As someone who has spent more hours than he cares to remember sitting in meetings that he'd rather not have gone to and in the glass box of his office where the only light has been from desk lamps and fluorescent strips, it is that he and Ruth have spent the best part of the day in the fresh air which strikes a chord with Harry when at just gone five they are carrying the shopping indoors. That it is also pitch dark explains why Ruth has got into the habit of locking the door early but not why she has chosen to rent a house in such a remote location, other than perhaps the quiet and the easy access to the village for day-to-day shopping such as fresh bread and vegetables. Which he reminds himself is where they are going in the morning.
Not that that matters now that he is here with her and more so having had lunch in a restaurant of her choice, after which he had added to the number of sweaters so that he now has two rather than one for days out and three for the daily walks he has signed up to, plus a couple more of pairs of trousers and several shirts. All bought in what Ruth had assured him was one of a chain of shops that are located all over France, with none of those 'that really suits you sir shop assistants' following him around. And that was before they had tackled the mystery as far as he who up until now has used his local shop, by visiting a hypermarket to stock up.
Aside from all that though, he does appreciate why Ruth chose this particular cottage despite it being small. For one thing it is full of character unlike both of their houses in London which are not only bland by comparison but are large enough to accommodate a family. That and Ruth had seen it as a stepping stone before going further afield, he now knows because it has been one of the many things that they had discussed quite openly and agreed upon during what had been a 'cards on the table conversation' over lunch. One of which is that they need to call Malcolm later in the evening to thank him for his support during the time he and Adam had been searching for Ruth. Something he has neglected to do during what feels a lot longer than a couple of days.
Which means that not only is he ready to put his feet up but is prepared to admit he has enjoyed what up until now had been as rare as hen's teeth, because unlike London where there is a pub on every corner and takeaway food delivered to suit all tastes, a takeaway of any description in rural France only appears on stalls on market days and alcohol is confined to restaurants.
.
Whilst Harry has been pondering the changes in his lifestyle and the why's and wherefores of the cottage, Ruth has been upstairs re arranging the hanging space the drawers and the shelves to accommodate his new purchases. Which in the case of his trousers she has hung on the on the extra hangers they bought alongside her own, and very happy they look too but his new sweaters, shirts and other sundry items or underwear to be precise, she has left for him to put away in the extra couple of drawers she has manage to create by moving her own things.
Not that it has taken her long or did she drink anything other than water during lunch to be making her think about bedtime again, other than Harry saying your turn next with an undisguised smile when he had been paying at the checkout. Something that she is able to bank for now because by the time she comes back downstairs, having had a shower and changed into what she no longer needs to impress Harry such is her new found confidence and intent on making a cup of tea, Harry has closed his eyes and is presumably asleep.
Which not only allows her to look at him quite openly but to summarise her thoughts. Because amongst the million and one other things they have they talked about was what it had been about them that had made their colleagues fascinated enough to gossip behind their backs. Concluding that they are not or ever will be like Adam and Fiona who had been able to flirt quite unashamedly in front of anyone they were with. Yes, she and Harry can and do but with them up until now at least it has been with a sense of propriety. Their own private radar that has somehow miraculously been upgraded and in doing so helped them to confess to each other on the way home how lonely they have both been for what amounts to years now. A thought which is heightened and brings a feeling of contentment she had never thought possible as she heads into the kitchen where something as simple as unpacking and storing the food shopping is another window into what life living with Harry is going to be like.
'I hadn't planned to fall asleep,' says Harry by way of an apology, when she re - emerges having put everything away in a manner that would have astounded those who imagined her not to be tidy other in the way she analyses problems, before dragging himself out of the chair and going outside to fill the log basket to ensure that the fire stays in overnight. Then because he is feeling distinctly overdressed, heads upstairs to shower and change while Ruth plates up a supper that is simple enough that they can eat it whilst sitting on front of the fire.
.
The contrast and resulting atmosphere in the meeting room where Ros having taken the call is in this instance sitting at the head of the table, is one of heightened expectation of an altogether different kind. Because the breakthrough in finding Mace has come from his own mistake in underestimating the man who most of all would like to see him brought to book, Harry's friend Martin. Who having received a text message signed Harry with the suggestion that they meet up at the usual place on Remembrance Sunday, knew it to be a fake because he and Harry when they do communicate is and always has been by phoning each other. His first reaction being one of anger and the second of fear that Mace was coming after him, which is why Zaf is already on his way to Dorset to pick him up and Jo is organising a safe house that he and Zaf can move into.
The question left hanging in the air for Ros, Adam and Malcolm is do they tell Harry? Yes, in that he is still their Section Head, but in the knowledge that it would require the sky to fall and probably not even then for him to come back to London with or without Ruth. That and with over a week in which to plan Mace's downfall plus the hour difference, Adam who is going to make the call should do so in the morning.