The House that Florence Left (Portuguese Paradise #4)

Chapter 4

The House on the Hill stood just back from the road, perched above Lagos and the long, curved sands of Meia Praia beach. Bella drove into the car park and got out of the car, rolling her shoulders to try to get rid of the ache in her neck that had worsened overnight.

A small dark-haired woman in an expensive suit scurried down the steps, waving goodbye to someone inside. ‘I have an appointment with a client in an hour,’ she was saying. ‘I probably shouldn’t have come to the class.’

A woman of a similar age to Bella followed her. Bella admired her long, wavy, lustrous red hair, absent-mindedly touching her own, remembering that she hadn’t had time for a visit to the hairdresser because she had been so busy making all the preparations to travel to Portugal.

‘The meditation class is supposed to make you less stressed, not more, Elena.’ The woman’s voice was soft and calm and measured.

‘Maybe I’ll come to an evening next time. It’s not relaxing having to bring my work clothes with me to change. I’m always in a hurry.’ The woman climbed into her car. ‘Tell Minnie and Ignacio that I’m going to Rio Formosa for some birdwatching on Friday if they want to join me.’

‘I didn’t know they had started birdwatching.’

‘They haven’t. But if I keep asking, I will wear them down.’ The woman chuckled, then closed the door and turned the engine on.

The lady with red hair turned her attention to Bella. ‘Hello. I’m Layla Garcia. Is this your first visit to the House on the Hill?’

‘I’m here for the advanced Ashtanga Yoga. Bella Creswell. Did I hear your friend say Ignacio?’

‘Yes — he teaches here. And welcome!’ Layla beamed at her. ‘It’s in Studio One. If you follow me, I’ll show you.’

The House on the Hill smelled of patchouli and lavender. Bella felt like she’d just opened her eyes after a particularly relaxing massage. ‘What a lovely building,’ she said, admiring the cool, grey-tiled floor and the plants dotted artfully around the hallway and up the staircase.

‘Thank you. It belonged to my grandparents. I live here actually — most of the time. My partner Luke lives next door so when he’s around I sometimes live there too.’

‘It’s a beautiful setting.’ Bella glanced around as some Latin music began to pump from another room, before the door was slammed firmly shut.

‘Zumba class.’ Layla smiled. ‘So, are you on holiday or a resident?’

‘I’ve just inherited a house from my great-aunt, Florence Creswell, so I’m over for a little while to sort it out.’

‘Flo?’ Layla touched her arm. ‘We were all so sad when she died. She used to come here every week.’

Ignacio strode out of the yoga studio. He was dressed in cream sweatpants and a T-shirt with a small the House on the Hill logo on the collar.

‘Ignacio. This is Bella. Flo’s niece. She’s inherited her house.’

Ignacio grasped her hands. ‘Welcome, Bella. How lovely to see you again! I’m glad you chose us for your yoga and mindfulness. Your great-aunt would have recommended us anyway, so...’ He trailed off.

‘I’m sure she would have.’ Bella didn’t know what else to say.

‘Have you fallen in love with your great-aunt’s house and decided to live here now?’ His eyes lit up.

Bella shook her head, smiling. ‘No — I’m going to sell it. I can work remotely for a few months if need be while I sort it out, but I’m not staying.’

‘You won’t have any problem selling. Or even renting.’ An older woman with cropped white hair tinged with pink highlights rolled out into the hallway on a swivel chair from another room.

‘Minnie. This is Bella, Flo’s niece. And this is Minnie, my aunt.’

‘Nice to meet you.’ Bella smiled again, wondering if she was the only person in Lagos who didn’t know her Great-Aunt Flo very well. ‘I haven’t spoken to any agents yet about it. I’ve only been here a few days.’

‘Well, available land is being snapped up. I’ll bet you get some developers after you for that. They used to plague Flo.’ A phone rang in the office. Minnie ignored it. ‘A house in only half an acre of land a few doors from Elena has been bought and they are building three luxury homes on it. Can you believe it!’

