Page 92 of Love ad Lib
‘Ten minutes before the first gong.’
His eyebrows raised, and she took a sip of her scalding tea. Henry was way hotter.
He cleared his throat. ‘There’s a picnic planned for most of the day by the lake. The weather’s fine, so we might get the rowboats out. If you want to skip it, we can.’
‘No, it all sounds lovely.’
‘And I thought this morning you might want to go for a walk around the estate?’
‘How much mud and dung will there be?’
He grimaced. ‘Your first impression has not been an entirely accurate representation of Somerset.’
‘It smelled pretty accurate to me.’
‘It hasn’t rained for days, and it’s the height of summer. I promise it’ll be better than you expect.’
After breakfast,Libby left the Manor with Henry. To one side of the building, at the edge of the formal gardens, lay a high stone wall with a tall wooden gate set into it. He opened it for her and she passed through the gap into a small copse on the edge of the parkland. A path lay in front of them leading through the trees. Dappled sunlight moved gently across the ground as if dancing to the sounds of the leaves rustling overhead. Libby stopped, taking it all in.
‘Is everything okay?’ Henry asked.
She nodded. ‘It’s so quiet.’
Birds trilled around her and a dog barked in the distance.
‘I mean, there’s no…’ She tried to think of all the sounds that made up the white noise of her daily life. All the beeps of horns, squeals of brakes and revving of engines. The constant cacophony of people living cheek by jowl. In London she lived with man-made noise, twenty-four-seven. Only in its absence did she realise how deafening it truly was.
Even over the last couple of days at the Manor, there were the odd traffic noises from the village, people talking and laughing, and the creaks and groans as the ancient house grumbled. But here, behind the high wall, there was nothing except the birds and the whispers of the wind as it rustled through the trees.
A wave of emotion moved through her. She gazed at Henry and the sensations grew stronger. Why was he affecting her this way? She felt ungrounded, as if she might float away.
‘Henry, do you mind if I hold your hand?’
He swallowed, then extended his arm towards her.
She interlaced her fingers with his, the warmth from his touch shimmering across her skin.
‘Thank you.’
He held her gaze and her mouth ran dry.
‘I, I didn’t know it would be like this,’ she said.
His eyes widened.
‘The countryside,’ she added.
‘Yes, yes of course.’ Henry paused. ‘But we, er, haven’t gone very far.’
She glanced at the wall behind them. ‘You’re right. I think it’s just how it sounds that surprised me.’
He was silent, his head cocked slightly as he listened.
‘You’re right. Living in a city you forget what it’s like.’
‘It’s weird. It’s like I can hear myself breathing, but not just my lungs… my whole body.’ She frowned. ‘I hope that doesn’t make me sound like a nutter. Did your dad slip something into my tea this morning?’
He shook his head and smiled. ‘Even though dad might look like a crazy cult leader, he wouldneverdo that. And you’re not a nutter.’
