The House that Florence Left (Portuguese Paradise #4)

Chapter 17

Bella had booked herself in for an early-morning yoga class so she could get rid of some of the tension she had accumulated before she had to start work. The car park of the House of The Hill was full of class-goers with the same idea.

Taking her yoga mat out of the boot, she walked up into the building, the smell of patchouli and lavender making her more relaxed with every step she took.

‘Bella!’ Layla came out of the office. ‘How are you today? I hear you are getting your swimming pool done. What a lovely idea.’

‘How do you know that?’ Bella was beginning to get used to the very speedy Lagos grapevine.

‘I can’t remember actually.’ Layla gave her hand a squeeze. ‘Off to yoga? I love this time of the morning. It’s so busy and buzzy and—’

‘What do you mean, we may as well stick together, better than nothing. But friends with benefits?’ Elena’s voice suddenly echoed through the House on the Hill, clearly audible over the squealing feedback.

Bella and Layla spun around. ‘Is that Elena? Which studio is she in? Did you remember to switch off the sound system?’ Layla asked Ignacio as he rushed in from the car park looking confused.

‘I didn’t mean it like that,’ Will replied defensively.

Minnie hurried out of the office into the hallway. ‘Which room are they in?’

‘I was in the atrium.’ Ignacio tried to open the door. ‘But the door was sticking so I nipped to my car to see if I had anything to oil it in my toolbox.’

‘Well, that’s what you meant,’ Elena said abruptly. ‘Is that what you’re saying — you’re settling for me because you can’t be bothered to try to meet anyone else?’

Two students paused as they walked down the stairs. ‘Oh dear,’ muttered one.

‘How interesting,’ mouthed the other.

‘Why are they standing so close to the microphone?’ Ignacio pushed the door again, then began to knock.

‘I’ve been on my own for so long, Elena. I don’t want a proper relationship.’

‘You were messaging me. “Come and see me, Elena, I miss you, Elena.”’

Another student walked into the hallway ‘Is everything all right?’ she asked.

‘It was all getting a bit too much.’ Will’s voice got louder.

‘So, it’s not too much when you ask to see me, but when I make one simple suggestion it’s all too much?’

The feedback squealed again.

‘You wanted to change my curtains.’

‘I simply suggested they needed a wash. I’m not trying to move in.’

‘I’m very glad to hear it!’

Minnie gasped. ‘Oh dear. Oh dear.’ She put her hand over her mouth and raised her eyebrows.

‘That’s not good,’ mumbled another student who was walking out of another studio.

‘I have a detached villa with its own pool overlooking the sea,’ shouted Elena. ‘Why would I want to move into your little cottage with the dirty curtains?’

‘Well, why were you there all the time?’

There was a collective intake of breath.

‘Open the door,’ shouted Ignacio, banging it again. ‘We can hear you! Everyone can hear you.’

‘At the beginning, because I felt responsible. Because I dragged you out of that ditch and shoved you in my car and I probably should have LEFT YOU THERE.’ Elena now sounded like she was talking to a small child. ‘And then because I liked you. And then because you kept asking me to come round.’

‘I don’t like everyone knowing my business,’ Will shouted.

‘What’s that got to do with me?’ Elena shouted back.

‘I’m very confused,’ whispered Layla. ‘I’m not sure I know what they are actually arguing about. Can you call Elena, Minnie? And can you call Will?’ she asked Bella.

Minnie rushed back into the office, while Bella took her phone out of her bag. She rang Will. ‘It’s gone straight to voicemail.’ She hurriedly sent a text.

Can you come out of the Atrium? You are standing next to a microphone that is picking everything up and transmitting it throughout the building.

‘It’s bounced back,’ she whispered, as the meditation class from the next room filtered out into the hall.

‘There’s no signal at the back of the room. It’s very strange.’ Ignacio leaned against the door, pushing it with his back.

‘I like my life the way it is. The way it was. Before you found me in that ditch,’ Will was shouting again. ‘And I don’t want to sell my house!’

‘I don’t want you to sell your house. What’s that got to do with me? I like my life too. I have my job. I have my friends. My dancing. My birdwatching. If I wanted to just have a sex buddy I’d go on Tinder.’

Minnie was almost doubled up with laughter. ‘Go girl,’ she wheezed.

‘She’s going to be so embarrassed.’ Layla shook her head.

‘They came into the class quite happily together,’ mused Ignacio. ‘They stood at the back, did the yoga like everyone else. I don’t know what happened.’

‘Curtains,’ laughed Minnie. ‘She just wanted clean curtains.’

‘Me too!’ yelled Will. ‘We talk too much. You know too much about me...’ His voice trailed off.

‘So you want me to see you but you don’t want us to talk?’

Everyone fell silent and waited.

‘Well that way I won’t have anyone spreading my private business around,’ shouted Will.

There was a pause, and then the sound of footsteps. The door opened, and Ignacio slid to the floor.

‘What are you doing down there?’ Elena stepped over him and walked through the hall, apparently oblivious to the now quite large audience gathered around her, then disappeared down the steps and into the car park.

