‘The freeholders would have to approve that,’ said Nell, looking round Godfrey’s shop with the rows of bookshelves, and the lovely old tables for customers to consider the wares and discuss them in leisurely fashion.
‘It would double your present floor area,’ said Godfrey. ‘It might even more than double it – I think this shop is a bit bigger than yours.’
‘Godfrey, I don’t know if I could afford …’ But Nell was already remembering the insurance payout from Brad’s death, some of which the bank had invested in various funds and bonds, most of them incomprehensible, but all of them paying reasonable dividends, even in the current depressed and depressing market. If she called them in, would there be enough to take over Godfrey’s shop? And even if there was, would she want to use all of that money, which she had meant to keep for Beth? But then she looked round Godfrey’s shop again – yes, it was larger than hers – and she found herself thinking that she could turn the annexe behind her own shop, where she and Beth currently lived, into a big workshop which would allow her to return to renovating furniture, which she loved doing.
‘Come and see the rest of the place anyway.’ Godfrey was already leading the way. There were two more book-lined rooms, and a large alcove for prints. The living part at the rear had a beautiful large sitting-room looking on to a paved courtyard, with a small dining area leading off. There was a big square kitchen. Everywhere was immaculate – Godfrey was inclined to be fussy in a slightly old-maidish way – and the place would not need so much as a lick of paint.
‘Two huge bedrooms and bathroom up here,’ said Godfrey, starting up a spiral staircase. ‘From the main bedroom you can see across to All Saints Church.’
For a wild moment Nell saw herself waking in this room – Michael would be there on some mornings – and seeing the misty silhouette of All Saints against the dawn with him next to her. This was such an alluring prospect that she thought she had better slow down before she got carried away.
‘And a couple of storerooms at the top of these steps,’ said Godfrey, going across a small landing and up four more stairs. ‘I’ve never really used them – except for storing old stock. This one’s directly under the roof, as you can see. But I should think you could make two more bedrooms up here, or a study, if you wanted.’
‘Yes,’ said Nell, looking about her. ‘Yes, you could.’
But as they went downstairs, she said, ‘Godfrey, we have to be very straight with each other about this. I’m attracted to this, but I’ve only got a certain amount of money, and it really is all there is. I’m not going to start borrowing from banks or building societies.’
Godfrey beamed, and pattered into the little office to put the kettle on. When he came back, he was wearing the rimless spectacles which he always donned for serious work, and which made him look like a pleased owl.
‘Let’s work out some figures over a cup of coffee,’ he said.
The figures worked out surprisingly well.
‘We’re making a few assumptions,’ said Godfrey. ‘And we don’t know how much it would cost to knock the two shops into one. But I don’t think we’re very far out.’