Page 20 of A Sky Full of Stars
‘Yup,’ Charlotte replied. She was getting used to Lorelai’s rather flexible notions of space and privacy, and was finding she didn’t really mind the casual enquiries. ‘I thought I’d treat myself to a pizza and a box-set on the laptop. There’s a new series ofThe Outlawsjust dropped on iPlayer and I thought I’d spend a productive evening binge-watching it.’
‘Sounds good,’ Lorelai replied, but Charlotte didn’t miss the speculative pause. ‘But if you did fancy going out, the Lower Brambleton Astronomical Society is meeting in the local pub, the Star and Telescope, from six-thirty. There aren’t many members left now, but they do like to meet once a month and have a chat, especially now they’re not allowed to convene at the observatory.’
Charlotte thought for a moment. ‘Actually,’ she said, ‘I’ve been meaning to check out the pub anyway, and it would be nice for Comet and me to have a different walk and a change of scenery.’
‘If you like, I can run you down there so you only have to walk back. I don’t mind dogs in the car.’
‘That’s a lot to ask,’ Charlotte replied. Privately, she wondered just how great Lorelai’s driving was at her age. She wondered if walking, even down the narrow, tree-root lined lanes of Lower Brambleton, would be safer than being a passenger in Lorelai’s ancient Ford Fiesta.
‘Oh, it’s no trouble, dear,’ Lorelai replied. ‘And this little chap can still have his walk on the way home, then, can’t he? Or you can just leave him with me for the evening. As I said, I’m always happy to dog sit.’ She paused again. ‘Or Tristan could give you a lift down – he said he might pop in later.’
Charlotte got the impression that she was being led, but she was determined not to follow. ‘Oh, I’m sure Tristan’s got better things to do on a Saturday evening than give some scruffy academic a lift to the local boozer!’
Lorelai raised a wry eyebrow. ‘I take it he’s not endeared himself much to you, then?’
Charlotte grinned. ‘Well, the first time I met him, he bollocked me for trespassing, so I don’t think first impressions were very good on either side.’
‘He caught up with you at the observatory this afternoon, though?’
Charlotte nodded. ‘Yup. And I’ve got his forms signed if he does drop in later.’ She glanced down at Comet. ‘Perhaps I’ll take Comet with me to the pub. He likes a packet of cheese and onion crisps occasionally.’
‘Well, the offer of a lift still stands,’ Lorelai replied. ‘If you fancy it.’
‘We’ll take our chances on the lanes,’ Charlotte said. ‘But thank you – it’s above and beyond your duty as my landlady to offer to be my chauffeur as well.’
‘Anything to get me out of the house these days is very welcome,’ Lorelai replied. ‘Shout if you want me to cook an extra portion of dinner for you before you head out. It’s cowboy beans and sausage casserole tonight.’
‘Sounds lovely, but I’ll grab something when I get back,’ Charlotte replied. She was grateful for Lorelai’s attempts to nurture, but she felt as though she needed some space and a change of scene for a few hours.
‘Come on, old chap.’ She gestured to Comet. ‘Let’s get ourselves looking presentable and then we can go and check out the Star and Telescope, and maybe meet some more members of this soon-to-be-defunct Astronomical Society.’ As she said this, a sense of wistfulness came over her. For LBAS, it really would be the end of an era once the observatory was no more.
22
‘No, I’m sorry, dear, I don’t know where Charlotte put the forms.’ Lorelai’s confusion was concerning. She was usually so whip smart and knew where everything was. Tristan tried not to feel irritated. He had to get the forms back to head office first thing on Monday morning, and his grandmother’s temporary lapse of memory was most inconvenient. ‘I’d offer to call her, but she’s on her way to the pub, and you know how bad the reception is in the lanes.’
‘It’s all right, Gran, I’ll pop round tomorrow morning and see her. Hopefully she’ll be able to put her hands on them.’ Tristan tried to push away the nagging feeling of concern that Lorelai might be losing her faculties. She’d always been so sharp up until now. He wondered if age was starting to tell on her, and yet again felt frustrated that she continued to refuse to be budged from her home.
‘Well, all right then, dear.’ Lorelai paused. ‘Of course, if you wanted them tonight, you could always head over to the pub yourself. Charlotte doesn’t strike me as the disorganised type: she’d probably be able to tell you straight away where she’s put the file.’
Tristan considered this for a moment. He really did want to get the paperwork sorted so that he could spend Sunday relaxing, maybe having lunch with Martha, whom he’d decided was probably an on-again situation, before getting to the office bright and early on Monday. If he met Charlotte tonight and she could let him know where the paperwork was, that would be one box ticked before a potential audit.
‘Maybe I’ll nip down to the Star and Telescope now,’ Tristan said. ‘I might be able to catch her before she has too much of the local scrumpy!’ He leaned down and gave his grandmother a kiss on the cheek. ‘I’ll see you in a bit, Gran.’
‘See you later,’ Lorelai replied. As he left Nightshade Cottage, Tristan got the slightest sensation that he’d just been set up but, brushing aside those thoughts, he concentrated on reversing his Audi out of Lorelai’s narrow front gate. He’d make this quick and hopefully he’d be back home and firming up a lunch date with Martha before the evening was out.
A little time later, Tristan had parked out the front of the pub and was heading through the red-painted wooden front door. The pub, with its name and theme of starlit skies throughout, was a rather obvious testament to how important the observatory had once been in Lower Brambleton. Successive brewery chains had managed it over the years, and poured a lot of money into its upkeep, and they had leaned into the celestial themes, including painting a rather overpowering mural on the ceiling of the night skies, circa 1895 when Eleanor Winslow had brought such recognition to the village. Brass telescopes were placed on windowsills and in alcoves, and on one wall in the restaurant there was a star chart from the 1900s. The whole effect was somewhat hokey and commercial, but even given his connections to the observatory’s more recent history, Tristan couldn’t help liking it. As his family had such a long association with the observatory, for better or worse, he felt at home here. It made no sense to him, but he appreciated that feeling.
‘Tristan, mate! Haven’t seen you in ages. How are you?’
Tristan glanced in the direction of one of the wooden tables in the bar area and smiled as he saw Annabelle and Nick Saint and Annabelle’s husband, Jamie, all chatting amiably.
‘I’m good, thanks,’ he replied. The four of them had been at school together, and while he now lived further away, he was always pleased at the easy way they admitted him back into their circle when they saw him. Lower Brambleton was welcoming like that: links, once forged, weren’t easily broken.
‘Get you a drink?’ Nick asked, rising from his chair.
Tristan noticed the empty glasses all round. ‘I’ll get them,’ he said. Annabelle and Jamie raised their glasses in thanks. He’d stop for one, he thought. He wasn’t a big drinker, but Carters’ Cider, the biggest cider business in the south-west, had recently introduced an alcohol-free version, and he rather liked it.
Glancing around the pub, he couldn’t yet see Charlotte. He was surprised he hadn’t passed her on his way from Lorelai’s house, but perhaps she’d taken a more off-road route to get here. There were several paths that skirted the main road and were a less hazardous route to the pub than the road he’d taken while driving. He figured he might as well sit and have a drink with his friends while he waited.
