Restoring Grace (21 page)

‘
I can just
see something,' said Ellie after a few
moments' staring. 'But hardly’

She straightened up and
handed him the glasses back.
He wasn't good-looking in the way
that Rick was, but he had an arresting quality that she acknowledged many women
would find attractive. If he weren't so utterly
terrifying, she'd consider having her affaire with him —
he certainly wouldn't be clingy and sentimental
when she
told him it was only temporary.

‘So why did you want to get involved with
picture res
toration?' he asked, continuing
the journey to the kitchen.

‘
The usual reasons. I got my degree and wanted to use
it, but
I also want to earn money'

‘
You don't
need a Fine Arts background to be a picture
restorer. A degree in
chemistry would be more useful.’

This was a rather dampening statement. 'Oh.'

‘I mean,' Randolph Frazier went on, 'if you're
going to do it remotely seriously you'd have to do a course at somewhere like
Newcastle. It's for two years and they won't let you in without a science A
level.’

Ellie didn't need her GCSE
in Maths to work out that
it would take
her a minimum of four years to get any
sort of
qualification in picture restoration and, fond as
she was of Grace, and important as she believed the paint
ings
were, it was too great a sacrifice.

‘There aren't any shorter courses, which you
could do without the A level?’

He didn't
deign to answer this. 'If you're going to do it, do it properly. How do you
like your tea?’

Ellie sighed. This whole idea was probably a
complete waste of time, but perhaps if she could get him chatting over the tea
mugs he might inadvertently give her a few hints. 'Just a drop of milk, no
sugar, thank you. So how did you get into picture restoration, then?'

‘It was different for me. I left school at
sixteen and wanted to work in the summer holidays before going to college. I
applied for a job — someone wanting just what
I
was, a completely untrained school-leaver — and got it.
I wasn't allowed
near a painting for months, but by that
time
I'd given up the notion of university and knew what
I wanted to do with
my life.'

‘Wow!'

‘I did take A levels, at evening classes, to
pacify my parents, and they were quite useful. But it's not something you can
learn in five minutes, you know.’

Ellie looked into her mug to hide her
disappointment. 'Well, of course, I didn't think you could. So how do you start
on a painting? Dust it?’

His horror made her blush. 'Certainly not!
Supposing there was some loose paint?’

Ellie blushed harder. There definitely was
loose paint on those panels. 'You mean dusting it would damage it in some way?'

‘
Of course!
You'd lose paint for ever.' He frowned. 'Why
are you looking so guilty?
You've gone bright red.'

‘I'm not! I mean, I haven't!' If only she could
tell him
about the panels, but she supposed
he was the very last
person who should know. He was bound to tell some
higher authority. 'I'm pregnant,' she added as a
diver
sion. It seemed to work.

‘Oh, I see. I suppose that does explain your
somewhat shifty manner. Not married, I assume?'

‘I don't know how you can possibly tell that!'
she protested indignantly.

‘You're not wearing a ring, and even if you're
not
seventeen, you're far too young and you
wouldn't be
doing work experience if you had a husband to help support
you. Are you really an art student?’

The bloody man could obviously read her like a
book! 'I graduated nearly four years ago, actually. I got a two-one.’

His eyebrows went up. 'So you're older than you
look. Why the interest in what I do?'

‘
I told
you!' It had seemed a perfectly good explana
tion before, why was he
questioning it? 'I want to make money out of art.'

‘Well, this isn't the way to do it. No picture
conservators are rich.'

‘
I don't need to be rich! Just earn a living!'

‘
Even that's questionable. But still, you're welcome to
work for me for nothing, for a fortnight.'

‘But it won't really be just cleaning out your
studio,
will it? What I'm really after is
some sort of training. Like
an apprenticeship.'

‘Apprenticeships last approximately seven
years. And there's something you're not telling me.’

Ellie sighed. 'There is.
Unfortunately, it's not my secret,
so I can't tell you.’

He stared at her for what
seemed like for ever. Then
he slowly nodded. 'Very well, then.
You clean out my
studio, and I'll tell you
about what I do. It is a fascinating
subject.’

He smiled again, just very
slightly, and Ellie suppressed
a sigh. He's far too old to think
about having an affaire with, she told herself as she went down the steps to
the pavement. Now concentrate!

*

While Ellie was hunting out someone to help her with
the picture restoration, Grace was
biting her own particular bullet and telephoning her sister.

‘
Oh,' said Allegra, 'I'm
glad you've rung back. The
thing is, I think I should come round and see
you.'

‘
It would be
lovely to see you.' Grace crossed her fingers
superstitiously against
the lie. 'But why don't you all come, as a family?'

‘It wouldn't be social, really. I've got this
report. From the man who came round and inspected the house?'

‘I remember.' Grace wondered if there was
anything significant in the fact that Allegra had said 'the house' instead of
'your house'.

