The Perfect Match (7 page)

Satisfied the house would sell easily once it no longer stank of damp and cat pee, she drove back to the office, glad that she’d got to know Jim. Before she arrived at the estate agency Nevil used to get tenders from builders, which took ages, as most of the jobs were very small. But Bella came across Jim when he was doing work for Alice, made him her friend, and had given him all the work since.

She was annoyed that he knew about her and Nevil though, because Nevil had been so adamant that no one should. Bella didn’t like having to keep secrets, and yet somehow she seemed to have a few of them herself.

She hadn’t mentioned Dominic’s reappearance in the area to Nevil, because she felt it wasn’t absolutely necessary. In the same way, while she had told him she’d left her hometown because of a man, she hadn’t given him any details. She was grateful now that Nevil hadn’t pressed her for them, possibly sensing she didn’t want to talk about it.

So, when they met up this evening, while she’d tell him that Mrs Macey had agreed to do a few things to fix up her house, she wouldn’t add that she, Bella, was taking Mrs Macey to her daughter’s while the work was done. Or that, if she possibly could, Bella would help Jim with the work, to make it cheaper for Mrs Macey and so she could ‘play house’ with this ‘undiscovered gem’.

‘Where is the property again?’ he asked when she got back to the office.

Bella felt he should know this, but told him anyway.

‘Ah . . .’ he said.

‘Ah what?’

‘Nothing! At least, nothing I can tell you about now.’

‘Maybe this evening?’ asked Bella. Nevil might be too busy to tell her everything this minute, but they were having dinner together later. Plenty of time to talk then.

‘
I DON’T UNDERSTAND
why he can’t pick you up,’ said Alice, as Bella got into her car that evening. ‘Why should you both have to stay sober?’

‘We’re not eating that locally, is why. Nevil wants to try this place over beyond Gloucester. And it’s good for me to stay sober. I don’t mind. Have a nice evening!’

As Bella drove away she realised she didn’t know what Alice’s plans were. She didn’t have her gardening clothes on, so maybe she was going out? She felt now that she should have asked, but she’d been preoccupied by what Nevil might want to talk to her about.

The restaurant was right on the river and specialised in fish. It was reached via a very long muddy lane – such a long lane, Bella discovered when she got out of the car, that it wasn’t on mains drainage. Had it not been for her job, she might not have recognised the slightly sweet smell as being ‘eau de septic tank’, but it registered instantly. There were downsides to knowing things, she realised as she burrowed for her smarter shoes in the passenger well and put them on. Then she went into the restaurant.

She found Nevil in the bar with his briefcase open, examining some papers. He put the papers in the case as she approached, got up and kissed her cheek. ‘You look nice. Have you eaten here before? The fish is excellent.’

Bella kissed him back. She didn’t much like fish, and as they’d started going out soon after she’d arrived, she thought he might have known it was unlikely she’d been to this restaurant before. ‘Hello, Nevil,’ she said.

‘Shall we go straight through to the table? I don’t want to be late as I’ve got some things to do afterwards.’

‘Not just a quick drink first? The view from here is so lovely.’ She wasn’t sure it was lovely but it was certainly dramatic. The Severn seemed as wide as the sea and the light on the water gave it an unearthly look.

‘The view from the dining room is pretty much the same. We’ve got a window table. Thank you!’ he said to the waitress. ‘We’ll go through now if the table is ready.’

‘Fine,’ said the young woman. ‘If you’d like to follow me.’

When they were settled at their table, and Bella had confirmed that the view wasn’t quite as good as from the bar, the waitress said, ‘Would you like something to drink?’

‘Yes,’ said Nevil, ‘I’ll have a glass of wine. Do you want one, Bells? Or would you rather have something soft? Elderflower? Cranberry?’

‘I’d like a glass of white wine and a glass of sparkling water, in two separate glasses, please,’ she said to the waitress.

‘Oh, fine,’ said Nevil, a bit surprised. ‘Can we get some menus?’

When their drinks and menus arrived, Bella had a large sip of her wine. She savoured it and then topped up her glass with sparkling water. As Nevil hadn’t bothered with a toast she didn’t feel obliged to. He also kept the waitress so she could take their order.

‘Bells? What are you going to have?’

Bella would have liked a bit longer to look, but just went for the non-fish options. ‘I’ll have the chicken liver pâté, then the steak, medium rare, new potatoes and salad,’ she said briskly.

