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

say it would make Geoffrey better value for money and that we probablywouldn't get many people. I think we might, though.I've already got Virginia's daughter to put an ad on the web somehow, as well as to make us a website of ourown.'

‘Hm. I expect that's a good idea,' saidGeoffrey, sounding dubious.

‘Oh,it is. Trust me. And can you stop at a cashpoint machine? I need somemoney if I'm going to buy anything.’

Floratapped in her pin number and waited for a balance,trying to remember which day of the month her tenantspaid their rent. She had deliberately made it a fewdays before her standing order to her parents went out.When her balance came up on the screen she frowned anddecided she needed to have it printed. Apparentlyshe was within a whisker of exceeding her overdraftlimit. How had that happened when she had hardly had a moment to breathe, letalone spend money? Aware of Geoffrey andEdie waiting for her in the car, shecouldn't make major financial decisions immediately, and just took out the thirty pounds that she hadleft before incurring massivecharges. When the ATM obligingly gaveFlora her card back, she murmured a heartfelt 'Thank you' under her breath. Only when she was confronted by the news in print did she rememberhow near her limit she had been whenshe first came down here. Thatlittle spending spree with Annabelle had taken her dangerously near theedge of poverty.

She gotback in the car with a sunny smile to cover her dismay.Then she started making frantic plans and rejectingthem all, equally frantically. The first, to find somethingwonderful for nothing at the car-boot sale and put itinto the next auction was fine, except there wasn't asale for some time. It was a long-term plan. Putting upthe rent on her flat didn't seem like an option, either.Emptying the contents of the holiday cottage and taking it along to thecar-boot sale to see how much she could get for it wouldn't work becauseshe couldn't fit itall in the Land-Rover and the stuff was mostly Annabelle's anyway. Her last idea, which seemed the most impossible, the most unacceptable, wasapparently her only option. She wouldhave to ask Charles for the wages shewould have earned had she really been an office assistant. He'd said himself that they were crap, butthey would have to do.

If itwasn't for the dinner party, she wouldn't have been so worried. Flora bit herlip. 'I wonder if Mum's got a recipe for rabbit she could giveme?' she wondered aloud.

‘What'sthat, dear?' asked Edie from the front of the car. 'Did you saysomething?'

‘No,nothing really. I was just wondering how far away we were.'

‘Not long now. You don't feel sick, doyou?’

Flora did,a bit, but she didn't think it was anything to do withthe motion of the car. 'I'm fine,' she said breezily, feeling anything but.

*

'It'sobviously a popular boot sale,' said Geoffrey as they glided to ahalt behind the last car in a long string of traffic.'The change in the weather hasn't put people off.'

‘It's notactually raining,' said Edie. 'That does deter them a bit.'

‘Well,I hope it's not all just housewives clearing out their bits and pieces,'said Geoffrey.

‘What's wrong with that?' asked Flora.

‘Nothingwrong with it in itself,' Geoffrey amended, sensing Flora's defence of people wanting to declutter. 'But they tend to have modern stuff, not anythingwith any antique value. You want the small-time dealers for that, people whopick stuff up at jumble sales for a few pennies and are happy to sell iton for a couple of pounds.’

Ediesighed. 'Geoffrey says all these programmes about antiques are spoiling it forthe professionals. Everyoneknows to look on the bottom of things to check for hallmarks and makers' names.’

As thosevery programmes were the source of what little knowledge Flora had, she didn'treply.

Theairfield was already bustling with activity by the time theyhad finally parked the car and walked the long distance towhere the action was. 'We have to be methodical,' saidGeoffrey. 'Make sure we visit every stall.'

‘Good thingI put on comfortable shoes,' muttered Flora,suddenly wishing she could go back to bed.

The firststall they reached was a burger van selling coffee and tea as well as hot food.

‘Let'shave a cup of tea now,' said Edie. 'We can drink it while we look.’

Geoffreyshook his head. 'You can't have a good root through a box if you're holding a cup ofcoffee.'

‘Well,Flora and I will have a cup and you can do what you think best. I know I need a cup of something.’

Geoffreymade a growling noise, but when Edie got to thefront of the queue and looked enquiringly at him, he nodded.Flora was very grateful for her cup of tea. Heranxiety about money was colouring her enjoyment of the day out, and she hoped the teamight help.

‘Nowcome along, Flora,' said Geoffrey, halfway down his cup of tea. 'You'rehere for your education.’

Flora wandered over to where acheerful-looking woman stood behind a tableselling, among other things, a climbing frame and a skateboard. Reluctantly,Geoffrey followed.

‘Thoseramekin dishes look useful,' she said to him. 'Ten pence each,' said the womanquickly. 'There are six.'

‘Sixtypence for six ramekin dishes!' said Flora, fishing for her purse.'That's a bargain!'

‘Whatdo you want those for?' asked Geoffrey 'You can't sell them on at theauction.'

‘Iknow, but I've got people coming to dinner. Almost anything looks better in a little dish, doesn'tit, Edie?’

Edie wasinspecting an electric grilling machine advertised by a boxer and didn't answer.

‘Well,I like food in proper dishes,' grumbled Geoffrey, and moved on.

Flora paidfor the dishes, put them in her bag and hurried to catch Geoffrey up. Alreadyshe was feeling better as her first little hit of retail therapytook effect.

Then shespotted the most wonderful teapot. She'd almostforgotten about her collection of novelty teapots, whichshe'd started when she was twelve, and now rarelyadded to. But this was perfect! It was supposed to be aball of wool. A coil of it was used to form a base for thepot, the handle was the sleeve of a half-knitted jumper,and the spout was the other half. It was studded withkittens, clawing their way over the wool in a way that wasso delightfully vulgar Flora knew that money