Page 73 of Watch For Me By Candlelight

Their eyes met above the pushchair and she half-smiled. Elodie, Kate suspected, understood. She’d never mentioned messages on the back of the picture and she was willing to bet the photograph hadn’t been removed from the frame in the past century or so.

‘Millie’s always good at leaving messages. She’s a very helpful person.’

The use of the present tense didn’t escape Kate; but Elodie’s blue eyes were guileless and she couldn’t swear to anything.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Kate hoped beyond hope that her ice-cream would sell out jolly quickly that afternoon — and her prayers were answered by about half past three in the afternoon.

She scraped the last of the vanilla out of the tub and presented it in a cone to a sullen teenage girl who obviously thought she was too cool to spend the day with her family. The teen trudged after her parents and elbowed her little sister out of the way and Kate wasn’t very impressed with her. The girl should understand that she was lucky her parents actually took the time to spend the day with her. Goodness knew, Tom and Kate hadn’t been used to that when they were her age.

Kate watched her walk away, then climbed onto her bicycle and pulled the walkie-talkie out of the basket. She connected to Cassie who was, she thought, somewhere near the ticket booths as Kate could hear cars driving past her.

‘Hey Cass, I’m all out of ice-cream, so I’m going to head off now — is that okay?’

Cassie’s voice came back crackling and excitable: ‘Kate! Yes, that’s fine. It all looks to be winding down now anyway. Thank you sooooo much for helping out this weekend. And thank you for listening to all my woes when I was trying to plan it. You’re a lovely friend. Really lovely.’

Kate smiled into the walkie-talkie. ‘My pleasure. I’ll take the cash box home and sort out what I owe you, yes?’

‘Perfect. I’m just wondering if the tea caravan’s nearly sold out as well. I saw Hughie pulling it before and I think they were heading back up by the Faerie Bridge to pitch it up for the night.’

‘I’ll go back to the museum that way.’ Kate looked at the last few people sunning themselves at the pool area and starting to pack their possessions away as the event drew to a close. ‘I’ll check back in with you when I find out.’

‘Thanks, you’re a peach. Catch you later!’

‘Bye for now!’ Kate ended the connection.

She pushed off on the bicycle and rang her bell, waving to the stragglers as she passed them. She cycled carefully, in that silly bow-legged manner, but she didn’t really care if her trousers got ripped now or covered in oil from the chain; because, safely stowed in the basket — inside the cash-box — were the photographs from the Hall that Elodie had lent her.

* * *

It was a nice afternoon to cycle along the neatly edged pathways of the Hall. Kate got to the fork in the gardens and headed in the direction of the bridge. From the bridge, she could take a couple of shortcuts and leave via one of the delivery routes. No clambering over fences today, not with the ice-cream bicycle to lug over after her.

She spotted the green bow-roofed gypsy caravan in its usual spot and Hughie was tugging at some grass nearby, eating his way through the estate again. His harness had been undone and he was apparently ready to go back to his stables. Horace was lying flat out next to him and they were the picture of a countryside idyll.

There was some banging and clattering going on inside the caravan and Kate dismounted, walking over to the little steps to peek in and check whoever was in there was done for the day.

‘Afternoon, Kate!’ Theo stood up, filling the caravan with his presence. ‘I’m just reattaching some cup hooks here. They’ve loosened off a bit with all the travelling over the last couple of days. Are you finished too? There’s been nobody over this way for a good twenty minutes or so. I’m going to lead Hughie back to the stables soon.’

‘Oh!’ Kate drew up short, but not without a little, unexpected shock of pleasure. Especially as Theo was shirtless, his chest smooth and tanned, his muscles rather nicely sculpted. ‘I didn’t expect to see you in here. I told Cassie I’d report back and let her know if things were finishing up.’

Theo looked around him and nodded. ‘Yes, I suspect they are. I took over for the last hour or so. Margaret was getting motion sickness from the wobbling of the wagon. I’ve probably got enough milk here to spin out for a couple of cups of tea. Can I tempt you?’

Could he tempt her? Was he joking? With that body? ‘I don’t see why not.’ She smiled, then blushed, then cleared her throat and brought her mind firmly back to the tea. ‘It’s a shame to just throw the milk away. I don’t suppose you’ve got a knife in there have you? Or a screwdriver?’

‘An odd request,’ he replied, smiling back. ‘May I ask what they would be for, before I confirm or deny the existence of those items?’ He shrugged on his shirt and Kate watched the movements, her stomach squidge-ing dangerously.

‘Yes, I suppose I should explain. I just want to prise a frame off an old photograph Elodie gave me for the museum.’ It wasn’t a lie. ‘I thought I’d give it a go here.’

‘In that case, I can probably find you something. Here — try this.’ He handed over a sturdy, flat-ended screwdriver. It looked as if it would be ideal for the job.

‘Great. I’ll just tell Cassie you’re closing up and then I’ll have a go.’

‘Why don’t you wait up on the bridge?’ Theo suggested. ‘It’s a beautiful afternoon and there’s a bench on the rise, isn’t there? I’ll bring the tea up.’

The thought was ever so tempting. As was the fact Theo’s shirt wasn’t fully buttoned up yet and she could still see his chest. Kate tried not to stare. She squashed down Cat’s memory of hearing Will’s plans about leaving her on the bridge and nodded. ‘Sounds good to me.’ It did seem awfully appropriate that she should finally have a good look at those pictures on the Faerie Bridge.

She quickly contacted Cassie and told her the caravan was now devoid of refreshments and Hughie would return home in a little while; and then she grabbed the cash box and carried it to the apex of the Faerie Bridge, trying to stop thinking too much about touching Theo, especially about pressing closely to him again as, in her imagination, they recreated that scene she had witnessed when Will left Cat on the bridge, full of hope.