AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Busy. He’s representing the soon to be ex-wife of a Russian oligarch. Trying to identify the assets is proving to be a nightmare, as you’d expect. He’s not allowed to tell me much about it, but occasionally he drops a detail here and there. It’s a totally different world when you’re arguing about who gets which yacht, and whether she should continue to have use of a private jet!”
“I hope he’s not abandoning his parental duties.”
“He’s trying not to, but he is a bit. He tried working from home a couple of times, but it’s such a madhouse here when Amelia’s awake that he soon had to give that up. So, he’s going into the office, and sometimes he doesn’t get home until after I’ve gone to bed. We had a couple of arguments about it, because I suspected him of using work as an excuse to get out of doing his fair share with his daughter, but deep down I knew I was being unreasonable. He is potty about her and makes a real effort when he’s here. It’s not all bad. He’s found some baby floating thing that they do at the local swimming pool on Saturday mornings, and he takes her every week so I can have a lie-in. I think there might have been a hidden agenda there though.”
“Why?”
“Well, he started going on about how much easier things are now that she sleeps through the night, and then he suggested we could try for another baby.”
“Another one? What did you say?”
“I told him I’d chop his cock off if it came anywhere near me wearing fewer than three super-strength condoms. I think he got the message!” she laughs.
After a few more minutes of conversation, we book a date in the diary for me to pop in and drop off their Christmas presents, and I ring off.
I’m sitting on the sofa typing up the Cape Town trip on Friday when the text arrives from Toby.
Hi. I will collect you at 9AM. Dress casually and warmly. You won’t be cold/wet/dirty, but we will be outdoors for part of the time. Bring walking boots. Tx
My heart sinks. What have I let myself in for?
My mood has barely improved when he arrives to collect me and, after I’ve given him a few monosyllabic answers, we complete the first part of the journey in silence. At least it isn’t raining; the sky is cloudless and it’s a perfect, crisp winter day. After a while, I start to suspect where he’s taking me, and my spirits lift a little.
“Are we going to Hever Castle?”
“We might be. Have you been before?”
“No, never, but I’ve always wanted to go.”
“The gardens aren’t great at this time of year, but we can look inside the house and walk around the lake. I’ve booked us into a pub for lunch.”
At the sound of a pub lunch my bad mood lifts completely. Toby parks the car and we put on our coats and walking boots. I can see that the gardens would be much better in summer, but they’re still magnificent, and the castle is fascinating. I stand in Anne Boleyn’s childhood bedroom and try to imagine her in it as a girl full of hopes and dreams, completely unaware of the tragic direction her life will end up taking.
“It’s extraordinary to think that it’s still privately owned, isn’t it?” Toby remarks, as we set off on a walk around the lake. “I wonder whether the owners ever close it and just come and live in it for a bit. That would be fun, don’t you think?”
“I don’t know,” I reply. “What if it’s haunted? What if you’re lying in bed and Anne Boleyn appears, waving her severed head at you?”
“How do you think that works, if you’re a ghost?” he counters. “Do you have to stick your head on to be able to see and talk, or can you do those things with it detached?”
Our conversation about the practicalities of being a ghost carries us all the way around the lake, and most of the way to the pub. The pub itself is in a tiny hamlet, but the number of cars in the car park indicates that it’s popular. A blast of warm air greets us as Toby opens the door and ushers me into the bar, which has plenty of tables and a roaring fire at one end. Everything on the menu sounds delicious, and I sip my cold white wine thoughtfully as I try to decide what to have.
“I chose this because I remembered what you said about poncy food on our first trip,” Toby explains. “I could have gone for fish and chips, as that’s our signature dish, but I thought I’d broaden the horizons a bit. There is fish and chips on the menu if you want to go traditional though.”
“No, I think I fancy a burger,” I tell him. “I reckon a burger tells you all you need to know about a place. If it’s good, then you can bet that everything else on the menu is good. If it’s not, then chances are the rest isn’t great either.”
Toby goes up to the bar to place our order and returns with a second glass of wine for me. I’m surprised to notice that I’ve pretty much drained the first one already. I make a note to drink more slowly, otherwise I’ll be asleep for the whole afternoon.
“I need to ask your advice about something,” Toby says. I look at him and notice that he has his serious face on.
“Go on,” I reply. My mind is already feeling slightly fuzzy from the wine and the warmth in the room.
“Well, the thing is, I’ve met someone special.”
Suddenly I’m fully alert, and I’m surprised by the pang of jealousy that shoots through me. I’ve always known he and I would never be more than friends, but the idea that he’s met someone else, who is going to muscle in on our friendship and take him away from me, hurts in a way that I’m unprepared for. I take a moment to compose myself, and remind myself to approach this carefully, because Toby has always been very guarded about stuff like this.
“That’s great!” I say, plastering a smile on my face and trying to sound sincere. “Congratulations!”
“It’s a little early for that, I’m afraid.”
