The House that Florence Left (Portuguese Paradise #4)

Chapter 16

‘I’ve had some visitors again.’ Will had turned up at her doorstep with Deidre, looking drained, so Bella had offered to make him a drink. He leaned back in the chair wearily, rubbing his knee. ‘It’s getting a bit tiresome and stressful.’

‘Is it about the house again?’ Bella poured him a cup of tea from a teapot she had found at the bottom of a chest of drawers in the third bedroom.

‘Why do they want my house? I’ve had Lenny and Martim visit me and then this young woman knocked on the door. What was her name?’

Bella was beginning to feel uneasy. ‘What did she look like?’

‘Young, short hair, well dressed.’

‘What did she say?’ Her heart beat a little bit faster, a knot of anxiety hitting her chest.

‘That she was representing a certain party who was interested in buying the property and the land nearby in order to build more housing on it.’

‘Did she leave a card or anything?’

‘She tried to give me a card but I said no.’ Will looked at the floor. ‘This is all feeling a bit strange. You know, she said she knew I’d had an accident and that I must be worried about earning money, and she mentioned my pension and how I couldn’t top it up. How did she know that? I’ve only told the company I work with. And Elena. You and Hugo...’ He trailed off and looked at her.

‘Honestly, it’s nothing to do with me.’ Bella smiled at him. ‘I’d be feeling a bit weird about it too. It won’t be Hugo and Elena is an accountant and very trustworthy. Have you phoned the company you work for?’

‘Yes, the boss said they don’t discuss their employee’s business with other people.’ He shook his head. ‘I feel a bit intimidated. Uneasy.’

‘Have you mentioned it to Hugo?’

‘No. Do you think I should?’ Will stroked Deidre’s ears, absent-mindedly. ‘I only told you because I know Martim and Lenny have been around to you. I was just worried you may have had some other visitors too.’

‘I think you should tell him.’ Bella sighed. ‘He may know who this woman is for a start.’ She didn’t say she was pretty certain it was his ex-girlfriend.

‘Righty-ho.’ Will stood up. ‘I haven’t worried you, have I?’

‘No. It’s always good to know what’s happening.’ Bella stood too.

‘I’ll go and see if Hugo’s in then. Thanks for the tea and biscuits.’ He put Deidre on her lead. ‘Then I’m off to The House on the Hill for some meditation. Elena is convinced that will help me relax and stop worrying about money. And make my knee less painful. Bye now.’

He walked down to the track and Bella watched him uneasily, hoping she wouldn’t get any unwanted visitors herself.

* * *

Bella spent the rest of the afternoon sorting through two chests of drawers in the third bedroom, telling herself that she was being overdramatic if she thought that there was something strange going on that involved Hugo’s ex and Lenny and Martim. It was just people trying to do business, that’s all. ‘That is all it is,’ she told Yin and Yang as they watched her put the last of the old magazines she’d found in a bin bag.

Her phone rang so she wandered downstairs, followed by the cats, getting to it just as it stopped. It was her mother, so she called back straight away in case something was wrong.

‘Mum!’ She made herself sound bright. ‘How are you? Did you just call?’

‘Yes.’ Her mother sounded excited. ‘I’ve just found something lovely. I was sorting through some old photographs.’

‘Oh, I was sorting through some of Aunt Flo’s stuff just now.’ Bella put the bin bag on the floor.

‘Must be something in the air. Anyway, I found some old pictures of that holiday we had with Flo.’

‘I thought you’d put them away right after Dad’s accident.’ Bella walked to the kitchen to get a drink. ‘What made you look through them after all this time?’

‘You being over there I suppose. I keep trying to picture it and what it’s like. I mean, the video calls help but... Anyway, what’s happening with the swimming pool?’

‘Nothing at the moment.’ Bella poured herself a glass of water. ‘It’s just another thing on my list.’

‘You loved that pool. I’ve found some photos of us swimming in it, jumping into it, sitting round it, floating on lilos in the middle of it.’

Bella closed her eyes and tried to remember. ‘Can you send me copies on the phone, Mum?’

‘Yes, and I think you should make sure you get the pool fixed. So that you can enjoy it before you have to come back.’

