Page 41 of A Sky Full of Stars
‘Well,’ Charlotte said, ‘let’s start with an easy one. What you’re seeing now is the planet Jupiter, and because this telescope is really good for its age, if you look carefully you should be able to spot its four largest moons.’ She reeled off the names. ‘They’re called Io, Ganymede, Europa and, er… Callisto.’
‘You’ve immediately made me think of that old TV show,Red Dwarf!’ Tristan teased. ‘Didn’t Dave Lister work for the Jupiter Mining Corporation?’
Charlotte couldn’t help a giggle. ‘I’ll have to let you be the judge of that… my sci-fi knowledge isn’t up to much before the David Tennant era ofDoctor Who!’
Tristan turned away from the telescope to look at her in surprise. ‘I thought being an astronomer and a science fiction fan went hand in hand?’
Charlotte shook her head. ‘I’ve always been more interested in science fact than fantasy,’ she replied. ‘I was reading Carl Sagan in my teens, I’m afraid.’
‘You’d have got on well with my mum,’ Tristan said, a trace of wistfulness in his voice. ‘Dad loved all things sci-fi, but Mum was more of a pragmatist – you’re a lot like her.’
Charlotte was touched. She knew Tristan didn’t like talking about the past and his parents, but she supposed in this setting comparisons and reminiscences were inevitable. Again, she thought of the photo she’d found in the observatory’s files, and wondered if she should show it to Tristan tonight.
‘I’d have loved to have met them.’ Charlotte looked up into his eyes, and their gaze held while they both digested the weight of their words. After a short while, Charlotte turned back to the eyepiece of the telescope. ‘Would you like to see a couple more things before they disappear behind the clouds?’
‘Absolutely,’ Tristan replied. ‘And then, back in to finish our coffee?’
‘Sounds good.’
Charlotte wished she could remember the position of the Volucris Binary, as she hadn’t actually had the chance to observe it in the night sky since she’d discovered the notes in the observatory. Her phone was back in the house, with the photographs of the relevant documents, and she wondered if she should try to find it. Then she realised the wine must be slowing down her thinking: she wasn’t likely to be able to pick it out with this telescope even if she did know where to point the lens.
As Charlotte carefully realigned the telescope to show Tristan some more celestial objects that would be easy to spot for an amateur, she was turning over his words in her mind. The more she worked at the observatory, the more attached she was becoming to its former custodians, and she wanted to make sure that she found a good time to discuss her findings in the records room with Tristan. After all, it directly concerned his family, and he had a right to know. And if he could shed any light on how the mystery of the binary stars had been buried for so long, then all the better.
41
The next morning, Charlotte woke with a slight hangover and a feeling of momentary disorientation. After their stargazing, they’d come back inside the house and finished the wine. She’d snuggled down beside Tristan and slept soundly, only waking when he left her in bed, muttering, ‘I’ll get some coffee on.’ She’d drifted off again for half an hour, and then reawakened when he’d come back into the room.
‘Isoneed this!’ she exclaimed, taking a sip from the perfectly brewed flat white he handed her. ‘I, er, don’t usually drink so much. Must have got carried away.’
Tristan looked sheepish. ‘I don’t, either,’ he admitted. ‘Perhaps a slow breakfast is in order; to help us both recover a bit. Unless—’ he trailed off before adding, ‘unless you’d rather I ran you straight home?’
Charlotte shook her head, and then winced as it thudded. ‘Breakfast sounds good.’ She glanced down at Comet, who was waiting patiently for a walk and his own breakfast. She felt guilty that she didn’t have anything for him to eat, but it would have seemed presumptuous to have packed his dog food before she knew she was definitely spending the night with Tristan. ‘Sorry, old chap,’ she said. ‘Perhaps a couple of treats will tide you over until you get home.’
‘We can do better than that,’ Tristan replied. ‘I nipped out to the corner shop while the coffee was brewing and got him a bag of the Royal Canin dry food – I noticed some on Gran’s windowsill the other day and wondered if you’d given it to her to feed Comet when she was looking after him. I didn’t want the little fella to go hungry just because he wasn’t at home.’
Charlotte was touched by the thoughtful gesture. ‘That’s really kind.’
They drank their coffee in bed, and then Tristan gave Charlotte some privacy to have a shower. Later, they tucked into pastries and a pot of Lorelai’s homemade tayberry and blackcurrant jam. ‘She gives me about five pots every year and I don’t have the heart to tell her I only get through one!’ Tristan joked as they spread their croissants with it.
‘So,’ Tristan said tentatively. ‘Do you have any plans for the rest of the weekend?’
Charlotte paused. She really should get back to Nightshade Cottage and do some prep work before heading to the observatory bright and early on Monday morning, but it was so tempting to hang out with Tristan a little longer. Their passion of last night had evolved into something more relaxed, and she found herself wondering what it would be like to spend every morning in his company. But, duty called, and she wanted to get some work done before the end of the weekend.
‘I’ve got some stuff to do today,’ she said, ‘but tomorrow’s good, if you wanted to get together again.’
‘In that case,’ Tristan grinned, standing up from the table and moving so that he was in front of her, ‘why don’t I take you home, and we can meet at the pub tomorrow for some lunch?’
Charlotte put down her coffee cup and slid into Tristan’s arms. ‘That’s a great idea,’ she replied. She reached a hand down to ruffle the top of Comet’s head. ‘It’ll give me time to walk this one before we have lunch, too.’
They finished breakfast and then Tristan drove Charlotte and Comet back to Nightshade Cottage. They shared another kiss before she headed back into the annexe to change.
Chatting nonsense to Comet, who was keen to get out for a walk, she threw on some shorts and a T-shirt. She and Comet headed out into the woods, and by the time they’d taken their usual route to the observatory and back, Comet was ready for a lazy afternoon in his basket, while Charlotte did her prep work. After an early night, and another walk with Comet on Sunday morning, she was looking forward to seeing Tristan again.
‘I won’t be long,’ she said to the spaniel as she left, allowing plenty of time for the walk to the Star and Telescope. She also realised that she hadn’t seen Lorelai. She wondered if she’d gone to see Thea and her grandchildren.
The walk to the pub took less time than she’d expected, and she ambled into the bar before Tristan arrived. Her eyes took a few seconds to adjust to the gloom inside, but as they did, they alighted on a figure she could definitely have done without seeing.
Todd.
