Where The Light Gets In by Dillon Lucy

Author:Dillon, Lucy [Dillon, Lucy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Transworld
Published: 2018-04-18T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Sixteen

In the event, Joyce phoned Lorna before she could make the call to see how the move home had gone. Before she’d even had her breakfast, in fact.

The phone rang at half past seven, when Lorna was just finishing her allotted fifteen minutes in the bathroom before Tiff colonised it for the next hour. She dashed out in her towel to answer it; she was jumpy, in case Jess called with the Reasonable Explanation that Lorna still couldn’t devise, despite bending her imagination in many improbable directions.

‘Good morning!’ Joyce sounded as if she’d been up for hours. ‘Did I wake you?’

‘No, no,’ Lorna chirruped. Joyce had strong views about early rising. ‘Been up for ages .’

She made a hmph noise. ‘Anyway, as promised I have a solution for your Art Week issue,’ Joyce went on. ‘But you’d better come now if you’re going to get it to that rude man for the morning. Oh, and the dog’s being a tinker. A walk may be in order.’

Lorna recognised an instruction when she heard one. ‘I’m on my way.’

Someone had been busy in the garden of Rooks Hall while Joyce had been in Longhampton with Lorna. The long grass had been mown, the borders trimmed back to moderate wildness, and the moss swept off the doorstep. Lorna noticed the remains of hollyhocks and clematis climbing the walls as she picked her way up the uneven path – now she knew about Joyce and Bernard’s joint plan to create their year of flowers, the garden felt different. More like an old photograph, with ghosts lingering just out of shot.

Joyce was waiting for her at the door, a small figure in red against the darkness of the hall. She was leaning casually against the frame, but Lorna could tell she was steadying herself; behind her, lurking, was the metal shape of a walker, and a white grab bar drilled into the wall by the stairs. The impertinent changes to Rooks Hall had begun, and there was no sign of Bernard.

Lorna tried not to let her reaction show in her face but Joyce was sharp when it came to body language and saw her flinch.

‘You’ve noticed my so-called improvements?’ Joyce rolled her eyes dismissively and then shuffled down the hall into the sitting room. ‘I don’t need a walking frame, by the way. Or a commode,’ she threw over her shoulder. ‘I’m fine .’

‘Well, if it helps you stay here …’ Lorna followed, keeping Rudy on a short lead, taking everything in with quick glances: slippy rugs, gone; speckled mirrors, cleaned; dead pot plants, removed. There was a chemical smell in the house: new glue, freshly drilled screwholes, Dettol – lots of it. ‘Who came to do the work? The landlords?’

‘No idea. There’s a number by the phone.’ Joyce didn’t alter her slow course, but waved a hand behind her.

Lorna checked, there was a card: Osborne Property Services , and a number. Gabriel , it said. Not Sam. If Gabe was in charge, why had Sam been round that day, doing the DIY? Gabe’s injury, presumably.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.