Even over the clinking of Tommy's oars in their rowlocks the river was not silent; birds sang in the trees, the breeze rustled the leaves and the water burbled over the stony bank that tapered up to the grassy meadows. The other bank was steeper and as the wash from their boat rippled out to it the reflected sky was broken into rings of silvery blue. It was tranquil and unspoiled. Barbara was watching it all, trialling her hands in the water behind the boat to create swirling patterns in their wake. "It makes you think how busy the city is when you're out here doesn't it Sir."

"Yes. It amazes me this is so close. It is a totally different world."

"Do you miss it? The country I mean."

"At times like this, yes I do. It was my choice though; I think I would have gone mad living on the estate all my life."

"One day you'll go back yeah?"

Tommy was not sure there was a good answer for this question. If he said yes Barbara would assume that she would never fit in so was not part of his future plans but if he said no then she would know he was not being truthful. "I'll certainly spend more time there as I get older but whether or not I ever live there will depend on circumstances."

Barbara smiled at him without betraying her thoughts. "Like what?"

"How Mother is, whether or not I'm married and what any children might be doing, what my wife wants to do, whether I can walk away from the Met. It will be a complex decision." Where you want to live!

"You talked about what others want to do but not what you want to do, except for the job. You shouldn't make that your life Sir."

"It's not. Well, it's a big part of my life I suppose but there are other things keeping me in London."

"From what I see it's your only life. You're even spending weekends with me instead of your friends. You should get out there and start looking for the other things you need Sir," she said thoughtfully,"

This was tricky ground to navigate across without some ill-timed declaration of undying love. "Firstly you are my friend and I want to spend my time with you. Secondly I have everything I need right now. I'm not sure that my needs have actually changed much but I certainly understand what I need much better now than I did before Helen died." They continued in silence but Tommy never took his eyes from her trying to look for any signs about what she was thinking. She was frowning slightly but when she saw him looking at her she smiled broadly and his heart pounded.

It was another ten minutes before he pulled the boat into the muddy shore of a little island in a slower section of the river. He held her hand to help Barbara out but she pulled away from him and walked up the bank as he dragged the boat onto the grass. "I never knew these islands existed."

"They're called eyots and they're dotted along the river. Downstream some of them are big enough for people to live on but today we have this one all to ourselves." The island was narrow, perhaps only ten metres, and about twice as long. Small willows draped their naked branches across the water at the far end but the higher end was dominated by a single ash tree. Tommy spread his rug under the branches where the sun was muted. "Hungry?"

Barbara had been looking out at the river but at the mention of food turned and smiled. "It depends. I suppose you bought some fancy hamper full of food no one actually eats."

"Then you suppose wrong," he replied smugly as he pulled ham and mustard sandwiches and a box of chicken pieces and salad from the bag. She nodded approvingly and sat down next to him, the food spread in front of them. When he pulled out two bottles of beer and waved them in front of her the pleasure in her eyes sent a tingle down his spine.

"I pictured you more as a wicker basket Sir, rather than a cooler bag."

He liked the way she was grinning cheekily at him. He opened a beer and moved closer to Barbara as he handed it to her. They were not quite touching but he was leaning on his left hand which he had placed strategically on the rug behind her back. The temptation to take her in his arms and kiss her was almost irresistible so he took a deep breath then picked up some chicken and settled for looking at her. She had an innocence about her that was decidedly loveable. Most women he knew would have been acutely aware of his intentions and would be playing the game demanded of them by encouraging him while trying to seem unaware. With Barbara her honest reactions meant that he did not have to perform a ritual, they could just relax and enjoy each other's company without expectations. Not knowing how things would turn out was much more fun.

"I didn't realise I had taken on the physical characteristics of my picnic basket but if you must know my wicker picnic set is at Howenstowe so I had to make do." He was teasing her but he could tell she was not sure whether he was serious or not. He leaned in close to her and said, "when we go down there for Easter I will give you the full nineteenth century picnic experience if you like."

Easter was the week after the opera and until that very minute Tommy had not thought about what he would do with the four day break but he was happy that his subconscious had clearly resolved the issue for him. He could not help but be amused by the startled look on her face. They were so close he could feel her breath on his face. Her eyes changed quickly and seemed to echo her thoughts; he saw confusion, desire then disbelief. She recovered quickly and said offhandedly, "what if I have plans for Easter?" Barbara bit into a piece of chicken that she had snatched greedily from the box and Tommy had missed his chance to kiss her.

Her eyes were animated and mischievous but as Tommy looked at her seriously he saw Barbara squirm a little under his gaze. He did not want her to be unnerved but he wanted her to understand that he intended for their relationship to grow. "Change them," he said in a tone that in other circumstances would have been an order, "I want you to spend Easter with me."

Tommy bent his head towards her intending to kiss her but she blushed then frowned at him so he pretended to reach past her for some salad. "We'll see," she said in a tone that he knew meant he should not press her further. He realised that she either did not understand what was happening between them or was not able to accept it. He could wait.

They devoured the sandwiches and chicken quickly as they chatted about inconsequential things. "Did you have enough Barbara?" Tommy asked worried he had under-catered.

"Oh yes thanks Sir. I must admit it was good. I couldn't fit another thing in."

Tommy pulled two pieces of a richly iced chocolate cake from the bag. "That's a shame. I'll have to eat them both myself then."

"No! We don't want you putting on too much weight Sir. I'll have to help you I think." Her hand reached out and took a slice before he could dare demur.

"Hmm, it's good," she said through a mouthful of cake.

"It's opera cake," Tommy chuckled, "I thought it was appropriate." They both started to laugh.

