Page 58 of Wild About You

‘To tell you the truth, I rather like it,’ he said.

It was very hard to breathe all of a sudden. ‘I’m sorry about the roof, anyway,’ I gabbled.

‘Forget I said anything about it. I didn’t mean to foist my problems on you,’ he said. ‘Talking of problems, did I see you with a scythe the other day?’

‘Yes!’ I said. ‘I love cutting back with a scythe.’

He shuddered. ‘Do we even have insurance for that?’

I smiled. ‘It’s all in the technique. Don’t worry, I won’t lose an arm or anything.’

‘You’d better not.’ He looked away and gave himself a little shake. Then he glanced back and did a double-take. ‘Why are you laughing?’

Yep, there I was, laughing again. ‘Sorry. You just slightly reminded me of Hugo. You know, when he shakes himself.’ I shook my own head. ‘You know, his floppy ears.’ I did my best impression of a beagle.

He frowned, and then out of nowhere, he cracked up. And my hysteria seemed to be catching because our joint laughter escalated until a volunteer steward popped his head around the corner and gave us a look of consternation. I covered my face with my hands and tried to gain some composure.

‘Thanks for that,’ Jamie said eventually, catching his breath. ‘What was I even going to say to you?’

I wiped tears of laughter from my face. ‘No idea.’

He leaned his forehead against the window. ‘Oh, I know. I wanted to congratulate you. On the environmental submission for the rewilding prize. It’s fantastic, Anna. And the beavers. The bloody beavers! It’s an absolute wonder. Do you know the charity that arranged it emailed me? They said that it only went so smoothly because of all the work you put in – I’ll forward it to you.’

I smiled. ‘No problem. For a minute I thought you were going to make me redundant. Money saving and all that.’

‘What? No.No, Anna.’ He looked at me intensely.‘Stonemore will only survive by looking to the future. Don’t go anywhere. Please.’

What could I say with that intense gaze pinning me to the spot? ‘I’m not planning on going anywhere,’ I said.

‘Lucinda hasn’t been interfering? Because if she has…’

‘She hasn’t said a word to me,’ I said. ‘She’s mainly working with Tally at the moment.’

He caught my gaze with his; his eyes were blazing. ‘The estate needs you.’

I took a breath. ‘No one is irreplaceable.’

‘I disagree. I realise sometimes we’re at odds with each other. But you’re brilliant at your job. The relationships you’ve built – we have people queuing up to work with us on our projects. You’reneededhere.’

The air seemed to thicken. Standing there, facing him, I felt my body tighten with tension. This situation was getting to me in a way I couldn’t fathom.

‘I have to go,’ I said. And without waiting for a response, I turned and walked away.

As I stepped over the rope, a tourist tapped me on the arm, a young woman with a phone out, craning her head to look beyond me. ‘Is that the earl?’ she said.

I smiled. ‘Yes.’

‘Is he single?’ Her eyes were wide with interest.

‘No,’ I said, thinking of Lucinda, and how right she would look in a portrait hung on one of these red silk walls. They would be what my mum used to call a handsome couple. ‘I’m afraid he’s not.’

CHAPTER 18

The rain didn’t stop. It continued through the long August day, then hammered down during the night. I put extra blankets on my bed that evening; it was as though autumn had come early, and there was a sharpness to the air. The next morning I waded to work in wellington boots, in a gap between showers, the trees waving along my little lane as the wind got up.

All morning, yellow weather warnings for storms and triangular flood warnings flashed onto my laptop screen. I did what I always did in London: turned them off. But at half past three Callum appeared at my desk, kitted out for wet weather and a kit bag slung over his shoulder. ‘The Madocs have phoned in. They need some help moving their animals and I’m heading off now. I’ll have a walkie talkie with me.’

As he spoke there was a flash of lightning and an instantaneous crash of thunder.

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