Scared to Breathe by Kerena Swan

Author:Kerena Swan [Swan, Kerena]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Bloodhound Books
Published: 2019-06-02T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 30

The dust is everywhere but this isn’t the sort of dust I was dealing with when I uncovered the old furniture in the Hall two weeks ago. This dust has left a sticky, gritty layer over everything and clings to my clothes and hair. It hangs in the air and I can feel it crunching in my teeth. It’s even worse when the builders are knocking through the walls to create new doorways. I walk along the corridors, saying hello to workmen as I go and stepping over holes in the floors where new pipes and cables are being laid. Thank God none of them have red hair.

I can’t wait to get in the shower to rinse it all off but first I need to clear out belongings in the bedrooms. All my good intentions to tackle this task a couple of weeks ago had to be set aside for more pressing matters. The builders had pushed for an early start as they’d just finished a big project and they needed me to make decisions before they got on with the work. I’ve had to visit showrooms to find suitable bathroom fittings then drag Reuben around with me to make the final decisions. I’ve created design boards for each room with colour schemes and samples of fabrics and paints.

As well as choosing tiles and flooring Michael has involved me in the positioning of the bathroom equipment, the timetable of the project and managing the budget and finances with him.

On top of all this my boss wants me to produce a new theme for greetings cards targeting the older buying market. I’ve started designing a new set of cards which, for the time being, I’ve called ‘The Turning Worm.’ They depict a late middle-aged couple performing mundane tasks around the home but with the husband taking revenge on his wife for nagging him. They’re a tad sexist but might appeal to that demographic. I was inspired by Bob’s tales and had the husband putting salt in his wife’s tea or aiming the hosepipe over the hedge at her as she berates him for not doing his chores. I’ve finished eight pictures in total and will leave Laura to write the greetings. I was delighted when my boss praised my designs and he said he’s more than happy for me to continue working two days a week from home so thankfully I’m only in Luton one day a week.

The first bedroom I enter contains a four-poster bed with richly woven hangings sadly damaged by mould. They’ll need to be removed and new drapes made. The mattresses will have to be thrown away as will the rugs which are threadbare in patches. Carpet beetle, maybe. My parents’ wool rug was eaten by those a few years ago. I’ll need to get the whole place fumigated as soon as the floorboards are back down. I sigh heavily. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by how much there is to do. I stand on the bed trying to unhook the drapes but can’t manage it.

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