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‘I dunno. Old. In her forties maybe.’
‘Everyone’s old to you, Lu,’ Tamara laughed. ‘Funny though, I’d say Jago was about thirty-ish. Bit odd.’
‘Not really,’ Honor pointed out. ‘It’s been known for men to marry older women.’
‘It is strange though,’ Lucie continued, ‘she never mentioned a husband, only her daughter. And I’m with Jamie, there’s deffo something familiar about the name Pengethley.’
‘Well, of course there is,’ Honor said. ‘You sold them a house.’
‘Yeah. Suppose. But Ellie dealt with the sale. I didn’t have much to do with it. No, I mean something else.’ She looked, slightly cross-eyed at her empty packet of crisps. ‘Something’s nagging at me.’ She laughed. ‘I’ll remember in the middle of the night and sit up and shout it. My mumblings drive Jamie mad.’
‘You still living in the flat next to the yacht club?’ Tamara asked.
‘Yeah. We were going to buy somewhere but I really like living right in the heart of things. It’s great to pop down here for a lazy steak and chips and Jamie is near to his beloved lifeboat station. He’s right there if he gets called out. It suits us for the moment. And houses have got so expensive. We’d be paying a lot more in mortgage for some shoebox half the size.’
‘And you don’t have a horrible downstairs neighbour like mine,’ Honor added.
‘What’s Frank done now?’ Lucie asked.
‘I got in at eight last night and he banged on his ceiling. When I went down to find out what I’d done, he said I was walking across the floor too loudly!’
‘What did you do?’
‘I’ve got some boots with a block heel. Make a racket on the wooden flooring. I put those on and did about a thousand of my steps in them.’
‘What did he do then? Knock on his ceiling again?’
‘I don’t know. I had the telly turned up loud. Oh, I shouldn’t, should I?’ Honor bit her lip. ‘But he’s the neighbour from hell. Don’t know what’s got into him, he wasn’t like this when I first moved in. I’d love one of those shoeboxes you mention Lucie but not much chance for me to afford one.’
‘Maybe you can marry a rich man like Ellie wants to.’ Lucie leaned in and shouted above ‘Santa Baby’ which was currently playing. ‘And did you know Tom is independently wealthy? Maybe Jago is too?’
‘Thought we’d ruled Jago out on the grounds he’s married,’ Honor pouted. ‘Not to mention the parent of one of my pupils!’
‘Hope on hope ever,’ Tamara giggled. ‘The way he was looking at you the other night, I think he’s got jig-a-jig on his mind. And with you,’ she said, as if they were in any doubt about what she meant.
‘Tamara!’ Lucie and Honor chorused.
Jamie and Chris returned carrying their drinks.
A man staggered into Jamie as he put the tray down. ‘Oi, watch it, mate!’ The man put up his hand in apology and Jamie sat down. ‘Part of me really hates this place at Christmas. Too crowded.’
‘I love Christmas. I love everything about it,’ Honor said.
Tamara and Lucie rolled their eyes at one another. Honor’s love of all things Christmassy was well-known.
‘Sorry we were so long,’ Chris said. ‘Hell of a queue at the bar.’ He stopped and eyed them suspiciously. ‘I would quote Macbeth,’ he added. ‘But a, I can’t remember any and b, it’s bad luck. You three witches look as if you’ve been scheming the downfall of a man,’ he accused.
‘What? Us?’ Lucie said innocently. ‘Would we?’
‘Oh yes,’ Jamie said as he sipped his new pint. ‘Who is it this time?’
‘We’re still trying to find Honor a man, but they’re all taken,’ Lucie explained.
‘Although there is one single man in town,’ Tamara said, grabbing her drink.
‘Who?’ Honor asked, mystified.
‘Eric Snead.’
