Page 65 of Escape to the Country

But Eleanor wasn’t sure. ‘I don’t know,’ she whispered. ‘You should have seen their faces, Mum. They were really cross.’

‘They’ll come round,’ said her mum gently. ‘You might just need to give them a little time.’

Eleanor nodded, thinking privately that it might take a very long time indeed for her friends to forgive her.

*

Tom found himself looking forward to walking Dylan around Willow Tree Hall each day. It was beginning to feel like home to him.

Except he didn’t have a village to call home. Or anywhere really. He’d run away more times than he could count from every foster home.

Now he felt free and rudderless, drifting towards who knew what. It was both unsettling and exciting at the same time.

Determined to just focus on the present for now, he needed to finalise his set for Glastonbury. So he went in search of Sam and found him in his study.

On the desk was an iPad, blaring out music.

‘What do you think?’ asked Sam, nodding at the speakers. ‘It’s Hazy Memory’s latest album.’

‘It sounds great,’ lied Tom. It was a symphony of loud guitar riffs and general wailing, none of which were any good.

Sam’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. ‘Honestly?’

Tom cleared his throat. ‘It’s not really my style.’

‘I’m not sure it’s anyone’s style of music these days,’ said Sam with a sigh. ‘I don’t know where the band goes from here, to be honest.’

Dylan, who had followed Tom into the study, began to howl in time to the music. Tom and Sam both burst into laughter.

‘Nice to see Dylan agreeing with us,’ said Tom, sitting down on a box nearby. ‘Are the band coming to Glastonbury with us?’

Sam shook his head. ‘No. Been there, done that many decades ago. I’m not sure they’re cool enough these days. But they’re talking about coming here next month for a while. God help us all. I must remember to warn Annie.’ He looked up at Tom. ‘Will you still be here?’

‘I’m not sure yet,’ he replied.

The truth was that he really wanted to stay but how peaceful would it be once a rock band descended on them all? Maybe then he would move back to his flat. After all, Cranley wasn’t his home any more than Willow Tree Hall was.

‘Well, the more the merrier,’ said Sam with a shrug. ‘You know the room is yours as long as you want.’

‘Thanks.’ Tom hadn’t had a room in anyone’s home since he stayed with his gran many years ago. ‘Have you got a spare minute to go over my set?’

‘Sure,’ said Sam. ‘Let’s head on over to the studio and run through everything. I’ll grab a Diet Coke for us both on the way.’

Tom wandered outside on his own and found Annie curled up on the wooden seat. The sun was beating down, despite the horizon being dotted with heavy rain clouds. To his surprise, she was readingHot Gossip!Magazine.

‘What are you reading that trash for?’ he asked, somewhat bemused.

But he blanched as Annie looked up at him. Her eyes were red and she had obviously been crying.

‘Is everything okay?’ he asked her.

She nodded. ‘It’s fine,’ she told him. ‘Just having a bad day. This really is a load of rubbish, isn’t it?’

He took the magazine from her and flicked through the pages. ‘Yeah. But a lot of people like to read about this kind of stuff. I guess they want to know that anybody famous can live a more exciting life than they can. For some people it’s an escape from their own struggles.’

Annie nodded thoughtfully. ‘What do you think of the people that write these articles?’

Tom was a bit surprised at her question. ‘Well, I guess everyone’s gotta make a living somehow,’ he told her, with a shrug.

‘I guess,’ muttered Annie, her forehead creasing into a frown.

Sam came outside, holding two cans of Diet Coke. ‘Hey,’ he said, also realising that Annie looked upset. ‘You okay?’

She nodded.

‘Is this to do with that silly row with Eleanor which you won’t tell me about?’ He crouched down in front of her. ‘Go and see her. Thrash out whatever it is that you’ve argued about and move on. She’s one of your oldest friends. I’m sure you can work through it.’

He gave her a gentle kiss on the lips and Tom decided to wander away, leaving them in their embrace.

As he walked, he was still trying to work out what Eleanor and her friends could have possibly disagreed about.