The House that Florence Left (Portuguese Paradise #4)

Chapter 7

Can I see her? I’m missing her.

Will’s text had arrived before Bella had messaged him. She checked the time. It was just past 7 a.m.

I’ll bring her round after her walk. What time suits you?

As soon as possible. Elena and Jorge moved a bed from my spare room into the living room, so I’ve been watching rubbish tv since 5.30 a.m.!

I’ll be there around 8.

She climbed out of bed and nearly tripped over Deidre who was sleeping in the doorway to her bedroom. Yin and Yang were basking in the sun on the landing, stretching slowly as they heard her move.

‘We’re on, Deidre,’ Bella whispered. The dog’s tail started to wag, and she clambered to her feet, following Bella down the stairs to the kitchen. She fed the animals, went back upstairs to the shower, got dressed, ate some fruit outside on the patio, had a drink of water, and put the lead on Deidre. She was on lesson five on the app — O Restaurant .

‘I have a reservation. Eu tenho uma reserva. Repeat.’

‘ Eu tenho uma reserva ,’ she said, but as she stepped outside, decided to listen to the waves and birdsong instead.

The early-morning air was laced with the scent of orange blossom and sea, a riot of colourful wildflowers bursting out of the verges at the side of the road. Bella walked hurriedly down to the beach. ‘Just a quick bit of exercise before you see Will,’ she told Deidre.

The dog barked and pulled on the lead just as Bella got to the top of one of the dunes. Hugo was standing on one leg near the shore in what she assumed was a tree pose. She paused for a moment, with one leg pointing towards him, the other almost at a right angle ready to take her the other way.

She checked her watch and decided that as a chat with him was on her to-do list for tomorrow, she’d walk away along the lagoon instead of the beach. He put his leg down and stretched his arms up above his head, before beginning another sun salutation. Bella’s head told her to move, but her feet remained firmly rooted to the spot, until Deidre pulled her again. ‘Sorry,’ she muttered, allowing the dog to take her in the opposite direction.

‘I need to be disciplined,’ she explained to the dog, who had begun to sniff under a bush. ‘The out-of-office is on for now, but I’m still very much at work as far as the house is concerned.’

Deidre sat down and looked up at her.

‘So, I’ve drifted enough. Back to being organised. And that also means listening to my Portuguese lessons instead of birds.’

The dog barked. ‘Glad you understand. Come on.’ Bella strode off, away from the dunes, determined to stick to her timetable for the day.

Deidre whined excitedly as Bella rang the bell at the gate to Will’s house.

‘I’ve got a dog that’s really pleased to see you,’ she told the intercom. The gate clicked open, and she took off the lead and watched her bound over to the house.

‘The front door’s open,’ shouted Will from inside as Deidre disappeared from view.

Bella walked up the pathway to the little white cottage, its windowsills decorated with terracotta pots bursting with deep red and orange flowers dotted along the covered terrace.

‘What a lovely home you have.’ She stepped inside.

Will was sitting up in a bed that had been placed in the middle of the living room, with a small table next to it that had a bottle of water, a glass and a packet of biscuits on it.

Deidre was licking his face. Will was laughing. ‘Ha. Lovely to have you home, my girl.’ He rubbed the dog’s ears. ‘Thanks for looking after her. I was surprised how much I missed her last night.’

‘She’s very good company. How are you today?’

‘Well, dosed up to the eyeballs with painkillers, so quite happy at the moment.’

‘Do you need me to get you anything from the kitchen?’

Deidre ran around the room excitedly.

‘I’m all right, thank you. Elena is coming round later apparently. She feels very responsible. Even though I was already in the ditch when she drove past.’ He laughed again.

‘Do you want me to take Deidre, or leave her here?’

‘Can you leave her here? There’s dog food in the cupboard. Can you put some out for her? And I don’t want to impose, but can you pop round and take her for a walk later?’

‘It’s no imposition.’ Bella went into the kitchen and spooned the dog food into a dish.

‘We have only just met though.’

‘Ah, you were a friend of Flo’s so...’

Deidre ate her second breakfast of the day.

‘I hope I’m not laid up for too long. I rely on those airport pick-ups to top up my pension. And I can’t do any odd jobs for a while either. Another income stream suspended.’ He closed his eyes.

‘I’m sure you’ll be better in no time.’ Bella put her upbeat voice on.

‘Hello! Hello!’ Elena strode into the house carrying a bag of shopping. ‘Hello, Bella. And hello, Will. How is my patient today?’

‘I’m not really your patient, Elena.’ Will smiled. ‘You really don’t have to keep popping in.’

‘Oh but I do.’ She took the bag into the kitchen. ‘I rescheduled my appointment with Hugo and he lives so close I thought I’d come round and make sure you’re comfortable.’ She smoothed her pleated yellow skirt down self-consciously. ‘I bought this yesterday. It’s not too informal for an accountancy meeting, is it?’ she asked Bella.

