Chapter 5

Over the following week I set about restocking, taking care to make more of the styles and sizes that sold the most. I did take time out towards the end of the week to go to both the local civic museum and the Gladstone Pottery Museum ( http://www.stokemuseums.org.uk/gpm ) to hopefully find some inspiration. It did give me the incentive to add ewers to my range.

I was up early on Saturday morning and with little better to do, went down to my workshop, intending to be back at the house by eleven o'clock which was the usual time Kate rose on a weekend. Just after nine I was more than a little surprised when my daughter, still almost comatose, opened the door.

'Next time Dad, tell your girlfriend where you'll be so she doesn't get me up in the middle of the night, ' she grumbled.

I laughed at her idea of what times constituted the middle of the night before my brain clicked on the 'girlfriend' bit.

'Girlfriend?' I asked before Kate moved out of the way to let Terry into the room.

She was grinning like Lewis Carroll's surreal cat. 'Sorry about that but she looked so out of it that I couldn't resist a little wind up, ' my guest informed me and, assuming a higher state of wakefulness, my daughter.

I smiled as I had to admit it was funny and would be even more so when Kate realised what she'd said.

'I'm going back to bed, ' my lovely little girl mumbled before leaving to do just that.

'So, what do I owe this honour then?' I asked.

I didn't know her well enough to know if it was normal but this morning Terry seemed in a chirpy mood. 'Glad you realise it's an honour I'm bestowing on you, ' she laughed.

Whilst she was grinning I took the opportunity to look her over again. The most striking part was her long mane of flaming red hair, but the pale beauty was unquestionable. The combination elicited a sudden primeval desire that I found more than a little disturbing.

When she came toward me, holding her face angled up for a welcoming kiss on the cheek I realised another of her features; she was tiny, especially compared to my 6' 6" frame.

'You'll give me backache... ' I started to say.

'And you'll give me neck ache, so shut up and show me around this place, ' she finished still grinning.

'Yes my lady, ' I responded with a theatrical bow.

This time her laugh was more of a giggle. 'I love a man who knows his place.'

She then walked past me and towards my work area. Much to my annoyance I couldn't help but look lustily at her rear view. She may have been a waif but there was no doubt she was a female one, with subtle curves in all the right places. From the back her hair looked even more impressive. I had promised myself that whilst my daughter was still at home I would refrain from women but this young lady had more than enough going for her to test my restraint. I was well aware that she was the first woman since my wife's death that even remotely interested me. That this was only the second time I'd seen her only emphasised that.

I saw her place a small attaché case I'd failed to notice on my computer table and start to open it.

'You going to stand there ogling me or come here and see what I've got?' she asked still grinning.

Blushing slightly at been caught out I went to join her. After a moment's thought I ignored the innuendo.

It turned out that she had taken my offer of assistance very seriously. As soon as she started to show me her drawings, all traces of flirtation evaporated and she became very much the business woman.

They were all good, many better than just good, and I happily told her so and was delighted by her excited response. She wasn't too thrilled though when I told her that most were impractical or beyond me or my equipment. Her excitement dissipated instantly and I felt her temper rise.

'I thought you were supposed to be a potter, ' she stated aggressively, 'these aren't complex designs.'

I put my hand up to hopefully stop her tirade. 'Terry, they are interesting designs, as I've already said, but some are too intricate for me and others have shapes that I can't make with what I've got. One of the big boys like Doulton or Spode would probably love them but I simply don't have the equipment or in some cases the skill to do them justice.'

Her anger evaporated as quickly as it had arrived. 'I'm sorry, I didn't realise that, nor to be honest did I consider that side of it, I just tried to create some designs that I like.'

I could hear the disappointment in her voice and it was obvious that she'd put a lot of work into her drawings. I picked out one that I was confident that I could reproduce with reasonable accuracy.