‘No, I came all this way for a friend who was worryingly absent.’
Something happened then on Henry’s face. His eyes grew a little brighter and for just a moment I thought his lower lip might be trembling. But his voice was as measured and calm as ever.
‘You are an exceptionally kind and thoughtful young woman, Ellie.’ He turned his hand, and just for a moment his fingers gripped mine. ‘You are a credit to the woman who raised you. Elizabeth would be very proud of you.’
For once I didn’t try to deflect his words or deny them. ‘I really hope that’s true.’
‘I’m absolutely sure of it,’ Henry said in a voice that brooked no argument.
This time it was my lip that was in danger of trembling. I drew in a steadying breath and turned my attention to the room we were sitting in.
‘This is a beautiful place to come and relax.’
‘Hardly any of the residents seem to use it,’ Henry said sadly. ‘But I like to come here in the morning with a cup of coffee and read the newspaper.’
It sounded like a delightful way to spend his time, and not at all the kind of thing someone who hated living here would say.
‘The flowers are amazing,’ I said, noticing that on practically every side table a vase was positioned holding a gorgeous display of blooms.
‘Ah, those are left over from a recent wedding in the home. Two of our lady residents got married quite recently. It was myfirst same-sex wedding, and it was really rather beautiful. We all had to wear hats.’
I smiled. No, it definitely didn’t sound as though Henry hated it here. A knot of concern that I hadn’t even known I was harbouring slowly began to unwind.
‘I am so sorry to have worried you and not to have been around to keep an eye on your mother’s plot for you. I hope it hasn’t grown too unwieldy.’
‘That’s not something you should be worrying about,’ I reminded him for what had to be at least the twentieth time.
‘Still, I don’t like to leave a job half done.’
‘You’ve taught me well,’ I said, extending my hands. ‘These fingers are practically green now.’ Henry, who could remember when I scarcely knew one end of a trowel from the other, simply smiled.
We spent a very pleasant hour in the conservatory. A woman pushing a trolley came around with tea and coffee, and it was with genuine reluctance that I eventually got to my feet. I would have liked to have stayed longer, but I had afternoon viewings scheduled and needed to go back to work.
‘I’ll see you at the cemetery as soon as the doctors give me a green light,’ Henry promised.
‘Don’t rush back. Bee will understand why you haven’t been able to visit her, I’m sure of it.’ I’d heard so many stories about Henry’s other half that I felt like I knew her myself.
‘As I said before, Ellie, you are a very kind and thoughtful person.’
Impulsively, I bent down and pressed a brief kiss on his cheek. I wasn’t sure if that was appropriate, but the softening in Henry’s expression made me think it had been a good call.
‘I’ll take care of things at the cemetery until I see you there again,’ I assured him, never knowing that I was going to be seeing him much sooner than that.
Chapter Thirty-Five
It was unusual for me to visit the cemetery twice in quick succession, but there was a special purpose behind my next visit. In a large canvas bag were my gardening tools, gloves, and an exquisite bunch of pale pink roses.
The plan had come to me in the middle of the night, where sometimes bad ideas can seem astonishingly wise. I tested this one out again as dawn broke, and it still seemed sound.
I’d been intending to send Henry a bouquet of flowers as a get-well gift. But my subconscious had conjured up something I thought he’d appreciate even more. I would find his wife’s plot, tidy it up if that was needed, and lay some new flowers for her. Then I would photograph it to show Henry, so that he didn’t have to worry about it being neglected in his absence. I might even have a little chat with Bee and let her know – in case she was in any doubt – what a lovely man her husband was. I felt sure she’d be pleased to know he’d made a new friend.
A surprisingly full work diary meant I had to wait several days before I could put my plan into action. I often worked on Saturdays, but this week I was letting go of the reins and allowing my new assistant to manage the office without me. Takingon a member of staff had felt like a huge but totally logical move, and Simon was such an easy hire I knew it would have been crazy not to have given him the job. I wasn’t the old Ellie anymore, the one who believed she had to do everything alone, that asking or accepting help was a sign of weakness. Sometimes I truly believed getting struck by lightning had been the best thing that had ever happened to me.
‘Not only is Simon passionate about learning the estate agency business, but he’s super smart at all the technical stuff,’ I told Jackson. ‘I mean, he’s obviously not as good as you,’ I backtracked, as I saw my old friend bristle slightly. ‘But he’s shit-hot on the social media side, which has always been our USP.’
Jackson had nodded wisely. ‘That’s why I make sure I stay current. It’s important to be “down with the kids”.’
I tried admirably to silence my snort of laughter, but it got away from me.