‘No. It’s lovely. Very bright.’ Bella checked her watch. ‘I’d better go.’ She backed out of the room. ‘I’ll be back around five to take Deidre for her walk.’

She turned and walked down the drive, just as Elena laughed loudly and slightly skittishly. ‘Right.’ She checked the calendar on her phone so she could feel a sense of achievement at completing the dog-walking task that was on there.

* * *

Bella focused on cleaning and clearing the house for the rest of the day, took Deidre for her second walk and, by the time she arrived in the centre of Lagos that evening, she was feeling quite satisfied with her progress.

Jorge waved at her as she approached the carousel opposite the river, children squealing happily as it turned. Stalls were set up next to the shops and a band was playing ‘I’ve Got a Feeling’ on trumpets and drums next to the statue.

‘Hello. There’s a festival this evening, so everywhere is busy.’ Jorge put his phone in his pocket and smiled.

‘It looks like fun. Flo’s house is very quiet at night.’

‘Well, Lagos is anything but quiet when things like this are going on.’ The band began to play ‘Uptown Funk’, and Bella’s step lightened as she walked next to him along the cobbles.

He leaned towards her. ‘I hope you like fish, because I’ve booked a nice, relaxed restaurant that specialises in cataplana — fish stew. You don’t have to have it, but it’s good.’

‘I do like fish.’

‘Good. But I just have to pop into this shop for a new mobile phone case. It will only take a moment. Is that OK?’

‘Absolutely fine.’ Bella lingered near the toy section at the front. A clockwork crab was inching sideways along the floor, and a flower peeping out of a flowerpot was repeating what a little girl was saying to it.

‘ Olá ,’ squealed the girl.

‘ Olá ,’ said the flower after a moment.

‘ Chamo-me Justina ,’ giggled the girl.

‘ Chamo-me Justina ,’ the flower repeated.

Bella stood in front of a stork with a pink head. ‘ Olá ,’ she said quietly.

‘ Olá ,’ replied the stork. The little girl chuckled at her, and Bella beamed back.

‘This shop is so full of silly rubbish, isn’t it?’ Jorge muttered under his breath. ‘But it is good for other things like umbrellas and phone cases, you know, practical things.’ He checked his watch as they walked out. ‘I’ve made us late. So sorry. It’s not far.’

Bella almost had to break into a trot to keep up with Jorge’s long strides. They turned left at the green-tiled building then right into a narrow street flanked with shops on one side and restaurants on the other, the tables on the pavement full of diners chatting and laughing, the low buzz of conversation accompanied by a woman playing ‘Simply the Best’ on a violin outside an ice cream shop.

A family was ambling slowly in front of them, and lingered at the corner, where a living statue of John Travolta had begun to move to ‘Night Fever’. Bella briefly lost sight of Jorge and spun around trying to find him.

‘Bella,’ said the statue.

She looked up, confused.

‘It’s me — Duarte da Silva.’ He gyrated to the music as she tried to remember who he was.

‘Ah,’ she said eventually.

‘It’s me, the Duarte you met at Hugo’s restaurant.’

‘Of course. You really are a living statue?’

‘Today I am. I like the challenge. I decided to be John Travolta this time.’ The music stopped and some children put a few coins in a hat he’d placed on the floor. ‘You’re the one that I want.’ He stated. ‘No... wrong film... Look Who’s Talking .’ He frowned, frustrated. ‘What does he say in Saturday Night Fever ?’

‘I don’t know.’ Bella shook her head, giggling. ‘I don’t think living statues say anything.’

‘Oh.’ He shook his hips. ‘I am trying to give it more depth.’

‘I’ll check.’ She took her phone out of her bag and scrolled through Saturday Night Fever quotes. ‘Um.’ She looked up at him. ‘I think the content is a bit too adult for a living statue. Maybe if you had a late-night living statue event you could use some quotes. But—’ she put the phone away ‘living statues in my experience don’t say anything.’

‘Bella!’ She heard her voice again. Jorge was waving from the other side of the street.

Duarte raised his eyebrow. ‘That’s my Tony Curtis impression. The raised eyebrow, I mean. So, you have started seeing Jorge?’

‘No. This is a business dinner. He’s telling me about the property market and what I need to do.’

‘Aha. Remember the heat and sun here plays havoc with people’s judgement.’ The music stopped and he got off the plinth. He touched the side of his nose. ‘Business meeting.’ Then he winked and picked up the hat. ‘I think I’m going to have to find a better patch.’

‘I’d better go.’ Bella touched his arm. ‘That was surprising. A new experience for me. I’ve never spoken to a living statue before. Bye now.’ She pushed her way gently through the crowd towards Jorge.

* * *

‘So, there’s a place in Cascais where the cataplana is cooked in wine and cream. It’s very high-end.’ Jorge was spooning some potatoes from a copper pot onto his plate. ‘This is more rustic. Just as nice. But—’ he picked up his knife and fork ‘—my dream is to live by the sea in Cascais and to eat rich cataplana whenever I want.’

