Page 45 of Rescuing Rosie
‘I think I saw this cat in the churchyard,’ said Rosie, breaking off a piece of bread and dipping it into the soup. ‘Wainwright took off after it; that’s why we dropped behind you and Madison,’ she said to Dale.
‘Her name’s Tabitha,’ said Ashley, as she began to purr.
‘Rosie!’ Madison had appeared in the doorway, still in the silvery leggings and turquoise top. ‘What the fuck happened to you?’ she said, coming over.
‘Long story,’ said Rosie, pointing to her foot. ‘I sprained this.’
‘Oh, that sucks. Well – I’m here for bathtime, apparently.’
Dale stood up. ‘I’ll drop by later,’ he said to Rosie, not meeting Madison’s eye. ‘What room are you in?’
‘She’ll be in this one,’ answered Ashley. ‘By the fire with snacks and a good book.’
Dale left, and Rosie updated Madison on the day’s drama, saying she’d wanted to climb the rest of Loughrigg Fell to impress Ashley.
‘I feel bad now,’ said Ashley. ‘Madison – can you come along to Rosie’s room – it’s Tennyson – in say ten minutes? There’s something I want to talk to her about first.’
‘Sure.’ Madison sashayed out of the room, and Rosie smiled to herself. Would Madison really be Madison without that bottom?
She hoped Ashley wasn’t going to quiz her about the article, and whether she’d like to experience the spa facilities, now thatthe other guests had departed. She didn’t have the energy to discuss any of that.
‘Tell me to mind my own beeswax if you like,’ he began, ‘but I’m … kind of invested in you. It’s hard to explain, so I’m not going to try, but would you mind if I asked – Jono said he thought you going off by yourself might have had something to do with Dale. He said you were starry eyed one minute, angry the next. I’m wondering if I should tell Dale, diplomatically, to stay away?’ He put his head on one side. ‘You seemed quite into him yesterday, and then … well, not.’
Rosie sighed. ‘It’s not complicated,’ she said. ‘I was hurting badly, because of the worst week ever, including my boyfriend dumping me. My self-esteem was shot, my dreams were shattered. Sounds overdramatic, but that’s how I felt.’
‘Oh that’s awful, poor you,’ he said.
‘I had two of your Xanadus – and wine – on an empty stomach, drowning my sorrows I guess, and Dale was coming on to me. I was pretty happy about that, yes. But then I felt queasy and went outside for a breath of air. Dale followed me and made his move.’ She paused, going a little warm as she remembered. ‘Ant interrupted us because they’d been called out on a rescue. That’s it. End of.’
‘But it’s notend of, right? He’s obviously still keen?’
‘I don’t know why. He can’t be short on options.’
Rosie had been expecting something more about Dale, but instead Ashley said, ‘And Ant?’
Her heart skipped a beat, but she didn’t want Ashley to know that within a day, she’d gone from crushing on Dale to falling for Hill. It was embarrassing.
‘Ant said he thought Dale’s intentions weren’tentirelydishonourable,’ she said.
Ashley nodded. ‘And is that all he said?’
‘He shared some survival stories, his thoughts on the usefulness of chocolate in a rescue situation but … that’s about it. Oh – and he was kind about my failed book. Said he’d like to read it.’
Ashley smiled. ‘Ant’s very kind. Really, Rosie, he’s theloveliestman.’
Rosie grinned. ‘I thought it was Jono you liked.’
‘The lovelieststraightman.’ His face grew serious, and she was drawn into the intense gaze of those strange, glittery green eyes. ‘There’s something I think it might be helpful for you to know.’
‘Oh?’
‘Yes. Something dreadful happened to Ant, just over two years ago now. Up on Helvellyn – that’s one of the highest mountains in the Lakes. It’s not far from here. It’s why he got involved with mountain rescue. Dale, too. They’ve always been close, those two lads.’
Rosie’s heart sank. She had a very bad feeling about what Ashley was going to share.
‘Ant was up on Striding Edge – it’s a ridge on Helvellyn with steep drops – with his girlfriend, Gemma. It was winter; a cold, bright day, and they were on their way to the summit. Both were experienced walkers and well prepared for the conditions. It was just bad luck. She slipped on a patch of ice, overbalanced, fell off. She died almost immediately.’
Rosie inhaled sharply. ‘Oh no; oh my god, Ashley.’