‘Oh, don’t have the pâté, it’s terribly fattening,’ said Nevil.

Bella gave him a questioning look and said smoothly, ‘That’s all right. I’m not on a diet.’

‘But, darling, you want to look good in your wedding dress. She’ll have the smoked salmon.’

Bella wondered if she was going to faint for a moment. ‘I’ll have the pâté,’ she said firmly, wishing she hadn’t added water to her wine already.

Nevil shrugged. ‘You’ll regret it later!’ Then he went on to give his own order. ‘You look a bit taken aback, sweetie,’ he said when the waitress had gone away. ‘I suppose I should have told you in a different way but we know each other too well to have to worry about the niceties, don’t we?’

Bella felt you could know someone a lifetime and you’d still need to have this spelt out. Had he just proposed marriage? She had no idea how to answer him. ‘Um . . .’

‘It makes sense, doesn’t it?’ Nevil continued. ‘We were going to move in together anyway, my parents loved you that weekend when I took you down. If we got married – say next year – we’d have time to get established before your biological clock starts ticking and we have a child.’

Bella sipped her drink, partly to give herself time to think what to say, and partly because her mouth had gone dry with shock.

‘You’re all right about this, aren’t you?’ said Nevil. ‘I know I kind of assumed . . .’

‘It is a bit of a surprise.’ And she couldn’t decide if it was a good surprise or a bad one.

‘Oh.’ Nevil seemed crestfallen. ‘Sorry, I just thought . . .’ He paused. ‘Maybe I didn’t think!’

Bella felt a rush of compassion. She put her hand on his. ‘Now I know what you have in mind, I’ll consider it.’ She gave him her fondest smile, not sure if she meant it or not.

‘We’ve got lots of time to think about it. The venue I have in mind is booked up until this time next year anyway.’

‘This is a lot to take in.’

‘Of course. You’ll have to tell your parents, and break it to Alice – although you say she’ll be all right?’

‘It’s not just those things . . .’

‘But we have plenty of time.’ He grinned and she smiled again, still totally at a loss.

At that moment, to Bella’s relief, their starters arrived, which absolved her of having to say anything for a few minutes. Nevil seemed unaware of just how much of a bombshell he had dropped.

The moment the food was in front of them, Nevil started shovelling up his whitebait. ‘This is jolly good!’

Bella nodded and spread some pâté on a bit of toast.

‘Toast?’ he said. ‘Carbs? Still, I’ll let you off this once. Plenty of time to get you into shape after all.’ Another batch of tiny fish went into his mouth. ‘I think we’ll agree we don’t want you looking like a meringue. Just something very simple and stylish.’

Bella couldn’t believe he was talking about her wedding dress, when she hadn’t actually agreed to marry him. Teasing, she said, ‘Actually, I think I’d like a crinoline, with lots of beading, like on that programme about gypsy weddings?’

He was so stunned that she got another generously laden bit of toast into her mouth before he realised she was joking. ‘You are a one, Bells! Now, tell me, how did you get on with Mrs Macey?’

So relieved to get off the subject of her notional wedding dress, Bella was enthusiastic. ‘Oh, brilliant! She’s going to stay with her daughter while the work’s going on. We’re going to rip out the kitchen and the carpets. I might ask Jim if he could skim the Artex although he may not need to do that. And then I think a very simple look for the kitchen.’

‘You’re going to leave it with no kitchen?’ Nevil frowned. ‘Kitchens sell houses, you know that.’

‘I do know that,’ said Bella. ‘But they don’t have to be fitted, do they? Mrs Macey’s is crying out for something really basic but lovely. Just the cooker that’s in there, the Belfast sink, a table and chairs and her old dresser. With the geraniums on the window sill it’ll look like something out of the Flopsy Bunnies. You know? Those lovely Beatrix Potter pictures?’

Nevil shook his head and scooped up the rest of his fish. ‘Honestly, Bells, I know you’re brilliant at your job, it’s one of the reasons I want you to be my wife – we make a good team – but I do think you’re a little bit barking.’

Bella put down her toast, her appetite suddenly gone. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to marry Nevil, but what was the alternative? If she turned him down she might have to leave and start a new life all over again. Did she really want to do that? Couldn’t she live in peace a little bit longer?

At least she didn’t have to make any decisions immediately. Nevil just assumed she’d go along with it. She could do that, for a bit, anyway.

