The House that Florence Left (Portuguese Paradise #4)

Chapter 6

Hugo strode out of the waves, his body glistening in the sun. Pushing his hair out of his eyes he looked up and smiled, waving at Bella as she sat on the sand. ‘You should come in,’ he shouted. ‘It is beautiful.’

Bella moved towards him, unable to stop herself, drawn by his positive energy and. . . ‘Shh,’ she whispered. ‘You’ll frighten it off.’

‘Yes, shhh,’ whispered Hugo. ‘Has no one told you that silence in these situations is imperative...’

Bella opened her eyes, stuck halfway between her dream and something else entirely.

‘What?’ she said out loud, sitting up.

No one said anything. She laid back down again and glanced at the clock. It was 6.45 a.m. Eating cheese late last night had been a bad idea. Rolling over, she closed her eyes and tried to get back to sleep.

‘Can you see it?’

Opening her eyes again, Bella pulled the sheet over her head, wishing people wouldn’t talk so loudly at the bus stop early in the morning.

Then she sat bolt upright. She wasn’t in London. She was in an old farmhouse at the end of a track in the Algarve. ‘That was an actual voice, wasn’t it?’

Yin and Yang lay fast asleep at the end of the bed and didn’t reply.

‘Yes. Yes. Over there. It’s beautiful, isn’t it?’

The voice was outside the house.

Clambering out of bed, she ran downstairs, her heart racing, then grabbed a mop from the cupboard and crept to the front door just as she heard footsteps outside.

Brandishing her mop she opened the door and pulled herself to her full height, trying to look as fierce as possible, while attempting to not hyperventilate.

A man in a white hat and blue shorts was holding a pair of binoculars and staring through them at something in the distance.

Bella tried to quell the shakiness in her voice by shouting. ‘Who are you and what are you doing in my garden?’

He jumped and turned around, accompanied by disappointed chattering nearby.

‘It’s gone now.’

‘For goodness’ sake.’

‘Where do you think it’s flown to?’

‘Near Hugo’s house? He’ll never let us close.’

‘Why did you do that?’ The man with the binoculars was looking at her, his face red and angry.

Bella held the mop up as if it was a spear. ‘What? I’ve opened my front door at just after six thirty in the morning to find a load of people trespassing on my property.’

‘Your property?’ The man looked confused. ‘Nobody lives here.’

‘Clearly they do. I do.’ Bella counted the number of strangers who were standing in a cluster near the gate. There were twelve of them.

‘But Flo passed so long ago. We thought the place was empty and was going to be sold to developers.’ He took her hand and clasped it. ‘I’m so very sorry. I’m Hans Karlsson. We are the local birdwatching group.’

‘Right.’ Bella watched the others as they all bowed their heads, apparently in embarrassment.

‘There were reports of a very rare migrating bird in the area, and we tracked it to your garden.’

‘It’s gone now though. Because of the noise.’

Bella looked at the group. ‘Who said that?’ She waved the mop again. ‘You frightened the life out of me.’

They all looked at the ground again.

‘Did you know Flo?’ Hans seemed to be trying to calm the situation down.

‘I’m her great-niece. She left the property to me.’

‘Ah.’ He waved at his friends. ‘This is Flo’s great-niece. This is hers now.’

A murmur of appreciation rippled through the group.

‘This area isn’t protected but it is so close to the Alvor Estuary that sometimes we used to come and camp in the garden overnight in the spring to see what birds we could see.’

‘Oh, did you?’ Bella’s heart had stopped racing and she leaned the mop against the wall.

‘It is such a magical place. We were so worried that someone would come along and buy the land and build all over it.’

‘I’m selling the house, probably, but not to just anyone.’

‘Ah. OK — just be careful with who you deal with then.’

‘Elena did tell us we shouldn’t be here,’ a woman said loudly. ‘We should have listened.’

Hans shook his head. ‘She does tend to fuss though, so I ignored her.’

‘Well maybe next time, listen.’ The woman’s voice grew louder. ‘I only came because clever clogs here—’ she pointed at a man with a walking stick standing next to her ‘—said he was going to drive. And I didn’t want him to have another accident.’

‘I am so sorry.’ Hans sighed. ‘We get very excited sometimes.’

‘Shall we go to the estuary anyway?’ the woman suggested. ‘It’ll be awash with amateurs.’ She almost spat the words out. ‘But at least we won’t be trespassing. And the bird has gone now so it’s not worth hanging around near here.’

