‘You know what they say about new houses’ Jessie’s cheeks apple as her closed lips turn up at the corners in an exaggerated grin. Her eyelashes flutter and she leans across the reception desk to complete the verbal nudge ‘New house, new baby’
Helen tries to look stern ‘We’re not ready for a baby just yet, thank you’
‘It’s about time though, isn’t it?’ Jessie bustles the length of the counter, tracking Helen walking along the other side of it ‘You’ve been married ages and my knitting needles are itching’. She comes to a halt when their paths meet at the end ‘And there is nothing worse than having itchy needles’
‘Mrs. Harris...’
‘Oooh, I love it when you get all annoyed. You haven’t done that for yonks. Do it again’
‘We won’t be moving in until most of the work has been done’ Helen says patiently, struggling not to laugh ‘That could be months away’
‘It gives you nine then, doesn’t it? You can do a lot in nine months. I’d stop with the practising if I were you and get down to doing it for real’
‘Jessie, please!’
‘It’s a blooming big house. You could do with twins...or triplets...quads if he can manage it...Get it filled up before you run out of time. Can he do quads, you reckon? He looks like he ought to be capable of them’
Helen closes her eyes and sighs ‘Did you want some help or not?’
‘You’re blushing!’ Jessie giggles ‘Does that mean he’s good at it?’
‘I really am very busy. I’ll get someone else to help you’
‘No, don’t do that’ Jessie catches hold of her wrist ‘You don’t mind if I ask stupid questions’
‘I minded you asking that one’
‘I know. I’m sorry. Never did know when to keep my gob shut. Not another word and I promise I’ll be quick. Just point me in the right direction. The man at the Family History thingy sounds very nice but he talks to me like I should know stuff already and I don’t. If I had something I could look at slowly...’
‘I think you know the basics’ Helen leads her towards the shelves against the far wall. ‘Looking for references so you can order certificates, you’ve done that already. It’s all a bit like that as far as I can tell you. One certificate might lead to another and so on’
‘Bit like a jigsaw puzzle’ Jessie nods, her smile becoming slightly anxious as they stand in front of the shelf. ‘Don’t give me anything with big words, nothing where they write with a plum in their mouth...’
Helen grins at the image her words conjure up.
‘You know what I mean’ Jessie tuts ‘I don’t like people talking down to me in real life; I’m blowed if I’ll put up with it in a book. Something simple...like me’
‘I was sorry things didn’t turn out the way you expected before’ Helen says with a gentle smile as she selects a book and flicks through it. She returns it to the shelf and takes another, leafing through more slowly.
‘Doesn’t matter. I was a bit upset at the time...but there you go’ Jessie shrugs ‘just one of those things. Is that any good?’ She cranes her neck to see ‘At least it’s not tiny writing. Have you noticed, all boring books‘ve got tiny writing?’
‘Can’t say I have’ Helen grins, turning another page ‘I think this one’s pretty straight forward. It’ll give you somewhere to start from, anyway’ she says, handing it to her ‘I take it you’re going to start on your family tree?’
‘Only thinking about it, that’s what I wanted the book for, give me a few tips, see what there is to it’ Jessie nods her thanks ‘Trying to find out about Clifford got me thinking. I’m the only one left now. The only one who might remember things.....names and birthdays and when they died. Nobody else has got it all written down, not as far as I know...And what with it soon being winter, it’ll give me something to do when I can’t get out, won’t it? I could scribble a few bits down so they find it after I’ve gone but I want to do it properly’ She clutches the book to her chest, her handbag swinging on her arm ‘Once I know what I’m on about, I might even join that society doodah’ She grins ‘If they let common people in’
Helen leans forward and whispers an aside ‘They’re not all like Mr. Wootton’
‘There couldn’t be more than one of him’ Jessie rolls her eyes ‘I couldn’t get off the blinking phone and I didn’t understand half of what he was on about!’
‘He is rather... focussed’
‘If that’s another word for being boring, you’re right’ They share a surreptitious giggle ‘Okay...’ Jessie opens her handbag to get her library card ‘I’ll let you know how I get on with this’
‘There are lots more here if you need them’ Helen smiles and starts to move away. ‘Ask anyone if I’m not here’
‘Will do...Oh...and...’ Jessie stays her with a hand to her arm ‘you won’t forget what I said about itchy needles, will you?’ she grins mischievously.
The Village Library
Chapter Forty
Brendon End, Woodbury
‘Are you in?’ Ingrid calls from the patio and starts to make her way towards Jonathan across the lawn ‘Hell-o-o!’
Jonathan, sensing rather than hearing her, turns his head.
‘I didn’t know if you’d still be at work’ she says and makes her way across the lawn.
He thrusts the garden fork into the soil and pulls his IPod from his ears, pushing the buds and the leads into his pocket. Smiling as he walks to meet her, he wipes his hands on the seat of his jeans and retrieves his tee shirt from the handle of the wheelbarrow and pulls it on. ‘H-hot work’ he says, muddying his forehead when he mops the sweat from it ‘H-have you come for the pasting table?’ he asks, stepping round her as though intending to fetch it.
‘No’ she stops him ‘We don’t need it back yet awhile. You keep it until you’ve finished with it altogether, we’re not doing anything ’
‘Oh...yes...okay then....thank you’ he looks momentarily undecided as to what to do next ‘N-nice to see you’
‘The garden’s looking good’ Ingrid shields her eyes from the sun as she takes it all in. ‘Huge!’
