#set 24

IX: scent

If there’s a pub quiz somewhere out there which includes the question, “how many uses will it take to get the smell of fried bacon off your travel iron?”, then Martin hopes he gets to be there to answer it, because he happens to know the answer is six.

He irons the seventh one on his first night in Switzerland, and expects to smell home. Instead, there’s just the scent of clean linen. He shoves the shirt on a hanger and into the wardrobe.

IV: stolen handbag

Martin's linguistic abilities were tested not long after he moved to Switzerland, as he stood holding Theresa's bag for her while she tried on a dress, only to be accused by a security guard in very fast, very angry Italian, of having stolen it.

He was still stammering denials when Theresa returned, kissed him on the cheek and despatched the suddenly-horrified guard, who'd recognised her immediately.

"What's so special about the bag, anyway?" Martin asked.

VI: closet [2]

“It’s… you can literally walk inside it.”

Theresa giggled. “Yes, Martin, that’s why they call it a ‘walk-in closet’. It’s not an accidental name.”

“No, of course, that… I’m not saying it doesn’t make sense,” he said quickly. “It’s just… I think it’s bigger than my whole room at home.”

“This is your home,” she reminded him.

He looked momentarily startled, before realising she was right. “I don’t know if it’ll ever feel like that,” he said, honestly.

“Well,” she said, curling her arm around his waist, "What can we do to change that?”

VII: missing earring

"Mum's going to be really cross," Verity murmured, worriedly. She was still holding her hand up to her ear, feeling the empty hole.

Douglas gave her a squeeze. "No, she won't. Little things get lost sometimes, it can't be helped." He leaned down and added, conspiratorially, "Besides, I've enlisted the best earring detectives in town to help us hunt for it."

Arthur appeared just then, brandishing a metal detector. Martin sidled up behind him. "I did try to tell him it's not buried," he said, "But he thought it would be fun."

V: shoelace

“Dad! Dad, look what I can do!”

From the other side of the partition wall, Carolyn drew in her breath.

“Go on, then, I’m watching,” came Gordon’s voice. He was in one of his rare good moods. “Oh, you’re going to tie your laces first? Good idea. Let me know when you’re ready.”

She heard Arthur laugh. “No, Dad, that’s what I’m showing you! I can do my shoelaces all by myself, look! Done!”

Please, Carolyn thought, just pretend to be impressed. Just once.

“Well I never,” said Gordon. “So you can! Good chap.”

X: sketchbook

Seeing it discarded on the floor, Martin bent down to pick up the sleek, black sketchbook. Surely Douglas would never know he’d taken a peep…

He opened it up. The first page was blank. He turned it over. The second and third were blank too. A flick through the rest showed the book to be completely unused.

A chuckle from the doorway made Martin jump.

“You thought you were going to uncover all my secrets, didn’t you?” Douglas said, grinning. “New book, I’m afraid. I filled up the old one with sketches of— well. Never you mind.”