The First Mistake(52)

Mum nodded thoughtfully.

‘Okay, so I’ve got everything I need,’ Thomas said when he walked back in the room. ‘I’ll see who’s in the market and get you the best price I can.’

‘So, this is what you do for a living?’ Mum asked.

‘Yes,’ he said, smiling.

‘That must be interesting. I had no idea such a thing even existed.’

‘It’s a growing industry,’ he said. ‘Back in the eighties, it was something you did to be flash and pretentious, when everybody thought they were Gordon Gekko.’ We all laughed, remembering Michael Douglas’s character making unethical get-rich-quick deals.

‘But it’s got a bit more serious in recent years,’ Thomas went on. ‘Now, it’s actually about the wine and the genuine connoisseurs, who know what they’re buying. It’s real money now, being used to make real investments, by people who are passionate about what they’re doing.’

‘So, they’re making a living out of it?’ asked Mum, slightly awestruck.

He nodded. ‘They are. I am. For some people it’s just a game they like to play, alongside their proper jobs. But for me, it’s a very real business.’

We both watched as he walked slowly towards the French doors that overlooked the garden. I couldn’t help but feel embarrassed by the cracked panes and peeling woodwork, remembering how they used to be the feature of this once-impressive drawing room.

‘So, this is all yours?’ he said as he looked out. It was more of a statement than a question. ‘Where does it end?’

Mum got up to join him. ‘Well, it’s as much as the eye can see really. It disappears into a valley beyond the horizon and then runs straight down to the river at Godalming.’

He whistled through his teeth.

‘Of course, it’s not what it once was,’ she said. ‘We used to have a livery over on the right, so there were always horses in the field, and the swimming pool was the centre of many a party, adults and children alike.’

‘I bet you had some good times,’ he said.

She nodded. ‘It was a very social house, always full of people, even though we were only a family of three. There would always be somebody here; family, friends, colleagues. We even put up friends of the church in the pool house one year. Do you remember that?’ she asked, looking at me.

‘Vaguely,’ I mused. ‘Weren’t they refugees that Father Michael brought over?’

‘Yes,’ said Mum, with a laugh. ‘Your father thought I was completely mad, but I couldn’t turn them away. It’s not in my nature.’

‘Wouldn’t you like to get the place back to how it was?’ Thomas asked Mum, as I waited with interest for the answer.

‘Of course, but it would take an awful lot of money to do that,’ she said.

‘But we could at least make the house more comfortable for you,’ I said. ‘You’ve got the money – it’s sitting there doing nothing.’

‘Yes,’ agreed Mum. ‘But once you start something like this, it tends to run out of control very quickly. The more work you do, the more problems it uncovers, especially with a house of this size and age. We’ve got the money to start it, but we haven’t got the bottomless pit that I know we’d need to finish it. And plus, I need to live, God willing, for as long as I can.’

‘Would you mind me asking a personal question?’ said Thomas.

Mum and I looked at him, neither of us objecting.

‘Do you have a mortgage on this place?’

‘Goodness me, no,’ said Mum, shaking her head vehemently, as if he’d asked if she was having an affair with the Pope.

‘Mum doesn’t believe in having credit of any kind,’ I offered, by way of explanation.

‘My husband never borrowed a penny from anyone,’ she said, proudly. ‘His family built up the business through sheer hard work and determination, first in Italy and then over here. Folk used to think they were the mafia.’ Her shoulders shook as she laughed at the memory. ‘They must have thought he was extorting money! But he was just an honest, hard-working man who didn’t owe anybody anything. He used to say, If you haven’t got it, don’t spend it, and he would turn in his grave if I went against that now.’

‘So, why don’t we invest the money you do have,’ I said, not knowing where the idea had even come from. It sounded absurd before I’d even finished the sentence, but still I went on. ‘If we can double that money, we can get the work done and you’ll have enough to live on.’

I looked to Thomas for confirmation. ‘There are lots of investment opportunities out there,’ he said. ‘I, for one, have never had a client walk away with less than a hundred per cent return. Even from the very first deal.’

Mum looked at me with wide eyes. ‘Are you suggesting I put everything into wine?’

‘You think it’s foolproof, don’t you?’ I said, turning to Thomas.

‘Well . . . yes,’ he said, ‘but . . .’

‘Tell Mum about Rodriguez,’ I said. ‘Tell her how much he started off with and how much you helped turn it into.’

‘He’s probably not the best example,’ he said.

‘Why?’ I asked, wondering which part I’d misunderstood.