‘Oh not really,’ Helena laughed. ‘I’ll take any excuse to come around for a cup of tea. Your aunt is the most excellent company.’
‘She certainly is.’ Johnny smiled warmly. ‘I’ve missed her,’ he reached his arm around Margery’s shoulder and squeezed it. Margery looked as if she might burst with pride at any second.
‘Johnny arrived last night. He got a taxi all the way from the airport the naughty mite, I told him I would pick him up in the car, but he appeared out of the blue!’
‘I thought I’d surprise her.’ Johnny grinned.
‘Well it certainly worked. I jumped out of my skin when I heard the knock at the door. I thought maybe it was a burglar.’
‘A very polite burglar?’ Johnny teased.
Margery laughed, ushering Helena through into the kitchen and pouring her a cup of tea from the freshly brewed pot.
‘So how long have you lived in Hambleton?’ Johnny asked. He had lovely eyes, Helena thought. He was wearing a faded T-shirt and jeans.
‘Three years,’ she said. ‘My partner Noah and I moved here from London.’
‘Do you like it?’
‘I do. It’s certainly different from city life… A lot less hectic.’
‘Sounds like heaven. I’ve been in Hong Kong for the last fiveyears and I’m so ready to escape the city and have some peace and quiet. I mean, listen – can you hear anything? Isn’t it great? Just a bit of bird song.’
‘What took you to Hong Kong?’ Helena asked.
‘I’m a landscape gardener. I know, I know,’ he laughed. ‘It’s hardly what you think of when you hear about working in Hong Kong, is it? I moved there five years ago with my girlfriend, found myself working for a company that really took off, doing urban gardens, a lot of rooftops.’
Helena wondered where this girlfriend was now.
‘That’s amazing, I love the idea of rooftop gardens in a city like Hong Kong,’ she said.
‘Yeah, it’s cool isn’t it. It’s kind of a thing now.’
‘So what’s happened to your business?’
‘Well, my girlfriend and I broke up. I was given equity in the company to persuade me to stay on, and we grew the business for a few years. But I felt it was time to move on. The founding partners agreed to buy me out and I decided to move back here and start up on my own.’
‘Wow! Good for you. It must have been wonderful to experience a new culture like that.’
‘It was. But it does feel great to be home.’
‘And I’m jolly glad to have you,’ Margery added. Johnny smiled at her.
‘So, what’s your plan?’ Helena asked. ‘Will you stay in the area do you think?’
‘Probably. I’ve always loved Sussex, being near the city and the coast. And I want to be near Margery. She’s the only family I have here.’
Margery gave his hand a squeeze. Helena noticed how small and frail her hand looked in contrast with Johnny’s.
‘Margery said your sisters live abroad?’ Helena asked.
He nodded. ‘One’s in Madrid and the other’s in America. You’d think we all hate each other, wouldn’t you?’ Johnny laughed. ‘But I promise we don’t.’ He had his aunt’s laugh, deep and veryinfectious. Helena found herself laughing along with him. ‘What about you?’ he asked. ‘Do you have family around here?’
‘Sadly not. My parents are no longer with us, and I’m an only child. I live with Noah and our – I mean, his, son Raffy, we’re just across the road there,’ she said, pointing to her house. ‘Please feel free to pop over if you ever need anything, a cup of sugar…’
‘Much appreciated,’ Johnny smiled.
Before she knew it she had spent an hour or so lost in conversation. Johnny was as convivial a conversationalist as Margery, but much more self-deprecating. They both told excellent stories, full of humour and detail. Helena realised she could happily sit and listen to the pair of them all day, but unfortunately, she had lots of jobs to do before it was time to collect Raffy. Spotting the Ocado van pull up she said a rushed goodbye and left them to their catch up, before hurrying over to let the driver in.
