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“I’m so glad. Alan really wanted to put you in the tower room, but I thought you’d prefer to have Titus all to yourself in the cottage.” She flashes me a grin.
“Very astute,” I say, and laugh. “Thank you for a lovely evening, by the way. Titus was quite overwhelmed.”
“Oh, I hope he was okay with it. Maybe we should have had a sit-down dinner, but so many people wanted to meet him that it seemed more practical to have a cocktail party. He’s a very impressive young man. So incredibly smart.”
“He is. He works very hard.”
“I bet it’s nice for you to have a holiday together. If he’s anything like Alan, it’s impossible to lure him away from the office. I have to bully him to take a day off. They get it in their heads that it’s their job to save the world, and then they feel guilty when they’re not working.”
“That’s exactly right.”
“Enough about the boys though. Tell me about yourself, Heidi. You’re a primary school teacher, right?”
“Yes.” My stomach flips at the thought that she’s going to ask me questions about teaching in New Zealand. I really don’t want to have to lie to her.
But she just says, “That must be so rewarding. What age group do you teach?”
“The youngest ones, when they’re just starting school.”
“Aw, is it hard when they get upset?”
“Well, I have to remind myself I’m not their mother. I have an assistant with me, sometimes two, and they’re very hands-on. I try to stay practical. As you know, kids are easily distracted, and it’s all about keeping them occupied.”
“Very sensible. My mum used to say, ‘Busy kids are happy kids.’”
I pick up on her use of the past tense. “Is she still here?”
“No, she passed away last year.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.”
“It was very hard. I miss her a lot. Are you close to your mum?”
“I love her dearly. But she’s an artist, a painter, and her art is very important to her. She’d often leave me with my older sisters and brother while she worked.” I look out of the window at the Devon countryside flashing past.
“What about your dad? What does he do?”
“He’s in finance.”
“Are you close to him?”
I don’t answer for a moment, and eventually Vicky says, “I’m so sorry, I’m being very nosy. I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“It’s okay. We have a difficult relationship, that’s all.” I don’t really want to talk about it.
“What does he think of Titus?” she asks.
He’s met Titus several times over the years when Oliver has brought him to the house, and he knows Julian, Titus’s father, so I’m able to answer without lying. “He likes that he’s a hard worker.”
“Well if he doesn’t like him, he’s setting his standards a tad high,” she says, amused. “Okay, here we are.”
She’s currently driving through a small village, and I watch, surprised, as she pulls up in front of what looks like a church hall.
“I’d assumed you were heading for Exeter,” I say, unbuckling my seat belt.
“No, it’s just a small class, I hope that’s okay.”
“Of course.” I get out of the car. Oh my God, this is like the perfect English village. There’s a post office, a pub, a church, and even a village green with a duck pond. All it needs is Postman Pat and his cat and it’ll be complete.
