Page 76 of Watch For Me By Candlelight

There was no time to waste. He had to get hold of a pen and some paper, and write to her. God knew if he would be able to find his way back to her quickly — but a letter would arrive first. A letter would tell her he was on his way home to her.

Chapter Twenty-Six

It had been a very successful weekend, camping-wise at least. The cows hadn’t bothered Theo too much on the Monday night, either; just a few mournful moos as they called to one another across the field.

But as he was lying in the tent on top of the sleeping bag, replaying the day in his mind, he thought about the sadness of parting on the bridge. He wished they’d had a little longer there; that he’d been able to forget everything else and just enjoy being with her. But he still didn’t know what was happening with Poppy; and as such he was caught in a vicious circle.

He knew he wanted Poppy and Kate. That was it, really. All he’d ever wanted.

He turned over and closed his eyes; he’d decided on one more night in Suffolk after all, but he hadn’t planned on spending it in the tent on his own. He was originally going to go home to Derbyshire on Monday evening — he could have covered the distance in three hours or so, and been home before ten; but instead he’d resolved that tomorrow he’d have a proper look at the Hall. He’d intended on doing that with Kate too.

The thing was, he’d been so busy over the weekend that he hadn’t had time to appreciate the Hall, even though he felt a huge sense of belonging there. Theo wanted to look at the church and see the re-conditioned marble tomb they’d all been talking about. He liked anything that was hand-crafted and part of the past; and Georgiana’s tomb, as he’d heard it referred to, seemed as if it would fit the bill. He’d been looking forward to hearing Kate talk about it. It was exactly the sort of thing he could imagine her getting animated about.

But it all seemed pretty hopeless now. He’d be a lucky man indeed if he got to spend any more time with Kate. He’d watched her go, then taken Hughie back to the stable — then walked all the way back to her museum and tried to see her again.

There’d been no answer at her door. He’d try again today, he determined, and failing that — perhaps he could pop a note through her letterbox?

* * *

First thing in the morning, Theo packed the camping gear up and tucked it all into the nooks and crannies of his van, then drove to the Hall — via the Folk Museum. He knocked on the door again, and there was still no answer.

Swearing under his breath, he scrabbled in the van to find something to write on. All he could come up with was a business card. It wasn’t very big, and he couldn’t fit everything he wanted to say on it. So, cringing inwardly at the inadequate phrase, he wrote three words on it. Call me. Please. He pushed it through the letterbox, and then he left to visit the Hall — he’d stashed a carrot in his pocket, just in case he popped in to see Hughie. Poor old fellow, he’d been unsettled as well after all that had happened.

But it seemed, once he got there, that the chap at the desk — Brian — recognised Theo.

‘Ah! You’re the farrier, aren’t you?’ Brian smiled. ‘I tell you, we were so happy for you to be on site. You were such a help. I don’t think old Hughie’s had quite so much fun in many a year. At least he got his shoes hammered on properly.’

Despite still thinking rather too much about Kate Howard, Theo laughed. ‘Hughie certainly seemed to be appreciating his fame yesterday. And that dog!’ He shook his head in awe, recalling the sight of the spaniel sitting on the horse’s back.

‘Horace is a character, that’s for sure! Have you come back to check Hughie out today?’

‘No, I’m just going to pass by and say well done to him. I’m visiting today as a guest. I’d like to see the Hall, properly.’

Theo opened his wallet but Brian waved the gesture away. ‘You get in for free today, my friend. As a thank you from all of us.’

‘Oh! Well thanks. If you’re sure?’

‘Very sure.’ Brian smiled and waved Theo through into the estate.

Theo thanked Brian again, and made his way to the stables. Hughie nuzzled him in a friendly fashion as he chatted to him and congratulated him on his sterling efforts over the weekend. Theo slipped Hughie the carrot and he whinnied a “thank you”, before Theo patted his nose and headed down towards the church.

It was a pleasant walk down there, and even though the festivities of the past few days had passed, there were still some visitors milling around. Theo wondered what Kate was doing today.

He wondered if he could perhaps offer a museum workshop on traditional blacksmith’s methods, which would be an excellent way to reconnect with Kate and the forge, and was working out the finer details in his head when he turned the corner into the churchyard and saw her standing in front of a stone. Theo’s heart skipped a beat and he hurried towards her. She had a bunch of wildflowers in her hand and as he approached, she dropped to one knee and placed the flowers on the grassy mound. Someone had been there before her. She paused, then trailed her fingers down the stems of the blue cottage garden flowers gently, moving her smaller posy closer towards them.

Theo hung back. It seemed as if it was a private moment and he didn’t want to intrude, so he moved away and stood in the shade of a yew tree, giving her the privacy she needed.

She knelt for a couple of minutes, touched the stone gently and stood up; then she hurried into the church and disappeared into the gloom beyond the door.

He watched her go, then suddenly, his mobile buzzed in his pocket. A sickening feeling came over him; he was miles away from home and what if it was something relating to Poppy . . . ?

He frowned as he checked his phone. An email. From the social worker who was dealing with Poppy’s case:

Dear Mr Kent, We have received the DNA test results back in relation to Poppy. The results confirm that you are indeed Poppy’s biological father, and therefore, we look forward to discussing the options open to you . . .

For a moment Theo felt almost dizzy with relief and was grateful for the nearby tree trunk he could lean on. Poppy was his. No one else’s. Now he could move on, sort things out. It was in indescribable feeling and a bubble of sheer joy burst through him.

He had a daughter and he’d make damn sure he was the one looking after her from now on.