She rolled back into the office as Ignacio nodded gravely. ‘They should be building affordable homes, you know. Or at least not just luxury villas worth millions of euros. I believe it’s important to bring investment in, but people are being priced out of the area. It is a conundrum.’

The main door opened behind them and Layla’s face lit up. ‘Hugo! Do you need any help?’

‘Yes please — I’ve got three more crates in the van.’

Bella turned around. Hugo stood in the doorway, carrying a box of oranges and wearing long grey shorts and a grey baseball cap. Sunlight flooded in behind him, framing his body in a glow. She remembered opening her eyes and seeing his face backlit after falling over the first time she met him and felt her face go a little red.

‘Can someone help me carry them to the kitchen? I’ve got another delivery along the beach and I’m running late.’

‘I’ve got ten minutes before class.’ Ignacio walked over to him and took the crate. ‘You get the others to the door, and I’ll take them in.’

‘Have you met your new neighbour yet?’ Layla pointed at Bella. ‘Flo’s great-niece!’

‘Ah.’ He looked surprised. ‘Yes, we have. I hope you dried off quickly last night.’

‘I did. And had a very hot shower. Thank you.’

‘Good.’ He paused for a moment as Ignacio opened a door at the back of the hall. ‘Better get going.’ Hugo nodded and rushed outside.

‘Lovely man.’ Layla whispered to Bella.

Minnie poked her head around the office door. ‘What were you two up to last night that you needed to dry off AND have a hot shower?’ She raised her eyebrows.

Bella laughed, slightly embarrassed as Ignacio walked back through from the kitchen. ‘Nothing — I’ve literally been here for less than a week. I don’t move that fast.’ She felt her face redden again.

‘Ah, so you like him then?’ Minnie smiled at her mischievously.

‘I haven’t even thought about it.’ Bella said a bit louder than she intended.

‘Don’t be embarrassed. Everyone likes Hugo.’ Layla touched her arm. ‘It would be unusual if you didn’t. Shall I show you to the room, even if it’s just to get away from these two?’

Bella nodded gratefully, glad to get away, because, they were all right, she did find him attractive. But the last thing she wanted was a flirtation with her great-aunt’s next-door neighbour. It would just complicate things.

Layla opened the door. ‘Actually, if you’re on your own, we are all heading down to Hugo’s this evening to celebrate Ignacio’s birthday. It’ll be at seven, and you’re more than welcome to join us. Any friend — or relative — of Flo’s is part of the family.’

‘Oh.’ Bella hesitated for a moment before deciding she would be better off out of the house than sitting in it alone with only her racing mind for company as she wondered what bit of the house to deal with next. ‘Thank you. It is very quiet there at night. I lived in the middle of London and the silence is, in my opinion, much less relaxing than police sirens and screaming. So, a bit of company would be nice.’

‘Do you dance at all?’ Layla turned the light on in the studio, picked up a bottle of lavender essence and sprayed it around the room.

‘Around my handbag?’ Bella said uncertainly.

‘We’ve got a DJ booked. Minnie rather likes to trip the light fantastic — salsa and tango-wise anyway. But you can just listen if you don’t want to dance.’

Bella felt herself relax a smidgen. She hadn’t realised she’d been so tense until she’d sensed the tiny releases of negative energy triggered by the most unexpected things — the cats, for one. The running through the rain on the beach. And now this.

‘I need to get going on that spreadsheet as soon as possible.’

‘Spreadsheet?’ Layla pushed her long hair behind her ears.

‘Did I say that out loud? I like things to be ordered. How I file my research. I’m a financial markets researcher in the city. And I’ve not done it for a few days, so I feel I’m drifting a bit.’

‘Oh. I LOVE lists!’ Layla laughed gleefully as another pupil pushed the door open and walked in.

Bella’s phone pinged in her bag, so she took it out and checked it. ‘At last,’ she said. ‘My internet is being connected tomorrow. Normal life can return, as can all the information about Flo’s house I emailed myself before I came out!’

