Hi folks, I hope you are all well. I am still busy but things have calmed down a bit for me, thank goodness, so I have been able to write a little in the spare time I can manage to snatch hold of. It looks like this story is going to take me through the autumn and winter months which is a shame as I wanted to add to my existing Christmas tale if possible but I think this story will command all my time for now. Thanks as always for your readership and feedback and comments; I am delighted you are joining me still for this Robson ride.

ML x

PS for those of you who missed it, and if you like a bit of M, you can read my belated sequel to the ladybird book of love, it's called "St Fluffentines" and you'll find it on my profile page if it's not showing up on the archive.

"Ok Pet, well you take care, ok?. . and ring me anytime if you need to. . . Ok, love. . . love you too, Bye"

Robbie sighed as he pressed the red end call icon on his phone. Having had an hour or so to kill before everyone headed off to the wild cook out, he had found a bench in the gardens of Stone Edge House and called Lyn to say hello and also to check up on her now that she was close to her due date. After the afternoon seminar he'd gone back to his room but had been forced to head out into the gardens to get a phone signal. Everyone seemed to be suffering from the same problem; mobile reception was patchy in the area but there were pockets around the hotel where a signal could be found and Robbie had found a spot from where he could chat to Lyn without the line breaking up too much.

Robbie had found a little solace in talking to his daughter. The morning group exercise had been a miserable and unenjoyable affair. The aim of the exercise was to execute a rescue and recovery. One of the professional cavers had acted as an injured party and had hidden themselves in the labyrinthine tunnels. The other cavers were on hand to assist but the task of organising, strategising and co-ordination had been left to the group to work out. They had been given rudimentary maps and Robbie had suggested a route and a plan which had been largely ignored. After a while he gave up trying to put forward helpful suggestions and let things unfold. It wasn't as if it was a real mission after all, what did it matter if Jean Innocent scolded him for not joining in he thought, a view he shared with Hathaway whose main focus was how long it would be before he could get above ground for a cigarette. The caves were damp and oddly mild and stuffy in some areas and freezing cold in others and Robbie found them unpleasant to be in. To make matters worse, Iain had been hailed as the hero of the exercise, ignoring Robbie's suggested route and instead chose his own way navigating with ease the underground tunnels in the pitch black and commanding what, the team-building consultant later announced in the de-brief, was a "text book" mock rescue and recovery mission. Innocent had gushed and brown-nosing Thompson had sidled up to Iain, eager to ingratiate himself to the eminent pathologist. Laura was uncharacteristically quiet, as if not wanting to outwardly show her admiration for Iain but Robbie saw her gaze on him linger and saw her looking at him in a way that revealed, unmistakably, that she continued to be enamoured by him.

The rain had finally stopped and getting up from the bench Robbie walked for a while along the broad paths of the gardens. There was a lawn for croquet, surrounded by box borders and an old heated Victorian greenhouse that still looked in use; Robbie saw someone in chef whites picking salad and herb leaves from a raised trough. The warm unseasonable weather of the weeks before had brought on the early summer flowers. Bees and hoverflies visited the blue geraniums and Iris, along with aquilegia, that thrived in the well-kept borders. A blackbird stalked about on the recently mown lawn before pulling at a worm and deftly arranging it, in neat pink loops, in its yellow beak before finding more food to collect and take back to its nest. The rain that had seemingly cleared looked like it was returning and there was a distant rumble of thunder. Robbie checked his watch; it would soon be time to head to the wild cook out but there was a little time left to kill and he decided to walk a little further through the gardens before heading back to his room to get changed into something that befitted an outdoor BBQ.

Following one of the paths that bordered one of the lawns and, if he followed it round, would eventually take him back to the hotel, Robbie made his way leisurely, hands in his trouser pockets. The lawn came to a stop at the top of a terrace edged with a tall beech hedge, rising above the lawn fresh and luminous with bright green leaves. In the middle a set of steps led down to another section of gardens, also with bordering paths that surrounded another large and rectangular lawn. Deciding to walk on further Robbie made his way down the stone steps. He could see the planting in the lower garden comprised of flowering bushes and ornamental trees. A lilac was still in bloom and ornamental fruit trees were coming out into blossom. The air was sweet, the scent of the blossoms heightened by the damp air and Robbie, despite his gloomy mood, took a deep breath and found himself appreciating the sweetness of the country air and the peaceful gardens.