‘How did she open the door so easily?’ wheezed Ignacio.

Bella looked at Layla. ‘Is anyone going to tell her we could all hear?’

‘I will.’ Minnie wheeled her chair back into the office. ‘I’m really looking forward to it.’

‘I think we’d better leave it to you to break the news to Will,’ said Layla quietly to Ignacio.

Bella glanced at her phone. ‘You may not need to. The text has now arrived and it says here it’s been read.’

Layla turned to the students. ‘Perhaps we should all go about our business and not say anything?’

Everyone nodded and within a minute the hall was empty.

‘I’d better go.’ Bella smiled at Layla. ‘Never a dull moment.’ But as she walked to the studio, she wondered why Will had told Elena he didn’t want to sell his house.

Her phone rang as she drove down the hill towards home. It was her mother, so she answered it, making sure there was a smile in her voice rather than unease.

‘Hi, Mum! I’ve arranged to get the swimming pool done. It’s all fallen into place very quickly.’

‘That’s wonderful news.’ Her mother sounded strained. ‘Listen, lovely, it’s nothing to worry about but your dad took a tumble yesterday. He was in the garden and tripped over a paving stone.’

‘Oh. How is he today?’

‘In bed. We spent eight hours in casualty, but he’s OK. Just bruised, fragile and—’ her mother’s voice cracked ‘—very, very sad.’

‘Oh Mum. I’ll come home. I’ll book a flight.’ Bella began to work out logistics in her head.

‘Absolutely not, Bella. I won’t allow it.’

‘But—’

‘No buts,’ her mother interrupted. ‘It’s not serious. It’s a blip. You just needed to know, that’s all. He’ll be up on his feet in no time.’

‘How did it happen?’ A tear trickled down Bella’s cheek but she tried to sound calm.

‘He was having a good day and decided to try to walk without his sticks. But he’s so unsteady on his feet now he lasted less than five minutes.’

Bella gathered her composure. ‘Well, let me know if you need me. We need to make the garden accessible and the downstairs of the house so he can feel less constricted.’

‘Sort out things in Portugal first, Bella, and then we will think about that. He’s calling. I’d better go. Send me photos of the swimming pool when it’s finished.’

Her mother rang off and Bella pulled over, allowing herself to cry, before going home and starting work.

* * *

‘It’s in pretty good nick actually.’ The pool man opened the door of his van. ‘Your aunt looked after things very well. I checked our books and we came out to service it only a few months before she passed away.’

‘I’ve heard she loved swimming every day.’ Bella had logged on early to a work meeting and was hovering in the doorway, glancing back at the laptop while he got out some paperwork.

‘Lovely woman by all accounts.’ He took out his phone and looked through his calendar. ‘She was thinking of fitting some hydrotherapy jets to help her arthritis actually. I’ve given it a clean and can get it filled and treated early next week.’

‘Oh, I was expecting it to take longer than that.’ Bella looked at the pool, imagining herself jumping into it, refreshed by its cool, clear water.

‘We’ve had a cancellation so you’re in luck.’ He smiled. ‘And with this heatwave you’ll be glad of it being there even if it’s just to dunk yourself in. I’ll be round every few weeks to service it while you’re here, then we’ll discuss what happens after that when your leaving date is confirmed.’

‘It sounds lovely.’ Bella imagined herself gliding out of the house at sunrise and jumping in to swim for half an hour, then lounging around on a lilo when she wasn’t working, after which she’d have a sunset swim before bed.

‘I’ll see you next week.’ He got into his van. ‘Have a good weekend. Até a próxima. ’

‘ Obrigada , thank you. Até a próxima. ’

As he turned onto the lane, she noticed Hugo waving at her. ‘Can I come in?’ he shouted.

Her heart fluttered at the sight of him, then she remembered their argument and pulled herself to her full height, in order to look stern. ‘I’ve actually got the buzzer fixed.’

Hugo didn’t move. Then she remembered she hadn’t answered his question. ‘Yes, yes, of course, come in.’ She pressed the button to unlock the gate and looked back at the clock on the wall to check how long she had before her meeting.

‘I’m sorry. Again,’ he was saying. ‘I shouldn’t have spoken to you like that at the café. There is no excuse.’

‘I shouldn’t have spoken to you like that. So I’m sorry.’ Her face relaxed into a smile.

He looked at the floor. ‘It’s become very complicated all of a sudden.’

‘What has?’

‘Just...’ He paused. ‘All that is going on with these developers and my new business idea and wondering what’s going to happen to the Nest.’

‘Once I’m gone.’

They both looked away this time.

‘We really need to be...’ Hugo looked like he was searching for the right words.

‘Friends,’ interrupted Bella. ‘And good neighbours.’

He smiled thinly. ‘Exactly what I was thinking. So, we can support each other.’

‘Exactly what I was thinking too. We have to remain on good terms in order to make the right decisions.’ Bella was trying to sound brisk, but was just feeling sad, and she didn’t know why.

