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“Yes—is it possible you’ve made dinner?” Iris teased, because although Laure often said she’d make dinner, she somehow never got around to it.
Laure nodded. “I asked Esme for a recipe and then I walked into Markham and got what I needed. It won’t be ready for another hour, though.”
“Perfect. It means I have time to go for a run.”
“I’ll come with you.”
Iris turned away, not wanting Laure to see the frustration on her face. “You really don’t need to. You’ve had a busy day, why don’t you relax for a while?”
“No, I’m fine.” Iris waited for Laure to add, “Unless you’d rather go on your own?” But she didn’t and Iris wondered why she had never realized, in the twenty years that they’d known each other, how thick-skinned Laure could be. She reminded herself that Laure was leaving on Saturday and took a breath.
“Come on, then. Let’s go and get changed.”
“Are we going over the fields again?” Laure asked, following Iris into the hall.
“We can run through the woods if you prefer.”
“And then to the quarry?”
Iris frowned. “It’s out of bounds.”
“We could still go though, couldn’t we? You said there was a path around the top that you used to run. It would make a change. And there’s nothing really to stop us.”
“Only the memory of Charlie.”
Laure dropped her head. “Of course. Sorry. I’m being insensitive, aren’t I?”
“It’s fine.” Iris paused at the bottom of the stairs. “I’d better tell Gabriel we’re going. Is he still in the garden?”
“I think so. I haven’t seen him since lunchtime.”
“You go ahead and change. I’ll meet you outside in ten minutes.”
“Okay.”
Iris walked to the walled garden. She could hear the sound of digging long before she saw Gabriel, tucked away in the far corner, his blue T-shirt dark with sweat.
“I can’t believe how much better it already looks,” she said as she approached. “Your hard work is beginning to show.”
At the sound of her voice, he pushed the spade into the dirt and straightened his back. “You think?” he said, turning to face her.
“Yes. You’ve cleared quite a bit of it already.”
“I promised Beth I’d get it finished for when she comes back in August but I think I was a bit optimistic. What about you? How did your meeting with Samantha go?”
“Really well. She had the keys to the house, which was great—and which is why I’m back so late. She’s lovely, I really like her. And we seem to get on well, so fingers crossed.”
“Do you think you’ll get the contract? It must help that you’ve been to see her personally twice now.”
“I hope so. She’s narrowed it down to just me and another designer.”
“That’s great, Iris.”
She smiled. “How much longer are you going to be?”
“Why, what’s the time?”
“Gone seven.”