Everyone nodded and murmured then, at the same time, waved, turned around and walked collectively down the track.

Hans shook her hand. ‘Thank you for your understanding.’ He watched his friends go. ‘Sometimes I think we’ve been looking at wildlife for so long, we all look like a flock of birds too when we’re together.’

Bella laughed, following their progress as they disappeared around a corner. ‘It’s nice to meet you, Hans. Even if the circumstances were a little strange.’

He nodded. ‘I hope we didn’t frighten you.’ His face was serious again.

‘Not too much.’ Bella picked up the mop. ‘I’ll take this in and start the day again I think.’

Hans nodded then walked down the steps, waving as he got to the track, and followed his friends towards the beach.

A flutter of leaves and branches behind her caught her attention. A large black bird with feathers flecked with electric blue stretched its wings in a tree at the side of the house.

‘Oh hello,’ she whispered, sitting on the step. ‘Where were you hiding? Don’t worry. Your secret’s safe with me. I won’t tell them you were here.’

She looked at the light pink blossom in the tree opposite, then winced as the memory of what she’d been dreaming about came back. ‘Oh no. Oh dear. I’m due at his house at ten.’

Inside, she sat down at her computer, and calmed herself down by adding monthly electricity and water costs to her lists of financial facts and wrote: Find out how far the house is from the natural park — will this impact the value — I need to know so I know the estate agents are providing accurate valuations — to her list.

She closed the laptop, got up and made herself some breakfast, her mind now ordered and settled. Then she put her headphones on, clicked on her Portuguese language app on her phone, and listened to it while loading the dishwasher.

* * *

Bella stood next to the gate to Hugo’s house, trying to work out how to open it. Or whether she should ring a bell first. If she could actually find a bell.

‘You have to pass the test before you can go in.’ Will was ambling down the road following Deidre, who broke into a run when she noticed Bella.

‘I think I’ve failed already.’ Bella leaned down to stroke the dog, who barked happily then sat down.

‘He really should cut back that hedge.’ Will pulled away some greenery to reveal a buzzer next to a small brass bell. ‘So, in case the electricity isn’t working, just ring both.’

‘Oh, OK.’

‘If the electricity is working the gate will open automatically. If it isn’t, Handsome Hugo will meander down the track to let you in.’

Bella pushed the buzzer then rang the bell. ‘What happens if he’s not in? How long do you wait before you decide to go?’

‘How long is a piece of string?’ Will laughed. ‘Pot luck.’

‘And why Handsome Hugo?’ Bella already knew the answer but thought she should ask.

‘The obvious. And that’s what your great-aunt used to call him. Now I have to be careful that I don’t call him Handsome Hugo to his face.’

Deidre stood up and walked away.

‘It’s OK, you don’t have to wait. I have an appointment pre-booked.’ Bella tried pushing the gate. ‘I’ll ring again.’

‘Anyone been round trying to get you to sell yet?’ Will followed his dog.

‘No. Would anyone really do that?’

The gate clicked open.

‘There were certain parties getting a bit pushy not long before your aunt died. She was getting very annoyed actually. Your place is just at the edge of where the building controls start — you can’t build closer to the coast, you can’t build closer to the marshes and behind is a flood-plain. And because of the birds, the land further along is protected. It’s the perfect spot as far as some people are concerned.’ He shouted as he hurried away, ‘Just take your time and don’t let anyone pressure you.’

‘Oh... OK. Well, I only take logical and principled decisions based on a range of economic and practical factors,’ she said to his back. ‘So, no one will pressure me.’ Will had already disappeared, so the last sentence was directed into thin air.

Bella walked into the garden, shutting the gate firmly behind her and began to walk up to the house, past orange trees, three goats, a few chickens and a donkey. The house was yellow and blue, surrounded by a host of spring flowers. A cow mooed in the distance. Bella wondered how big Hugo’s place was.

A familiar-looking cat walked towards her, followed by another one. ‘What are you two doing here?’ she said, kneeling down to pet Yin and Yang.

‘They like to be around you, obviously.’ Hugo was walking down the steps towards her.

‘Lovely place you have here.’ Bella glanced around appreciatively, trying to admire Handsome Hugo in a detached way, as you would a painting, rather than wanting to run her hands through his hair, and...

She coughed and shook her head in an attempt to reconnect with her sensible self. ‘In fact, it seems perfect,’ she said loudly.

