Page 71 of Snowfall Over Halesmere House
‘I intend to.’ He gathered her against him, walking her back to the bed. ‘Until next year at the very least.’
‘Please tell me that’s not a photographer over there?’ Max looked astonished by the number of people waiting at the tarn, who raised a cheer at the sight of him and Ella arriving. Her adrenaline was already bubbling at the thought of the challenge ahead and how it would feel to be in the water. She checked the trees on the far side, assessing the conditions with a practised eye. There would be no wind today; everywhere was still, layered in white after the snowfall, the tops of the high fells clipping the clouds.
‘Okay, that’s not a photographer over there.’
‘Bloody is,’ he muttered, dropping his bag to the ground. ‘How did…? Pearl. Of course.’
‘Yep. And people are getting to know you now, Max. You’re part of the community here.’
‘Thanks to you.’ He pulled his neoprene hat from his bag. Ella’s smile was full of love and happiness as she caught the look he was giving her. She’d never spent a New Year’s Eve quite like the one they’d shared last night and was certain it would never be bettered.
They’d eaten pizza and drunk the champagne in bed at midnight, and now they were both bleary-eyed and getting used to their very new, very different relationship. Every touch felt like their first, every kiss a promise for the next. And Ella didn’t doubt, however much change lay ahead and what her new career might look like, that she loved him, and he her. They both had too much hurt behind them to risk a relationship based on less. Of course, there was Lily and Arlo to tell before anyone else.
Noelle, who was here, swathed in a huge coat, her Cossack hat and enormous sunglasses, hadn’t needed an explanation to read the new light in Max’s eyes as she came over to kiss them both. Ella and Max had already agreed that Ella would remain in the house until the first guests were due before moving back into the flat. They would be able to spend time together as a family and give Lily and Arlo more opportunity to get used to the idea of Ella living with them later on. It also meant no more nights together for now, and neither she nor Max had been in a hurry to get up this morning until they couldn’t put it off any longer.
The snow had stopped falling but the air was still bitter, and she was glad they’d changed into wetsuits at the house before jogging easily through the garden to warm up. Phil from the pub had brought his partner and Marta was there with Luke, giving Ella a cheery thumbs-up. Sandy the ceramist was chatting with Mrs Graham from the school and one or two other parents had turned up to offer support, along with a couple of staff from the dog shelter. Ashley was busy and had sent her apologies and an online donation. Stan stamped his feet, sporting another woolly bobble hat and decidedly excited.
‘Way to go, boss,’ he shouted happily. ‘Young Ella’s gonna beat you ’ands down. I’ve got money on it.’
‘I think your plan backfired and Stan’s right.’ Ella, doing a few stretches, raised her arms. ‘I don’t feel at all tired.’
‘Is that right?’ Max, adjusting his goggles, looked up to let his eyes linger on her mouth instead. ‘Maybe now’s a good moment to take your mind off the swim then.’
‘And how will you do that?’ Her pulse was already hurrying, and he was right, she wasn’t thinking so much about water temperatures and if she’d remembered her Dryrobe in the dash from the house. ‘With so many people watching.’
He raised an arm as though he was discussing their swim, what to expect once they were in the water. Only Ella heard his low words as he told her how much last night had meant to him and exactly how they might like to spend their next evening alone. The photographer was snapping away, and Ella was thankful she was the only one who knew the heat on her face hadn’t come from the cold.
‘Daddy, Ella! We’re back!’
They whipped round to see Lily charging across the meadow with Prim on a lead, Arlo following more slowly with their grandparents, returned from their night away. Lily was being towed along so fast she was almost skiing, and Stan made a grab for Prim’s lead before Lily hit the deck. She was breathless when she reached Max and he swung her up, spinning her round and making her laugh. ‘We had a brilliant time, Daddy, but I’m glad we’re home. I can’t wait to see Ella win.’
‘And happy New Year to you too, Lily,’ Max said dryly. He put her down and she hurried over to Ella for a quick hug. Max lifted Arlo up for a cuddle too, then, after Ella kissed him, handed him over to his waiting granny. He introduced Ella to his parents-in-law and, lovely as they were to her, she knew it was going to take them a while to get used to her place in their daughter’s family. It was time for the challenge and an air of expectation was building in the crowd.
‘Ready?’ Ella walked to the water’s edge with Max. They were both wearing their neoprene hats and socks with gloves. She pulled her goggles down. ‘Remember to think happy thoughts. You’ll be buzzing for the rest of the day after this.’
‘I’m already buzzing, and I don’t need a bloody freezing dip to remind me to think happy thoughts.’ He was grinning and she laughed back, feeling the shingle jabbing into her feet.
‘We’ve nearly doubled the target for the dog shelter now so it’s all worth it. And that’s another pound to add.’
The water was shallow for a few metres as they slowly waded in and she relished the familiar chill around her thighs, rising to her waist. She liked to swim as soon as possible once she was in. She took steady breaths, heard Max doing the same. Then, as the ground fell away, she dropped her shoulders and settled into a comfortable crawl. They weren’t really meant to be racing; they weren’t properly familiarised to the conditions and injuries or worse could happen if they really went for it.
‘Okay?’
‘Yes,’ he called back. ‘I’m fine. You?’
‘It’s perfect. Cold but perfect.’
The water felt so different from the rolling waves of the sea at Brighton, and she was aware of the rising fells enclosing them in the landscape, making her surroundings seem smaller and more intimate. She increased the pace, feeling the familiar pleasure as she sliced through the water with the efficient stroke that was nearly as natural to her as walking. Max, beside her, called again: ‘Short race, to satisfy Stan?’ They were doggy-paddling to stay afloat in the deeper water. ‘To that birch over there?’
Ella followed where Max was pointing. It wasn’t far, about thirty metres ahead and they’d be fine. ‘Yes, but don’t go mad.’
‘May I have a head start?’ He was grinning.
‘You may not. You’re taller and stronger than me so you already have an advantage. Go!’
She won, easily, her stroke much better than his. Treading water as they got their breath to turn for home, he kissed her quickly, wiping the wetness from her face. ‘How the hell do you swim like that?’
‘I’m competitive, that’s how. And I have lots of experience. Come on, we should get back.’
