Chapter 50
Alex was delighted that Hannah was enjoying their first date.
He had racked his brains to try and think of somewhere where she might feel at home and when Faye had suggested the fete, he thought that it would be a relaxed enough setting.
He knew she hadn’t dated much and perhaps might even be nervous. So they needed to do something fun and the fete fitted the bill perfectly. Even so, he had felt a little nervous when he had picked her up in the entrance hall, despite Ben’s mock-stern grin at him.
But now that it was just the two of them walking hand in hand amongst the stalls and small arena, he couldn’t imagine taking her anywhere else for their first date.
The huge front lawn was filled with people from every walk of life in the village. Everyone was either walking around like themselves, chatting, or lounging on picnic rugs.
There were plenty of stalls catering for children where they could enjoy having their faces painted or trying their luck at a raffle. The main arena hosted a number of competitions including tug of war, croquet, as well as a dog show where a dog named Dylan had just won Most Waggy Tail.
When they began to get hungry, Hannah led Alex over to the main stalls where home-made produce was piled high on checked tablecloths fluttering in a gentle breeze.
There was so much choice but they eventually decided on a couple of glasses of Pimm’s, as well as a large quiche and side dishes such as a bowl of olives and a fresh baguette.
They took their goodies and sat down on the grass under the shade of a tree, enjoying the atmosphere.
‘This is delicious,’ said Hannah, looking down at her quiche. ‘I haven’t thought of using chorizo. I must remember this flavour.’
Alex was pleased to see her buzzing with ideas for future bakes, full of renewed faith in her abilities compared to the Hannah that he had always known. She had grown in confidence over the summer and he was pleased for her.
They had just finished a delicious elderflower ice cream when a glamorous-looking lady wandered over to where they lay.
‘Hannah? Is that you?’ she asked, in a very aristocratic tone of voice.
‘Rose!’ said Hannah, leaping up, to give her a hug. ‘How lovely to see you.’
‘I’m so glad you came to our little shindig,’ said Rose, turning to look at Alex as he stood up to greet the elderly lady. ‘My word. What a handsome fella you’ve found yourself.’
Hannah smiled. ‘Alex, this is Rose Harris. She’s the Earl of Cranley’s sister.’
‘Younger sister,’ said Rose, with a wicked grin. ‘Much younger, in fact.’
Alex had a feeling that Rose was a whole bundle of both fun and trouble.
Rose turned to look at Hannah. ‘Your Boathouse Café sounds marvellous, sweetheart. I will swing by soon, I promise. And Dotty has been telling me all about her swimming club,’ she said. ‘Such fun. I must come and see it in action.’
‘Alex is the lifeguard and he runs the swimming club too,’ said Hannah, with a proud tone in her voice which made Alex smile.
‘Is he?’ Rose ran a studied eye up and down Alex which almost made him blush. ‘Look at all those muscles! You’re worth almost drowning for.’
Alex laughed. ‘As long as it’s only “almost”,’ he replied.
‘Please forgive my aunt,’ said a dark-haired man coming to stand next to Rose. ‘I hope you’re not easily embarrassed. I’m Sam Harris.’
Alex remembered the name as Faye had told him that Sam was the future Earl of Cranley and had taken over the daily running of the stately home.
‘I’m always on the naughty step,’ said Rose, with a giggle. ‘Now, you must have some champagne, darlings. Not Annie, of course. Did you hear the news? Baby number two is on the way for our future countess.’
‘Oh, congratulations,’ said Hannah, in a delighted tone.
‘Thanks,’ said Sam. ‘We’re delighted to be getting a little brother or sister for Eddie. I hope you’re both able to stay for the evening entertainment. There’ll be live music later.’
‘Toodle-oo, darlings,’ said Rose, blowing Hannah a kiss before Sam took her by the arm and led her away.
‘That Rose! What a character,’ said Alex.
‘Oh, you don’t know the half of it,’ said Hannah, laughing as they settled back onto the ground.
They chatted for a while about the Harris family before Alex became aware that the afternoon was slowly turning into early evening as the sun had begun to sink below the horizon of trees surrounding the estate.
‘So what do you think?’ he asked. ‘Would you like to stay here for the evening or go on somewhere else?’
‘I’d like to stay, if that’s OK,’ she replied.
Alex was pleased, also in no rush to leave the beautiful surroundings and break the magical spell of the date so far.
As dusk arrived, the tree above them as well as many others were suddenly lit up with fairy lights. Tea lights and candles in jam jars were lit everywhere else and the whole setting began to turn even more dreamy under the soft lighting in the semi-darkness.
A makeshift stage had been set up nearby and later on, Arthur, the Earl of Cranley, stood up to announce how much money they had raised for a local stroke charity. A huge cheer went up at the large amount of money, followed by an even louder cheer as Tommy Starr came onto the stage.
Tommy was a global superstar in his own right, a hugely popular singer-songwriter who had taken a step back in recent years when he had got engaged and started a family. He now lived in the old forge in Cranley but had close connections to Willow Tree Hall, apparently.
Tommy sang many of his most popular songs by himself, just him and his guitar, and it gave the whole evening an even more laid-back feel.
It couldn’t have felt more romantic, thought Alex. And then Hannah leant her head on his shoulder and snuggled in closer to him and his heart leapt. He put his arm around her and couldn’t stop himself from kissing her on the lips.
After a long time, she drew her head back slightly to look up at him with a soft smile. ‘This has been the most wonderful first date,’ she murmured.
‘Good,’ he replied.
‘I can’t seem to stop myself from kissing you,’ she told him.
‘Well, don’t think that I’m going to stop you,’ he said, his eyes gleaming.
He wanted to tell how he was falling in love with her. How much she meant to him. And yet, as she brought him closer for another kiss, the words were lost on his lips. Soon, he told himself, before he lost all coherent thought. Soon he would tell her just how much he loved her.
But for now, he was happy to lose himself in her delicious kisses.