His face lit up. ‘It’s who I am. The café is what I own, and I have a manager to look after that. But this—’ he turned around in a circle, his arms outstretched ‘—this is where my heart is.’

‘ It’s... it’s...’ Bella couldn’t seem to find the words. In her head, she was rambling. You’ve got a great job, your own flat, you are a very able and competent woman. Her inner voice was sounding slightly frustrated. Now, spit it out — anything — don’t let this whole ‘Handsome Hugo’ thing get in the way. Come on. Come on...

‘Really nice,’ she said eventually, following him to the back of the house, where a grove of orange trees stretched into the distance.

‘I have a dream.’ He turned to her. ‘I want children to learn about the environment here — learning about sustainable farming, wildlife, the sea.’ He smiled. ‘It’s all here. I just need to start doing something about it.’

Bella nodded enthusiastically. ‘That sounds absolutely wonderful.’

‘Your aunt was helping me with an idea for a charity too, but...’ He looked at the floor for a moment. ‘I also want to start an agricultural collective.’ He sounded like he was forcing himself to sound bright and upbeat. ‘To supply local restaurants with seasonal vegetables and fruits.’

‘You really have a lot going on.’ Bella said, buoyed by his enthusiasm.

Hugo began to walk. ‘There is an old barn over here.’

Bella followed him through the trees to a dirty white one-storey building. ‘I just need to do something with this, make sure there’s parking for school buses and that kind of thing.’

‘So, this charity Aunt Flo was helping with?’ Bella stared at the building and tried to imagine it being used again. ‘How far along were you?’

‘Oh, well, I had drawn up plans for the building and what I would offer, and we had come up with a strategy to start raising money. We decided it would have a charitable arm, and a business arm to make money. We thought we could market that to large businesses — hospitality, tourism, maybe get small groups in to understand our land and how it works. And that could help fund the educational side of it.’

‘That sounds amazing.’ Bella smiled at him.

‘We had submitted the paperwork to give it charitable status but then when Flo died, I left it. I didn’t follow it up.’

‘That’s a pity.’ Bella thought about Flo’s house and how it had been left empty, almost frozen in time, since she’d gone. Glancing at Hugo, she realised that the charity was almost the same. ‘I’d love to see more of the land around the house.’

‘Of course.’ Hugo beamed and walked ahead. ‘Follow me. I get so carried away sometimes not everyone realises that I’m passionate rather than just going on and on and on about it.’

Bella couldn’t remember the last time she had heard the word ‘passion’. Certainly not in anything anyone said at work. A word Gino frequently used was ‘drive’, she remembered. And ‘ambition’. But never ‘passion’.

‘It’s an ambitious project.’ Hugo had stopped walking. ‘Here.’ He opened his arms expansively. Lemon trees clustered around vegetable beds covered with netting. Further away were more trees, and several water butts and a large, long greenhouse. ‘My great-grandparents on my father’s side moved here from the Azores many years ago and began to cultivate the land. A lot of what they planted is still here — although we have had to adjust over the years.’

‘I didn’t realise the area was so big.’ Bella was looking at the trees, but wanted to watch Hugo’s face, which lit up as he described his home.

‘It’s a lot of work. We also have orange trees, almonds and figs, plus beetroots, onions, cabbages and lettuces. I learned to farm from my family, to respect the land and the wildlife.’ He stopped talking. ‘It has my heart.’

Bella couldn’t speak for a moment, the only sound birdsong and sea, finally realising that when Gino had said the word ‘ambitious’ it had felt cold and hard. But she only now knew that because when Hugo uttered it, it felt full of life and fire and passion.

A car horn beeped repeatedly in the distance. They looked at each other as if they’d been woken from a dream. Hugo checked his watch. ‘Oh, Elena — my accountant — is early I think.’ He looked at Bella apologetically. ‘I’m so sorry. She’s usually late.’

‘It’s OK. I’ve got to do more research. Busy day. Lovely to see the place.’ Bella hurried after him as he walked back towards the house, the car horn continuing to beep.

‘She’s not usually this impatient. Or early.’

Bella remained silent, confused by what she was feeling. Which was quite a lot. Her rational inner voice was calmly telling her, He is undeniably attractive, and of course, a man that loves the environment, owns a café, swims in the sea all year round and does yoga on the beach would turn anyone’s head. But you’ve only just arrived in Portugal. Maybe all the men here are like that.