‘Hello, all!’ Ignacio banged the door open and strode inside. ‘The class will start in ten minutes. In the meantime, grab a yoga mat from the store over there and get yourselves comfortable. And—’ he picked up a remote control and pointed at the sound system ‘—remember this...’

‘Special’ by Lizzo began to blast around the room.

Layla raised her eyebrows. ‘He likes to start his classes by playing uplifting music with a strong message. This one mainly for the past two months.’ She laughed. ‘Better go. Hopefully see you this evening.’

* * *

Feeling refreshed and slightly more relaxed after the class, Bella drove into town to have a look in some estate agents’ windows. She crossed the road along the river and studied the photos of properties on sale in the window of the first one she saw — a mix of luxury villas, traditional cottages and high-spec apartments. None looked quite like the Nest. Hovering in the doorway, she decided not to go in, telling herself that once she’d got going on the spreadsheet again, she would have all the right information to ask the correct questions in order to get even more information.

A clock struck eleven in the distance, and she decided to stay for a while, because, she reasoned, when she got back to the house, she would need to get back to work, and her muscles were clearly grateful for the relaxing yoga class, so why upset them again so quickly?

Turning right away from the main road, Bella walked past a low, white abandoned building covered in artwork, the beginnings of orange bougainvillea starting to bloom through the almost non-existent roof, then rejoined the avenida next to the petrol station and looked around. Which way next? she thought. Up the steep, cobbled street on my right or carry on along to where the road climbs up the hill. And why can’t I make up my mind?

Noticing a woman coming out of a shop eating what looked like a pastel de nata she decided to get one for herself and went inside, scanning the others in the display case.

‘I’ll have a pastel de nata , and... one of those.’ She pointed at another cake.

‘The orange roll?’ the woman asked.

‘Yes please.’ Bella smiled.

‘It’s warmer today,’ the woman behind the counter said, picking up the cakes and putting them in the bag. ‘I think it’ll be colder and wetter for the next day or so. But we need the rain. You never know at this time of the year. It can be hot, it can be cold, it can be wet, it can be dry, it can be windy.’ She laughed. ‘Sometimes all in one day.’

She put the bag on the counter and tapped the prices into the till.

‘It’s really lovely whatever the weather.’ The sight of the cakes had put Bella in a better mood.

‘It is. Soon it will be very hot, and all the visitors will come.’ The lady pointed at the numbers on the till. ‘Cash or card?’

‘Card.’ Bella waved her phone at the card machine. ‘Thank you,’ she said. ‘What is that in Portuguese?’

‘ Obrigada. ’

‘ Obrigada ,’ repeated Bella.

‘ Até a próxima vez. ’ The woman smiled. ‘Until the next time.’

‘ Até a próxima vez. ’ Bella waved at her from the doorway, stepped onto the street and took a bite out of the pastry.

Her focus would come back once the internet was connected and she could compile her lists, she resolved, heading across the road to enjoy the breeze, then striding westwards towards the tiny fort at the head of the river. She took another bite of the pastry and wondered if, actually, her focus would come back if she just ate more cake and therefore more sugar.

And then she stopped. You’re ambling , her inner voice whispered.

‘No,’ she announced to the empty path in front of her. ‘I’m doing some research.’

* * *

The man from the telecoms company arrived at 2 p.m. and left at two thirty, after which Bella took her laptop from its case, plugged it in, and connected it to the internet. She almost leaped to her feet when she clicked on Google and didn’t get a little circle going round and round slowly and endlessly.

‘Right.’ She rubbed her hands together as the cats jumped onto the table and watched her log onto her emails, find the one she’d sent herself with the spreadsheet called ‘ Great-Aunt Flo’s House’ , and download it. Taking a deep breath, she opened it, feeling she was welcoming an old, familiar and very sensible and focused friend into the house. She opened the section labelled ‘ SELLING ’.

