Part 19 (1/2)

'Is the larder still here?' asked Libby, opening the door to what once would have been a boot room. Still was, with old coats and rubber boots forlornly abandoned years ago, by the looks of it.

'Over here.' Ben opened a door. 'She seems to have kept it as a junk store.'

'There must be other places in the house more suitable,' said Libby. 'I've always wanted a larder.'

'So you're thinking of it favourably?' Ben closed the door and took her by the shoulders.

'Maybe,' said Libby cautiously. 'It'll take a lot of thinking through.'

Ben nodded, satisfied, and let her go. They spent the next half hour wandering through the house and exclaiming, usually at the gross excesses of Millie's taste.

'I can't believe she gave birth to Peter and James,' said Ben, gazing up at a particularly hideous lampshade. 'Were they changelings, do you suppose?'

'She told me she'd done all this after their father died. I suppose they took after him.'

'I don't remember him that well. He was quiet and adored Millie, I know that much.'

A shout floated up to them through the open cas.e.m.e.nt window and Libby leant out under the thatch. Lewis and Adam stared up at her.

'Door's open,' she called back. 'Come in and we'll be down.'

'I haven't said anything about the possibility of us moving here,' she whispered to Ben as they went towards the stairs. 'Just that Peter wants it done up.'

Ben raised an eyebrow, but nodded.

'Cor!' said Lewis, wandering through the downstairs. 'Great house, p.i.s.sin' awful decor.'

Libby laughed. 'It's Ben's aunt you're talking about here,' she said. 'Come and meet him.'

Lewis and Ben shook hands warily as Adam burst through from the back of the house.

'This is a great place, Ma,' he said. 'Ma.s.ses of room. You should live here.'

Libby opened her mouth and shut it again, shooting a warning look at Ben, who smirked.

'So have a wander round, Lewis, and then tell us what you'd do with it,' she continued. 'Shall we have a look round outside, Ad?'

She, Ben and Adam went out through the boot room and into the overgrown garden, beyond which was what looked like a paddock.

'It used to be a farm, didn't it?' she asked, leaning her arms on the five-bar gate into the paddock. 'Did they sell the rest off?'

'Let,' said Ben. 'They still have a tenant farmer, like we do at The Manor. If we put the land up for sale some developer would leap in and apply for planning permission.'

'They wouldn't get it, surely?' said Libby, shocked.

Ben shrugged. 'They might, although at the moment no one would buy or develop it with the economic situation as it is.'

'Huge b.l.o.o.d.y garage,' said Adam coming round the side of the house and brus.h.i.+ng off cobwebs. 'Part of it's set up as a workshop.'

'Is it unlocked?' said Ben in surprise.

'Yeah. Well, I got in. Doesn't seem to be much in there to pinch.'

Ben went off to investigate and Adam joined his mother at the gate.

'This is exactly the sort of place where I wanted to live when I was a child,' said Libby dreamily. 'Put a pony in that paddock and I'd have been in heaven.'

Adam looked at her with his head on one side.

'And you'd still like to, wouldn't you?'

'Well, yes,' said Libby, with a nervous laugh. 'I mean, who wouldn't.'

'I just wondered why you and Ben were here instead of Pete,' said Adam.

'Because of asking Lewis, of course,' said Libby, looking at him with wide eyes.

'Oh, right.' Adam nodded and looked across the paddock to the stand of trees beyond.

Libby frowned at him suspiciously and turned to go back in the house. She found Lewis and Ben sitting at the kitchen table discussing floors.

'What do you think, Lewis?' she said, sitting down.

'It's a great house, and in terrific condition. Little bit of damp here and there, but whoever looked after it before all this b.l.o.o.d.y tat ' he waved a dismissive hand ' knew what they were doing. Just needs a cosmetic overhaul, except in here, of course. I reckon they've wrecked a good bit of the original room putting this lot in.' He looked round and shook his head. 'You wouldn't credit it, would you?'

'The original fittings went to the owner's son,' said Ben. 'He's got the dresser and the Aga, and the big kitchen table.'

'Lucky b.u.g.g.e.r. Is he the one who wants this place put back to rights?'

Ben nodded. 'Do you want to take it on?'

Lewis looked uncomfortable. 'I don't really do this sort of stuff these days,' he said. Then he grinned. 'But I could be project manager, if you like. I reckon I'll have the time for a bit, won't I? My show will be on hold until I'm in the clear, and we aren't due to start filming anyway for another couple of months. What do you think?'

'Sounds good,' said Ben slowly, 'but I'll have to talk to Peter, obviously.'

'Oh, yeah, fine,' said Lewis. 'Just let me know soon as, eh?' He stood up. 'Come on, Ad, I'd better get back to Miss Droopy Drawers.'

'Is that Cindy Dale?'

'Yeah. You must come over and meet her, Lib. I'd got quite the wrong idea about everything, you know, and I think the public had when all that business blew up.'

'I thought you wanted to talk to me today,' said Libby. 'That was one of the reasons I asked you out here.'

'You don't want me to take on this house?' Lewis looked puzzled.

'Yes, of course, but '