Her other side, the one she hadn’t seen for a while, was feeling like a teenage girl.

And this wasn’t a good idea. Bella had work to do. She couldn’t allow her head to be turned by her neighbour. She breathed in a heady mix of sand, sea and the smell of fresh oranges. This was not a smell you got in central London unless you’d bought a diffuser.

As Hugo ran up the steps to his house, Bella noticed a guitar lying next to a hammock. ‘Do you play?’ she asked.

‘I dabble. I was in a band when I was in college. But I’ve not got the time to do anything like that these days. Some mornings I pick it up, with every intention of playing something, but then just put it straight down again. Like today.’ He pressed a button and the car horn stopped beeping. ‘Gate’s open.’ He smiled at her again, his eyes crinkling at the corners.

‘Well.’ Bella held out her hand. ‘This was lovely. Brief but lovely.’

‘Maybe another time when I don’t have so many things to do in one day.’ He shook her hand and caught her eye.

Bella looked down, searching for the right words which she wanted to sound friendly, enthusiastic, yet slightly businesslike and totally devoid of any emotion or attraction.

‘Got to go. See you soon.’ She turned around and walked towards the gate, taking deep, sensible breaths.

A car sped up the drive past her and she thought she saw Will and Deidre in the back as it came to a sudden and very dramatic halt next to the house.

Elena climbed out, waving at Hugo. ‘I found this man on his knees in a ditch.’ She shouted. ‘He couldn’t stand up. And his dog was barking. I couldn’t leave him there, so I got him in my car. You’ll know what to do, won’t you Hugo?’

Bella hurried back to the house in case she could help as Hugo opened the passenger door. ‘What happened, Will?’ he said calmly. ‘Can you move?’

Deidre jumped out and started barking again, then whining, then barking, so Bella walked over and knelt down next to her. ‘It’s OK,’ she whispered. ‘We’ll sort it out. It’s fine.’

The dog sat down and sighed. Will began to speak. ‘I saw a log in the road and decided to move it out of the way, and when I was down there I saw a flyer in the ditch. So I tried to pick it up, fell in the ditch, my back seized up and my knee made a funny noise.’ His voice was strained and breathless.

‘I don’t know how I got him in the back of the car.’ Elena looked at Hugo. ‘That was the right thing to do, wasn’t it?’

Hugo smiled at her. ‘I’m sure it was, Elena. Why don’t you go into the house and get yourself some water. And bring some out for Deidre and Will too.’

‘I’ve got an airport run this afternoon.’ Will was still on all fours in the car.

‘Let’s get you to a doctor,’ said Hugo, still calm.

‘Stupid flyer,’ moaned Will. ‘I only tried to pick it up because it was asking for land. There’s a few stuck to trees along the roads nearby.’

‘Land?’ Hugo peered in the car.

‘It’s on the floor.’

Bella stood up. ‘Can I do anything to help?’

Hugo picked up the piece of paper. His face clouded over as he held it up.

Terreno procurado para potencial nova habita??o.

Remunera??o generosa

Land wanted for potential new housing.

Generous remuneration.

Call (00351) 913 213 902

Elena ran down the steps towards them with a bowl of water and a drink for Will. ‘Here.’ She tried to hand the glass to him.

‘I can’t pick it up,’ he moaned.

‘Oh...’ Elena paused for a moment, then climbed in next to him. ‘Here,’ she said gently, holding the glass to his lips. ‘It might fall on the floor, but some may get in your mouth.’

Bella noticed Hugo putting the flyer in his pocket. ‘Let’s get him to the hospital. Can you take Deidre, Bella? Elena, you can drive, and I’ll set the satnav.’ He walked back into the house, came out with his phone, put his wallet in his pocket and locked the door.

‘OK,’ Bella agreed.

Elena clambered out of the back of the car and into the driver’s seat, while Hugo got in next to her and slammed the door. ‘Just shut the gate after you and it will lock automatically,’ he shouted over the car engine.

Elena did a speedy three-point turn and drove out towards the road. The car disappeared from view and Deidre whined and looked at Bella. She realised in all the commotion she’d forgotten to ask Hugo what to do about geckos in the house. But, if she was quite honest, that was less to do with what just happened with Will and more the result of her distracting thoughts when Hugo was giving her the garden tour.

‘Well,’ Bella said. ‘Um... shall we go? For a little walk?’

Deidre’s tail wagged happily as she followed Bella down the drive and back to her house.

