The Ullswater Undertaking by Rebecca Tope

Author:Rebecca Tope [Tope, Rebecca]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Allison & Busby
Published: 2021-03-15T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twelve

But there was a new distraction when they got back into the car. Simmy’s phone was poking out of her bag and reflexively she switched it on to check for messages, once she’d secured Robin back into his seat. There was a text from Ben. Where are you? What’s happening? I have info about Hilda you should know.

She replied briefly saying they were driving home from Keswick and she would call him in an hour or so. ‘Ben says he’s found out more about Hilda,’ she reported, as Christopher turned onto the sweeping A66, which was one of Simmy’s least favourite Lakeland roads. It felt alien – too new and brash and hurtling for the region. Once they’d left it for the much smaller lanes down to Patterdale and Hartsop, she felt more at ease. Christopher was an erratic driver, never seeming to fit his speed to the conditions, causing Simmy to look for excuses not to ride with him more than necessary.

‘Oh?’ was all he said.

‘What’s the matter? Why are you so quiet?’

‘Nothing much. Oliver was awfully pompous, wasn’t he? I’ve hardly ever seen him in that sort of context. He’s always very businesslike at work.’

‘He was okay,’ she argued, aware that she was contradicting herself. ‘He’s the sort of man who’s uneasy around babies and female flesh. Has he ever had a serious relationship?’

‘That’s what everybody wants to know. We all assume he’s gay, but there’s never been a sign of a paramour. If that’s an acceptable word. He’s away a lot, of course. He might have someone tucked away in a town flat somewhere. My guess is he hates to seem like a stereotype, but really he is. Those soft grey waistcoats and girly fingers – did you notice? All ideal for handling delicate antiques and confirming his image as an expert. But there’s more to him than that. He’s no fool.’

‘I didn’t notice the waistcoat or the fingers,’ she admitted. ‘But it was a perfectly nice lunch, and you obviously need to stay on the right side of him.’ And she went on to quiz him about relationships between the saleroom staff, and whether Pattie stood any chance of stepping into Josephine’s shoes.

‘Fiona wouldn’t like it,’ he said. ‘But Pattie does have a point. Fiona’s fine with the things and coping with the stressful days when everyone’s running round in circles, but she wouldn’t make a good team leader. I can’t imagine her issuing instructions or trying to teach anybody how to do something. She’s quite driven, I suppose, but only on her own narrow business. She doesn’t do idle chatter and seems uninterested in anyone else’s lives.’

‘Was Josephine interested in other people’s lives?’

‘Oh yes! She knew the names and birthdays of everyone’s spouse, child and mother-in-law. Not just the staff but most of the vendors and buyers as well. And she had a phenomenal memory for past sales – prices, who bought what, all that stuff. Sometimes it felt as if she imbued the things with a character – a soul, if you like.

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