The Visitors(8)

‘I’m sorry,’ Holly said quietly. ‘That must be awful.’

‘Now, now, ignore me. We really mustn’t fall into the doldrums.’ Cora sat up a little straighter, her cup rattling in its saucer. ‘I might appear to be a defenceless old bat, but I can look after myself, you know. The way I see it, I’ve no choice but to do so. You’ll never catch me moping around for long, and despite the tough time you’ve been through, I suggest you avoid it too.’

That was what she’d chosen to tell Cora: she’d been to Manchester and had a very tough time. Cora had reacted kindly, sympathised completely. If she’d known what had really happened, Holly knew she wouldn’t have slept at night.

‘I agree. I’ve no intention of moping around,’ Holly told her. ‘In fact, I’ve been thinking that I might pop into town tomorrow and register with a couple of employment agencies. I’ve searched online and there doesn’t seem to be much going in the permanent job market at the moment, but with a bit of luck, I might be able to pick up a temporary position.’

‘That’s what I like to see,’ Cora said approvingly. ‘A young person who is willing to put themselves out there and look for opportunities. That’s what I kept telling my friend Pat next door.’

‘Your friend was looking for work?’

‘Oh no,’ Cora laughed. ‘It was her son, David. You see, something very… unpleasant happened to him a couple of years ago that affected him so badly he can’t bear to go out after dark, even now. I kept telling his mother at the time that he should get himself out there and find the opportunities for himself. They never just drop into your lap.’

‘Sounds awful.’ Holly took another sip of her tea.

‘Oh, it was. He was out of work for some time, but I’m pleased to say he’s all sorted now. It’s a shame he has to put up with that horrible man, Brian. His mother’s friend, you see.’ Her lips pursed in disapproval. ‘David dislikes him intensely and I admit, he’s a very difficult man to warm to.’ She paused a moment. ‘I’ve known David since he was a small boy and I’m used to his ways now. He’s a little bit… how should I put it…’

‘Different?’ Holly offered.

‘Different!’ Cora repeated. ‘That’s it exactly, a very good word to describe David. But he’s a kind person. He’s done bits for me around the house, stuff I would’ve found very difficult to manage on my own.’

‘Well, I’m here to help you now too.’

Cora nodded and smiled. ‘Quite. And when you’re ready, dear, you can take the new towels up to your bedroom and start to make yourself comfy. I think we’re going to get along very well indeed.’

Holly beamed. ‘Thanks again, Cora. I’ll try not to be under your feet here for too long.’

‘No need for that, dear, you’ve already thanked me a hundred times, and there’s no rush to leave at all. You’re welcome to stay for as long as you like. In fact, I sincerely hope you will.’





Chapter Six





Holly





After what seemed like an age, Holly made her bid to finally escape Cora’s chatter.

She felt unkind thinking such a thing, but she couldn’t simply sit around drinking tea and listening to Cora’s life story day after day, as tempting as Cora obviously thought it was. It was time to face the contents of her meagre cases.

‘I’d better go upstairs and get the unpacking out of the way,’ she said, edging towards the door.

‘That’s a good idea.’ Cora placed her cup and saucer on the coffee table and shuffled to the edge of her seat. ‘I’ll come up and help you.’

‘No!’ Holly said it too quickly, and Cora looked rather taken aback. ‘What I mean is, it’s very kind of you, Mrs Barr… Cora, but I won’t have you wearing yourself out on my account.’

Cora opened her mouth to protest, but Holly shook her head.

‘Honestly, I’d feel much better if you just stayed down here and enjoyed your tea. I’ll be back before you know it and you can finish telling me about your lovely wedding day.’

‘Fair enough, dear,’ Cora said, placated. ‘I admit that if I do too much, I probably will suffer with my lower back all evening.’

Upstairs in her room, Holly sighed and sank down onto the bed. There was no harm in taking just five minutes first to enjoy a bit of peace and quiet before she started on the onerous task that lay ahead.

It felt almost like she’d gone deaf, escaping Cora’s endless litany about how she’d met her late husband, Harold, and then the riveting run-up to him proposing on Tower Bridge in London. The worrying thing was that Cora was only up to her early twenties in the timeline of her life. Goodness knows how many more hours of reminiscing it would take to bring Holly up to the present day.

Holly silently scolded herself. A thoughtful person wouldn’t entertain such mocking thoughts. It wouldn’t do her any harm to lend a friendly ear to a lonely lady who’d taken pity on her.

Poor Cora had obviously been starved of contact with other people since Harold’s death and had stored up all her happy memories, having no one to share them with. It was clear that now Holly had arrived, the floodgates had been opened and they were all simply spilling out.