* * *

Bella did a sweep of the living room to check for geckos then sat down at the table and opened her laptop. Deidre lay down next to her, and the cats placed themselves either side of the computer like bookends. She clicked onto her spreadsheet, needing some order after the events of the morning.

Deidre sighed and looked up at her dolefully.

Bella looked down at the dog. ‘Oh, I haven’t got dog food. I haven’t got a lead. And I don’t know if I can leave you? I’ve never owned a dog. Please forgive me.’

Deidre’s tail wagged again as she was talking to her. Bella searched for ‘Can dogs eat cat food’ on the internet. She made sure she typed the year in afterwards to ensure the advice she got was up to date.

‘Dogs can eat cat food if absolutely necessary but it’s best to avoid making it a routine part of your dog’s diet. Dogs and cats have different nutritional requirements.’ Deciding this was the best piece of advice, she relaxed slightly, poured some water in a bowl for the dog just to feel like she was doing something, then found a Dido playlist to put on as relaxing background music and began to research prices for the selling of property. There was nothing like the Nest in the local area, so she searched for some within twenty kilometres, then for other newer ones nearby to get some kind of average.

‘Here With Me’ came to a close as Bella finished making her list, shut the laptop and stretched her arms above her head. All was in order. ‘Time for a little break,’ she announced.

The animals stirred at the sound of her voice, and all three turned their heads to the door as the bell rang.

‘Oh! That was quick,’ she told Deidre. ‘You’ll be home again almost immediately.’

Opening the door, smiling expectantly, she found Jorge instead.

‘Hello.’ He nodded. ‘My aunt sent me a message about your neighbour. And asked to check in on his dog?’ He loosened his tie. ‘One of those cold, hot, cold, hot days,’ he said. ‘Because the buzzer on your gate doesn’t work I came straight up. I hope you don’t mind.’

‘Ah. Come in.’

He followed Bella to the table where the animals were sitting patiently. ‘Does this mean that Deidre’s owner—’ she pointed at the dog ‘—is not home yet?’

He took his phone out of his pocket and read a message out loud. ‘ Please tell Bella that Will is staying in overnight. Hopefully he will be home tomorrow but will need bed rest. He has asked if she will look after Deidre until he is home. And then can she take her for walks until he is on his feet again. Please buy a collar and lead on your way there .’ Jorge looked up. ‘That last bit was for me — it’s in the car.’

‘Of course! I’ve just acquired two cats without trying. A dog won’t make much difference. They’ve already lived together at Will’s so they’ve just all moved house temporarily. Can you text her back?’ Bella poured herself a glass of water. ‘Would you like one?’

‘No, thank you — I have to go back to work, but wait.’ He scrolled down the screen. ‘Here is another message... I have told Will I will do his shopping and keep an eye on him until he is better. What a wonderful man. I’ve never been drawn to a hippie like him before. Where has he been all my life... ?’ Jorge put his hand over his mouth. ‘I do apologise.’ He tried not to laugh. ‘My aunt was recently divorced and has been on many unsuccessful dates. And sometimes she says — or texts — things before she thinks.’

Bella grinned. ‘Maybe this is the start of something wonderful.’

‘Maybe.’ Jorge smiled. ‘I will get you the collar and lead and I bought some dog food.’

‘Oh, thank goodness. I was going to give her some cat food but I suspect there may have been a fight.’

He walked down the steps to the car and Bella followed him out.

‘Here you are.’ He handed her a plastic bag. ‘I wonder. Would you like to go out for a bite to eat tomorrow night in Lagos? Strictly professional, don’t worry. I thought you may like to talk about the property market and there is a live band in town we can enjoy too.’

Strictly professional , mused Bella, thinking that getting some unbiased advice would be helpful. ‘That’s kind of you. Yes, thank you.’

‘Excellent.’ He smiled again. Bella noticed attractive boyish dimples on his cheeks. ‘I will come straight from work. Is it OK if we meet in town?’

‘Yes, that’s fine.’

‘About seven? By the carousel?’

‘I’ll be there.’

He took a card out of his wallet. ‘Here is my number in case there is a problem.’ Then he climbed in the car. ‘ Ciao. Até logo. Until later.’ He switched the engine on and drove away.

Deidre and the cats were sitting on the patio. ‘More information is always welcome, especially from an expert guide.’

The animals didn’t respond so she went back into the house. She checked her ever-growing list on the computer.

Things to do:

Find out what’s in the outbuilding — do an inventory.

