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The weather had finally broken. The storm last night had blasted away the stultifying heat of the last few weeks. She welcomed the sudden drop in temperature. It was nine in the morning and rain-filled clouds hung low in the sky. Another storm was in the forecast for tonight, stronger than the previous one.
She hadn’t seen Esme since Thursday, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to see her today. Esme’s reaction, when she’d hinted that Laure and Joseph might be in a relationship, had rekindled her concerns about her and Joseph being more than just friends. The first time they’d had dinner together, Iris remembered, Esme had put a hand on her stomach when she’d said that Joseph had every reason to stay on the wagon. That, coupled with Hugh’s comment about being away around the time the baby was conceived had made her wonder if Joseph was the baby’s father.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Joseph go into the shed. Two minutes later, Laure came out of the house and followed him inside. She was wearing Iris’s wellingtons.
Her phone rang. “Iris? It’s Samantha Everett.”
Iris’s heart thumped. This could be the phone call she’d been waiting for. She was right to have emailed.
“Samantha, hi. I hope you didn’t mind me emailing. I was wondering if you’d had a chance to make a decision yet?”
“Yes, I have. I’m sorry you didn’t feel able to revise your quote.”
“No, I can certainly take another look at my figures.”
There was a puzzled silence. “I think there might have been a misunderstanding. I did say that if you felt you could, I needed to know within the next couple of days. That was a month ago.” Samantha paused. “I was quite clear in what I said.”
“When was that?” Iris began scrolling frantically through her emails. “Can you tell me the date? I don’t seem to have received an email about revising my quote.”
“It wasn’t an email. I called you on—let me see, I noted it down—on the twenty-ninth of June in the afternoon. I spoke to a friend who was staying with you at the time; she said you were out and asked if she could she take a message. I told her that I loved your designs but wanted to discuss your quote with you and that if you felt you could revise it, to call me as soon as possible. When I didn’t hear back from you, I presumed you weren’t interested.”
“But—I didn’t get the message. My friend, she didn’t give it to me. I’ve been waiting, wondering why I hadn’t heard from you.” Iris knew she was gabbling but she couldn’t stop herself. “I can’t believe it, I-I don’t know what to say. I feel awful that you thought I wasn’t interested. I’d love to work on your town house, I was so excited about it.” She stopped, feeling near to tears. “I suppose it’s too late now.”
“Yes, I’m afraid so. I’m so sorry, now I feel awful.”
“Please don’t, it’s not your fault. Perhaps—I don’t know—if you know anyone who needs an interior designer, you could point them my way?”
“Yes, I can certainly do that. I really am sorry. If it’s any consolation, I was massively disappointed when you didn’t get back to me.”
“Thank you. Anyway, good luck with everything. I’m sure your house will be beautiful.” Iris barely knew what she was saying.
“I hope so. Goodbye Iris, maybe our paths will cross in the future.”
Iris cut the call and burst into tears, her phone still in her hand.
34
Gabriel went to find Iris in her office.
“I think I might go out on my bike today, find a pub for lunch like I did last time.”
“Okay.”
“Is everything all right?” he asked, puzzled by the way she was staring straight ahead, as if she barely knew he was there.
“I emailed Samantha Everett.”
“Good, well done. At least you’ll know.”
“I already do. She called me.”
“Ah.” He perched on the edge of her desk. “What did she say?”
“That I would have got the contract if I’d been able to revise my commission a bit.”
“Couldn’t you?”
“Yes, I could have, only I didn’t get the chance.” She met his eyes. “She rang on the twenty-ninth of June. Laure answered my phone, Samantha explained and asked that I call her as soon as possible. I never got the message.” Her voice rose. “A month ago, Gabriel. Samanthacalled over a month ago and Laure never told me. So the contract went to someone else.”