‘Cascais?’ Bella smiled as his face became animated.

‘I would also have a weekday flat in Lisbon. That’s where I’m from originally. On the outskirts. I’d live in Lapa perhaps. In that part of Lisbon there is a lot of money.’

‘I’ll have to visit sometime. So, your ambition is to... ?’

‘Be rich!’ He laughed. ‘I am very ambitious. I feel you are the same. It’s a good thing isn’t it. How are you finding the cataplana?’

Bella spooned some more onto her plate. ‘It’s delicious. I love the way it’s cooked. It has a real sense of occasion.’

‘I expect your great-aunt has a cataplana pot in the kitchen. You can try to cook it yourself.’

Bella shook her head. ‘Oh, no. Cooking is not my best subject. I keep it simple. I don’t really have much time, to be honest. You know how it is. Work takes up a lot of my time.’

‘Mine too.’ He leaned forward. ‘I have dreams of a better life and I have to just get my head down and make it happen.’

‘I feel like that too.’ Bella took a bite of some fish. ‘Mmmm, lovely.’

‘So, I have many contacts I can introduce you to. The market is good whether you want to sell or rent. Or the land itself — there’s enough there for several houses or just one very big one.’

‘The land for redevelopment thing?’ Bella paused. ‘I’m not sure about that. I think that selling the house is probably the way to go. Although, if renting for a while is more cost effective that might have to happen. But there’s a cost to my time that I have to factor in, so it’s a last and temporary resort really.’

Jorge beamed at her. ‘Wow. You are really doing this properly.’

‘It’s part of my job. Gathering information in order to make a rational and well-thought-out decision.’

‘Exactly the right person to deal with Florence’s house.’ He spooned some more fish stew onto his plate.

‘The “make it better” clause in the will is a bit difficult to measure.’

Jorge looked back up at her. ‘Surely that’s just clean it and mend things?’

Bella’s stomach fluttered uncomfortably. ‘I can’t work with that kind of vagueness. I hate to say it, given I’m all about facts and figures — I just have a sense there’s more to it.’

‘You’ll know when it’s better.’ He smiled again.

Bella smiled back, recognising something in him that reminded her of Gino when he was at his best. ‘It sounds an odd thing to say at a sort of business meeting, I know,’ she said.

‘Well business meetings are a way of airing all sorts of information. I have gathered a lot of—’ he laughed ‘—facts — let’s get back to facts — and have put them together for you.’ He reached into his briefcase, pulled out a file and handed it to her. ‘I’ve also put the contact details of people who may be interested in buying the house without going through an estate agent — developers, you know.’

‘OK, thank you.’ Bella took the file and glanced inside. ‘I do enjoy research.’

Two men strode into the restaurant and began talking to one of the waiters.

‘Well!’ Jorge stood up and waved at them. ‘This is fortunate. Lenny and Martim. They are builders. They are always looking for new plots to develop.’

Bella stood up too as the men walked towards the table. ‘ Olá, boa tarde! ’ Jorge shook their hands enthusiastically. ‘I’d like to introduce you to Bella Creswell. She is the new owner of Florence Creswell’s house.’

‘Ah.’ The older of the two men bowed. ‘It is very good to meet you. That is in a very nice place. If you are ever thinking of selling the plot, please let us know. We are looking for spaces to build housing.’

‘This area needs it,’ the younger man said. ‘We are happy to talk with no pressure at any time.’

‘Thank you.’ Bella smiled at them, mentally adding them to her list of things to research.

‘It must be very quiet out there without her menagerie,’ the younger man said.

‘Well, her cats have moved back in temporarily, and yesterday I looked after my neighbour’s dog, but that’s as far as my menagerie will go. I had a visit from some birdwatchers recently too, but they won’t come back. The less I have to worry about the better.’

‘It’s much easier to make the right decisions without emotional attachments to people or animals.’ Jorge fleetingly brushed his hand across hers. ‘We very much are kindred spirits.’

The older man shook her hand. ‘We won’t interrupt your evening any longer.’ He turned to Jorge, and Bella observed them briefly, remembering her first encounter with Gino — his ambition and drive and humour and how he’d somehow understood her as soon as they’d met.

But Gino was now in San Francisco. And she couldn’t remember where or when his sense of humour had gone.

Jorge brushed her hand again, and they sat down. ‘They are good people to know.’

Lenny and Martim joined another man at a table in a corner of the restaurant. He was wearing an expensive shirt. His thick black hair was flecked with grey and he was staring at Bella intently.

‘Who’s their friend?’ She nodded towards him. ‘He looks familiar.’

‘I believe his name is Francisco Lopes? Another builder.’ Jorge spooned some more food onto his plate as the man, Martim and Lenny had a short discussion then left the restaurant together.

Bella glanced at the man again, then remembered who he was. ‘The man in the car who was there for old times’ sake.’

‘Did you say something?’ Jorge was dipping some bread in the sauce.

‘No. No . . . just thinking out loud.’