Page 31 of A Sky Full of Stars
‘That’s Cherry Tree Court,’ Tristan replied. ‘It’s an exclusive venue that does mainly weddings and the odd black-tie function. Used to be owned by a branch of the Treloar family, who also owned Roseford Hall, back in the day, but they sold Cherry Tree Court in the fifties to realise some capital and it’s been in the hands of a succession of people ever since.’ He paused tantalisingly. ‘Rumour has it that a certain Australian pop princess was considering buying it at some point in the early 2000s, but it was snapped up by a high-end boutique hotel chain and turned into a destination venue. It’s even got its own helipad out the back, as the odd celeb likes to come down and use the spa facilities from time to time, or so I’ve heard.’
‘I’ll have to check it out; it sounds right up my street!’ Charlotte giggled. ‘I do so love an exclusive boutique venue.’ She affected a posher tone, and was relieved when Tristan laughed.
‘They do actually hold a winter party every year for a select guest list,’ Tristan replied. ‘Local business owners and the like get an invite, and those the hotel company consider to be the great and the good. Nick and Annabelle get the nod every year, along with their dad. I remember being Annabelle’s date for it a few years back when Jamie was away on business, and it certainly opened my eyes.’
‘You’ll probably get your own invitation this year,’ Charlotte remarked. ‘I mean, Flowerdew Homes is a pretty big fish in this pond now that Observatory Field is underway.’
Tristan slowed down to look both ways at the crossroads that led to the village centre, and as he did so, he met Charlotte’s eyes. ‘If I do, you could always come with me, er, if you wanted to, that is.’
Charlotte blushed. Winter seemed an awfully long way away from this beautiful summer day, with the hedgerows in full bloom and the warmth of the season in the air, but she was flattered by the invitation. ‘I’d love to,’ she murmured. ‘Keep me posted and I’ll make sure I buy a new frock.’
Before long, having completed the impromptu tour of Lower Brambleton, Tristan was pulling up in the driveway of Nightshade Cottage.
‘I had a really great time today,’ he said as he cut the engine and turned towards her. ‘Thank you for showing me some of the sights.’
‘Any time.’ Charlotte felt her pulse speeding up as there was another loaded pause between them. ‘Should we, er, do it again sometime?’
Tristan smiled and she thought again how lovely and open his face was when he did. ‘I’d like that a lot.’ She watched as he ran a hand through his hair. ‘Look, Charlotte… I’m a bit out of practice at all this. The last few relationships I’ve had have been pretty casual. But I’ve really enjoyed today.’ He hesitated, and she saw him shifting nervously in his seat before he spoke again. ‘Would you, er, like to come to lunch at my place tomorrow?’
‘I’d like that,’ Charlotte replied. ‘But there’s a bit of a problem with getting there. You live in Taunton, right? I’m pretty sure it’s not walking distance!’
‘Right,’ Tristan smiled. ‘I’ll pick you up at twelve. And I promise I’ll bring you home afterwards as well, no matter how lunch goes. If it all goes pear shaped and you decide that spending time with me was a terrible mistake, I won’t make you walk back here. Scouts’ honour.’
‘You were a Scout?’ Charlotte could well imagine Tristan as a serious little boy in the khaki colours of the organisation. She had a hard time imagining him roughing it, camping in the countryside though.
‘I was, for a while,’ Tristan said. ‘I got caught smoking behind the Scout Hut with a mate of mine and his sister, and at that point they politely asked us all to leave!’ He grimaced good-naturedly. ‘Gran was livid. She’d known the Scout Leader since they were at school together.’
Charlotte laughed. ‘Sounds like a good reason to get expelled, though.’
‘Would have been if I’d actually liked smoking, but I was just trying to impress my mate’s sister, who thought I was a dork.’
‘Did it work?’
‘Nope. She ended up going out with the local bike mechanic and moving to New Jersey with him, so risking ruining my lungs was a complete waste of time!’
‘Well, I’d still like to come over tomorrow,’ she said. ‘I don’t care if your Scouts’ honour isn’t legally binding.’
‘It’s a date,’ Tristan grinned. Then his expression grew serious again. ‘Er, could I ask you a favour?’
‘Sure,’ Charlotte replied. ‘What is it?’
Shifting in his seat, Tristan drew a breath. ‘Can you not talk about things too much with Gran? She’s bound to ask you a whole load of questions when you see her, and it just feels a bit weird to know that she’s going to get the low down on us.’
Charlotte smiled. ‘Well, I don’t know how well I’ll stand up to interrogation if she gets the thumbscrews out, but I’ll do my best.’
‘Thanks,’ Tristan replied. Then all thoughts of Lorelai were temporarily forgotten as he kissed her again.
‘I’ll see you tomorrow,’ he murmured as they broke apart. ‘Thanks again for a lovely day.’
‘Thank you, too,’ Charlotte replied, as, on slightly shaky legs, she got out of the car. She watched Tristan reversing out of the driveway, and then, when his car was out of sight, she reeled to the door of the annexe and let herself in.
‘Good day, dear?’ Lorelai, on cue, asked as not even a minute later she knocked on the internal door that separated the annexe from the rest of Nightshade Cottage.
‘Lovely.’ Charlotte smiled broadly, and bent down to cuddle an excited Comet, who’d dashed through to find her. ‘Has this old chap been good?’
‘He was impeccably behaved all day, even when he spotted a rabbit in the woods,’ Lorelai replied. ‘He gave chase for all of about five seconds before he came back when I called him. Such a good boy.’
‘Thank you so much for looking after him,’ Charlotte said. ‘In the end, he’d probably have been fine mooching around Bristol, but it was good not to have to worry about him for the day.’
