Page 50 of The Way We Are Now

‘Hmm.’ Theo took my hand but said nothing further as he led me out of the hall.

‘Where are we going?’

‘I want to show you something.’

Something?

‘Come on, I’m going to take you to my favourite place in the world.’ He smiled. ‘Apart from Lake Matheson in the South Island of New Zealand, of course. I don’t think anywhere can beat that.’

‘Oh, it’s getting light.’ I gazed towards the east where dawn was just breaking. I stopped and just stood, watching as the night’s darkness yielded to the burgeoning light of a new day, painting the Yorkshire skies in a veritable rainbow of greys, pink and orange.

Theo smiled. ‘Well, it is four thirty. It’ll be fully light in half an hour. Looks like we’re in for another scorcher.’ Theo took off his red jacket, placing it round my shoulders. ‘Chilly now though,’ he added. ‘I hope it’s not been too, you know, over the top for you?’

‘No, no,’ I gushed, hating Theo to think I’d not enjoyed myself. ‘It’s been, well, different.’

‘Yes, it’s not something I want to do more than once a year.’

‘Honestly, Theo, thank you so much for inviting me.’ I felt suddenly shy as I removed my shoes once more, and we set off walking across the huge expanse of verdant lawn.

Theo stopped, stooping to pluck a buttercup before threading it through my hair.

‘I thought you were supposed to hold it under my chin… you know, to see if I liked butter?’

‘I just needed to touch you,’ he said seriously. He stopped again, clearly self-conscious at what he’d just said, but nevertheless reaching both hands gently into my hair which was coming down from its up-do. He brought me towards him, kissing my mouth. Softly at first, kissing each upper and lower lip in turn, his breath, despite the alcohol we’d both drunk, sweet. He moved me back slightly, looking into my open eyes as if questioning whether this was something he should be doing.

As if!

I leaned in, kissing him back, running my tongue lightly across his lower lip, emboldened as, with lust coursing through every bit of me, my hands reached around his waist, feeling the heat of him through his white shirt and waistcoat. Any embrace, any kiss I’d had in the past, was nothing, mere amateurish child’s play compared to kissing Theo Mandeville, standing on the dewy grass in my bare feet with the sun making its glorious appearance over the horizon.

‘Come on,’ Theo finally said, taking my hand and my abandoned shoes. ‘I want to show you this before anyone else has the same idea.’

We walked for a good ten minutes, talking only a little, happy with the companiable silence, but stopping every now and again as Theo pointed out a constellation sitting milkily in the lightening sky, an owl swooping into a giant oak in front of us or a plane making its way to Leeds Bradford airport on the horizon.

‘Oh, wow.’ I stopped short as the early-morning mist hung and shimmered over a vast expanse of water. ‘Your lake?’ I asked. ‘Graham told me there was one.’

Theo nodded. ‘I loved coming down here as a child. Still love it. I’m not convinced my family come to the lake much any more. It’s a big hit with the visitors – they come to picnic here. We’ve managed so far to keep away from the idea of renting out boats and punts and the like, but needs must – Dad’s apparently now open to the Trust’s idea of doing just that.’

‘Needs must?’

‘Not easy finding the funds to keep this place going.’

‘Well, I sort of get that,’ I said, nodding. ‘Your parents’ electricity and gas bill must be ridiculous. You see,’ I went on, ‘that’s why you need my dad and brother back down the mine, bringing up the coal, to make the electricity. If the mines are not being productive, then obviously light and heating are all going to cost a lot more.’

‘Apparently, it makes more economic sense to buy the stuff from abroad.’

‘Don’t you believe it,’ I scoffed. ‘You’ve been influenced by your sisters’ husbands.’

‘Well,’ Theo said mildly, ‘I didn’t like to tell you, when you were talking to Duncan, that he’s a financier bankrolling the National Coal Board. His company are financing the NCB, apparently, to the tune of over a billion.’

‘Right.’ I didn’t quite know what to say to that. I mean, I could have said plenty, could have rattled off statistics, but I found I didn’t want to. Didn’t want to spoil the atmosphere of being on the shore of this magical lake, in these heavenly gardens and with this more than beautiful man.

‘Come on.’ Theo took my hand, leading me past a copse of trees to a small, sheltered sort of bay area. ‘I used to hide down here when I was home from school and Dad was wanting me to help out in some way, or Mum was wanting to know why my school report wasn’t up to scratch.’

‘Not up to scratch?’ I gave a little mocking laugh at the very idea that Theo Mandeville might not have been in the A stream. ‘I bet it was.’

‘OK.’ Theo laughed. ‘It wasn’t bad. My French and Latin were both pretty atrocious, but everything else passed muster.’

‘And the sport?’