The Switch(74)

‘I wish I was as nifty with that thing as you are.’ She nods to the laptop.

‘Oh, I’m sure you could learn!’ I say. ‘Ask Fitz, he’ll teach you.’

‘He’s a good man, Fitz,’ Letitia says. ‘Has he found someone to take Martha’s room yet? He was fretting about it when we last spoke.’

I smile. Letitia’s been down in the communal area at least once a day, arranging vases of flowers, plumping cushions. These days when somebody comes through, they always stop for a chat. On Monday evening I saw Aurora and Sally down there playing cards with her. We’re trying out the tables! Aurora had said. Then: Boom! Full house! went Sally, slamming her hand down and making Letitia jump.

‘Not yet,’ I tell her, reaching for a biscuit. ‘I think he’s going to put an advert up on the Internet somewhere.’

‘Well whoever it is, they’ll be lucky to live here.’

‘Letitia … Have you ever thought about moving out of your flat?’

She looks horrified. ‘Where to?’

‘Not far. Over here. To Martha’s old room.’

This is an excellent idea, if I do say so myself.

‘Oh, no,’ Letitia says, hiding behind her tea mug. ‘I couldn’t leave my flat. What about all my beautiful things! And anyway, nobody young wants to live with an old biddy like me.’

I push the last biscuit towards her. ‘Nonsense,’ I tell her. ‘Though I do see your point about your lovely bric-a-brac. I mean,’ I add hastily, catching her expression, ‘your lovely antiques.’

‘I couldn’t leave the flat,’ Letitia says, more firmly this time, so I don’t push the point. It’s a shame, though – she could do with the company, and I worry how she’ll cope when I’m not here to nudge her along, even if we do manage to get the Silver Shoreditchers’ Club running regularly.

Once Letitia has gone home, I nurse my empty teacup for so long the china goes cold against my palms. I can’t stop thinking about the receipt on Ethan’s hall table, the wet toothbrush in his bathroom. I know I’m inclined to jump to the conclusion that a man is unfaithful – it’s quite reasonable in the circumstances, so I don’t blame myself for it. But I need to know if it’s clouding my judgement.

I reach for my phone and dial Betsy’s number.

‘Hello, love!’ she says. ‘How’s your handsome actor?’ She pronounces it ac-tor, which makes it sound even fancier.

I smile. ‘He’s as dashing as ever. May I ask your advice about something, Betsy?’

‘Of course.’

‘Leena’s boyfriend, Ethan. You must have met him when he’s been up to visit?’

‘On the rare occasions, yes,’ Betsy says.

‘Has he not been up at the weekends?’

‘One or two. I think Jackson scared him off.’

I blink, surprised. ‘Jackson? Jackson Greenwood?’

‘He didn’t take much of a shine to your Ethan.’

‘I always knew Jackson was a good judge of character,’ I say darkly.

‘Ooh, Ethan’s not in your good books, then?’ Betsy asks.

I tell her about my findings from my trip to Ethan’s flat. Betsy inhales through her teeth. It’s the same noise she makes when she’s negotiating for something at the market in Knargill.

‘It could be nothing,’ she says. ‘Not every man is like Wade.’

‘Quite a lot of them are, though.’

‘Mmm, well,’ Betsy says.

I’m so close to asking her about Cliff, but she’s started up again before I get the chance. This is how it always goes.

‘I must say,’ Betsy says, ‘before I knew your Leena had a man, I would’ve said she had her eye on Jackson.’

How very interesting. ‘What makes you say that?’

‘She’s spent half her time here squabbling with him, the other half twiddling her hair when he’s anywhere in sight. At the last May Day Committee meeting she barely took her eyes off him. Ooh, and speaking of May Day – she’s got a sponsor, you know.’

This is just about the only thing Betsy could have said to distract me from talk of Leena making eyes at Jackson. ‘A sponsor for May Day?’

‘Some big law firm. Very fancy. They’re paying for almost everything, and she’s come up with all these fundraising activities, bake-sale stands and treasure hunts and raffles.’

I beam. ‘She’s brilliant, isn’t she?’

‘Well,’ Betsy says, ‘she certainly gets things done, I’ll give you that.’





25


Leena


For the first time, when I pick Nicola up and ask her where we’re going, she says:

‘Shall we go to your house?’

I’m absurdly flattered. Nicola is one of those people whose friendship you have to win the hard way – I feel I have been Chosen.

When we get to Clearwater Cottage, Arnold is weeding the front garden.

‘I said I’d do that!’ I tell him as I help Nicola out of the car.

‘Well, you didn’t,’ he points out, waving a dandelion at me. ‘Hello, Nicola, all right?’

I unlock the door and usher them both in. ‘Tea?’