Without trust there was nothing. And that was what she had. Nothing.
With a throat full of dust and desperate for a cup of tea, she plugged in the electric kettle. It blew a fuse. She mended it with the wire and screwdriver she’d brought with her. Next job, lighting the ancient solid fuel range cooker...
By the time she’d got it going, she was coated in smoke and black dust and more cobwebs from the fuel store, her knuckles were sore and she was seriously considering her mother’s suggestion of an alternative career in the confectionery business.
Unfortunately, having spent the previous night emailing individual invitations to the open house and afternoon tea—spiced with the painting of the house and extracts from the history as attachments—to everyone she could think of, partners and children included since it was the weekend, any career change would have to be put on hold until she’d shifted two years’ worth of dust.
The first job was the fridge. She washed it down, then switched it on. Another fuse blew, tripping all the electrics for the second time.
This time she went through them all, changing the wire in three that looked a bit dodgy. That done, she toured the house again, checking every light switch. The last thing she needed was to have them go pop when it was dark.
It was dark by the time she’d wiped down the last surface in the scullery. She picked up the bowl of water to tip down the sink and then screamed as she caught sight of a face in the window, slopping water down her filthy jeans and over her shoes in the process. Belatedly realising that it was her own face, smudged with coal dust, she laughed a little shakily. Then a second face appeared beside it.
This time the scream wouldn’t come.
She opened her mouth, but her throat was stuffed with rocks and no sound emerged, even when the back door opened and a black-clad figure put his head around the door.
‘Sorry, miss, I didn’t mean to startle you.’
It was the security guard who’d tried to move them on.
‘Mr Hadley called the office to tell us you’d be here and asked if I would look in on you and check that you were all right. He thought you’d be easier if it was someone you knew by sight.’
Since the rocks were taking their time to budge, she tipped the remaining water down the sink.
He shrugged awkwardly. ‘I’m sorry about the other day.’
‘No problem... Just doing your job... I’m fine,’ she said, sounding unconvincing even to herself. ‘Would you like a cup of tea?’ she offered, peeling off her rubber gloves and squelching her way into the now gleaming kitchen.
‘I can do better than that,’ he said, placing a carrier on the table from which emerged the mouth-watering scent of hot fried food and the sharpness of vinegar.
Until that moment she hadn’t thought of food but, suddenly assailed by sharp pangs of hunger, she said, ‘Please tell me that’s fish and chips.’
He grinned. ‘Mr Hadley thought you might be glad of something hot to eat.’
Darius... Her heart, just about back to normal, missed a beat. She’d said she didn’t know him, but it seemed that he knew her.
‘There appear to be two lots,’ she said, peering into the carrier.
‘Well, I haven’t had my supper yet. I was going to have it in the van, but why don’t I put the kettle on while you dry off?’