Robbie sat lacing his boots up, stood and tested his knee. He'd slept well, aided by good food and Laura snuggled up against him, and now he found himself with the desire for a walk. He did a few bends, feeling for the pain, but none came. He felt reasonably confident he could make it to the village, reasoning that if it came to it he could always ring Laura for a lift back, or call for a taxi.
The good weather of the last couple of days looked to be over. The sky was light grey but over the hills to the west, he could see darker clouds beginning to make their presence known. He headed over the first stile into the field, the sheep looked up but unbothered by what they saw soon returned to their grass. Not much of a walker, Robbie was surprised how much he was enjoying being in the hills. Maybe Laura's passion for it was rubbing off on him, or perhaps it was just the glorious setting of the Lakes. He'd always liked the outdoors, his interest in birds came from his dad who'd always kept a well-stocked bird table in their garden. But adventurous activities were hardly his sort of thing. Too much time spent in suits plodding city streets, he supposed. As he tackled the second stile, he stopped to notice the view back down the lake. Actually it was nice to be alone, he thought guiltily. They'd not made a plan for the day so when Laura had mentioned over breakfast that she fancied driving into Keswick for a mouch about, he told her to go for it. He was enjoying every minute of being with her, even more than he'd anticipated, but he'd also spent a lot of time on his own in recent years and it felt good to just have an hour or so to himself to contemplate the world. He suspected she felt the same.
The last bit of the walk was along the road, past several small houses, with dirt tracks leading up off to the farms above. He stepped aside a few times to let cars pass without fear of hitting him. It wasn't that narrow but he could stand the brief respite it gave him. It was only mid morning but he had high hopes of either the pub being open for coffee, or a village shop that could service him with a newspaper after which he'd find himself a bench. As he passed a small cottage, he nodded to a chap who was tending his garden. He looked to be a bit older than Robbie but not by much. It made him think about his upcoming retirement. He'd gone back and forth for years about jacking it all in, even coming close on a couple of occasions. But this time he was serious. Being with Laura was a new lease of life for him and he didn't want to waste it. The last week had reminded him how both their jobs could turn them into ships that passed in the night. His work could be all consuming and he'd needed it to be after Val died, but now he accepted it was time to prioritise. There was Jack and Lyn to think of, even Pat far away on the other side of the world, and he had to face up to the fact that he was getting older. He'd given DCS Innocent six months notice and that was fair enough, he thought. James had agreed to stay in until Robbie went, which gave him a few months to persuade him not to jack it all in, and convince him to see that he was the superb copper that everyone else thought him to be.
The pub was, predictably, closed. One or two cars in the car park, presumably abandoned after a heavy session the night before. He kept walking, hoping to find a shop. He was in luck and splashed out on a KitKat to go with the paper. The village nestled into the lower slopes, and from certain points he could see right down the lake towards Keswick. He wondered what Laura was doing, he imagined her sipping tea somewhere quiet, book in hand. The village wasn't the kind where there was a green in the centre, more a collection of buildings scattered along the road. But up behind the shop, he noticed the village hall, a small playing field and, crucially, a bench. The steps up to it tested his knee causing him to frown, speculating to himself that perhaps he'd reached his limit for the day. From his vantage point he could see most of the village, and feeling content, unfolded the paper so he could read the headline. Seeing nothing of interest, he turned to the back page, smiling as he saw last night's football result.
Laura was not quite as Robbie pictured her but was having a rather nice time nonetheless. She'd woken up happy but in need of a little bit of freedom. Knowing full well that whilst Robbie would likely tolerate most things if she asked him to, she'd relied on the fact that a morning browsing independent shops probably wasn't one of them. She loved Oxford but shopping there could be tiresome, the endless weaving in and out of tourists, huge groups of students moving between college and the libraries, and that was when you weren't dodging them on bicycles.
As she moved unhindered between the market stalls, she thought how much she liked it here. Keswick was a busy town but surrounded by so much serene green space it seemed to have the best of everything. Lots of people would say that about Oxford, she countered to herself, although as one of those who lived and worked there she saw beyond the dreaming spires and neatly mown grass of the college lawns. She was looking in the window of a small boutique, contemplating whether to go in, when a face she recognised came out of the shop door. She gave a polite smile and was surprised when the lady spoke to her. "Laura, isn't it? Rosie." Seeing her bemused face, she clarified, "We met yesterday? My husband rescued you from the car park."
"Of course, sorry! He definitely did rescue us. I'm not sure what we would have done if he hadn't. Please thank him again for us, will you?"
Rosie battered her thanks aside, "Honestly it was no trouble. When you live up in the hills you get used to helping each other out. It's lovely this time of year but come the winter it sometimes feels that we use the tractor for digging out stuck cars on the high roads than we do on the farm."
The two women smiled at one another. "You just doing a bit of shopping?" Rosie asked, eyes dropping down to her bags.
"Yes, not Robbie's thing really so I thought I'd leave him to it for the morning. You? I suppose this is the closest town to your farm."
Rosie nodded, "Oh yes, have to pop down a couple of times a week for various things. Couldn't be without it really, internet shopping only gets you so far out here. In fact, speaking of winter, I think we pulled at least three courier vans out of snow drifts last year. Why they think ignoring 'Road Closed' signs is a good idea is beyond me."
Laura laughed in agreement. Rosie seemed easy going and friendly, and overly keen to chat. "Look," Laura started, "Feel free to say no, I'm sure you've got things to be getting on with, but I'm ready for a coffee. I don't suppose you fancy joining me?"
Rosie looked taken aback, but recovered quickly. "Um, well...actually, you know I would. Thank you."
Robbie was getting stiff, the bench offering the only very basic level of comfort. He put the paper down and surreptitiously rubbed his knee, wondering whether it was time to head back. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a van drive into the pub car park and a man jump out. As the van disappeared, Robbie realised it was the truck driver they'd seen arguing about logs and, he realised now, from the pub on their first night. He recalled having thought he looked familiar but seeing him again now he didn't think that was it. Why couldn't he place him? The man pulled out his phone and checking for a signal, made a call. He seemed animated about something, Robbie catching a few snippets in the breeze.
"I know that but it's taking forever. Aren't I paying you enough?...Why do I feel like you're on his side?...You say that but then why isn't it all sorted? We all know that house is mine. You've sent it, I take it?...Well, that's something, I suppose. My patience is running out."
The man's tone had changed from frustration to bordering on the angry. Robbie's curiosity meant he couldn't help but speculate as to what it was all about as he started to make his way slowly, and a little painfully, down the steps. As he passed the pub, the man nodded towards him, Robbie returning the gesture. "You're staying at the cottage, aren't you, down by the lake?" the man asked.
"Aye, that's right. Just a few days, break from work, you know how it is," Robbie replied. "You local?"
"I am that, although been away down south for a few years. Back now though. Lovely spot that cottage."
Robbie couldn't help but agree, and continuing on his way he wondered why of the three people he'd met in the last few days all of them had mentioned the cottage. Maybe it was just a passing comment, something to say to be friendly. But once a copper, always a copper, isn't that what they say? And right now his years of experience were telling him there was more to it than that.