Page 34 of Lessons in Life

Fabian nodded. ‘See you in the car park.’

* * *

‘Where are you going? Entrance is this way!’ I turned in surprise as Fabian caught up with me in the car park, taking my hand and veering off to the left. ‘Oh, you fancy a swim, do you?’ He was heading across the road towards the village duck pond where rustling, a series of secretive scurrying and flitting noises made us slow down on the path surrounding the water.

‘How do the ducks escape the fox?’ Fabian was asking as he continued to lead me around the long edge of the pond.

‘Used to outwitting it, I guess – they’re more than happy roosting on the water at night. Look, there’s a couple over there.’ I pointed to a symmetrical pair of dark shapes on the small island in the middle of the pond.

‘Aren’t they waste bins? They must get off to bed early.’ He smiled.

‘It’s actually beginning to freeze at the edge of the pond,’ I said, dipping my toe and immediately breaking the thin ice as I’d so often done as a child. ‘Fabian, where are we going?’ I demanded once more, following Fabian, who appeared determined to get where he was going. ‘Careful, there’s always goose poo on these paths. Slippy.’

‘There can’t be many villages left with an actual duck pond,’ Fabian called over his shoulder. ‘That’s why I fell in love with it.’

‘With what?’ Panting slightly behind him, I knew I needed to get my fitness back after doing little exercise over the Christmas period.

‘Nowwhere are we going?’ I complained as Fabian took a turning through the churchyard and out towards the cricket pitch on the other side. ‘I really could do with getting home to see what’s up with Sorrel.’

‘There,’ he said, five minutes later. ‘There!’

‘What? What am I looking at?’ Sweating now in my big coat after the walk, I stood, turning a complete three hundred and sixty degrees as I tried to work out just what was exciting Fabian so much. He’d brought me halfway across the village, rather than settling down in The Green Dragon with the warming hot toddy for which the village pub had become famous. And which, after the day I’d had, I was desperate for.

‘Oh, for heaven’s sake, woman.’ Fabian took my hand once more, pulling me towards the row of exquisite early-nineteenth-century cottages overlooking both the village green on one side and the cricket pitch on the other. ‘To let.’

‘To let what?’

‘Jesus, you’re thick when you want to be, Robyn. The fourth cottage from the left? It has a To Let sign outside.’

‘Right?’

‘And, I would very much like to extend my time away from London by renting said cottage.’

‘Oh?’ I felt my pulse quicken.

‘And, I would very much like it if you’d rent it with me.’

‘Gosh. Are you asking me to live with you?’

‘Yes, that’s the general idea.’ He laughed, but I knew he was nervous waiting for me to say something.

‘And you don’t want to go back to London?’ I asked.

‘No. Not at the moment anyway. Not without you, Robyn. I don’t want to spend another day without you in my bed.’

‘But have you seen it inside? It might be dark and poky. It might be noisy, cold and damp. It might be old-fashioned with no shower and nowhere for you to cook properly…’

‘I went round it this afternoon. It’s light, airy and, best of all, has a fabulous modern kitchen just waiting for me to get stuck in. It’s been totally renovated since the old woman who lived here died and the cottage sold on.’

‘So who owns it now? Where are they?’

‘Some young bloke who has suddenly upped and gone abroad apparently. The estate agent was happy to show me round, but said I’d need to make a decision pdq as there were a load of other people interested.’

‘So, you said you’d have it?’ I stared. ‘Really? Goodness. But what will you do all day? You know, stuck in the middle of a village where you don’t know anyone? While I’m at school? And your family won’t be pleased. They’ll blame me for keeping you up here.’

‘Well, yes, very likely, but, to be honest, I don’t really care. We can take each day as it comes. I can be a house husband and have “your tea” ready for you every day. And Boris can come over from Harrogate with me. You’d be OK with that? Mind you, I never mentioned the dog to the agent.’ Fabian pulled a face.

‘I love Boris… but, Fabian, whatwillyou do all day?’ I realised I was sticking my fingernails into the palms of my hands, praying this was real. That Fabian wasn’t having me on.

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