Reaching the bottom of the steps, Robbie continued walking, to his left, along the path that ran along the terrace wall. There was a thick yew hedge, as tall and as imposing as a wall that ran continuously around the remaining perimeters of the garden. Now and then there were neatly clipped topirary arches cut into the hedge that led onto even more gardens. The blackbird Robbie had seen earlier was perched triumphantly on the top of one of the yew hedges, beak now full of more fare for his chicks. He watched Robbie carefully for a second, wary of being seen, before he disappeared into the dense dark green hedge. He had no need to fear that Robbie had discovered where his nest was.

Robbie's focus had been elsewhere.

Across the lawn on the adjacent path, Robbie saw two figures. It was Laura and McLeod. McLeod had Laura's hands in his. Robbie stopped in his tracks, feeling the fine damp gravel of the path crunch under his feet and his stomach lurch with a jealousy so fierce that it almost made him feel ashamed. He watched on and to his dismay, he saw what he had feared would happen; McLeod and Laura kissed.

Robbie watched on, in silent horror, for a second longer before looking away, down to the edge of the lawn to the right of the path. He didn't want to see any more. His stomach squeezed with anxiety. He had to tell Laura now, about Iain's deception. He couldn't keep it to himself any longer. She needed to know before she got hurt. He just had to find a time and place to tell her.

Forcing himself to look up, Robbie glanced across the lawn again and saw McLeod say something to Laura before he walked away. Robbie watched as Laura remained on the path and watched McLeod disappeared from view along the path that went around the side of the raised terrace and back to the hotel. Robbie realised, with some urgency and panic that if he didn't turn back from the way he'd just come from he risked Laura seeing him, especially if she decided not to follow Iain and take the path Robbie was on. He was sure he couldn't be seen from where he was thanks to a large magnolia tree but if she started to walk and happened to look up she would more than likely see him. An encounter with her now was the last thing he needed. Now was certainly not the time to tell her what he knew. He just hoped he could get back up to the terrace before she saw him. He glanced back nervously towards the steps, realising that if he walked back up them he also risked that Laura might catch sight of him. He looked around him, assessing the gardens for some sort of escape. The massive old yew hedge came to his rescue. Not far from where he was, in the opposite way to where he had been walking, he saw an adjacent path that led through a gap cut in the hedge. Lilac trees obscured his view from across the lawn so he was confident that he wouldn't be seen.

Neatly clipped to precision, into the large dense hedge, a grand arched gap gave him swift passage out of any line of sight from Laura. Robbie quickly made his way through, glancing behind him briefly as he did so. With a frown and sigh of relief he found himself in another lawned garden, this one a little smaller, with herbs bordering the paths and the lawn. The scent of lavender and rosemary tinted the moisture-laden air. He relaxed a little now, assured of his concealment and decided to walk around the square of lawn. He could dawdle here for a while to be sure that Laura had gone before he headed back to his room. This garden, although smaller was prettier than the previous one, surrounded by the yew hedge and bordered at the other end by an evergreen shrubbery. Nestled in the dense old evergreens was an enchanting old wooden summerhouse with stained-glass windows. A large raindrop fell onto Robbie's head and looking up to the clouds he wondered if the heavens were going to open. Somewhere in the distance a pheasant called, its harsh guttural call almost in protest to the anticipated downpour. Thunder rumbled and Robbie frowned. More than likely he was in for a soaking but it was worth it to avoid having an encounter with Laura. Also, he needed to think; about how he was going to tell her about Iain's deception. Despite the few drops of rain that were now falling, he dug his hands into his pockets and made his way along the path. By the time he got back to the archway, he thought, it would be safe to head back to the hotel without worrying he would bump into Laura.

Thunder rumbled again and he heard a blackbird make an irritated alarm call. Head down and with a heavy heart at what he had just witnessed between Laura and McLeod, Robbie made his way around the path of the garden.