Decide whether I need a skip. Where do I find a skip?

Find out what’s planted in the land around the house.

List any vegetables, fruits (useful to know for information for selling — may improve the value of the property. And in case I need to get it looked after if long-term rental is the best thing currently)

She glanced around the room again to see if there were any geckos, picked up a broom, her notepad and pen, and strode purposefully to the outbuilding, with Deidre trotting after her.

Pulling the door open slightly she peered inside. ‘There’s a lot of stuff, Deidre,’ she muttered. ‘Basically, my worst nightmare.’ She opened the door wide and fastened it to the hook on the wall, reasoning that at least when she’d cleared the place she could put it on the ‘made it better’ list. Which would make her feel better too.

Edging inside, Bella was overwhelmed by the smell of old furniture, leaves and other unidentifiable aromas. ‘Eau de musty,’ she explained to the dog, who was sniffing a green-and-yellow chest of drawers. ‘Please don’t find anything in there that’s worth smelling, Deidre.’

Clearing her throat, she scribbled on the pad:

1 x green-and-yellow chest of drawers

But the pen made a hole in the paper, so she put it on top of the chest of drawers, wrote it again, then felt something run over her left foot.

It was a very large spider, followed by several more scurrying out from under the furniture. ‘Oh, oh!’ She jumped away, knocked into the door and two geckos darted along the ceiling. Something else scuttled across the floor, which looked a little bit like a cockroach.

‘No. Nope. No.’ She turned and walked back outside. ‘I did not ask for this. I am a capable, successful career woman with a nice, plush office and people who work for me and a nice, clean flat in a nice, clean part of London. I do not want to deal with unidentifiable bugs or lizards or whatever, Auntie Flo.’ She pulled the door shut, leaned on it and sank onto the ground, staring at a stork hovering in the air in the distance. Deidre sat next to her and licked her face.

‘Thank you.’ She patted the dog’s head, stood up and went back into the house, realising she’d left her pad and paper on top of the chest of drawers, and opened her laptop. She added to her ‘Things to do’ list:

Find out how much it costs to get someone to help sort out the outbuilding.

She picked up the phone and called her mother.

‘Hi, Mum. How is everything today?’

There was a pause. ‘Your father is having a bad day, darling. Aches and pains and just very, very low. His mobility isn’t good.’ She was trying to sound upbeat, but Bella noticed the weariness in her voice.

‘Oh. Do you want me to speak to him?’ A familiar anxious knot curled its way into her stomach.

‘He’s asleep. Frustrated because he can’t write anything when he’s like this. Or get into the garden.’

‘Shall I chase up the builders about a quote for modifying downstairs again?’

‘I don’t want you to have to pay for that, darling. We could just move to a bungalow. Or a maisonette.’

‘You love that house, Mum. You love that garden. You have wonderful neighbours. I want to help you stay there.’ She realised she sounded sharper than she meant to. ‘I’m sorry. I can pay for it. It’s important.’

‘What’s the weather like over in Portugal?’ Her mother was forcing herself to sound cheerful.

‘It’s mostly warm. Occasionally wet. Sometimes windy. Sunny. Lovely. I wish you could come over to visit before I come home.’

‘I’d love to. When your dad’s improved a bit. He always does.’

‘Hopefully he’ll improve soon.’

Deidre began to run around, barking.

‘Is that a dog?’

‘Yes. My neighbour’s. I’m dog-sitting for the night.’

‘Ah... how lovely. Flo was always looking after other people’s animals. And other people.’ The doorbell rang in the background. ‘I’ve got to go. I’m doing a few hours at the shop and Miranda’s giving me a lift. Bye, darling.’

‘Bye, Mum.’ Bella ended the call and watched Deidre. A memory of her parents dancing around Flo’s garden with umbrella-filled cocktails in their hands, laughing, flitted into her mind.

Thank goodness we didn’t know then what was going to happen to us when we got home , she thought. Then she made herself write a mental list of what to get on with next.

* * *

Bella spent the afternoon measuring the swimming pool, climbing down into the leaves and other things that had gathered at the bottom, then looked at the land at the back of the house. Having realised that using the tape measure she’d found would be very challenging, she decided to take some photographs of it instead and search the web for ‘ best way to estimate the size of some land ’.

A loud bell chimed four in the distance. Bella picked up her phone and absent-mindedly called Lil.

‘You’re still in Portugal, aren’t you?’ Lil sounded confused.