As Bella drove back down the muddy lane a few hours later, away from the river and towards the main road, she realised that because of Nevil’s announcement that they were getting married, she had completely forgotten to ask him about all this work he was getting Jim to do, and his mysterious phone call that she couldn’t listen to. He usually asked her to get Jim in for things, as he reckoned Jim gave her a better price, and he didn’t often keep a dog and bark himself, as he so flatteringly put it. So what was it he wanted him to do?

And unless it had been a personal call – what sort of personal call would be private to her? – it was a business one, so why wouldn’t he want her to overhear that? It was all a bit of a mystery.

In fact, Bella thought, as she turned onto the main road, the whole evening had been very unsettling indeed.

THE FOLLOWING MORNING
Alice was standing by the kettle looking oddly guilty when Bella came into the kitchen.

‘You’re up early!’ she said.

Bella yawned. ‘I finally gave up trying to go back to sleep. Then I heard you.’

Alice smiled and got out mugs. ‘So what kept you awake?’

Bella rubbed her hair vigorously, trying to get her brain to work. ‘The fact that Nevil and I are apparently getting married.’

‘Good God!’ said Alice, spinning round. ‘Did he propose, then?’

‘Not really.’ Bella sighed deeply. ‘He just sort of announced it.’ She sat down at the table. Talking to Alice about it would help sort out her thoughts. ‘He implied he was giving me plenty of time to get off those extra pounds.’

‘What extra pounds?’

‘I’m not sure. But he thinks I’ve plumped up a bit.’

‘Well, he’s wrong. For God’s sake! You’re not going to marry a man who says you’re fat when you’re not, are you?’

‘No! I mean, no . . .’ Bella laughed at her own vehemence. ‘He was probably only joking. I’m sure he doesn’t really think I’m fat.’

Alice pursed her lips. Bella knew she was deliberately not expressing her opinion. Alice had never said she didn’t like Nevil much but Bella knew it perfectly well.

‘I know you’ll think I’m a wuss but I need to think about this.’

‘Because?’

‘Because I love my life here. If I turn Nevil down, I’d have to leave the agency.’

‘There are other estate agencies.’

‘Yes, but I do get away with things with Nevil – I mean workwise. He knows I sometimes do little makeovers to help sell houses, and although he tells me off, he lets me do it. I need time to make a plan really. I don’t want to start all over again, like I did before, unless I absolutely have to.’ She realised she sounded pathetic, as if she was asking Alice’s permission to stay with Nevil, but what she said was true.

‘So does he think you are going to marry him?’

Bella nodded. ‘I said I needed time but, quite honestly, I’m sure he just thinks I’m being coy about it. But as he didn’t really ask, I don’t have to say yes or no.’ And I could do worse, she added silently, knowing Alice wouldn’t approve of compromise.

‘Thinking about things is almost always a good idea.’

‘That’s what I felt,’ said Bella, but she did feel a bit guilty. She should have told Nevil it was too soon for her but hadn’t – for her own convenience. ‘And what were you up to last night? I forgot to ask,’ she said, changing the subject.

‘Book group,’ said Alice promptly.

‘Oh. Did you like the book?’

Alice shook her head. ‘Not awfully. Everyone else liked it but I thought it was rather dull and couldn’t wait to get home. And then everyone started banging on about the “five point two diet” or whatever it is. Apparently it’s the cure for everything.’

Bella frowned slightly. There was undoubtedly something odd about Alice.

‘Oh!’ said Alice. ‘I forgot to say. There was a phone call for you. Jane Langley.’

Bella was suddenly worried. ‘Is she all right?’

‘Oh yes, she sounded fine, but she said would you call round when you’ve got a moment.’

Bella retrieved her phone from where it was recharging on the dresser, and then went to her diary to check that day’s appointments. ‘I’ve got quite a lot on today. But I’ve got a couple of viewings tomorrow that aren’t too far from her; I could call in afterwards. I’ll ring her.’ She frowned. ‘You don’t think Dominic will be there, do you? During the day? He’ll be doing his lawyer thing in the office, surely.’

‘Oh yes. Lawyers never bunk off early from the office,’ Alice agreed.

‘You’re an expert on lawyers?’

Alice nodded. ‘One of my many skills.’

After Bella had gone to work, Alice went back up to her study and checked her emails – again. She hadn’t admitted to Bella that the reason she’d been so keen to get home from book group was so she could see if Michael had replied to her last email. And although it was quite unreasonable – she’d only sent it just before she left – she couldn’t help feeling disappointed that he hadn’t.