Page 32

The bell rings as the door opens, and I spare a moment to profoundly hope that’s the end of the discussion and that Levi forgets about the non-nakedness. That would be a world-ending disaster.

A family and their dog walks in, letting in a gust of wind that shakes the curtains. “Blustery out there,” the lady calls as they sit down at a table near us.

I turn back to Levi. “So, you think we should do this? Go up to the house and poke around?” He nods. “Well, how are we going to manage that? We’re not mates with him. He’s not going to invite us for dinner, port, and a spot of charades where they wear plus fours.”

“I love that’s your idea of how the aristocracy works.”

“Well, the only other aristocrat I know is Tarquin, and his interests are a bit fucking niche to say the least. Surely, they can’t all be like him?”

He taps a teaspoon thoughtfully on the table. “Maybe we could invent a problem with the cottage.”

“We don’t need to invent anything. We have enough of a real problem,” I say darkly.

He laughs. At the next table, the mother who’d come in with her family gestures at the dog. He’s a yellow Labrador and is now sitting on the mat panting happily. “Does he belong to you?” she asks the lady behind the counter.

She immediately shakes her head. “No, that’s Frank. Naughty boy,” she scolds him. The dog looks like he’s laughing. “He belongs to Lord St Claire at the big house. He gets out and wanders down here in the hope of getting some cake. He’s fine, though. I’ll take him back when my shift ends.”

“We can take him,” Levi calls, standing.

I blink. “Can we?” I ask no one.

My husband merrily carries on. “We’ve got to go up there anyway, so it’s no bother.”

“Are you sure?” the lady asks.

Levi nods. “Yeah, of course. Right, Blue?”

“Oh, am I involved in this?” I say in a low voice, and his eyes twinkle. “Yes, it’s fine,” I call. “Will he come with us, though?” The dog seems very happy with his mat at the moment.

She grins. “Course. I’ve even got a spare lead behind the counter. I keep it for him.”

“Oh joy,” I whisper, but Levi ignores me.

“Thank you so much,” she says as we walk towards the counter. “He’d have had to sit there for ages otherwise, and I could really do without the trip up to the house. I have to cut through the woods to get home and by the time I’ve dropped the dog off it’ll be dark.”

“Are the woods hard to navigate?” Levi asks.

Her face turns wary. “I don’t ever go through the woods when it’s dark. No one in the village does.”

“Why?” Levi asks.

I can see she’s intent on changing the subject, but I could have told her that resistance is futile. My husband can charm the birds out of the trees and the leaves off the branches. It’s a good thing he doesn’t utilise the skill on a large scale, because he could take over the world if he did.

I watch, smiling, as he leans on the counter, his face eager and kind.

Her expression softens. “Well, they’re haunted, aren’t they?”

“Really?” His eyes widen.

She nods, a self-deprecating smile on her face. “It sounds nuts. I’m not sure I believe in ghosts anyway but⁠—”

“But you do?” Levi says.

She nods. “It’s a proper creepy place, especially near the crossroads. I used to go past there on my way home and many’s the time I’d see lights and hear voices calling and there’d be nobody there. Once—” She breaks off abruptly. “Listen to me talking rubbish. Ignore me. Here’s Frank’s lead.”

Levi takes it from her. “What happened?” he asks gently.

She licks her lips. “It was last summer. It was twilight and I was on my way home.”