Flora's Lot by Katie Fforde (best books under 200 pages TXT) 📗

invite you to come to a dinner party at mine. The weekendafter next.' She crossed her fingers.

‘Oh Flora, I'm going to be away.’

Flora'sheart sank. 'How can you be away? Can't you change it?’

Henrychuckled. 'I'm afraid not, but I could take you out to dinner tonight, instead.'

‘Thatis not at all the same thing!' Flora said grumpily, knowing she wasbeing unreasonable.

‘No. It's better from my point of view.’

Florasuddenly felt very tired. 'Are you sure you can't come to my dinner party?'

‘Quite sure. Big meeting in Switzerland;I can't possibly miss it, or change it. I amsorry.' He paused. 'But I could takeyou out for a very nice steak and hand-cut chips.'

‘Itsounds very tempting, but I'm just too tired to go out tonight.'

‘You weren't too tired a moment ago.'

‘Iknow, but I am now. Can we do it tomorrow?’

‘What, steakand hand-cut chips? Certainly.'

‘I meant thedrink. I'm better at going out if I haven't gone home first. It's like the gym.'

‘What?'

‘Oh,never mind. Shall I meet you in the Fox and Grapes at six?’

‘Great.And I'll try and talk you into dinner, too.’

‘We'll see, shall we?’

When Florahad put the phone down she wondered if her reluctance to have dinner withHenry was her subconsciously punishing him for not coming to herdinner party. But then she decided she didn't have enoughemotional energy for a deeper relationship just now. He wasgood company, though, and it was lovely to spendtime with someone who didn't disapprove of her all the time.

Florahadn't envisaged life in the country being quite so busy,but now she was wondering how she was going to geteverything done, what with choir rehearsals, Henry, and everything that needed doingat work -which included a little lightdecorating. She did it after work one evening, very carefully.

Charlescaught her yawning, the morning after she'd stayed oninto the evening to redecorate, and said sourly, 'Henry keeping you up late, is he?’

Floradelivered a very sarcastic smile but said nothing, perverselypleased that he hadn't noticed either the repaired ceiling or the paint on hernails.

Choir hadsuddenly sprung voice tests on everyone, too.Geoffrey had to physically drag Flora to the rehearsal they were taking place in.

‘Everychoir has to do this from time to time,' he insisted. 'It's only sensible. It'll be very low key. James won'tmake you do anything terrifying, honestly’

Althoughshe wasn't asked to leave (in fact her small but tunefulvoice received a grave compliment from James),Flora's palms sweated for days afterwards, just thinking about it.

If ithadn't been for William, who had come back to his placeon the sofa, Imelda and the kittens would have almostbeen neglected. The following Friday Flora went home,planning to have a very quiet weekend - organising theroadshow all by herself on top of everything else had left her exhausted -refusing even a Sunday lunchtime drink with Henry. She woulddo a little light gardening if the weather held, lots of reading andhave plenty oflittle naps.

Geoffreyhad other ideas. He rang her up on Saturday night.

‘There's a good car-boot sale ontomorrow.'

‘Is there?' Flora said without muchenthusiasm. 'Edie and I are going and we'replanning to take you.’

‘Areyou?' Flora was still a novice at country life but even sheknew that car-boot sales started very early and thatGeoffrey would probably want to be one of the first people there.

‘Can you get here by seven? We'll go inmy car.’

Flora felteven more exhausted just thinking about it. 'Geoffrey,I'm awfully tired. I was hoping to have a lie-in. Sleep alittle,' she added, in case the concept of staying in bed wasso foreign to him that he didn't know the jargon.

‘It'sa valuable part of your training, young woman. There'll never be time for me toteach you much when there's a saleon. A car boot, a good one, is a very good place for you to get your eye in. We might even buy some things for the next auction. Make a bit ofmoney.’

Florasighed deeply. 'OK. At your house, at seven. Tomorrow. Sunday morning. When everysensible person is asleep.’

Flora wentto bed extremely early, leaving William washing updownstairs - as the weather was still fine he plannedto go and sleep in the woods later. Flora no longercared what he did. Although mostly she was gratefulfor his company and more so for his cooking, part ofher felt he had unwittingly caused her a lot of work. IfAnnabelle hadn't spotted his naked antics, Flora might notbe contemplating a dinner with a lot of people she didn't know, without a dining table.

ChapterEleven

 On Sundaymorning Flora dragged herself out of bed at sixo'clock and saw that the weather had changed. Instead ofthe misty dawns that had lit her little garden, the fieldsand woods beyond with the promise of gold, it wascloudy and looked as if it would rain. She decided to wearjeans and a pair of loafers. Car-boot sales were bound to involve a lot of walking.

‘Howare the kittens?' asked Edie, the moment she saw Flora. 'Have theyopened their eyes yet?'

‘Yes.They're quite wide open now, but to begin with they were just little black slits. The book said it would happen at about twelve days and I was terriblyworried they wouldn't open them ontime' - Flora, listening to herself,had a sudden flash of how neurotic mothers felt - 'but then I woke up one morning and there they were, squinting at me. They're very sweet. You must comeand see them.'

‘Itmust be a worry for you, having to leave them alone all day.'

‘Mm.It is a bit. But Imelda's a very good mother. She goes straight back to them the moment one of themsqueaks.' While she wasn't lying toEdie, really, she felt dishonest, andhoped, once the dinner party was over,thatshe could be more honest about William's presence and role as co-carerfor Imelda.

‘Stop gossiping,you two, and get in the car,' said Geoffrey.

‘Flora wastelling me about the kittens,' said Edie.

‘But if youwant real gossip, have you heard about theroadshow?' Flora clambered into the back of the car.

‘No. What's a roadshow?' asked Geoffrey.

‘Ican't believe Charles hasn't told you!' she said, when she'd explained. 'You're going to be one of the valuers!Charles said so.'

‘Really!I bet that didn't please her ladyship,' said Edie.

‘Well,no,' Flora admitted. 'But she did