Page 62 of Wild Swimming at Croftwood Lake
‘Hey. Someone might see.’ Nora pushed his hand away.
‘Spoilsport.’
She kissed him, then stood up and undressed. Archie sighed as he followed suit.
‘Are you worried about going in?’
‘It’s not the same as the sea. I liked the gentle shore. This feels like all or nothing in comparison.’
‘It’ll be better when the steps are in.’ They’d commissioned a joiner to make steps into the water and a Monet-style bridge to link the island to the shore.
‘Perhaps, but it doesn’t help me today.’
‘You don’t have to come in,’ Nora reasoned, although she knew that would be exactly the thing to say to make him think he had to.
‘No. I want to. I ought to have first-hand experience of my own lake if I’m asking other people to swim in it.’
Nora lowered herself off the dock first and waited for Archie. ‘It’s not as cold as the sea, if that helps?’
He grimaced as he lowered himself in. ‘Liar.’ But once they started swimming, he relaxed and seemed as happy as he’d been in Dorset.
‘It’s rather wonderful, actually, swimming in one’s own lake.’
‘How much land do you have?’
‘Not as much as we used to. Around fifty thousand acres all told.’
Nora had no idea how much that was, but it sounded a lot.
‘My father sold off some of the farmland in the nineteen-eighties, so there are pockets of our land all around Croftwood. It’s not all surrounding the house. And obviously we have the arrangement with the trust for the majority of it.’
It struck Nora how odd it was that a family could be so rich in assets and yet be struggling to make ends meet. It wasn’t as if they led a flamboyant lifestyle. Archie and Constance lived nothing like the way most people might assume, given the scale of the estate.
‘Are you feeling cold?’ Nora asked once they had done one loop of the island.
‘No, but I’m going to get out while the going’s good,’ he said. ‘I’ve enjoyed it.’
They climbed out together and raced to dry and put their robes on. Now that they were entirely comfortable with each other, they both stripped off without worrying about modesty, which made getting warm and dry much easier and quicker.
‘I should have lit the fire-pit,’ Archie said. He pulled the hood up on his robe and shoved his hands in the deep pockets. ‘It’s really not the same when there’s no log fire waiting for you.’
‘That’s why Seb suggested the Finnish hut. It’s much better than the fire-pit, especially when the weather’s bad. It’s one thing swimming in the rain, but it’s much harder to get warm afterwards.’
‘What are you doing today, my love?’ Archie asked, taking her in his arms as soon as she’d zipped her robe.
‘I’m going to Stoke. I’ve been desperate to see how my new pots have fired. I could just text Neil, but I’d like to catch up on things with Val. How about you?’
‘I’ve got nothing pressing on. Could I come with you? I’d love to see where you work.’
‘I’d love that!’ Val would love it more, Nora thought. ‘I’ll come and pick you up as soon as I’ve showered.’
She was so excited. It hadn’t occurred to her that Archie might be interested in visiting the pottery, but she was thrilled that he was. And she also knew that while she faffed around with her pots and caught up with Val, he’d be quite happy. In fact, she might even get him on the wheel.
‘Are you sure you’re ready for this?’ They were just about to go into the pottery. ‘Everyone’s eyes are going to be out on stalks.’
Archie took her hand. ‘I’m ready for anything,’ he said, grinning.
‘Tell me that again in a couple of hours.’