‘Yes.’

‘So why are you calling? You’re on a sort of holiday.’

‘Oh God!’ Bella giggled. ‘It’s four o’clock and I always check in with the team when I’m working from home.’

‘But you’re not at work.’

Bella paused for a moment. ‘How are things without me?’

‘It’s been less than two weeks.’ Lil sounded like she was walking into a coffee shop.

‘Are you in Berger’s?’

‘Yes. Worked from eight today.’

‘How did the report go down?’

‘Bella!’ Lil said sternly. ‘You’ll be back at work soon enough.’

Bella didn’t say anything.

‘It was highly praised, if you must know. Now go and have a glass of wine or flirt with someone. Or—’ her voice rose over the chatter in the café ‘—even better, find a lovely attractive man and have a fling. Sleep with him. Have some fun. You know what that is? Fun!’

The noise in the café stopped suddenly. ‘You said that loudly, didn’t you?’ Bella bit her lip and tried not to laugh.

‘I’m going to have to get my coffee from somewhere else,’ hissed Lil to the sound of the door being pushed open. ‘And it’s your fault. For turning into a workaholic who forgets she’s on leave.’

‘You do have a point.’ Bella shook her head. ‘Pathetic.’

‘Quite. Now. Go on. Enjoy yourself. I’ve got to go — I’m going to a pole dancing lesson tonight. I’ll have a core of steel in about five years.’

‘Bye.’

‘And I don’t want to speak to you for at least two more weeks. I mean that kindly.’

‘I appreciate it.’

‘Now go away. Love you.’ Lil ended the call.

Bella stepped onto the decking, lay down and curled into an embarrassed ball. ‘I am an idiot,’ she muttered.

Then, realising that Deidre probably needed some exercise, she uncurled herself, managed to put a lead on the dog’s collar, and began her first dog walk in her entire life.

As Bella walked out through the gates onto the lane, a car pulled up next to her.

‘ Olá. ’ An elderly man with black hair flecked with grey rolled down the window.

‘ Olá. ’ Bella stopped walking.

‘I see you’ve walked down from the old house — the Nest, is that what it’s called?’

‘That’s right. Can I help you?’

‘I wondered if you know whether anyone is living there. I heard it’s been empty for a while.’

‘I’m living there at the moment.’

‘Ah, I see. I live at the other end of the Algarve and have business in Lagos. I haven’t been here for a long time so I thought I’d just take a detour for old times’ sake. And I found myself here.’

‘Old times’ sake?’ Deidre was getting restless and trying to walk away. ‘Sorry — this isn’t my dog. I haven’t stolen her — that sounds bad — I’m walking her for a neighbour.’

He smiled. ‘I won’t delay you any longer. It’s good to see that tree is still here.’ He looked up at the jacaranda, which had sprouted more purple blossom.

Bella nodded. ‘Yes, it’s beautiful.’

The man turned the engine back on. ‘Enjoy your day. Goodbye.’ He rolled up the window and drove off.

Bella watched, wondering what ‘old times’ sake’ was, but Deidre pulled so hard on the lead she nearly fell over, so she gave in and allowed the dog to take her for a walk.

Deidre headed down the lane to the beach. The sun was hanging low over the sea, casting a gold translucent light over the waves, seagulls calling to one another over the roar of the ocean. As she walked along the shore, she thought about the ever-growing list of things to think about before she even did anything. She thought of her parents, and how much it would cost to alter their house so her father could live downstairs and have some kind of quality of life. And then she thought of work. She had to start working again in a few weeks. And she had to ‘make Flo’s house better’ before she could do anything with it. How was she supposed to do all of that if she didn’t know what it meant?

She began to cry, suddenly overwhelmed, and for the third time that day, sank to the ground. ‘I must stop it.’ She gritted her teeth, wiping tears out of her eyes. ‘I am a strong and capable career woman.’

Deidre slobbered over her face.

‘I’m just tired. I am strong and I am capable.’ A large fly buzzed around and got tangled in her hair. Bella pulled at it, as it buzzed into her ear. ‘Get away! Just—’

The dog sat down and began to whine.

‘Oh, no. No — don’t do that. Please—’ Her shoulders began to shake with laughter, and sobs, and she put her head in her hands.

‘Oh dear,’ said a familiar voice gently. ‘This is a sorry scene.’

Bella opened her eyes. Hugo was crouching down next to her, smiling kindly.