There were three tabs named ‘ POSITIVE ’, ‘ NEGATIVE ’ and ‘ TO DO ’. Under ‘ POSITIVE ’, she had written: House owned completely by me — no mortgage.

Next to that were other subheadings named ‘ Financial ’, ‘ Legal ’, ‘ Quality of House ’, ‘ Quality of Land ’. In the section called ‘ RENTING LONG-TERM — BACKUP PLAN ONLY ’, there were three tabs named ‘ POSITIVE ’, ‘ NEGATIVE ’ and ‘ TO DO ’. Under ‘ POSITIVE ’ she had written: House owned completely by me — no mortgage.

Next to that were other subheadings named ‘ Financial ’, ‘ Legal ’, ‘ Quality of House ’, ‘ Quality of Land ’. Bella liked her spreadsheets to look exactly the same so she could compare her notes easily.

Yin or Yang stretched, putting a paw onto the keyboard. Bella scratched the cat’s ear and gently moved it away. ‘Where shall I put you?’ she said gently.

She filled in the positive sections in the general sections under both renting and selling and wrote: Cats — what will happen if other people live here — will they stay, will they be welcome?

She looked at it for a moment, decided it didn’t make sense, so added another tab labelled ‘ Miscellaneous ’ and added the cats to that.

‘I’ll work it out,’ she muttered, opening the other section titled ‘ Things to do ’, then closed it again quickly. ‘Later.’ She shut the laptop and stood, deciding it was time to get ready for her impromptu night out. ‘Better than staying in with all this noisy silence!’ she told the cats.

* * *

She stared at herself in the bathroom mirror, mentally adding giving it a good clean to her to-do list as she rubbed a clear patch in the middle with her fingers. Her hair looked lank and lifeless, and her eyebrows needed some care and attention too. She sighed, wondering whether she could be bothered to go out, as it was obvious she needed more than twenty minutes to look like she belonged at any kind of celebration at all.

Rummaging around her make-up bag, she pulled out her tweezers and plucked her eyebrows, then put on her make-up. Pulling her hands through her hair, she tried to make it look a little fuller and less flat, then attempted to cover the clear patch on the mirror with dust and stared at herself again. Much better , she thought, as she could barely see herself through the dirt.

She put on a long blue jersey dress, sensible black shoes and a patterned silk scarf, walked downstairs, found a torch in a kitchen drawer in case she needed to light the way along the lane, and grabbed her bag. She opened the door and stopped, catching a glimpse of herself in the small mirror in the living room. ‘I can’t go out with this hair. I just can’t,’ she announced to Yin and Yang, who were now fast asleep on the sofa, then ran back upstairs and searched through her luggage for something to tie her hair back with. Moving on to the chest of drawers in case she’d already unpacked something and put it away, she pulled out the bottom drawer and noticed a little yellow velvet bag. It wasn’t hers.

She opened it, deciding that as it was Flo’s she would have to investigate its contents anyway. Inside were some bright and colourful necklaces, bracelets and decorated hair bands. Bella smiled, feeling as if she’d accidentally bumped into Great-Aunt Flo.

Picking out a bright blue Alice band, she could almost see Flo standing in the middle of a room surrounded by people, pushing her back to that holiday again. Flo had stood in front of a large mirror in the spare bedroom, twirling around in a blue dress with a wide white petticoat underneath, swishing it to and fro, laughing while Bella sat on the bed watching her, longing to twirl around in a swishy dress too. ‘Here you are.’ Flo had handed her a pink Alice band ‘—you’re a bit small to wear my clothes, but try this.’

Bella had jumped off the bed and taken it. ‘Thanks, Auntie Flo,’ she’d said, putting it on and standing next to her aunt in front of the mirror.

‘I think we’re ready to go out now. Your mum and dad are waiting downstairs, and I think your father is hungry. Grumpy hungry. And so, we have to hurry so we can make sure he gets food in his tummy.’ Flo had rubbed her stomach and licked her lips.