Yes, you do know why , whispered her inner voice.

‘You mentioned my great-uncle.’ Hugo’s voice was quiet. ‘I haven’t seen him since I was a child…I don’t know why he’s here.’

‘He was driving past not long after I got here. He stopped the car and asked if anyone was living here now. Said something about that lovely tree by the gate.’

Hugo’s face clouded. ‘How do you know it was him?’

‘Because Jorge told me who he was. He was in a restaurant with Lenny and Martim and I saw him with your ex too. It’s been niggling me. But now Will is feeling pressurised I thought I’d better say something.’

Hugo shook his head again. ‘Why would he be interested in all of this? He has so much money. It’s so stupid.’

‘It is if he’s anything to do with it. But he might not be. All I know is that I’ve seen him. It may be a coincidence.’

‘And it may not be. When my grandmother died and left the property and café to my father and him, he wanted to sell so they could develop the area and make a lot of money. But my father wouldn’t. Francisco was furious. My father scratched the money together to buy him out and he disappeared. That was it.’ He turned towards the gate. ‘I’m sorry, I have to go. I need to find out what’s going on.’

‘Deanna De La Cruz came here yesterday.’ She spoke to his back.

He spun around. ‘What?’

‘I told her I wasn’t interested in selling for redevelopment.’

They stared at each other for a moment. ‘Thanks for telling me,’ he said eventually. ‘I have to go.’

Bella wanted to run after him, but she was almost late, so rushed inside and sat at her computer, logging on to the meeting thirty seconds before it started.

* * *

Bella watched the water tanker as it eased its way through the gates and onto the track, internally jumping up and down with excitement. The swimming pool was now full.

‘My own swimming pool,’ she told the storks. She had put her bikini on under her clothes that morning, so pulled off the sundress and left it on the floor, then stood for a moment, looking at the reflection of the sun on the water, and trying to decide whether jumping in without checking the temperature was a good idea, or whether she should ease herself down from the steps.

The storks chattered from the roof and Yin and Yang ambled over to see what was going on.

‘What do you think?’ she asked them. ‘The sensible thing would be to ease myself in. But — then there is no sense of occasion to mark the fact I have my own pool I can use every day.’

So she jumped, submerging herself in the freezing water, then swam to the surface, breathless. ‘Hasn’t had time for the sun to heat it up, has it? Oh well.’ Bella lay on her back and floated around for a while, then swam, then floated, and only got out when the skin on her fingers began to crinkle.

She lay on a sunbed that had been stored in the utility room and allowed the midday heat to dry her, closing her eyes and listening to the birds flitting through the trees, and the roar of the sea.

She woke herself up with her own snoring, opening her eyes to find one of the cats sitting on top of her. Rolling over gently to displace the cat, she sat up and checked her phone. She had been asleep for two hours. The midday heat had dried her and her skin was turning slightly red. ‘I’m late back from lunch,’ she told the cat, standing up and putting her sundress back on, then checked her phone for messages and realised it was Friday. ‘I don’t work on Friday,’ she reminded herself, then sat down again and laughed.

She video-called her mother. ‘Look,’ she squealed, when her mother answered. ‘The pool is done!’

‘Oh goodness. Fantastic. Have you been in?’

‘Yes. And it was freezing. The sun heats the water, and so it feels like it’s fresh out of the fridge at the moment.’

‘Never mind. At least you can enjoy it while you’re there, now. Have you made it better yet?’

‘No. No. There’s so much to think about.’ Bella’s good mood began to ebb away.

‘Whatever you decide will be right, Bella. It doesn’t have to be perfect.’

‘But it’s our future.’

‘It’s your future.’

‘But whatever I make from this will go towards helping you and Dad with the house and therapy.’

‘It’s your future. Not ours, Bella.’ Her mother’s tone was firm.

‘I wish you could come over.’

‘So do I.’

‘Well, come. Where’s Dad?’

‘He’s at a cricket match. One of his friends has taken him. I’ve got to go — I’m off for coffee with the girls. What are you up to tonight?’

‘I’ve been invited to a charity function at the yoga place I go to. I’ll make an appearance and then come home.’

‘Try to enjoy yourself. All work and no play et cetera, et cetera...’

‘Mum, I’ve just fallen asleep next to my swimming pool.’ Bella moved the camera on the phone around again so her mother could see it.

‘Yes, but I expect you’ll go inside and do some work even though it’s Friday and you don’t work on Fridays.’

‘I’ve just got to keep on top of things.’

‘Just don’t overdo it. Go for another swim!’ Her mother smiled.

‘I’ll send you some photographs and a video just to make you jealous.’

‘Thank you. Bye, darling.’

‘Bye, Mum.’ Bella ended the call and decided to take her mother’s advice and go for another swim before she went inside and did some work, even though it was Friday. So she climbed back into the pool and for a moment felt she was sharing it with her eight-year-old self and her parents, with Auntie Flo sipping a cocktail on a lounger under the tree.