LITMIR.BIZ

      Almost an hour later and quite full on the fluffy scones, homemade raspberry jam and freshly whipped cream, Juliet and Bea arrived at the first house. It was a fully furnished cottage only ten minutes from Teddy’s. She pulled her small sedan into the lane beside the house, unsure of where else to park, and walked briskly around to the front gate. The lettings agent was already there. He looked about sixty years of age with a happy face with a ruddy complexion, strawberry-blond hair and wearing a tweed coat and a scarf.

      ‘Good afternoon, Dr Turner. I’m Eugene Parry.’

      ‘Hello, Eugene,’ Juliet said as she approached him with her hand extended. ‘Please call me Juliet.’

      ‘Certainly, Juliet,’ the man said as he unlocked the front door of the thatched-roof cottage. ‘It’s a lovely little place, this one. Just came back on the market for renting a week ago after the temporary bank manager left. They found a local to fill the role so the other one headed back to London leaving this vacant and you can have it on a monthly basis. No need for a long-term contract.’

      Juliet stepped inside and was immediately taken by how cosy the home felt. It was small but very pretty inside.

      ‘Two bedrooms, as I said, and an eat-in kitchen along with this sitting room,’ Eugene said as they stood in the middle of the carpeted room. It was a little cold but Juliet knew with the flick of a switch the heating would change that quickly. ‘There’s a lovely garden room out the back, which is delightful in summer but not so nice in the chilly weather. Oh, and there’s a bath and shower in the newly renovated bathroom.’

      Juliet was happy to hear those words and took Bea by the hand to look around. The pretty tastefully wallpapered sitting room more than met her requirements with a large floral sofa and a big leather armchair, a coffee table and a large television. The master bedroom was very simply decorated in tones of blue, with a queen-sized bed and attractive blue-and-cream-striped curtains and a cream damask quilt cover. A free-standing dark wood wardrobe took up one corner of the room and the other corner held a matching large dresser with an oval mirror.

      ‘Where’th my room?’

      ‘Let’s go and find out.’

      And they did. And it was just perfect. It was painted in tones of peach and there were two twin single beds and a white dresser and robe. The curtains were peach floral with yellow window ties. And there was a four-foot fluffy yellow rabbit sitting under the window beside a toy box.

      ‘The owners have two granddaughters and they used to come and stay but now they’re all grown up so they’ve left it here for others to enjoy.’

      ‘I like it, Mummy.’

      ‘I like it too. We’ll take it.’