downhill.
‘Hold on a second. Let’s do a deal.’
He was standing right in front of her. Getting to the wall by herself was possible; negotiating her way around him first probably wasn’t.
‘What?’
‘If you agree to rest for another ten minutes and then phone me the instant you get back to the yard, I’ll help you mount and walk you back to the bridle path.’
So now she was bargaining for the most basic of freedoms with a man she’d just met. And if I don’t agree?’
He produced a mobile phone from his pocket. ‘I’ll phone Bracken Farm livery yard to tell them exactly what’s happened. I imagine they’ll be on their way over before you reach the end of the wall.’
‘Asshole.’ It slipped out before she could bite her tongue.
He held up the phone.
‘Get out of my way.’
He pressed a series of digits. ‘Hi,’ he said, after a second. ‘I’d like the number of a livery yard …’
Evi raised her hands in surrender and sat back down again. The man apologized to the operator and replaced the phone in his pocket. He sat beside her as Evi pointedly looked at her watch, knowing she was being childish and not giving a toss.
‘Cup of tea?’ he offered.
‘No, thank you.’
‘Another glass of water?’
‘Only if it takes you a long time to get it.’
The man gave a low, embarrassed chuckle. ‘Crikey,’ he said, ‘I haven’t had this much success with a woman since I got drunk at my cousin’s wedding and threw up over the maid of honour.’
‘Yes, well, I’m feeling about as thrilled to be in your company as she must have been.’
‘We went out for eighteen months.’
Silence. Evi looked at her watch again.
‘So what do you think of Heptonclough?’ he asked.
Evi was staring straight ahead, determined to look at nothing butthe small flight of steps and the tiny street, hardly wider than the span of a man’s arms, that lay opposite. She had a sudden urge to remove her hat again.
‘Very nice,’ she said.
‘First visit?’
‘First and last.’
An iron railing had been fixed into the wall to allow older, less agile people to navigate the steps. Even using it, Evi would struggle to climb steps so steep. Four steps. They might as well be a hundred.
‘Are you sure you’re not concussed? People aren’t usually this rude when they first meet me. Later, quite often, but not right away. How many fingers am I holding up?’
Evi’s head shot round, already opening her mouth to tell him … he was holding up both fists, no fingers in sight. He made a mock start backwards. She raised her right arm to punch him right in the face and to hell with the consequences and …
‘You’re much prettier when you smile.’
… realized it was the very last thing in the world she wanted to do.
‘You’re very pretty when you don’t smile, don’t get me wrong, I just happen to prefer women when they’re smiling. It’s a thing I have.’
She didn’t want to hit him at all. She wanted to do something quite different. Even here, in the street, where the whole world could see …
‘Shut up,’ she managed.
He drew two clasped fingers across his mouth in a zipping motion, a silly, childlike gesture. His mouth was still stretched wide. She looked away before her own smile could become too … too much like his.
Silence again. Across the road a cat appeared. It sat on the top step and began cleaning itself.
‘I’ve always wished I could do that,’ he said.
‘Aah!’ She raised one finger.
‘Sorry.’
Silence. The cat raised one leg and began licking its genitals. The bench they were sitting on began to shake. It was hopeless. She’d be giggling like a teenager in seconds. She turned to him, because at least then she wouldn’t have to watch the cat.
‘Do you live here?’ she asked.
He shook his head. ‘No, I just work here. I live a few miles down the hill.’
He had light-brown eyes and dark eyelashes, which were really quite striking with that fair hair. Was it
‘Hold on a second. Let’s do a deal.’
He was standing right in front of her. Getting to the wall by herself was possible; negotiating her way around him first probably wasn’t.
‘What?’
‘If you agree to rest for another ten minutes and then phone me the instant you get back to the yard, I’ll help you mount and walk you back to the bridle path.’
So now she was bargaining for the most basic of freedoms with a man she’d just met. And if I don’t agree?’
He produced a mobile phone from his pocket. ‘I’ll phone Bracken Farm livery yard to tell them exactly what’s happened. I imagine they’ll be on their way over before you reach the end of the wall.’
‘Asshole.’ It slipped out before she could bite her tongue.
He held up the phone.
‘Get out of my way.’
He pressed a series of digits. ‘Hi,’ he said, after a second. ‘I’d like the number of a livery yard …’
Evi raised her hands in surrender and sat back down again. The man apologized to the operator and replaced the phone in his pocket. He sat beside her as Evi pointedly looked at her watch, knowing she was being childish and not giving a toss.
‘Cup of tea?’ he offered.
‘No, thank you.’
‘Another glass of water?’
‘Only if it takes you a long time to get it.’
The man gave a low, embarrassed chuckle. ‘Crikey,’ he said, ‘I haven’t had this much success with a woman since I got drunk at my cousin’s wedding and threw up over the maid of honour.’
‘Yes, well, I’m feeling about as thrilled to be in your company as she must have been.’
‘We went out for eighteen months.’
Silence. Evi looked at her watch again.
‘So what do you think of Heptonclough?’ he asked.
Evi was staring straight ahead, determined to look at nothing butthe small flight of steps and the tiny street, hardly wider than the span of a man’s arms, that lay opposite. She had a sudden urge to remove her hat again.
‘Very nice,’ she said.
‘First visit?’
‘First and last.’
An iron railing had been fixed into the wall to allow older, less agile people to navigate the steps. Even using it, Evi would struggle to climb steps so steep. Four steps. They might as well be a hundred.
‘Are you sure you’re not concussed? People aren’t usually this rude when they first meet me. Later, quite often, but not right away. How many fingers am I holding up?’
Evi’s head shot round, already opening her mouth to tell him … he was holding up both fists, no fingers in sight. He made a mock start backwards. She raised her right arm to punch him right in the face and to hell with the consequences and …
‘You’re much prettier when you smile.’
… realized it was the very last thing in the world she wanted to do.
‘You’re very pretty when you don’t smile, don’t get me wrong, I just happen to prefer women when they’re smiling. It’s a thing I have.’
She didn’t want to hit him at all. She wanted to do something quite different. Even here, in the street, where the whole world could see …
‘Shut up,’ she managed.
He drew two clasped fingers across his mouth in a zipping motion, a silly, childlike gesture. His mouth was still stretched wide. She looked away before her own smile could become too … too much like his.
Silence again. Across the road a cat appeared. It sat on the top step and began cleaning itself.
‘I’ve always wished I could do that,’ he said.
‘Aah!’ She raised one finger.
‘Sorry.’
Silence. The cat raised one leg and began licking its genitals. The bench they were sitting on began to shake. It was hopeless. She’d be giggling like a teenager in seconds. She turned to him, because at least then she wouldn’t have to watch the cat.
‘Do you live here?’ she asked.
He shook his head. ‘No, I just work here. I live a few miles down the hill.’
He had light-brown eyes and dark eyelashes, which were really quite striking with that fair hair. Was it
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