Page 7 of A Sky Full of Stars
Charlotte stood back up and made for the gate again. She dithered for a second about telling him why she’d been near the observatory, but then figured the sooner she got away and looked at Comet’s ear, the better. Following him back to the gate, she stepped through and then, as he refastened the padlock, thanked him again.
‘I really do appreciate you finding Comet for me,’ she said. ‘And next time, I’ll know to be more careful.’
‘Don’t let there be a next time,’ he said shortly. ‘This is no place for a dog with zero recall and an owner with summer shoes. It’s dangerous in there. You don’t know what you’re dealing with.’
Charlotte wanted to bite back a retort, but she decided to make a swift getaway. He had the manner of some jobsworth council worker and, grateful as she was for his rescue of her dog, she didn’t want another lecture. ‘Well, I’ll be seeing you,’ she said brightly. ‘Come on, Comet, let’s get you home.’
As she strode back down the field towards the woodland path that would take her back to Nightshade Cottage, Charlotte wondered why she hadn’t just told him the reason she’d been there. After all, she was going to start work there tomorrow: and although she mighttechnicallyhave been trespassing since she’d been a day early, she was soon going to be spending plenty of time at Observatory Field. She supposed it had been a combination of his manner, which had been brusque and abrupt, unsurprising under the circumstances, and the fact that he really was rather attractive, with that curling chestnut hair and those long, long legs. And his eyes weren’t bad, either, even if most of the time he’d been scowling at her. Gemma always said she chose the grumpy types: perhaps she was just proving true to form.
Shaking her head, dismissing any thoughts of Comet’s rescuer, it wasn’t until she’d got back to Lorelai’s cottage that she realised she didn’t even know his name.
8
It had just gone eleven o’clock when Charlotte got back to Nightshade Cottage. She hoped that Lorelai had a hosepipe somewhere that she could use to clean off her disobedient and stinky dog before he set a paw back into her accommodation. Keeping Comet close to her heels, she pushed open the gate to the back garden and was immediately greeted by two whirling balls of energy, who were racing around the immaculately mown lawn, spraying one another with pump-action Nerf water pistols. Shrieks of laughter and splashes of cold water came in quick succession, as the children, a boy and a girl, made the most of Lorelai’s enormous expanse of garden.
Spotting Comet, they paused in their battle and approached.
‘Ooh, what’s his name? Is he friendly? Can I stroke him?’ the older child, a girl of around ten, asked breathlessly, still obviously feeling the exertions of the water pistol battle.
‘I wouldn’t just yet,’ Charlotte warned. ‘He’s er, he’s been rolling around in some pretty stinky stuff.’ She was also mindful that, while Comet loved children and was the gentlest creature in the world, a sore ear might test his patience.
‘Ugh, I can smell him,’ the boy, whom Charlotte judged to be around eight, observed, wrinkling his nose. ‘What did he roll in?’
‘I’m not quite sure,’ Charlotte confessed. ‘I was hoping your gran might have a hosepipe I could use to shower him off. Is there one?’
Before either of the children could respond, Lorelai came bustling out of the back door and up to them all. ‘Well, he’s certainly had a good morning!’ she said, smiling.
‘I’m so sorry,’ Charlotte said. ‘He raced off when I was up at Observatory Field and got himself into a spot of bother, and a lot of mess.’ She thought about mentioning the man who’d rescued Comet, but didn’t want to elaborate too much while the dog was still quietly reeking next to her. ‘Do you have a hose I could use to wash him off? I don’t want to let him anywhere near the house smelling like this!’
‘I can do better than that, dear,’ Lorelai replied. ‘There’s a low fitted Belfast sink in the utility room, just off the patio. Why don’t you pop him in there and wash him down with some warmer water? Don’t want to give the poor boy too much of a shock.’
‘It’s far more than he deserves,’ Charlotte responded, giving a brief grin. ‘He should learn not to roll in things he encounters.’
‘Well, I had the sink put in for washing wellie boots and muddy grandchildren off when they came back from woodland walks, so he’s not going to do it any harm, I promise you. Whatdidhe find up there?’
‘I’m not really sure,’ Charlotte replied, ‘but the sooner I get it off him, the better.’ She furrowed her brow. ‘I’ve got some shampoo I brought with me – would you mind holding his lead while I nip in and get it?’
Grabbing the lavender-scented shampoo from her bathroom, Charlotte was soon soaping Comet down in the generously proportioned ceramic Belfast sink. She remembered her parents having one of these in their back garden as a flower trough, and it was nice to have some warm water to really scrub the lavender shampoo into Comet’s shaggy fur. Making sure she got to every inch of him, she went more carefully around his injured ear, and was relieved, once she’d rinsed him off with the warm water, that the cut seemed superficial. No need to consult a vet just yet.
‘I’ve brought you a towel.’ Lorelai came back into the utility room. ‘Don’t worry, it’s just an old one I keep for mopping up when the washing machine leaks! Should be fine for him, though.’
‘Thanks again,’ Charlotte replied. ‘And don’t worry, I promise this won’t be a regular thing. I’ll be keeping him on a lead when I’m working up at Observatory Field from tomorrow.’
‘So, is he safe to go and frolic with Cora and Dylan?’ Lorelai asked. ‘They’re dying to meet him properly.’
Charlotte smiled. ‘I’m sure he’d love that. But tell them not to touch his ears – whatever he was doing when he was off-lead, he’s managed to cut one of them.’ She lifted Comet out of the sink and popped him on the tiled floor to dry him off. ‘I’ll come out and supervise. He’s great with kids, but I wouldn’t want them to get scratched or nipped if he gets too excited.’
After giving Comet a brisk rub down, so that when he shook himself there wouldn’t be too much spray, Charlotte mooched out into the back garden again, Comet at her heels.
‘I decided to bring the kids back here for a couple of hours,’ Lorelai explained. ‘Thea’s current house is so small, and the garden is barely the size of a postage stamp. The children are good, but they love racing around my garden, and they don’t have to worry about upsetting the neighbours with their shouting and screaming if they’re here. One of Thea’s neighbours isn’t overly fond of children, and these two have had the rough edge of her tongue for playing a little loudly in the summer.’
‘Well, they’ve certainly got plenty of space here,’ Charlotte said appreciatively. ‘They must love it, all of the lawn to run around on and the trees to climb.’
‘They do,’ Lorelai smiled, but there was a wistful sense to her expression once again. ‘I do wish they could afford to move back to Lower Brambleton sooner, but the house prices have rocketed in recent years. Thea and her brother grew up in the village, you see, first with their parents, my son and his wife, and then, when they died, the children lived with me. Thea, especially, wishes she could come back to live somewhere in the village.’
‘I’m so sorry for your loss,’ Charlotte said softly. ‘That must have been incredibly painful.’ She looked out towards the children, who were, once again, racing around with freshly filled water pistols. Comet, keen to get in on the act, gambolled nearby until Cora leaned down and encouraged him over to her.
‘Watch his ears, dear,’ Lorelai interjected quickly, obviously keen to get away from the awful subject of death. ‘He’s cut one of them, so don’t touch.’