‘
Yes. It's awfully bad news, I'm afraid.’

Grace was determined not
to let Allegra hear her heart
sink. 'Well,
couldn't you just send me a copy of the
report?
I'm sure I'll be able to understand it if I concentrate hard.'

‘I don't trust you to read it at all!' Allegra
went on, oblivious to Grace's sliver of sarcasm. 'You know what you're like
about that wretched house. You refuse to see its faults.'

‘I don't think that's true. I'm aware how cold
it is. Did
I tell you someone's given us a
Rayburn? It should make
a vast difference to the kitchen.’

A moment's silence while Allegra considered. 'I
think
that's probably quite a good idea. A
range always adds
a homely touch and some people might be put off if the
house seems too chilly.'

‘
Sorry?'

‘
Love, I know you're not going to like it, but when you
read this report, and find out how much money it's
going
to take to put it all right, you'll realise you're going to
have to sell. But don't worry,' Allegra added,
clearly
feeling she might have piled
on the agony a trifle too
much.
'There will be plenty for you to buy something
really sweet with your
share of what's left.’

Grace examined her nails
for a moment to give Allegra
the impression
she was considering what she'd said. Then
she
suppressed a sigh. 'Allegra, what makes you think I'm going to want to sell the
house this time? I haven't before when you've asked me.'

‘Because you won't be able to afford to pay for
the dry-rot treatment.’

Dry rot. Those words did
create a bit of a sense of doom.
'Oh. So how much is it?'

‘
I don't
want to discuss it now. I want to come over
and talk you through my plan. The thing is, you're never
going to be able to raise the cash to have it
done. So I can
pay, and then you can
pay me back when you've sold the
house.’

Grace nearly said: 'If you've got the money to
lend me,
couldn't I just borrow it and pay
you back as and when
I can?' But she
didn't, because she knew Allegra wouldn't
lend her the money on those
terms. 'Well, just tell me
how much it is
and then I can decide how to pay for it.
I could probably get out a
loan. The house isn't mortgaged, after all.'

‘If you do that, you'll be paying the loan back
for the
rest of your life!' Allegra sounded
irritated that Grace had
found a solution which didn't involve her so
quickly.

‘
But as I'll
also be living in my house for the rest of
my life, that wouldn't
matter,' said Grace sweetly, but actually not happy at the prospect of being in
debt for ever.

‘
Don't be
silly. I can come over now, or tomorrow night.’

Grace needed time to
think. 'I've got to go and do some
thing with
Demi now.' She crossed her fingers in the hope
that it
would prevent Allegra asking her what.

It worked. Her question was more
who.
'Demi? Your ex-stepdaughter? Why?'

‘Oh, didn't I mention it?' Grace knew very well
she hadn't mentioned it, because she knew Allegra would make the most awful
fuss. 'Demi's come to live with me for a bit.'

‘
For God's sake, why? You're hardly—'

‘
A fit person to be in charge of a teenager? That's just
what Hermia said, but Demi's miserable at home.'

‘That's ridiculous! You can't look after a
teenager on your own!'

‘
I'm not on my own. I've
got Ellie to help me.’

‘
Who's Ellie?'
Allegra's sharp tone made Grace wince. 'Oh, didn't I tell you about her? She's
another lodger.’

‘It sounds
as if you're turning the place into a doss
house!
Do the council know?'

‘
No! What business is it of theirs?'

‘
Your Council Tax! You're only paying for single
occupancy.'

‘OK then, I'll tell them. Honestly, Allegra,
why you
should object to me having a couple
of people to live with
me – women,
both of them – when you've been saying
ever
since Edward left that it is ridiculous me living in
the great big house
all on my own . .

‘
It's not the same! Having lodgers—'

‘
They are not lodgers,
exactly!' She crossed her fingers
again,
this time against the lie. 'Demi is my stepdaughter—’

‘
Not any
more.'

‘
And Ellie
is my friend. Now I do wish you'd keep
your nose out of my business!'
Allegra obviously had far too much time on her hands.

‘The dry rot is my business, especially if I have
to pay to have it fixed.'

‘But you don't
have
to pay! You can tell me how much
it'll cost and I'll pay!'

‘
You won't be able to!’

Schadenfreude
travelled
well over telephone lines, Grace
discovered.
Allegra was barely able to stop herself sound
ing smug.

‘Not if you don't tell me how much, no.' Grace
spoke calmly, as if to the slightly slow of understanding. She knew it would
madden Allegra and it did.

‘
Very well then, thirty thousand pounds!'

‘Oh my God,'
breathed Grace, unable to feign indif
ference
to mere money any more. 'How much? How can
it possibly cost all that?’

Allegra's anger turned to sympathy. 'That's why I
wanted to come and tell you in
person. I knew it would be a shock. These things just are horrifically
expensive,
and you can't not get it dealt
with, the house will crumble
away.'