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Bartie’s smile was back. ‘It doesn’t sound riveting and I am a busy man, that’s for sure. So I’ll leave you and River to sort out the Michael rendezvous, and I hope to see you later, as planned.’
‘Sure.’
What did he mean by ‘as planned’? Did he mean somewhere more private to continue what they’d started on the picnic rug? Clara felt her cheeks begin to burn.
‘Excellent,’ he said, putting his hand briefly on her shoulder and giving it a squeeze. ‘I’ll catch up with you very soon.’
‘Bartie,’ she called after him, as he walked away. ‘Have you managed to speak to Geoffrey about your idea?’
He looked at her blankly for a moment before understanding dawned in his grey eyes. ‘Oh yes, we had a long chat about it yesterday evening and he’s up for it. So, fingers crossed.’
‘Absolutely,’ said Clara, crossing her own fingers as Bartie wandered off.
‘Do you mean his idea to save your mum’s cottage?’ asked River, leaning against the tree.
‘That’s the one.’
‘Trust good ol’ Bartie to come up with an idea like that and speak to my father about it.’
Was River being sarcastic? It was hard to tell because his face was giving nothing away.
‘Don’t you think it’s a good idea?’ she asked.
River hesitated and then smiled. ‘Yes, of course it is. It’ll be great if you and your mum can stay on in your home. Though the manor will be a building site for a while with lots of noise.’
He looked towards the manor house and sighed. There was an air of melancholy about him this morning.
‘I hate to think of the house being knocked about and I’m sure you do too,’ said Clara. ‘But if there was a way of saving it, I doubt you’d want to take it on in the future, once your father’s, you know…gone.’ Clara kicked herself for being so blunt. ‘You’ll be heading back to Australia for ever as soon as the sale is sorted out, won’t you?’
Clara waited for River’s answer, realising that she cared what his answer would be more than she would ever admit. River was no longer a part of her life, and she still hadn’t forgiven him for his heartless message from Australia. But, she had to admit to herself that there was something comforting about having him around.
‘I wish my father could see out his days here,’ he said after a while, not answering her question at all. ‘That would mean a great deal to him. But once he’s gone, as you so delicately put it, I can’t see myself rattling round in this place, raising money to keep it going. Can you?’
Clara shook her head. River had never been like his father, and his absence only seemed to have amplified their differences.
‘Anyway.’ River pushed himself away from the tree. ‘What was that rubbish you told Bartie about setting up a meeting between me and Michael? I don’t think we ever said more than a couple of words to each other when we were teenagers.’
‘I’m sure he’d like to see you.’
‘Really?’
Clara wrinkled her nose. ‘Probably not. He’s hopeless at keeping up with the local friends he’s got.’
‘Is he even coming over from Canada in the near future?’
‘Nope. I have no idea when we’ll next see him. He pops over occasionally but never stays for long.’
‘So why the subterfuge with Bartie, who is so clearly dazzled by your sunshine vibe?’
Clara hit him playfully on the arm. ‘I saw the eye roll.’
River grinned. ‘Yeah, I thought you might.’
‘The thing is, I wanted to tell you in private that I’ve worked out what the numbers in Audrey’s diary mean.’
River’s mouth fell open. ‘That’s amazing. How did you do it?’
‘I finally realised that the numbers relate to pages and lines in that dictionary Audrey was so interested in and always kept close. Twelve dash five means page twelve, and whichever is the fifth word featured on that page.’
