13
ARCHIE HAD NO idea where he was going to take Nora so, as he did with most things, he enlisted the help of Seb.
‘If it was up to me, I’d choose the pub every time,’ he said. ‘It’s relaxing and the food’s good, so it really depends.’ He plonked himself down in the chair next to the fireplace in the estate office, and scratched Tatty’s head while Archie made the tea.
‘On what?’ Archie asked, feeling as if he ought to know the answer.
‘What’s the end game? Are you pumping her for info about the swimming lake idea, or is it the first date?’
Archie opened his mouth to answer, but Seb carried on.
‘I know you like her because whatever you think, you haven’t asked her out just to make good on the fib you told Constance, so I’ll help you out and suggest it’s a first date. But how good an impression do you want to make?’
Archie mulled this over for a moment while he poured the tea. If he discounted the lie he’d told his mother and the fact that he was quite interested in finding out more about wild-swimming, he realised that neither of these things were more of a reason to have asked Nora out than the fact he actually liked her. He liked that she was brave enough to venture into his lake without knowing, or caring, who it belonged to. He liked that she was self-aware enough to know that swimming was something that helped her state of mind, and she wasn’t afraid to admit that she actively gave time over to looking after her mental health. He admired she had her own business, because it felt almost like something they had in common, and from what little she’d told him, she was successful. And these things added up to the biggest and best reason of all to have asked her out: to get to know her better.
‘Where did you take Jess on your first date?’ he asked, hoping it would be the perfect thing to copy.
Seb shook his head, realising what Archie’s game was. ‘No, that won’t work because I was stupid and stubborn and skint, so we never went on a proper first date. It was more of a slow realisation for us by which time our first date had passed us by without either of us noticing. We had a takeaway in the flat above Oliver’s.’
‘Ah. Yes. Not the right tone.’
‘But that’s a start. And if it’s the right tone you’re after, I’d go for the Italian on Priory Lane. The food is amazing, and it’s a traditional kind of place, you know, candles in bottles on the tables, that sort of thing. It’s relaxed but intimate. It’ll go perfectly with your new hair.’
‘Thank you,’ Archie said, grinning. ‘It sounds perfect. I’ll book a table.’
‘If it goes well, we could do a foursome sometime.’
‘One step at a time. But yes, I’d like that.’
After Seb had left, Archie booked a table at Ciao Croftwood, then texted Nora to let her know.
I’ve booked a table for us at Ciao Croftwood. Shall I pick you up at 7.30? A
That sounds lovely! I’m at Woodside Cottage on Elderbrook Lane.
I know it. I’m very much looking forward to seeing you. A
He read the last message before he pressed send. Was it too much? In the end he settled on something more restrained.
Wonderful. See you then. A
‘I don’t think you told me the name of the girl you’re taking out,’ Constance remarked over dinner that evening.
‘Her name’s Nora,’ he said, patiently.
‘Nora. Unusual name, isn’t it? Although I’ve heard that name recently. Where was I?’
‘You’re out and about so much these days, it could have been anywhere, Mama.’
‘As it happens, I will be out tomorrow evening as well.’
‘Will you need a lift?’ Archie said, warily. He wouldn’t put it past his mother to have invented a reason to need to come with him when he picked Nora up.
‘No, Linda from the library is going to collect me.’
‘That’s good of her.’ Archie worried that Constance took advantage of her new group of friends, all of whom seemed happy to ferry her around, aside from when Archie took his turn for the book club evenings.
‘It’s on her way, darling.’
Croftwood Court wasn’t on anyone’s way to anywhere but he wasn’t about to start interfering in his mother’s arrangements.
‘Where are you off to?’
‘The knitting at the pictures the other day was so much fun, Linda reminded me about the knit and natter group at the Croftwood Haberdashery. It’s a lovely chance to chat to everyone rather than getting on with any knitting, so she knows I’ll enjoy it.’
This sent Archie into a panic. Seb was sure to have mentioned his date with Nora to Jess, who owned the Croftwood Haberdashery, and who might comment on it to Constance. And he could only imagine the kind of conversations that might stem from that.
‘Nora is the woman who has been swimming in our lake.’ There was only so much subterfuge he could stand. It was going to come out at some point, so there was no reason to hide it, although in what context his mother had heard Nora’s name, he wasn’t sure.
‘You have asked out the woman with the swimming coat?’ Constance asked, her voice rising in surprise. ‘How on earth did that happen?’
Reminding himself to be patient, Archie said, ‘I thought it was worth introducing myself to her, purely to find out what she was up to. She’s very interesting, easy to talk to, you know,’ he carried on, feeling a little flustered.
‘I hope she’s not going to take advantage of you. Does she know who you are?’
‘Yes, Mother, she knows. If anything, she ought to worry about me taking advantage of her. She’s a very successful businesswoman.’
‘Why is she interested in swimming in a lake, then?’ Constance seemed genuinely perplexed, but presumably wasn’t up to speed with the phenomenon of cold-water swimming.
‘She finds it therapeutic. A way to relax.’
‘Well, you’re old enough to know what you’re doing, darling.’
‘Thank you,’ Archie said, relieved that the conversation seemed to be over.
The following evening at seven o’clock, Archie was attempting to tame his forelock like Andy the barber had shown him. It wasn’t working, but he had no intention of using Andy’s failsafe suggestion of hairspray. Instead, he put a little more wax on the tips of his fingers and ran his fingers through his hair, trying to knead the product in, willing it to look how he wanted. It didn’t, but it would have to do. He tipped some ancient aftershave into his palm and slapped it on his face, gasping as it stung his freshly shaven skin, but judging that it smelled alright, if a little old-fashioned.
