A Week in Winter: A Novel Read Online Free PDF

but it’s too big a house for a second home and it’s a long way from London. Lots of people work fromhome these days so maybe it’ll attract a young family who can afford to ferry their children about and pay the heating bills. This warm wet climate can do such harm.’ She paused. ‘Have you been lighting fires in here, Rob?’
    The square sitting room faced southeast and the natural stone walls had been washed with cream paint. Built into the alcove to the right of the inglenook fireplace was a glass-fronted cupboard, the oak floorboards had been stripped and polished, and the original wooden shutters were folded back on each side of the sash windows. In the fireplace, on the big, central slate, was the remains of charred twigs and a few half-burned logs in a pile of soft grey ash.
    He glanced at it indifferently. ‘I had a trial run after the chimney sweep had been in. I did the same in the other room just to make sure the fires were drawing properly. There’s a pile of logs out in the barn so it seemed a good idea. Apart from anything else it doesn’t do any harm to give the place a warm through. Actually, I was going to suggest that we might light the Esse and have some background heat if she hasn’t sold in a month or two. I can pop over and keep an eye on her until you get a buyer.’ He hesitated, shrugged. ‘If you want me to …’
    ‘That would be very kind of you,’ Maudie answered. ‘If it isn’t a trouble. It’s not a bad idea to light the Esse. Better to pay for a bit of oil than have damp coming in. Should we have put in proper central heating, I wonder?’
    ‘Too late now,’ Rob said firmly. ‘And it would have been very expensive to lift these slate floors. Natural fires are best in these downstairs rooms and the Esse runs two radiators upstairs and heats the kitchen. It’s more than adequate with the night storage radiators in the other bedrooms. Don’t fuss.’
    She grinned at him. ‘Are you married?’
    ‘No,’ he answered shortly. ‘What’s that got to do with central heating?’
    ‘Nothing,’ she answered, feeling another twinge of uneasiness. It was unlike Rob to be so—she tried to define his mood—so
preoccupied;
as if half of him were off somewhere else. Perhaps he had woman trouble and her question had touched a nerve. Certainly he was not on his usual cheerful form. ‘Nothing at all. I’d better look at these firmly locked doors, I suppose. Are you OK, Rob? Plenty of work coming in?’
    ‘Too much, if anything.’ He led the way back to the kitchen. ‘I’ve fallen a bit behind schedule here, I’m afraid. The truth is, it’s been an unusually dry summer and I’ve been giving the lads outside work on another site while I carried on inside here.’
    ‘That’s not a problem,’ she said quickly, anxious lest he should think that she was criticising him. ‘People can come and view, after all. You’ve done splendidly.’ She watched as he indicated the door to the office, turned the knob, put his weight against it and pushed. ‘Yes, well, that’s not going anywhere, is it?’
    ‘It’s a lovely old oak door and I don’t want it broken,’ he said. ‘Come outside and see the other door. It’s sturdy but not particularly worth saving. That’s the one I’d go for, I think. No point in smashing windows.’
    Outside, on the path which ran along the side of the house, Maudie tried the unyielding door and attempted to peer through the grubby window. A fold of cloth obscured her view and she shook her head as she stepped back, dusting her hands.
    ‘I take your point. What shall we do?’
    ‘Better leave it to me,’ he said. ‘I’ll get it opened, now I have your permission. We’ll do as little damage as possible but I’ll need some time to get it sorted inside.’
    ‘That’s fine,’ she said. ‘I’ll tell Mr Cruikshank. There’s one thing, though. If it’s been locked up since the tenants left there might be things which need sorting out. I suppose