The window was open, and the pale curtains were billowing in the breeze. Tentatively, she crossed the room to the cast-iron fireplace and, resting her hand on the mantel piece, turned to face him.
‘Very nice,’ she said
‘Interested?’
‘Yes, but er—’
‘But what?’
She bit her lip. ‘Aren’t you going to ask me for some kind of identification? Or references perhaps? I mean, I just walked in from the street. I could be anybody.’
Taken aback, he replied, ‘At some point, I suppose. Why? Do I need to check you out, is that what you’re saying?’
She shook her head. ‘I was just wondering.’
‘I’m not worried about you,’ he said, ‘so long as you understand that the people who live here, apart from myself, have all had trouble with the law and have been to prison. This is a halfway house.’
‘Yes, I got that impression. I should fit right in, then.’
Jason ran his hand through his hair. ‘I’m glad to hear it. Usually we get sent people from the Probation Service, but you’ve beat them to it.’ He closed the door. ‘If you don’t mind me asking, how did you know about the room?’
‘Winston.’
‘Ah, that figures. Anyway, let me show you the rest of the house. There’s just the four of us at the moment. Fay’s across the landing from you, and the bathroom is up here as well.’
He opened another door to show her the shared bathroom. This room he wasn’t quite so confident about. It was in dire need of replacement, but he’d been putting it off until he knew where he stood regarding the lease. The toilet had an old-fashioned porcelain cistern with a pull-cord, the claw-footed tub was stained grey-green from lime scale, and one of the brass taps in the basin dripped continuously. He stepped past her and tightened the tap.
‘It needs a firm hand,’ he explained.
‘So I see.’
He heard the laughter in her voice and wished he could explain the situation to her, but decided it could wait until another time. Chances were, she hadn’t heard of his father anyway.
Closing the bathroom door, he said, ‘Charlie has the big room on the ground floor, next to our shower room, I’m in the basement, and Lee, whom you haven’t met yet, is on the top floor. We also have a small spare room for emergencies up there.’
‘Emergencies?’
Her amusement was gone, and she was wary now.
‘People don’t usually stay here for very long. A couple of months on average. Sometimes after they’ve moved out and gone back to their friends and family, things don’t always work out. I let them stay here for a few days until they can sort something else out. I’ve never closed the door on someone who’s come back, not unless he’s given me grief. It can be a shit world out there.’
‘Yes, it can,’ she said. ‘So if I move in, Fay and I’ll be the only two people on this floor together?’
‘Does that bother you? I mean, do you feel uncomfortable sharing a floor, because I could probably persuade Lee to move down. His room isn’t as big as this one, though.’
‘No, no,’ she said quickly.
Too quickly. Alarm bells rang in his head, but she seemed so sweet and so lost that he decided to give her the benefit of the doubt.
‘It really doesn’t bother me,’ she added as if she’d read his mind. ‘Would it be okay to take a look at her room?’
He shook his head. ‘House rules, I’m afraid. We don’t enter other people’s private space without being invited. Anyone who does will be out by the end of the week. I hope it won’t be a problem for you?’
He could tell from the sudden pink spots in her cheeks that she’d caught his warning. It was the same expression she’d worn at the market, when she’d been furious with him. Jason experienced a toe-curling and gut-churning sensation of having kicked someone who was already down.
‘I was just curious,’ she said. ‘I wasn’t going to invade her privacy. I’d hate it if someone invaded mine.’
He assessed her for a moment. ‘Obviously you’ve got principles. Why do I have this feeling you haven’t been in prison?’
‘Why would I want to live in a halfway house if I hadn’t?’ she retorted.
‘You tell me. Usually principles are some of the first things people put on hold when they’re locked up. They can be difficult to find again.’
‘There’s nothing wrong with my principles.’
‘Okay, fine, no need to get on your high horse. There’s just one other thing. If you don’t mind me asking, what was your crime?’