Page 30 of Hope and Happiness in Bluebell Wood
‘The only time I go into London now is when I have to meet with my publisher,’ Lonan says. ‘I may have spent most of my teenage years there, but I’m in no hurry to return now.’
‘You don’t like London, then?’ I ask, sensing we might at last have something in common.
Lonan shakes his head. ‘No, dirty noisy place. Some of the parks are rather magnificent, but I can’t stand all the pollution; and it’s become a much more dangerous place to be in the last few years.’
He looks at me to see if I understand what he means.
I do, of course. I’m about to agree when I realise we’ve reached the pub.
‘Ah, here we are,’ Lonan says, looking up at the pub sign. ‘I like it, The Daft Duck, so much more interesting than The White Horse or The Red Lion.’
‘Yes, it’s quirky, and seems to suits the village.’
‘Shall we?’ Lonan asks, holding the door open for me.
I hesitate on the doorstep.
‘Something wrong?’ he asks.
‘No, I’m fine.’
‘Are we going in?’
‘Of course,’ I say, taking a deep breath.
Lonan watches me as I still dither in the doorway.
‘Shall I go first?’ he asks kindly. ‘It’s not easy walking into somewhere new, is it?’
I nod and he steps forward in front of me into the pub. ‘Come on, Merlin,’ he calls and Merlin happily trots after him. Leaving me no choice but to follow them both.
‘Ava, Lonan, over here!’ I hear Jonah call across the pub as soon as we walk through the door.
I stare across the small bar area we’re now standing in and through a sort of haze see Jonah waving madly at us. The pub quiz seems to have pulled in a small but lively crowd, but to me it feels like there are people everywhere, all shouting and chatting and swallowing me up in their euphoria.
Lonan puts his hand up in greeting. ‘We’ll be over in a minute.’ He turns back to me, standing stock-still behind him. ‘Can I get you a drink, Ava?’ he asks. ‘You look like you could do with something alcoholic.’
I hear Lonan’s voice as though I’m under water, and realising I need to respond, I attempt to surface from the depths of the cold deep sea I feel like I’m currently drowning in.
I’m about to say a Diet Coke will be perfectly fine, when I realise something alcoholic might actually be quite helpful right now. ‘A gin and tonic would be lovely, thanks,’ I manage to say, and I pull Merlin a little closer to me for comfort while I look around the pub.
The Daft Duck is a typically quaint English country pub. Its decor is old-fashioned, with dark wooden tables and chairs,and upholstered seats that run around the inside of the uneven whitewashed walls. There are paintings adorning the walls, a mix of landscape and still-life, and photographs of events the pub has previously been a part of – black-and-white or colour, depending on what decade the photograph was taken in. The whole effect is warm and welcoming, and I feel myself begin to relax a little.
I crouch down to fuss Merlin. ‘It’s going to be all right, Merlin,’ I tell him, as though he is the one with the problem, not me. ‘We can do this, can’t we?’
‘Ava?’ I hear above me. I look up to see Callum’s kind eyes looking down at us. ‘Are you all right down there?’
Hurriedly I stand up again, wobbling slightly. ‘Yes, I’m fine, thank you. I thought Merlin might have a thorn in his coat. But everything seems to be fine now.’
‘Ah, good. I hear you’re joining our quiz team tonight?’
‘That’s right.’
Callum is wearing a green T-shirt and black jeans. I notice he doesn’t have on his dog collar tonight.
‘Great, I was very pleased to hear that when Jonah told me.’
I smile shyly at him. I don’t feel like I’m drowning any more. I feel like I’m floating high on a soft fluffy cloud instead.
