Taking a long drag on his cigarette, Samuel Bellows watched the figure run along the shoreline, her petite frame making surprisingly easy work of the boulders that dotted the path. It was an unusual sight given how few houses there were nearby. He supposed she was staying at the holiday cottage. He'd seen a couple going in and out of there yesterday. But he was in no way keen to make their acquaintance. He had other things on his mind.
His encounter with Arthur had amused him greatly. Yes, he'd nicked a bit of his wood but he knew he'd never do anything about it. And even if he did what would the police do, absolutely nothing. They had enough to deal with without worrying about a few logs. He had bigger plans for Arthur anyway, winding him up was just a bit of fun.
"Dad, you coming?" his son called from the truck. "Mum'll skin us alive if she catches us up here."
"Don't I know it," he muttered under his breath. He stamped out his cigarette and climbed into the driver's seat. "Right then, market. Guess these eggs won't sell 'em 'selves."
Whilst she showered after her run, Robbie took the opportunity to look up somewhere for dinner. He wanted to treat her, give her an excuse to dress up. In the few weeks they'd been together, he hadn't had a chance to properly take her out. It was proving hard to properly court a girl that he had been taking on defacto dates for years. Better not let her hear me say we're courting, he remonstrated, far too old fashioned even for me.
The weather was holding and so they'd decided to drive up into the hills a bit. He'd planned a route and packed a picnic, hoping he'd remembered everything. He knew that secretly she'd love to hike up one of the bigger trails, look down on the valleys below, but knowing it wasn't really his thing she'd been kind enough not to suggest it.
This is the one, he thought, finding just the place for the evening. He heard the shower stop and so quickly stepped outside to make the call to book a table. When he came back in, she was already downstairs, dressed and ready to go.
"How do you do that so quickly?" he asked. She looked at him questioningly. "I know I have limited experience but surely women are supposed to take longer than that! Lyn was forever clogging up the bathroom, getting herself ready.
She smiled knowingly. "Ah well, when you have about seven minutes between autopsy and dinner date you get to hone your skills pretty well." He rolled his eyes, "I'm sorry I asked!"
They scrambled up the last bit of the slope, catching their breath at the top. It was only a little mountain really but more than enough for Robbie. Derwent Water spread out beneath them, the view across to other more challenging peaks was breathtaking. She bounced excitedly beside him. "God, look at that view! Did you know this was here? I didn't expect we'd be able to see so far. I thought we were only driving today, not climbing summits?"
"Yeah, I may have miscalculated how far 'a short walk from the car park' really is in this part of the world." He was still out of breath, but trying very hard not to show it. He gestured to a largely flat grassy patch just ahead and they headed there, spreading the picnic blanket on the ground. A combination of it still being term time and the start of autumn proper meant they had it largely to themselves, apart from the odd inquisitive sheep.
He'd insisted on carrying the lunch bag himself, keen to keep its contents under wraps, and as she admired the view, lay back and propped up on her elbows, he began unpacking it. He'd not gone to town, mostly sausage rolls and fruit, but right at the bottom was a bottle of champagne and two glasses wrapped up in a tea towel. She turned at the noise of the cork popping. "Ooo, I like the sound of that!"
"I thought a little celebration was in order," he said. She looked at him curiously as he handed her a glass. "I know it's a bit silly but it's exactly two months since that night in the Randolph. And I just wanted to say thanks for not running a mile, and well, you know, the years of waiting, and..." He scratched the back of his head, suddenly very self conscious. "God, Laura, let's be honest, I'm rubbish at this sort of thing, saying how I feel but honestly, the last few weeks have been really wonderful."
Her face gave very little away. She was taken aback by this sudden declaration and needed a moment, not quite having the words to respond. But as Robbie's face started to show signs of panic the longer she was quiet, she opted for kissing him firmly and very definitely on the mouth, leaving him no room for doubt.
The walk back down proved to be as challenging as the ascent. Having held out well on the way up, Robbie caught his foot on a loose rock and twisted his already dodgy knee. He gave a yelp in pain and was forced to sit down and let Laura examine it. Determining it was probably just a sprain, she allowed him to stand up leaning on her for support before testing it gingerly. "It's fine," he winced.
"Well, clearly it's not," she admonished, "But we don't have a lot of choice. Come on, lean on me. Don't be a hero."
They made it back to the car and Robbie handed her the keys. "You better drive, pet."
She shook her head, "I can't. I had about three glasses of champagne up there. You'll have to."
He climbed in the driver's seat and tried pushing on the brake pedal. "I can't risk it. It hurts too much." He banged the steering wheel in frustration. Everything had been going so well but now he'd only proved himself ridiculous. How long did he honestly think she was going to stick around once she realised how much he would be holding her back. Never had he felt the age gap between them more. Lost to his thoughts, he didn't notice her walk away, heading in the direction of the road.
It didn't take too long for her to flag down a passing tractor, a bit of luck that it was passing, and turning on the charm she persuaded the driver to come to their rescue.
"Robbie, this nice chap is going to help us out." He looked up, surprised to suddenly find them there. His mind really had been somewhere else. "Thanks, I appreciate that. I'm sure you have better things to do."
"Not to worry. Everyone needs a helping hand now and then. Didn't I see you in the pub the other night, staying at the cottage on the lake, aren't you?" Laura nodded, "You know it?"
"I think," he said, an odd expression on his face, "That around here everyone knows that place. Desired by everyone, obtainable by none. I'm Arthur, by the way. Come on, let's get you back."
Leg up on the sofa, ice pack on his knee, Robbie watched as Laura thanked Arthur for his help. In the end, he'd driven them back to the cottage in Robbie's car, his wife then coming to get him so he could get back to his tractor. Closer to her age than he was, the image of the two of them only further served to cement his earlier thoughts. She shut the door and turned her attention to him. "How is it? Still swollen?" He lifted the pack and had a look, "A bit, better than before. She perched on the edge of the sofa next to him, a concerned hand on his arm. "I'm sorry, love. Not how I'd hoped our day would end," he said sadly.
"Oh, I don't know. I quite enjoy playing nurse. Just need the outfit to match now," she winked. He tried to raise a smile but couldn't quite manage it. She kissed him chastely on the cheek and went to put the kettle on, leaving him to lie there feeling sorry for himself.
'Come on, Lewis, pull yourself together, man,' he told himself. She's not bothered about your dodgy knee. And it's not like she doesn't know how old you are. Don't ruin it by being the grumpy old sod everyone thinks you are.' And by the time she returned with a tray of tea and biscuits he was feeling better about things.