Chapter Seventeen – Life returns to ‘normal’

Chapter 17

Life returns to ‘normal’ for the Joshuas, except that, out of the blue, the Hardstaff brothers phone to say they are able to work on the house ... starting tomorrow! The Joshuas are stunned but are also delighted that their house will soon be in a more habitable state. The next day the Hardstaffs turn up and begin to demolish the inside of the house.
Chaos soon reigns!


2 pages : 600 words

Chapter Seven – High hopes....dashed

The next day is a new day and a very hopeful day as a counterpoint to the previous day’s close encounter....

The 3 Hardstaff brothers – local builders extraordinaire – pay their first visit to Beckside House to discuss the proposed renovation work. Nick and Kate are very welcoming to the Hardstaffs and expansive and enthusiastic: the Hardstaffs in turn are taciturn, if not a touch suspicious, and quite uncommunicative. The meeting and tour of the house is progressively hard work for Nick and Kate, but they are buoyed when Raymond Hardstaff, the eldest brother, decides that they will be able to carry out just about everything the Joshuas want. Nick and Kate are delighted...until Raymond then tells them that they’ll be able to start on Beckside in about 8-9 months!

Kate particularly is deflated at the thought of waiting all that time and having to live in their ramshackle abode.

4 pages : 1050 words