Page 67 of Escape to the Country

He glanced around the garden. ‘Has she always been like this?’

Eleanor shook her head. ‘Only since Dad walked out on us. Now it’s like living in London Zoo. I think we’ve lost the tortoise at least five times so far this week.’

‘Well, it’s not like it can get very far, is it?’ His blue eyes crinkled up at the edges.

She tried not to match his smile. ‘Very funny.’

She almost started to relax about him finding her like this. It wasn’t important what she looked like, she realised. Nothing mattered any more. She just felt so sad that she didn’t really care.

However, she did get changed before joining the visitors in the kitchen for a cup of tea. But she only threw on a T-shirt and shorts. She tied her messy hair back in a ponytail and checked her face but, in the end, she figured it would have been too obvious to suddenly appear fully made up, so she slicked on some lip balm and went back downstairs.

‘Perhaps Ben can help you find a home for some of them,’ Arthur was saying.

Eleanor glanced at her mum, who was trying to hide how upset she was. ‘I think that’s a good idea,’ she said. ‘Aren’t you seeing him tomorrow night? You could mention it then.’

Her mother nodded sadly.

Eleanor looked at Tom in despair.

Thankfully he picked up on her signal. ‘The bicycle’s all fixed up for you,’ he said in a bright tone of voice.

Eleanor was grateful for him to change the subject so easily, especially as she could feel her mum relax as the conversation moved on.

They went outside and showed her mum the bicycle and then headed on their way.

‘Thank you,’ murmured Eleanor, as they left. ‘For being so gentle with her.’

Arthur gave her a soft smile. ‘Everything will work out, my dear. You just wait and see.’ He gave her arm a squeeze and then walked away.

Tom stopped and looked down at her. ‘Annie’s been pretty upset,’ he said. ‘It’s not my place to intrude, but whatever it is you’ve had a row about, it can be fixed.’

Eleanor gulped back the pain that reappeared deep inside. ‘I’m not so sure,’ she told him. ‘But thanks anyway.’

As she looked up and gave him a small smile, she found herself thinking that he had kind eyes. At that moment, she was extremely grateful that she hadn’t exposed his private life to the world. He didn’t deserve that. He was too nice. Then she closed the back gate and went back indoors.

Her mum was still mulling over the idea of not keeping so many animals. Eleanor knew nothing she could say would sway her decision, so she went back upstairs. She curled up on her bed, staring at the photograph of her, Annie and Megan when they were younger. It had all gone so wrong and she had no idea how to fix it.