Page 48 of Hold On

It deserved awow.They stood on a long chalk ridge with the land falling away on both sides. Steeply on the left, with fields running out to the sea, which could just be seen in the distance, and a much gentler slope on the right, where small settlements were dotted around in a patchwork landscape of fields holding ripening crops and grazing animals.

“It’s like being in a plane,” Ren said.

“I’ve never been in a plane.”

Oh shit. “Better actually. You can see more of the ground for longer. It’s not disappearing from sight as you zoom past.”

Dominic was turning in a circle. “It’s beautiful. So much space. The sky looks enormous. It makes me feel…”

“What?”

“Insignificant. But in a positive way. This sort of panoramic beauty makes me aware of things I’m not used to feeling. Awe, wonder, amazement… Humility too. My life might not be easy, but it’s nothing in the great scheme of things.”

“It’s like looking up at the stars and imagining how far light has travelled to reach us.”

Dominic turned to him. “Exactly. I’ve not had the chance to do that yet but I remember doing it as a boy. You picked somewhere perfect.”

Renhadpicked this place thinking Dominic would like it. “We’re not walking far. Apparently, there’s a great spot to have a picnic within ten minutes of the car park.”

“You’ve not been here before?”

“No.”

Ren turned off the path at therock shaped like a bear’s head,which strained his imagination, and led Dominic round to the side with the sea view. He looked for the flattest spot on the grass and pulled a thin blanket out of his backpack.

“Try not to get too excited at the food. I raided my brother’s secret stash.”

He tipped out cans of Sprite, packets of smoky bacon crisps, apples, two sausage rolls, KitKats and cheese scones.

“Is he going to kill you?”

“Not before I replace everything.”

They settled on the blanket.

“Will asked me what you did for a living,” Ren said. “I’d told him what degrees you had, that you did Maths through the OU. But I didn’t say where you did the other. He might ask.”

“You think I’ll give myself away if I tell him they were both with the OU?”

“I just wanted to warn you of what I’d said. You could tell him you were ill or had agoraphobia and did them from home.”

Dominic didn’t answer.

“I said you were taking time out, considering your future. He asked if you were an archaeologist.”

“It’s not something I ever thought about doing.”

“Because you might have your travel restricted or for some other reason?”

“Mostly because there’s a lack of jobs for Indiana Jones wannabes. When I’m already up against it in the job market, it seems crazy to go for something that has additional barriers to success.”

“I’ve never known Will want to do anything else. I have to admit, I thought about it as a career after I read a riveting book about an archaeologist who was a spy. It’s a great cover story for espionage. Archaeologists have the chance to move more easily across borders, particularly into poorer countries. Looking for some historically important site offers opportunities to spy on miliary bases and troop movements.”

There was a clue there, would Dominic see it?

Dominic leaned back on his elbows. “Plus, they get to know the people living where they’re excavating, and can ferret out information from them.”

“Will is really hot on deciphering dead languages.”

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