‘I’ve got geckos in the house and in that outbuilding. And massive spiders. And now a fly has moved into my hair. And I don’t know how big the land is. And what is “make it better”? I mean, what is that?’ Then she realised what she’d said and stopped. ‘Please ignore that.’ She wiped her face. ‘I’m very capable, you know. I have a good job and responsibilities and I GET STUFF DONE.’ She almost shouted the last three words.

‘One or two geckos in the house are fine — they eat the bugs. I give mine names.’ He sat down next to her. ‘I popped round your house to give you an update on Will, and you weren’t there, so I thought I’d see if I could locate you on this massive beach.’

‘Oh. Thank you. How is he?’ She sniffed.

‘Out of action for a few days. Home tomorrow. Being guarded by Elena.’

‘Oh yes. Jorge told me.’

‘Jorge?’ He looked surprised.

‘Her nephew.’

‘I know. I didn’t know you knew him.’ He rubbed Deidre’s ears.

‘Elena sent him round with a lead for the dog and to ask me to look after her tonight. And assume dog-walking duties.’

‘Ah. Elena has taken a shine to Will.’ He smiled and stood up, holding out his hand to help her.

‘I suppose I’d better get back to my pet geckos.’ Bella took his hand and stood up, and as she did, saw a small white bird with a black beak hovering over the sea in front of them. It turned upside down and spun towards the water like a screwdriver, diving into the waves, then sweeping out again into the air.

‘Did you see that?’ Bella prodded Hugo’s arm.

‘I don’t think it was successful in catching its dinner on this occasion.’ He laughed. ‘There is always something to see. It is like a huge cinema screen.’

They walked back to the dunes, Deidre ambling happily next to them.

‘All of this is a lot for you all of a sudden,’ said Hugo.

‘I organise and analyse things every day for my job. I’m on top of things usually.’

‘Still. An old house in a new country and all you have to learn.’

Bella glanced at him, admiring his long, black eyelashes, and attractive stubble, fighting the urge to touch his face to find out what it felt like.

‘This small meltdown...’ She didn’t want him to think she was weak or vulnerable.

‘I won’t tell a soul.’ He smiled at her, but she looked away, unable to meet his gaze.

Someone had pinned a flyer onto a tree close to the path next to Hugo’s café. ‘What’s this?’ He took it down. ‘Ah, again.’ He showed it to her.

It was the same flyer that Will had found. ‘This is what caused Will’s accident,’ she said.

Hugo’s expression changed. ‘Money, money, money. These people aren’t ethical, I know it.’

Bella thought about her parents again. ‘It may make a big difference to someone.’

‘There are other ways.’ His voice was low. He looked at her as if he was about to say something else, but Deidre pulled on the lead.

‘I’d better go in and speak to my restaurant manager. A day off is never really a day off.’ He nodded and walked away.

Bella turned away too, allowing Deidre to pull her home.

When she got there, she itemised everything she needed to do in her diary day by day, including yoga classes, an hour here and there for rest and relaxation and leaving gaps for dog walking. ‘There you go,’ she said to Yin and Yang, who were following her up the stairs. ‘Back in control.’ Placing the diary on the bedside table, she double-checked tomorrow’s tasks.

7.30 a.m. — get up

8 a.m. — walk the dog

9 a.m. — message Will about his leg

9.30 a.m. — research how to clean swimming pool

10.30 a.m. — go for coffee at Hugo’s café and ask about what’s on that patch of land

Midday — shop for food

1 p.m. to 3 p.m. — inventory of bedroom 3. Leave bedroom 4 for later — there’s a lot in it.

3 p.m. to 4 p.m. — research charity shops and projects for possible donations

4 p.m. to 5 p.m. — start to clean bedroom 2

5 p.m. — walk the dog

6 p.m. — get ready for meal out

6.30 p.m. — drive into town to meet Jorge

‘God... not much actual house stuff,’ she muttered. She turned the page to the following day.

8 a.m. — walk the dog

9 a.m. — check in with Will about his leg

10.30 a.m. — yoga at The House on the Hill

11.45 to 2.30 p.m. — visit estate agents to gather information

3 p.m. to 4 p.m. — input information

4 p.m. to 5 p.m. — do inventory of bedroom 2

5 p.m. — walk the dog

6 p.m. onwards — RELAX

‘That’s better.’ She sighed, turned out the light, switched on the ambient rainforest noise and drifted into a listless sleep.