Tommy packed away their rubbish then lay back on the rug, his hands clasped behind his head as a pillow. He watched the patterns in the clouds, enjoying the easy companionship but wondering if he was ever going to convince her that they could be, and in fact were already, so much more than friends. Initially Barbara had sat next to him hugging her knees to her chest and surveying the river but eventually she had lain down next to him while they tried to spot different shapes in the clouds. Tommy was searching for the horse she claimed to have spotted when she suddenly spoke. "I will come at Easter. I didn't really have plans."

He leant up on his elbow and turned to face her thinking now might be the right time to kiss her but the expression on her face was anxious and fearful so he stopped himself from touching her. "Excellent." He smiled reassuringly as he watched her and her tension seemed to fade. "Come on it's about time we headed back to civilisation." He stood and helped her to her feet. They were standing so close that he was worried he would rush in and do something they might both regret so he put his arm around her shoulder and gave it a quick squeeze, a gesture of affection he had shown her many times before.

They pushed the boat back into the river. Tommy offered his hand to help her back into the boat when Barbara turned to him and asked, "will you teach me to row?"

He gave her a bemused frown before one eyebrow tilted up doubtfully. "And when we capsize how will we explain to Hillier that we both dropped our phones into the water on the same day?"

"Easy," she retorted punching his arm, "I'll tell him you are a lousy teacher!"

"Ow! All right hop in and shuffle over to the edge. We'll do one oar each to start."

Tommy sat next to her carefully to make sure the boat stayed steady. "Okay, hold you oar like this." His oar was out of the water with the blade parallel to the surface. "Now lean forward keeping you oar out of the water...that's it...now twist your wrist back so the blade is perpendicular and drop it into the water as you lean backwards to about forty-five degrees." He watched her carefully. "Now lift the oar out of the water and twist your wrist forward...lean forward...twist back...drop...lean back...try to keep your arms straight Barbara...lift...shoulders square, twist forward...lean forward...twist...other way...drop...try to fall backwards rather than use so much energy...better...see your getting the hang of it now."

The boat was slewing across the river even though Tommy tried to match her uneven strokes. He rested his oar above the water and pulled it into the boat while he put his left arm around Barbara's waist and his right over her hand at the end of the oar. "Here like this." He guided her through the motion several times struggling to maintain focus on rowing. Now would be his perfect chance to kiss her but he could not do it. He wanted to but he was scared, not only of her reaction but where it might lead. He had seen the same fear in her eyes earlier. This would change their friendship forever and he understood her concern. They had to know they were both sure.

"It's harder than it looks isn't it?" he said as he resumed rowing.

"Yeah much, but I think the rhythm is relaxing."

The boat continued to lurch drunkenly down the river to the boatshed announcing its arrival with laughter from one or other or both. Tommy could tell Barbara was tired but she refused to give in. She had asked to do it and she would continue. It seemed her stubbornness applied to more than arguing with him. He had always admired her tenacity.

They secured that boat and Tommy reluctantly started to drive back to London while they discussed rowing techniques. She liked his story about his father teaching him to row but rolled her eyes at the mention of rowing for Eton. "Your bias is misplaced Barbara. Have you actually ever been to Eton?"

"No. I imagine it is a huge school in huge grounds full of rich kids in fancy jackets." Her tone bordered on querulous.

"Next Sunday," he said firmly, "after the opera we will go. Have you ever been to Windsor Castle?"

"No." She sounded mildly exasperated as if he was forcing her to move into his world instead of being willing to try to meet halfway and understand him more.

he fought hard not to sound bitter. "Good, you will enjoy the day then, learning new things and dropping some prejudices."

"Sir, I don't think we need to visit your old school. I saw enough of the snobbery and ridiculous moral codes at Bredgar Hall thank you and you're hardly going to want to see mine. Besides you will need to entertain your mother next week."

"She is staying with her new man at the hotel this time so no excuses. We will go to Eton via Acton and compare schools."

"Waste of time. We both know how they'll compare."

"That's not the point. I want to learn about your experiences there and explain some of mine. I want you to understand that I don't view our relationship in the class terms you do. Anyway, let's not spoil a wonderful day by arguing. Do you want to stop off for a drink or dinner?"

"Yeah...no, not really."

Tommy was disappointed. "Because of this conversation?" he asked pointedly.

"No, I was going to go home and listen to Turandot again," she said clearly embarrassed, "I bought the CD."

He looked over and smiled at her the way he knew he only did when she touched his heart. "Well I have a copy too, we can listen together and I'll cook. I'd like that." he said softly.

She smiled and shook her head slightly from side to side in a sign of resignation and sighed. "Me too."

They stopped off to buy some crusty bread to go with the pasta that Tommy made. He was not overly hungry after lunch but was amazed at the amount Barbara could eat. She ate with a wolfish enthusiasm that mocked her small size. "Aren't you eating?" she asked.

He realised he had been staring at her and had not touched his meal. "Didn't you know we bluebloods always use the peasants as taste testers in case it is poisoned?" he said and laughed as he ducked a piece of flying bread.

He started the CD and sat on the couch his back leaning against the junction of the seat back and arm. Barbara was next to him with her feet pulled up onto the cushions staring at the stereo. Half way through the first act she started to roll her shoulders and rub her neck. "It's the rowing," he said as he sat up. "Here, let me." He put his hands on her shoulders and started to gently massage them. "You are supposed to relax not tense up," he said but he did not stop and she did not pull away. He could feel her slowly give in to the sensation as he kneaded her neck and the tightness around her collarbone. She sighed and he noticed her eyes were closed which seemed to make the moment more intimate. He continued until the end of the first act when he wrapped his arms around her and gently pulled her back into his chest as they listened contentedly. This was what he had always wanted love to feel like and now he had it he would never let it go.