Bella had squealed in delight, and Flo had adjusted the hairband on her great-niece’s head. ‘There you are. Perfect.’

Bella touched her hair, back in the present, wondering which long-forgotten memories would arrive out of nowhere next.

An old photograph pushed to the back of the drawer caught her attention as she put the velvet bag back where she’d found it. She pulled it out of the drawer gently and examined it. It was a photograph of Flo and a handsome man with jet-black hair. They were standing under the tree next to the gate outside the house, gazing into each other’s eyes and laughing. Bella smiled. Flo looked so happy. She turned the photo over. On the back, her aunt had written, Me and F. Our special place .

She put it back where she’d found it, deciding sorting through old photographs and knick-knacks was not at the top of her list of things to do, and walked into another bedroom to find the mirror, put the band on her head, fiddled with her hair for a moment and went back down the stairs.

Outside, the moon hung in the distance, casting a shimmering glow over the trees, the only sound the constant roar of the sea. Switching on her torch she headed down the track to the lane, pausing under the jacaranda tree next to the gate. Tall bushes and tree branches blocked the moonlight so she looked steadily at the floor as she walked to make sure she didn’t trip over, still not at ease with the lack of people, traffic and sound of sirens.

As she got closer to the beach, the sound of laughter and music grew louder. The car park was full, and Bella stood for a moment, mesmerised, as she watched the movement and blur of colour inside.

Ignacio waved at her and weaved his way to the entrance to beckon her in. ‘You came!’ he shouted. ‘Come on. I’ll introduce you to everyone. Well, not everyone. I don’t know everyone. I told people to bring one friend each. So, some I don’t and some I do.’

He took Bella’s hand and guided her in as the music changed to the conga, and several people jumped to their feet.

‘Oh, this is a bit early in the night for this,’ he shouted, as he got swept away. Bella stood watching the line snake around the room until someone grabbed her and latched her onto the back. She laughed, surprised, and giggled as Layla and Minnie jumped up behind her and joined in.

Dancing past the kitchen, she locked eyes briefly with Hugo, who was standing in the doorway holding two trays, calmly waiting for the conga to finish trailing past. Something close to a smile flickered across his face. Bella decided he had a nice smile, even though it lasted for less than a second, and wondered what he would look like if he was laughing.

And then the music stopped.

‘Come and join us over here.’ Layla sat down and patted a chair next to her.

‘This is Elena, our accountant, and Jorge, her nephew, who’s in finance.’

They both said hello as she sat down.

‘Over here is Duarte da Silva — family friend.’

‘Hello.’ Duarte leaned forward. ‘You are Florence’s great-niece?’

‘Yes, I am.’ Bella was expecting him to ask if she was going to sell the property or say something about selling the land.

But he didn’t. ‘Wonderful woman. Sorely missed. How are you finding The Nest?’

Julian the quiet waiter placed a drink in front of her. ‘Everyone gets a free copo de vinho verde ,’ he mumbled, then walked off.

‘Thank you.’ Bella looked back at Duarte. ‘I’ve only been here a few days. But it’s lovely so far. Needs a bit of TLC.’

‘I’m sure you’ll give it what it needs.’ He picked up his drink. ‘Here’s to Flo, and here’s to you, Bella.’

‘A toast to better times for the Nest,’ said Layla, and they all picked up their glasses and took a sip, then put them down.

‘Your aunt was very interested in my Living Statue charity festival.’ Duarte leaned forward and smiled.

‘I think she was just being polite.’ Minnie turned to Bella. ‘She was very kind and empathetic. And,’ she said more quietly, ‘understood Duarte’s — how shall I describe it — need to constantly have new things to aim for. He basically has what is known as ants in his pants.’

