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Hecate hoped Miss Ada Cackle was not the sort of person to be irritatingly cheerful first thing in the morning. She'd sounded as though she might be, on the phone, but she was also the only remotely suitable person to respond to Hecate's advertisement.
Hecate hadn't intended to look for another lodger after Indigo left. A leak in the roof had proved more expensive than she'd anticipated however, and renting out the top floor of her house again would be a much needed source of income while she researched her next book. It was a fully equipped flat up there; bedroom, bathroom, a living area with a tiny kitchen in one corner and a view over the garden. She wouldn't have to see much of whoever moved in. A quick nod in the shared hallway ought to suffice most days.
Her lips twitched into a reluctant smile as she thought of the mock advertisement Indigo had scrawled on the back of a shopping list when she'd visited two days ago. Tall grumpy introvert seeks similar soulmate to ignore happily ever after.
"I'm not looking for a soulmate!" Hecate had protested. "I just want to pay for the roof."
"It'd be nice though, wouldn't it?" Indigo had said, hoisting baby Azura up onto her shoulder and kissing the top of her head. "To find somebody who really gets you."
"Speak for yourself," Hecate had sniffed. "I'm perfectly content on my own."
~*~
Ada Cackle, it turned out, was the very opposite of a tall grumpy introvert. She was small and round, wearing a startlingly pink floral dress and the prettiest smile Hecate had seen in a very long time.
She seemed brimful of optimistic enthusiasm, but it was tempered with a gentleness of manner that Hecate felt she might be able to cope with if they bumped into each other before breakfast. Ada's eyes were alight with interest as they roamed around the flat.
Hecate cleared her throat. "I'm afraid it's a little dingy. It hasn't been repainted for a while." She wasn't quite sure why she was apologising. The flat was neat and clean. She'd never minded the sombre decor before, though Indigo had teased her about it. But Ada's bright dress and brighter smile somehow made the rooms look old-fashioned and dull.
"Oh I could soon sort that out! That's what I do, I'm an interior designer. It's a lovely space. There are so many things I could do with it..." She trailed off, suddenly uncertain. "If you wouldn't mind my redecorating, that is."
"Not at all," answered Hecate, surprising herself. "It would be your home. It's important to feel comfortable."
Ada beamed. "You're very kind. Living on my own is going to take some getting used to but it would feel good to be able to decorate somewhere just for myself."
"You weren't living alone before?"
"I was living with my sister. But… well, that didn't work out in the end."
"Didn't work out how?" Hecate asked, rather sharply. This woman seemed innocuous enough, but Hecate wasn't prepared to go through the process of searching for a tenant more than once. She needed somebody steady and reliable, somebody who wasn't going to fill her house with unnecessary drama. "...If you don't mind telling me," she added a little too late, seeing the pain flaring in Ada's eyes, the way she wrapped her arms around herself for a moment.
"She ran off with my girlfriend," said Ada quietly.
"Oh." Hecate didn't quite know where to look. "Sorry," she muttered.
"It's alright." Ada gave her a small smile. "Well, it isn't. But I will be, in time. I just need a fresh start in a new home."
Hecate experienced a sudden urge to reach out with a comforting pat on the shoulder, but this seemed absurdly intimate so she kept her hands by her sides, angling herself discreetly away to give her guest time to wipe a tear from the corner of her eye. Ada's declaration reminded Hecate of the leaflet she'd found on her doormat that morning. Two black cats curled in the same basket, gazing plaintively at the camera. Bold yellow lettering demanding Could you give them a loving new home? For some reason she'd left it on the hall table instead of putting it straight in the recycling.
"...I was sharing with a relative too," she said to break the silence. "My cousin. But she's just had a baby so she wanted somewhere with a bit more space."
"A new baby! How delightful!"
"I suppose so," Hecate said doubtfully. "I'm not very well acquainted with babies. She seems rather demanding."
"They are hard work. But I had a wonderful time watching my goddaughter Mavis grow up. And she has a little girl of her own now. I can hardly believe it! Is your cousin staying nearby?"
Hecate nodded. "A few streets away. We still see each other every week. But it's not the same as it was before the baby came."
"Well, no," said Ada gently. "It wouldn't be. And that might be hard, at first. But I'm sure you'll learn to enjoy your time together in a different way."
"I hope so," said Hecate, a little out of her depth. The conversation had become much more personal than she'd intended, and far from looking uncomfortable Ada was calmly accepting her confidences as though they had known each other for years. Hecate turned to the window to collect her thoughts and Ada followed her gaze.
"You have a lovely garden. May I have a look round?"
Hecate hesitated. Her garden was her sanctuary. Indigo had been in and out all the time of course, but she hadn't considered sharing it with anybody else.
Ada tilted her head. "Is the garden not part of the deal? I quite understand if not. It's a lot, opening up your home to a stranger after living with family and of course you need your space."
Hecate opened her mouth and then shut it again. What was she to say to this woman whose domestic life had been disrupted so much more painfully than her own? In the midst of a personal crisis Ada was still somehow managing to show compassionate consideration for Hecate, and it seemed only fair to return that as best she could.
"We could come to an arrangement about the garden," she said eventually. "I'd write it into the contract, if- if we agreed you were to live here. I'll show you round."
"Well, if you're sure it's not an imposition."
After leading the way through the back door Hecate instinctively turned to appreciate the roses. They were her one indulgence, growing almost ten feet high all along the back wall of the house, studded with crimson buds just bursting into a flamboyant second flowering.
"Oh, those are beautiful,'' Ada exclaimed. She bent to sniff one. "And they smell divine. It's almost like…"
"Like wine," Hecate finished with a smile.
"Yes! I love them."
Hecate reached out to touch a satiny petal. "So do I."
Ada's eyes sparkled at her for a moment before moving to inspect the rest of the garden. A smooth green lawn, a greenhouse in one corner, two vegetable plots and a herb bed, all impeccably cared for.
"This is all very impressive. It must be so nice to just sit out here and soak up the sunshine."
Hecate nodded politely, although the concept of coming into the garden to sit in idleness was foreign to her. There was always so much to be done.
"It might be nice to plant some sunflowers," Ada was saying. "Down at the end there? I bought a packet of seeds the other day to cheer myself up."
Hecate frowned, thinking how garish they would look against her neat dark hedges.
"You can't sow sunflowers at the end of August. Not around here. The frost would kill them before they had time to bloom."
"Oh," said Ada. "I didn't know that." She looked crestfallen. "I've never had much luck with gardening."
Hecate watched her shoulders slump and felt once again that unaccustomed urge to reach out with comfort.
"We can plant them together," she found herself saying "In the spring. I'll show you how to take care of them."
Ada's smile seemed to light up the whole garden. "I'd love that! You'd really like me to stay?"
"Yes," said Hecate, heart beating inexplicably faster. "Yes, I'd like you to stay."