Page 28 of Lost in Love
They strolled back along the manicured lawn.
“I took your advice today,” Anna said after a few minutes of silence.
“Indeed?”
“I cloned myself. Two new recruits raring to go.”
“If they can match your enthusiasm, all the better; it’s hard to teach.”
“That’s what I thought. They were the two least experienced, not that you need much experience for a tour guide. They just had something about them.”
“Do you ever get bored repeating the same information day in and day out?”
“No. It might be the hundredth time I’ve done a tour, but it will be the first time a visitor has heard it.”
Anna’s fingertips danced along a stone wall as they passed the main section of the abbey.
Katherine observed her with a smile. “When did you become so interested in history?”
“Have you been over to Halsey Castle?”
Katherine shook her head. “No, but I’ve heard of it.”
“The three of us used to go up there when I was little. Dad would chase me around, and then we’d have a picnic and feed the leftovers to the ducks. I guess I connected with the place, and soon I was obsessed with history.”
“And what is it about historic buildings particularly that gets you so… fired up?”
Anna laughed. “History is a window to another world, a world where I can never go, but the buildings, being pretty much all that remains, allow me to feel closer to history.” Anna stopped and patted the stone wall. “Now, spoiler alert, I’m a bit of a control freak.”
“Surely not. You don’t seem the type at all,” Katherine teased her.
Anna narrowed her eyes at Katherine. “So, in a way, history is my nemesis. The past is totally beyond my control. I hate that; it’s a place I can never go. But I can learn from it, and that helps me to control the future better, in a way. Take this building, for example; if you could hear all the voices that were absorbed by the stone, what would they tell you?”
“No end of things, I imagine,” Katherine replied.
“Exactly, and it’s our job to listen. Understanding what came before is such a valuable but underused resource. Learning about the past simply makes me feel part of it, and thus I conqueror my nemesis.” Anna hesitated before continuing. “The more you tell me about your past, the more I can… understand you.”
Katherine glanced at Anna but didn’t respond; she didn’t need to. Anna knew she had planted the seed of thought in her that she wanted her to share, and that was enough.
“So, have you always been a tour guide?” Katherine asked.
Anna laughed. “No. I kind of fell into this when I knew Dad needed me here full time. He suggested writing to the abbey to see if they had any jobs. I was hoping for something more in marketing and events, which is what I’ve mainly worked in, but they only had the tour guide job. As I’d worked as a researcher at the National Archives, it seemed like an interesting challenge. I enjoy it, but I do miss the buzz of events.”
Anna thought now would be a good opportunity to push Katherine a little. If she pushed back, at least she would have good reason to take issue with her after all her questioning.
“What do you enjoy other than reading? What keeps you occupied of a weekend?”
Katherine walked on; Anna fell in step beside her.
“I walk a lot. I enjoy audiobooks.”
“Lazy reading,” Anna replied curtly.
Katherine opened her mouth at the suggestion.
“What else?” Anna asked with a grin before Katherine could argue the point.
“I’m good at taking pity on the overworked.”