‘I heard that, Minnie.’ He laughed so loudly, everyone grinned. ‘She said it was an excellent idea. She and Hugo were setting up a charity and I said this would be a good way of raising money and awareness.’ Duarte picked up his phone and scrolled through the photographs. ‘Very left field, she said.’ He held up a picture so Bella could see. ‘I’m planning on doing it next year. In the meantime, I’m honing my craft.’

‘Oh.’ Bella studied the photo. He was posing on a plinth in a black Elvis wig.

‘I’m practising his dance — you know, the swivel-hips one — for when people put coins in the hat.’ Duarte smiled.

‘I thought you were focusing on producing films?’ Minnie nudged him playfully. ‘Or is this the general life of a billionaire, one passion after another?’

‘Films take a long time. I’m doing this to give myself a creative boost in the meantime. And take the stress away from my property portfolio. And as for the record company,well...’ He closed his eyes for a moment and rubbed his temple. ‘I donate a lot of money to charity, but I also take the coins people put in my hat and take them to the soup kitchen or the charity shop.’ He looked over at Hugo. ‘The charity Flo was working with Hugo on was for children from deprived areas of some of our cities to get experience in environmental work.’ He put his phone down. ‘It all got paused when she died. I think she helped encourage him along and he’s lost momentum. We all did. Maybe by next year he will have regained his motivation.’ He turned back to Bella. ‘I hope you will come to the event. It will be all day.’

‘I won’t be here next year, I’m afraid. I’ve got a lot of commitments at home — work, my parents — so I’ll be back to my London life by then.’

He patted her hand kindly. ‘Everyone says that.’

Elena put her drink down just as the DJ put on ‘Oye Cómo Va’.

‘Ah a cha cha cha,’ she said, standing up. ‘May I borrow Ignacio, Minnie?’

‘Go ahead.’ Minnie leaned back in her chair and took another drink. ‘I do love this place.’ She glanced at Hugo, who was leaning by the bar watching the party. ‘And Hugo. He needs someone new in his life. Honestly, the irony of who his ex went to work for.’ Bella felt herself being scrutinised. ‘He needs a wonderful woman who isn’t prone to deceit or unkindness.’

Bella’s mind was racing with questions, but Jorge stood up before she could ask any. ‘Would you like to dance?’ He held his hand out to her.

Ignacio and Elena cha-cha’d past. ‘I can’t dance like them. But I’d like a dance.’

‘No one can dance like them!’ Jorge laughed. ‘Let’s just move around in time to the music and hope for the best.’

Bella nodded and took his hand. ‘Thank you. It’s nice to let my hair down a bit — it’s been a while!’

For the next hour she managed to relax, enjoying the atmosphere and getting to know Flo’s friends better. When the music changed to ‘I’ve Had the Time of My Life’, the whole room almost erupted into mass singing and dancing. Everyone stood up, and Minnie and Ignacio appeared to be channelling their inner Baby and Johnny. Minnie made a run at Ignacio, who dodged out of the way rather than catching her and holding her above his head. They both doubled up in laughter, and Bella began to laugh too. Then out of nowhere, a wave of tiredness swept over her. She put a hand over her mouth so no one could see her yawn and decided to slip out quietly. She picked up her bag and walked towards the door, waving goodbye to the people who had been sitting around her.

The breeze caught her as she stepped outside, a wave of salt, sand and fresh, clear air washing over her. The moon had inched behind the clouds, leaving a few stars twinkling in the gaps between them, briefly bright in the looming darkness. She watched the white crust on the crashing waves thundering onto the beach, and thought about what she would normally be doing on a Wednesday night in April. Watching passers-by on the street below is what, she realised, wondering what the man in the blue bobble hat who walked his dog past her flat every night at eight thirty was listening to on his headphones, or the lady who nipped to the convenience store opposite like clockwork at 9 p.m. every day of the week would be buying today — a bottle of milk, several bags of crisps, or a box of wine.

A blast of ‘Despacito’ burst out of the bar as the door opened behind her and was muted as it banged shut.

‘Can I drive you home?’ It was Jorge. ‘The streetlights stop well before the lane to your great-aunt’s house. I mean your house.’

