea of them as a couple, to imagine them, years down the line, a happy,married twosome. Even with Annabelle's arm round Charles, she couldn't quite pictureit.

Flora went to find Geoffrey, her propand source of advice. Everyone had obviouslyheard the news and knew that, for the time being, Flora was in charge.She looked for Geoffrey everywhere except the Gents'. And then went back to askVirginia.

‘Haveyou seen Geoffrey, Virginia?' she enquired. 'I've looked for him in every logical place and severalillogical ones.'

‘I saw him go out the back with a hugearmoire. I expect he was taking it tosomeone's van and will be back in a minute. Give us a hand while you'rewaiting.' Virginia at least was not treating Flora any differently. 'We'll spothim when he comes back in.’

Florajoined Virginia on the raised stage where Virginia was matching slips of paper to itemsstacked on and under the trestle tables.

Flora tooka slip from a middle-aged man who looked like a successful dealer and saw he'dbought some glasses at a very good price.'Would you like me to wrap them for you?'

‘No, thank you, dear. Newspaper damagesthem. I'll do it myself with the properstuff. If you just bring them over to me, a few at a time, I'll be fine.’

Flora, worried in case she missedGeoffrey while she was doing this, got theglasses to him almost too quickly for safety.

There wasstill no sign of Geoffrey, so she took another slip. Shestared at it for a while and then said, 'I have no idea what a companion set is!’

Virginiapointed to a corner. 'Poker, tongs and shovel, overthere.' Then she picked up a blue and white printed meat dish, which would havebeen worth a small fortune if it hadn't been damaged, and carried it carefully to its newowner.

‘Oh, there's Geoffrey,' Flora said tothe owner of the fire irons. 'You don't need me, do you, Virginia?'

‘No, it's all right, Anne and I canmanage. We know where stuff is.’

Dismissed, Flora followed Geoffrey intothe kitchen, where he was eating one of the rock cakes that had caused Charlesto break his tooth. He too had already heard about it.

Flora had decided that Charles was rightabout Bob: it wasn't fair to ask him to domore work tomorrow when they'd stretched his capacity to the limitalready today.

‘Geoffrey,I don't think we can ask Bob to stand in for Charles, but I'm sure George will, until Charles gets back afterthe dentist. And you could stand in too, if necessary, couldn't you?'

‘Well, the thing is . . . Oh, you ringGeorge. See what he says.'

‘Flora!' George Woodman declareddelightedly when he heard her voice on thephone. 'You can be the first to congratulate me! Our daughter's had alittle girl! It was a difficult pregnancy and she's been in hospital for thepast week, but now the baby's born and she's fine.'

‘Oh, congratulations! You must be sothrilled!'

‘Weare. My wife's just throwing a few things together and we're off to seeher. They've got a little boy already andher parents-in-law have been there, helping to look after him. Nowthey've got to go and we're taking over. Was there anything you wanted?'

‘Nothingthat won't wait until you get back,' said Flora. 'And congratulationsagain.’

She foundGeoffrey again. 'He's just had a new grandchild and they were off to look afterhis daughter, so I didn't ask him.'

‘Oh.'

‘Bob's going to finish the furniturethough. It's only the books. You can dobooks. They're your subject.’

‘I can do them up to a