Bella sighed, thinking of the ever-growing list of things to do.

‘You work so hard, Bella. And even now when you get the chance to go somewhere you’re doing two jobs — sorting out the house and your regular job. Cut yourself a bit of slack.’

‘It may not be worth my while, spending the time and the money.’

‘Bella Leonie Creswell.’ Her mother’s voice changed. Bella never liked it when her mother used her full name. It meant a telling-off was coming. ‘You own your own flat in London, you now own Flo’s house and land, you have a good job. Do something frivolous for once. And by that, I mean spend some money on something nice for yourself. A swimming pool!’

‘But I was going to send some extra money over this month so Dad could have that heat therapy.’

There was a pause. ‘Do something for yourself for once, Bella,’ she said eventually. ‘You help us a lot and we’re grateful. But just for once. OK?’

‘All right, I’ll think about it.’ Bella tried not to sound like a sullen teenager. It was her usual response to being called Bella Leonie Creswell.

‘Oh, someone’s at the door. I’d better go. I’ll send on the photos. Love you.’ Her mother rang off so Bella wandered outside and looked in the empty pool. She had managed to clear it of most of the leaves and dirt.

The photos arrived on her phone. She studied the first one: Bella and her mum and dad were floating on inflatable unicorns in the middle of the pool. Her father had bright red sunglasses on and was laughing at her mother, who was holding a drenched straw hat that had fallen in the water. Bella was just smiling happily.

Bella sat down at the pool’s edge, allowing her feet to dangle in the imaginary water . It won’t do any harm, I suppose , she thought. I can make this better for me for a while anyway. And it’s not that much mone y.

After a few minutes she went back into the house, rifled through the file of information Ignacio had left her and found the details of a man who looked after swimming pools. She rang him and left a message, then decided to put her mind in order by checking in on all the information she’d gathered.

‘Oh God,’ she muttered, feeling a little sick. ‘My spreadsheet has got out of control.’ Background information for selling seemed to float out from the screen, joined by numbers from the costs for repairs to ‘make it better’ and random words like cats , storks , Hugo and tree from the Miscellaneous section bounced behind them.

Bella covered her eyes. It was all too much. Too much. For a second she even considered selling the land to Lenny and Martim to just get rid of it. Maybe they could make it all better by knocking it down.

One of the cats put its paw on her arm and squeaked.

Bella opened her eyes. ‘That bad, am I?’ she said softly. ‘And I didn’t mean it. I don’t want it knocked down.’

She decided to amble to the café to see if Hugo was there in case he’d had any more unwanted visits.

‘I know it’s not strictly ambling, Yin and Yang,’ she said, picking up her bag, ‘as I have a firm destination. But honestly, I feel my life is like an amble at the moment — because my firm destination seems to be getting further and further away along a windier and windier road.’

* * *

Bella stood in the doorway looking for a place to sit among the late-afternoon customers. Hugo waved at her from behind the counter and pointed at a table that had just been cleaned on the outdoor patio.

She sat down, staring at the sea from behind her sunglasses, trying to get her mind level again. Quiet Julian placed a gal?o in front of her and almost managed a smile.

‘ Obrigada ,’ she murmured and took a sip, the heat from the glass steaming up her sunglasses.

‘ Olá! ’ Hugo sat down opposite her. ‘How are you today?’ He sounded a little hesitant.

‘I’m fine.’ She studied him briefly. ‘Is everything all right?’

‘You’ve spoken to Will?’

‘Yes. He’s told you what has happened, has he?’

‘I’m sure it was my ex, Deanna, who visited him. She is very persistent.’ He took his phone from his pocket and scrolled through the messages. ‘She has been sending me texts saying that by the time everyone else has sold the land I may as well get on board as the place will never be the same again.’ Hugo looked up at her, his face weary.

Bella wanted him to know he wasn’t alone. She wanted him to smile again. ‘I did have a moment earlier when it all got too much for me and I wondered if it would just be easier to sell. I’m not going to. It lasted the amount of time it took for me to think of it.’ She looked up at him. ‘This must be getting you down. Especially as it’s your ex.’