‘Oh. It’s fine, thank you. The walk will do me good.’

‘Not if you fall in a pothole in the dark — the track is a challenge to walk on, isn’t it?’

Bella hesitated, then gave in. ‘Yes, you know. You’re right. That’s really kind of you.’

He smiled and pulled his hand through his wavy fair hair. ‘I didn’t know your aunt but from what I hear she would have wanted us to look after you.’

She climbed in and did up her seat belt.

‘I have only been here a few months. My aunt Elena knew someone who was looking for a financial expert and I decided I wanted a change from Lisbon.’ He started the car and began to drive. ‘So if you need any advice before deciding what you need to do regarding the house, just ask. Portuguese law is different from UK law in these things probably. I’m happy to give you some pointers.’ He shook his head. ‘At least you’ll have an idea before you get involved with solicitors and paying them for advice!’

‘Oh.’ Bella smiled at him. ‘Thank you. Haven’t quite hit the ground running on that. Thought I would.’ Her voice trailed off.

‘You have been here less than a week.’

‘I suppose.’

‘And given the time it took to sort out your great-aunt’s affairs, you have only very recently found out about this new responsibility?’

‘Yes.’ Bella glanced at him, warming to his kind face and comforting voice.

‘Here we are.’ He turned right into the lane and slowed as he drove down the track to the house and up the driveway. ‘I want to protect the suspension.’ He laughed.

Another thing to think about , thought Bella. The state of the car...

‘I know a few parties who would be interested in buying. So, if and when you’re ready, I can put you in touch with them.’

He stopped the car outside the Nest. It was pitch black except for the light the car headlights threw out onto the ground, illuminating the few steps to the front door.

‘I forgot to put the light on inside before I left.’ Bella sighed, getting her keys out of her bag. ‘I live in the centre of London and it is never ever completely dark.

‘There are probably security lights. ’ Jorge got out of the car and walked around to open her door. ‘The switch is probably in the utility room. Just check through the instructions on how to use them in the welcome pack Ignacio gave you.’

‘Right!’ Bella got out and held her hand. ‘Thank you.’

He kissed her on both cheeks. ‘This is Portugal,’ he said. ‘No handshakes necessary between friends.’

‘Of course. I’ll get used to it.’ She walked to the door. He got back in the car and drove away, waving, once she’d opened it and turned on the porch light.

‘Nice man,’ she told Yin and Yang, who wandered over to greet her. ‘Now to bed in my very quiet house.’

Pouring herself a glass of water she leaned against the sink, the silence almost deafening, interrupted only by the ticking of the clock on the kitchen wall and the roar of the waves. An animal squealed outside.

‘Oh...’ She shivered, looking at her phone and taking it to the living room. She sat for a few minutes trying to reconnect it to the internet, put on an ambient natural rainforest soundtrack to cover the quiet and occasional real natural noise outside and stood up. As she did, she noticed something scurrying up the wall behind the chest of drawers and leaped to her feet, screaming.

‘What are you?’ she shouted, rushing into the utility room and grabbing a broom, which she held in front of her, ready to deal with whatever was hiding in the living room. The cats watched her disinterestedly, then ambled out into the kitchen. A gecko ran along the wall and disappeared behind a clock.

‘Geckos in the house!’ She turned to the cats, who were sitting by their bowls. ‘What do I do?’ She looked at the wall again and saw another, smaller one scurrying down to the chest of drawers. She froze, her heart thumping, wondering whether there were any more hiding in any other rooms.

She stood with the broom in her hand pointing at the wall for a minute or so, unsure of how long she should stand guard. Feeling exhausted, she decided to take refuge in her bed and deal with her new guests in the morning. So she ran up the stairs, still carrying the broom, pulled the bedsheets open to check there was nothing there, knocked the wall a few times with the broom, cleaned her teeth very, very quickly, and climbed into bed, wrapping herself up in the sheets as protection.