Page 30 of A Sky Full of Stars
‘Comet loves coming up here, too,’ Charlotte explained. ‘Although he doesn’t know he’s born now he’s got the woodland around Lorelai’s house to explore.’
‘Must be good for him, being out in the countryside,’ Tristan said. He paused. ‘Is it good for you, too?’
They’d come to a stop by the railing that marked off the drop of the Avon Gorge, and Charlotte took a moment to gaze out, taking in the glorious view of the Clifton Suspension Bridge, and collect her thoughts.
‘It’s very good for me,’ she murmured, ‘although I’d be lying if I said I didn’t miss the city. I’ve lived here for so long and got so used to having everything on my doorstep that it was a bit of a culture shock, moving out to the middle of nowhere!’
Tristan tried and failed to look affronted. ‘If you think Lower Brambleton’s remote, I’d better show you some of the places further away from the M5 – the true depths of deepest Somerset!’
He affected a long, rolling ‘r’ on the name of the county, and Charlotte giggled. ‘Spoken like a proper native! But I’d love to see some of them.’
‘Maybe that’ll be our second date.’ Tristan raised a hopeful eyebrow. ‘If you’re not completely sick of me by now.’
‘I’d be prepared to give you a chance to make good on that promise to show me the more, er, rural areas of Somerset, if you’d like to,’ she replied. ‘So long as there’s a pint of cider to refresh me at the end.’
‘I’m sure that can be arranged,’ Tristan said.
‘So,’ Charlotte said slightly nervously after a beat or two. ‘Are you hungry yet? There’s a café up here with great views of the gorge, or we could head back down and find something on the way.’
Before he could reply, Tristan looked embarrassed as his stomach gave a mighty rumble. ‘Seems like I’ve worked up an appetite!’ he said.
They wandered towards The Downs Café, a charming establishment where they could sit outside and still watch the world go by. As they waited for their lunch order, they chatted easily. Charlotte could sense that, at last, Tristan was starting to relax in her company, and she felt a warm rush of pleasure as he laughed more and moved closer to her as they observed the people who were out and about.
‘That one’s a spy… MI6 for sure,’ Tristan muttered into her ear as they saw a smartly dressed woman in a lightweight grey suit striding purposefully towards one of the benches that were dotted around. ‘Wearing a suit on a Saturday? Watch out if she produces a poison-tipped umbrella!’
Charlotte smirked. ‘Nah,’ she replied. ‘She’s an estate agent, if ever I saw one. Property’s a cut-throat business in Bristol. Although you still might be right about the umbrella, in either case.’
Their discussions got dafter and dafter through their lunch, and by the time they were ready to walk back down the hill to the car, they were completely at ease with each other.
‘This has been lovely,’ Charlotte said as they meandered their way back down Whiteladies Road and onto Park Street. ‘I feel as though I’ve been looking at Bristol with new eyes this afternoon.’
‘Me too,’ Tristan smiled at her. ‘It’s been nice.’
‘Nice?’ Charlotte stopped in the middle of the pavement and stared up at him. ‘Is that all you’ve got?’
‘Well, I’m never knowingly overstated,’ Tristan murmured. ‘I thought you might have noticed that about me by now. I am the model of restraint in all things.’
‘Allthings?’ Charlotte said mischievously. ‘I mean, that’s quite a claim…’ She stood up on her tiptoes and placed a hand on Tristan’s shoulder, smiling as he instinctively dipped his head towards her. ‘Forgive me if I’d quite like to test out that hypothesis. I do have a background in science, after all.’
‘Feel free to test it,’ Tristan replied huskily. ‘I promise you; the hypothesis will stand any amount of interrogation and exploration.’
‘I’ll definitely hold you to that,’ Charlotte whispered as their lips met again.
32
The drive back to Lower Brambleton was loaded with anticipation. This was only their first real date, but it felt to Charlotte as though she was already really getting to know Tristan. Far from being the standoffish, grumpy guy she’d encountered a couple of weeks ago on her first full day in Lower Brambleton, this Tristan was funny, sexy and definitely fun to be around.
‘Everything OK?’ Tristan asked as they cruised along the M5. For once, the motorway was running fairly well, and as the signs for the next junction sailed past, Charlotte looked over at him.
‘Everything’s fine,’ she said softly. ‘And you?’
Tristan glanced back at her. ‘Not bad at all,’ he replied with a grin.
There was a pause as both seemed to be wondering how this day was going to progress. It was late afternoon and the evening stretched ahead of them, full of possibility. Charlotte was sure she didn’t want their date to end just yet, but she still wasn’t sure what to suggest to prolong their time together.
They were entering Lower Brambleton from the east side, which meant that they needed to wend their way to the village crossroads through a succession of smaller lanes and roads. Charlotte got the feeling that Tristan had taken a scenic route back, rather than drive straight to Nightshade Cottage, and she noticed a number of features and landmarks she hadn’t spotted before on this impromptu tour. She was tickled by the vintage-looking cast-iron black and white painted signposts, which seemed like something out ofMiss Marple. There were various pretty cottages interspersed along the lanes, and a cute wooden board with ‘Purrfect Paws Feline Rescue Centre and Boarding Cattery’ and an arrow pointing down another narrow driveway.
‘What’s that building over there?’ she asked as they passed a long sweep of lawn that led to a smart Victorian manor house. She craned her neck back to read the sign by the gate, but she couldn’t make out what it said.
