Page 41

Chapter 41

June 1931

‘Do you think,’ said Ann to Isobel in the garden, as they hung the sheets on the washing line, ‘that the house will ever not smell of paint?’ She finished pegging out the last pillowcase.

‘I mean ever-ever? And will we be able to get rid of the dust from all the old wallpaper and plaster?’

‘But don’t you think it’s starting to look better?

’ Isobel fitted the split end of the long wooden pole they used to hoist the washing line into position and pushed it upwards.

‘I suppose so. I would really have preferred more pattern in the rooms but wallpaper is so expensive, and Keith says plain walls are the thing now. Art Deco has arrived in Edinburgh, apparently.’

‘He is very meticulous.’

‘And so knowledgeable. I mean, I know it’s his trade, but I’m sure he’s saved me a lot in the cost of the materials.

He said the other day that Ursula had made a good choice in selecting the Lincrusta paper for below the dado rails.

He says it’s very hardwearing.

’ Ann looked up at the sheets and pillowcases moving gently in the breeze.

‘Let’s sit here for a bit, away from the smell of that paint.

’

‘You seem to have become a bit of an expert in wallpapers. I wonder how that could have come about?’

Ann blushed.

‘I’m not at all! But I do like the pine-needle colour he suggested below the rail in the hall, and the pale sage above.

I wasn’t sure about the green, because of all the worrying stories about arsenic, but he says that’s not used any more, and anyway it was a lot of nonsense.

You would have had to eat a whole roll of wallpaper before it had any effect.

’

Isobel smiled to herself and lifted her face to the sunshine.

‘It’s a good job you like all the embossing, I expect it would be a beast to scrape that stuff off.

At least the plain paper isn’t so difficult to remove.

’

Ann wrinked her nose, and sniffed.

‘Do you remember the Lincrusta being hung? The whole house stank of linseed.’

‘How could I forget? The decorator took over my kitchen and boiled the paste up on range in a great big pot. He told me it took at least three pounds of flour to a gallon of water, and it had to boil thoroughly so the flour would open up. He didn’t trust me to watch the pot for even a minute.

And then he beat the mixture over and over until it was soft, as though he was making a cake.

I remember thinking I could make an awful lot of cheese scones with three pounds of flour.

’

‘The work is going so much more quickly now Rab is helping him. It’s wonderful how bright the rooms look without all those dark colours, but it does feel quite strange.

’

‘How do you mean?’

‘It’s just all a bit sad, as though I’m erasing my family.

Ursula took me to choose the wallpaper for my bedroom after the fire.

And Father objected and said the colours were too modern, and that he liked things the way they were.

’ She shook her head.

‘And now we are making a bonfire in the garden every week and burning the papers she chose for the rest of the house.’ She paused.

‘I wondered, you know, when I was older, whether she was getting rid of my mother. Papering over all the surfaces she would have seen.’

‘Like a dog marking its territory, you mean?’

‘Ugh, what a horrible thought.’ Ann shuddered.

‘But yes, I think you may be right. Obliterating her and all her nasty ways. I remember going to the decorator’s shop to choose the paper for my room from big sample books.

I knew it was perfect as soon as I saw it.

Cream background with forget-me-nots and pale green leaves.

It was our secret, Ursula’s and mine, a suffragette bedroom under their very noses.

The decorator kept putting books of deep red florals in front of us and we kept saying no!

’

‘It’s such a pretty pattern.

’

‘It’s going to be your room, as soon as you get on and move your things.

I don’t know why you won’t take one of the bigger rooms, though?

’

‘I like small. I’ve spent all my life at the back of houses.

But I will move, I promise, and I’m very much looking forward to seeing the cherry blossom on your tree next spring.

It will be strange to open the curtains in the morning and see the street.

’

‘I just wish you would get on and do it. I’m sure Keith would help with moving your things.

You know, if you want to change the paper or paint it a new colour, that’s fine with me.

’

‘I’ll think about it.

But the rest of the house should be done first. And anyway, it means I have the advantage of seeing all the colours when they are on a wall instead of just in a tin and that will help me choose.

What are you going to do with all the furniture?

’

‘I’m not sure yet.

Most of it is very old.

Some even belonged to my grandparents.

It’s not valuable, but it doesn’t suit the place any more, it’s all dark and brooding.

’

‘Maybe Keith could paint it?’

‘Possibly. It depends what we’re going to do with the house.

’

‘We?’

‘I was thinking of offering you a proper job.’

‘A job? Doing what?’

‘Just part time. Instead of you looking for extra hours at the greengrocer. Of course, you don’t have to say yes.

You might prefer parsnips to parkin.

’

Isobel smiled, and then became serious.

‘I spoke with Rab the other day. He told me that his mother is moving to Glasgow to be with her sister in a few months’ time, and that means he’ll be in the same position that Keith was in before he moved here.

It’ll not be long before he needs somewhere to live too.

’

‘I’m sorry to hear that.

’ Ann leaned forward, looking up the garden at the herb patch.

‘You know, I’ve been thinking.

I know we talked about having other lodgers before, and having Keith here has worked out alright .

.?.’

Isobel laughed.

‘Well, there’s a surprise.

I can’t imagine why you would think so.

’

Ann poked her friend in the ribs.

‘You’re never going to let me forget that, are you?

’

‘No, I’m not. Watching the two of you pretend not to be interested in each other was highly entertaining.

’

‘Keith and I have resigned ourselves to a lifetime of teasing.’

‘And I will enjoy every minute of it. My work here is done.’

‘Not quite, my friend, not quite. If you take my old room upstairs, that leaves three rooms including the parlour. So I’ve been thinking that two people could share that because it’s the biggest.’

‘Go on .?.?.’

‘Well, you said that Rab might need somewhere to stay soon, so if he took one of the other rooms and if you include Keith, that’s four lodgers.

’

‘We would offer Rab a room too?’

‘Why not?’ Ann saw that Isobel hadn’t even considered this as a possibility.

She left the suggestion to settle.

‘It was your idea to set the rent as a quarter of earnings, and you were right, Keith is starting to agitate about how much he will pay once the decorating is done.’

‘Even though the two of you are .?.?.?’

‘He is happy to not pay anything at the moment while the work is still going on, but he is determined to pay after it’s finished.

’ Ann frowned. ‘I will find a way around it, trust me.’

‘I hate to say it, but I told you this would happen .?.?.’

‘You did.’ Ann pointed a finger at Isobel.

‘So, I’ve been thinking that we could use your plan.

’

‘Mine?’

‘You thought of it, not me. A quarter of earnings for the rent and the food. And at the end of two years, I give it all back to them. And it would be our secret, yours and mine. The lodgers wouldn’t find out until the day they leave.

’

‘Food as well? Are you sure? Groceries aren’t given away in the shops for free.

’

‘I think we can manage. As you said, it’s Finlay’s legacy.

The house would have been part of his inheritance, if he had ever come home.

’ Ann looked back down the garden towards the kitchen, past the washing blowing gently on the line.

‘I don’t know that I’ll ever be able to lock the back door, but he’s gone.

However much I want the impossible to happen, it isn’t going to.

I know that, deep down.

Maybe it’s time to find a different way of remembering him. ’