‘It is’ Jonathan agrees ‘I like b-being out here...b-but I’ve b-been thinking it might b-be too much f-for me to manage’ he takes a breath ‘on m-my own’
‘What are you doing now’ Ingrid stands with one hand on her hip and the other still at her forehead ‘a bit of redesigning?’
‘Wh-hat I thought was....’ he says, looking animated and starting back to where he was digging ‘If I extend these two b-beds here and b-bring them round’ his arms wave as he illustrates his idea ‘Leave a p-path through...th-then...’
‘You cut the lawn in half’
‘P-p-p-p... exactly’ He makes a hissing sound as sweat runs into his eyes and he lifts the hem of his tee shirt to wipe his face ‘S-sorry’ he apologises, covering himself again.
‘Don’t apologise on my account’ Ingrid’s eyes flick wide and she grins.
‘And...’ Jonathan continues; with a self-conscious smile but otherwise unsure how to reply ‘if I have a few shrubs or tall p-plants at the b-back...’
‘Nobody will notice if you don’t keep the far end as tidy as the front’
‘I think I’m t-trying to t-tell you something you’ve guessed already’
‘It’s certainly lovely’ she says, walking between where she envisages the beds will be ‘You’re not going to make the veggie patch any bigger?’
‘There is only s-so m-many vegetables one person can eat’ Jonathan shrugs regretfully and walks alongside her ‘I thought...m-maybe...later on...’ He dips his head and turns a sideways smile ‘when I get more time’ the smile widens to a rueful grin and he points out the plot ‘I might b-bring that... this way...and make a wild garden right across the b-back...You know...m-meadow grass and w-w-wild flowers’
‘You don’t sound too sure that’s what you want to do’ she says, looking at him.
He sighs ‘S-someone in the office said it would b-be making more work than I s-save. It’s not just a c-case of throwing seed all over the p-place’
‘But beautiful all the same, I think it’s a great idea’ Ingrid folds her arms, leaning back on one foot and half closing her eyes while she imagines it finished. ‘Photos at every stage, I presume?’ she blinks slowly.
For a short while, Jonathan stands with his mouth opening and closing while his face turns a deep shade of scarlet. ‘Oh, God’ he groans ‘Th-that’s what all this is ab-bout, isn’t it? N-n-not a s-s-social c-call after all. She t-t-told you’
‘Alright, calm down...this is me; no guns about my person and I paid too much for my manicure to scratch your eyes out...but I have to ask. You understand?’ she says, her manner friendly but her voice growing more serious ‘Ros was spooked, you must know that’
He pushes a hand through his hair, spreading more mud over his forehead ‘O-of c-course I d-do’ he says in a whisper, barely able to get the words out. ‘B-b-but I th-thought w-we’d s-sorted it out, s-she w-was f-fine when s-she left here’
‘She had chance to think afterwards’ Ingrid lights a cigarette and inhales deeply, letting the smoke out through her nose. ‘I would’ve said I knew you...but maybe I don’t. You’ve got to admit it’s a bit....odd’
‘I c-can see how it would c-come across that way’ Jonathan looks contrite ‘I h-haven’t taken a photograph since’
‘It’s only been three days!’ Ingrid cannot help but laugh ‘..... Less than that’
‘I use my c-camera all the t-time’ he lifts his head ‘I b-bought myself one... I c-could afford a good one once I s-sold the house. I take pictures of everything...anything that t-takes my eye...All s-sorts of things’
‘Not just young women?’
‘Absolutely anything‘he smiles, then the implication registers and he looks appalled ‘W-w-what exactly are you s-saying?’ he asks slowly ‘Are you s-saying what I think you’re saying?’ His speech improves as shock turns to disbelief when she makes no attempt to deny it. ‘I take a f-few photographs of Rosalyn and you think I’m warped? I took photographs of Rosalyn for the same reason as I t-t-took them of....’ he stutters as he tries to think of another example, his arms waving as he looks about him ‘that rose!’ he points ‘It’s nice, it makes a good picture. I’ve got photos of that from the m-moment it started to b-bud to how you see it now. That makes me a nerd, a geek and p-pretty bloody p-pathetic but I am NOT someone who p-preys on women!’
‘But if you’d shared them...told her what you were doing.... and I’d understand it a bit better if you and her were going out but plastering your wall with them...well, that smacks of something different doesn’t it and you can see why she...’
He stops her with a stare ‘She was fine!’ he starts to walk away, shaking his head. ‘I can’t believe that’s what you think me capable of and I certainly can’t b-believe you’re here asking’
‘Jonathan...I...’
Both hands lift and rigid with suppressed anger, he brings them down to slap the air. ‘Don’t talk to me, Ingrid, just don’t b-bloody talk to me’ He lengthens his stride as she hurries after him.
‘Surely you can see why I had to check it out?’ she tries to placate him ‘She was worried enough to tell me about it. She wanted some reassurance...You imagine how I would’ve felt if I’d told her not to be so daft and...’
‘And what?’ he swings round, his face flooded with an expression of injured incredulity ‘I’d attacked her?’ Taking a deep breath through his nose, he steadies himself and his voice ‘I counted you as a friend, I c-counted all of you as friends. I c-could no more hurt her than...than....f-f-fly!’
He strides into the house, slamming the door behind him.
‘Damn and bugger it!’ Ingrid mutters as she hears the key turn in the lock.