Hugo stared at her. ‘Are you that stressed that the thought of selling the land seemed a good idea?’

‘No.’ Bella shook her head. ‘I meant that I understood Will and the pressure he’s under. You must be exhausted by it too.’

Hugo stood and went to the counter without replying. He started to make drinks, banging glasses on the counter and throwing ice into the bottom of them, his face dark and furious.

Bella walked over to him, confused. ‘What have I said?’

He carried on concentrating on what he was doing.

‘Why don’t you sort out what’s happening with you and your ex?’ she said, trying to sound calm. ‘Instead of being angry with me for simply trying to explain how difficult this is.’

He still didn’t say anything.

Bella couldn’t stop herself. ‘I saw her in town with a man. Same name as your great-uncle... Francisco Lopes... I saw him in the lane a while ago.’

Hugo paused briefly, then carried on making the drinks.

‘So maybe we’ve been drawn into your family spat or something, me and Will?’

‘Me and my ex — it’s complicated. Andwhat about you? You were the one who got Lenny and Martim over in the first place.’ He still didn’t look at her. ‘Maybe they are all involved together. And your friend Jorge—’

‘Complicated with you and your ex?’ Bella felt inexplicably hurt. ‘Maybe you’ve just been nice to me so I wouldn’t sell my land.’

Hugo stopped mixing the drinks and looked at her, shocked. ‘No... no—’

Bella couldn’t stand to be there anymore so threw some change on the table for her drink, then hurried back to the Nest, desperate to feel safe inside its comforting walls.

* * *

The large straw hat was visible as Bella turned the corner into the lane. Even though she couldn’t see the short black bob, Bella knew it was Hugo’s ex standing under the tree next to her gate.

Taking a breath, she walked slowly over to her. ‘The buzzer doesn’t work, I’m afraid. Can I help?’

The woman smiled. ‘My name is Deanna De La Cruz. Are you the owner of the property?’

‘Yes I am. How can I help?’

Deanna took a card out her handbag and handed it to Bella. ‘I work in redevelopment and construction. I represent parties who are interested in buying your house and the land around it.’

‘Ah, right. I’m not interested in selling the land for redevelopment.’

‘It’s a lot of land for one house, you know.’ Deanna smiled. ‘We could build three or four villas on this.’

‘No apartments?’ Bella looked at the card, wondering if the number on it was the same on the flyer that had been stuck on the tree near Hugo’s café.

‘There may be a concession for some affordable housing. But this is prime land.’

Bella handed her back the card. ‘I’m not interested. But thanks for mentioning it.’

Deanna nodded and put the card back in her bag. ‘Not everyone is privileged enough to be left a house by a relative. You would be enabling other people to have somewhere to live — more than one person, a couple or a family.’

Bella looked at the old tile on the post next to the gate with the name of the house on it, painted by her aunt. ‘I’m aware that I’m lucky to inherit this. Although, how did you know that?’

‘It’s my job to know these things.’

‘Thank you for your interest.’ Bella put on her formal and assertive work voice. ‘Should anything change I’ll be in touch.’

‘You haven’t got my card.’

‘I know how to get hold of Lenny and Martim. And—’ Bella hesitated for moment, but decided to say the name anyway ‘—I’m sure Francisco Lopes has an office address I can find on the internet.’

Deanna looked like she was searching for the right words, then took her card out of her bag and posted it through the letterbox. ‘It’s better you go through me.’

‘It’s not going to change though.’ Bella took her key fob out and the gate clicked open.

‘Where I’m from, we had to steal electricity to survive.’ Deanna adjusted her straw hat. ‘I lived in in Lisbon near Belém. Not in a beautiful, Instagrammable neighbourhood. It was a slum. Everyone knows it’s a slum. I’m sure you understand my drive to make a lot of money so I never go back to that.’

Bella studied her. Her dress was smart and sleek, her nails scarlet and pristine, her bag and shoes obviously designer. ‘I understand,’ she said. ‘Drive and ambition are admirable. And you deserve to be successful. But I’m not selling my aunt’s property for redevelopment. Thank you.’

She turned away and walked through the gate, somehow feeling guilty and angry at the same time.