Page 21 of Rescuing Rosie
‘They get removed regularly,’ said Ant. ‘This garden’s for remembrance; it’s not an Instagram opportunity.’
‘Well, it’s a stupid trend, anyway,’ Rosie said, finally caving in to his negativity. ‘Love never lasts4 Eva.’
‘Not true,’ said Ant quietly, and she saw him twist the ring on his finger. He bent down to pat Wainwright. ‘And if it’s reliability and true love you’re after, you should get a dog.’ He straightened, and turned to leave. ‘Let’s go.’
Chapter Nine
There was no sign of the other two as Rosie and Ant rejoined the main path, which led onwards past the church and alongside a river.
As the track widened, Wainwright was let off his lead again and Rosie took his place, falling into step beside Ant. There was no sound save the crunching of their boots, and it began to feel awkward – at least, it did to Rosie. ‘Companiable silence’ was something she rarely managed to achieve, perhaps only with her father.
‘Have you always lived up here?’ she asked.
‘Yes, apart from university.’
‘Oh – which uni?’
‘Edinburgh.’
‘Even further north!’
(Silence.)
‘What did you study?’
‘Geology.’
(Silence.)
And did they perchance teach you how to extract blood from stones?
‘That sounds interesting. And probably quite relevant for you.’ Her eyes rose to the blanket of cloud. ‘Apparently there are mountains here.’
(Silence.)
The path came out at a narrow lane, and a short way along Ant crossed over to a stile next to a wooden gate.
‘We can cut across this field back to the hotel grounds,’ he said. He clambered over the stile, not bothering with the step on the other side, landing with a thump. Wainwright followed with equal agility.
Rosie was about to step up when she saw Ant frown at the stile. Then there was a rattle of metal as he unchained the gate and opened it.
‘Oh. Thanks,’ she said, passing through.
He thinks I can’t climb a stile.
He closed it behind her, and she stood still, hands on hips, blocking his way forward.
‘Ant – it might have been helpful for me to attempt the slippery stile in the boots, don’t you think?’
He looked taken aback. ‘Oh. Right, yes. Good point. Do you want to–’
‘No, but if there are any more stiles, or stepping stones, or rocks, between here and the hotel, that could be useful.’
‘Okay.’ Ant looked at her feet. ‘How are they feeling?’
‘Like a second skin, actually.’
Ant reattached Wainwright’s lead. ‘There’s sheep in this field,’ he said, pointing to a flock of white sheep with black faces.