Thankfully, Constance was eating dinner and wouldn’t have wanted to be disturbed so he was able to leave the house unhindered. Earlier in the afternoon, he’d turned over the engine on his father’s Jaguar XJS, which had been his pride and joy, to make sure the battery wasn’t dead. It was the one thing Archie was thrilled to have inherited, even though he didn’t drive it very often. And it was perfect for tonight.
Although as the crow flies, Nora didn’t live far away, it was a good ten-minute drive to get out of the estate and onto the country lane that led to her house. Dusk was well and truly falling but thankfully there was enough light to see the names of the houses on the gates along Elderbrook Lane.
The gates to Woodside Cottage were open, so Archie pulled the car into the gravelled driveway that ran down one side of the house before he climbed out and brushed his hands down himself to iron out the non-existent creases in his jeans. The cottage looked welcoming from the outside, slightly overshadowed by trees on the far side, and the glow from the small windows made him long to be inside, next to a cosy log fire. It looked as if all of its corners had been smoothed away, and the walls disappeared into the low overhang of the roof, all contributing to make it exactly the kind of house that he thought suited Nora perfectly.
He rapped the large circular knocker on the front door and almost immediately the door opened and Nora was there, smiling. Instantly, he felt himself relax. She looked beautiful. Her hair was swept back, and gathered low at her neck. Tendrils of hair escaped and gently waved around her face and shoulders. She was wearing a grass green coloured dress that reached almost to the floor but it was cinched in at the waist and had lots of tucks and things across the top and fitted her perfectly.
‘You look wonderful,’ he said, leaning in and kissing her cheek. It was how he’d been brought up, so there was nothing more to it than good manners as far as he was concerned, and he didn’t give it a second thought, but he noticed Nora blush slightly.
‘You look very good yourself,’ she said. ‘I love your shirt.’
‘Thank you. Do you know Jess from the haberdashery? She made it for me.’
‘Gosh, that’s incredible. I’m terrible at sewing.’
‘Well, I’m not sure how Jess’s pottery skills are.’
‘Speaking of pottery, I have something to show you. In the garden,’ she said, gesturing for him to step back outside. She locked the door, then led the way around to the back of the house. There was a little patio next to the kitchen door. ‘Here. I made these.’
There, bathed in the glow from the outside light, were two chimney pots.
Archie was speechless. She’d actually made him chimney pots for his house.
‘I know they’re quite plain. I really just wanted to get the feel for making them, and to find out whether they’d even fit. So try them out and if they’re okay, I can have a go at something more ornate.’
‘Nora,’ he said softly. ‘They’re incredible. Thank you so much.’ He turned to look at the car, which as his mother had constantly pointed out to his father, was the epitome of style over substance, since it didn’t have a back seat and the boot space wasn’t huge. ‘I think I’d better collect them in a more suitable vehicle, but I can’t wait to pop them on the roof.’
Nora was grinning. ‘I’m so glad you’re pleased. It at least makes me feel that I’m paying you back in some way for the use of your beautiful lake.’
‘There’s no need for you to worry about that but I’m all for a bartering system. I wonder if my roofer is into cold-water swimming?’
‘You never know,’ Nora said, laughing.
Archie grinned, feeling more relaxed with every moment he was in her company. ‘Right, we’d better go.’ He walked to the car and held open the passenger door, waiting while Nora climbed in and settled herself before he closed it and went around to the driver’s side. It felt amazing to have her beside him. He couldn’t quite believe how he found himself here.
‘This car is wonderful,’ she said as Archie reversed out of the driveway and headed along the lanes to town. She ran her hand over the polished walnut dashboard.
‘It was my father’s. Apparently, it’s entirely responsible for my parents ending up together.’
‘I can understand how the car might help if you were trying to woo someone.’
He chanced a glance at Nora to see whether there was anything to this comment other than an off-the-cuff remark. She flicked her eyes towards him before going back to looking out at the road ahead, but he thought he could see her suppressing a smile. It was hard to see now that it was dark.
‘You think I’m trying to woo you?’ The darkness, and Nora’s easy company made Archie feel bolder. For once, he wasn’t stifling what he wanted to say for fear of what the answer might be. Perhaps because he felt confident he wasn’t about to be rejected.
‘I do. I think you’re a surprising man, Archie, and I’m glad we’re friends. I’m looking forward to getting to know you better.’
‘Likewise.’
They stuck to safer topics for the rest of the ten-minute journey, with Archie pointing out local landmarks, and Nora interested, asking questions about everything.
‘This is the park where the festival was held last year,’ he said, pointing it out, not that you could see an awful lot in the dark.
‘What’s the building over there? With the festival lights in the trees?’
‘That’s Croftwood Cinema. It had been derelict since I was a child, then Oliver from the coffee house, and his business partner, Patsy, renovated it. It’s very versatile now. They hold all sorts of events there. My mother went to see Singing in the Rain the other day, a special showing where they left the lights on so people could knit.’
‘How fantastic. I love it when people are innovative like that. It’s so inspiring.’
‘And they held part of the Croftwood Festival in there too. They had the book club during the day and music in the evening.’
Archie parked the car on the side of the road outside the restaurant and came to open the door for Nora, offering his hand as she climbed out of the low-slung seat.
‘Thank you,’ she said.
He smiled and put his hand on the small of her back, guiding her inside, feeling like the luckiest man in the world.