Chapter 35

‘Thanks for coming back, that was really nice of you,' I said.

Jim looked across the table at me and smiled again, and it seemed genuine. He picked up the sketch I'd been working on.

‘What's this?'

‘I took a photo from the front door and was so bored, I started sketching.'

‘It's really good, Claire. You should do more of this,' he said.

My face warming at the compliment, I said, ‘Thanks, Jim.'

‘Have you been properly out there yet though?' he said.

I shook my head. ‘I don't have any wellies.'

‘That's no excuse. It's so beautiful and you have to see it all. There are loads of abandoned pairs of wellies in the shed. What size are you?'

‘Forty.'

‘Okay, I'll go and grab some. Back in a minute.'

Before I could stop him, he went out of the front door. I wasn't desperate to go out in the freezing cold, but he was right.

Ten minutes or so later, Jim returned, holding a pair of black wellies. ‘Here you are,' he said, putting them down on the floor.

I wasn't a fan of wellies, but these I approved of. They'd hardly been worn and had buckles at the top.

‘I didn't know wellies could be so stylish. Thanks,' I said.

‘One of the house managers left them behind when she moved on. I also have something else,' he said. ‘Come and see.'

He opened the front door. Outside was an old wooden sledge, propped up against the wall. I'd seen it in a photo in the guidebook, with a male servant sitting on it.

‘Oh, a sledge,' I said, half-heartedly.

Jim's eyes lit up. ‘Isn't it great? It was at the back of the shed with a few other things from the olden days.'

‘And you plan to go on it?'

‘We plan to go on it, Claire.'

I laughed. ‘I don't think so.'

‘There's a massive hill in the Dairy Field, and I want to go down it on this sledge. Imagine how brilliant that would be?'

‘We're not children.'

‘Didn't you go sledging as a child and love it though?'

Growing up, I'd always envied my friends when they told me they'd been sledging with their dads in the snow.

‘Nope.'

‘Well, you have missed out.'

‘I feel a bit old for it now.'

‘But you're thirty, aren't you?'

I nodded.

‘That's the same age as me. We're not old, Claire. Come on, let's go and have some fun. You've been stuck indoors for days. And you don't have to go on the sledge if you don't want to. Just come for the walk, at least.'

Rolling my eyes, I said, ‘I'll get my coat.'

‘That one you've been wearing to the office?'

He was referring to the wool coat I'd worn when commuting into London.

‘Yes.'

‘I've got a warmer one you can borrow.'

Jim was being quite bossy.

‘All right, thanks.'

He went upstairs and returned with a navy-blue puffa jacket. It was too big for me, but I put it on and rolled up the sleeves. It was lovely and warm, and came down to below my knees. And it smelt of him.

‘Do you have a hat?' he said.

‘Yes, I have my beret.'

Shaking his head, he reached into a cupboard under the stairs and retrieved two bobble hats, one navy blue and one grey.

‘This one should fit you,' he said, placing the grey one on my head, pulling it over the tops of my ears, his eyes meeting mine as he did so. ‘Perfect.'

‘Thanks,' I said.

He wrapped a matching scarf round my neck and tied it into a knot.

‘Gloves?' he said.

‘I have these,' I said, getting the brown leather pair out of my coat pocket. Deborah had regifted them to me one Christmas.

‘Well done,' he said.

He put on a khaki jacket that didn't look as warm as the one he was lending to me, and I appreciated his generosity.

‘Let's get those wellies on, then,' he said.

He went out of the front door, and when I was ready I stepped outside. The cold air brushed my face, but the rest of me was covered by everything Jim had provided. He picked up the sledge.

‘I'm definitely not going on that thing, by the way,' I said.

‘Well, I am. And the walk will do you good. Look at that face, getting rosy already,' he said, adjusting my hat and scarf, and brushing my right cheek with his gloved hand. My gut hopped at his touch, but I shut the thought of us being more than friends out of my mind.

We went through the rose garden, treading carefully around our previous footprints as they'd become sludgy and slippery.

‘I'll grit this path later,' Jim said. ‘You'd better grab hold of my arm.'

I did as he suggested, using the excuse to squeeze in close to him. We left the rose garden, and took a right down the side of the house. Before us was the most beautiful, unspoilt view. A pretty scene like our very own Narnia lay before us, and the only sign of life was smoke coming out of the chimney at Home Farm in the distance. We passed the lake, covered in ice, and went over the stile into Long Meadow. The snow came more than halfway up my wellies and it was difficult to walk, more of a trudge. And then when we reached the Dairy Field, there it was, the steep hill. The thought of going down it on a sledge was very daunting. We headed for the brow.

‘Would you like to go first?' Jim said, winking.

‘You go ahead,' I said.

‘Okay.' He set the sledge down on the ground. ‘Will you give me a push to get started?'

‘Sure,' I said.

I tried to push him, but he was too heavy.

‘Why don't you get closer to the edge, then it will be easier?' I said.

He used his feet to move forward, and I pushed him, and he was off, and he shouted, ‘Woohoo,' as he sped down the hill at some speed. The thought of doing the same scared me, and there was no way I'd do it. He reached the bottom and picked up the sledge before climbing back up the hill, waving as he approached. In that very moment, surrounded by such beautiful scenery and in Jim's company, a wave of happiness swept over me. I was enjoying myself. When Jim reached the top, he held out his hand.

‘Your turn.'

‘Oh no,' I said, shaking my head. ‘I'm just a spectator.'

‘But it's exhilarating. You won't regret it, I promise.'

Pulling a face, I said, ‘No.'

‘How about we go together? The sledge is more than big enough for both of us.'

It was longer than most sledges and I considered his suggestion.

‘Well?' he said.

‘You promise to take care of me?'

‘Yes!'

He placed the sledge on the ground and gestured for me to get on, and said, ‘You sit at the back.'

I did as he said, and he took his position in front of me.

‘Hold on tight,' he said, pressing his wellies into the snow to shift us forward.

Lifting my feet off the ground, I wrapped my arms round his waist, leaning into him. Closing my eyes, I breathed in the scent of his neck.

And then we were off down the hill, going so very fast. We both screamed like you would on a rollercoaster, my adrenaline racing. A school trip to Alton Towers as a teenager was the last time I'd done anything this daring. We reached the bottom of the hill and I felt a huge sense of achievement.

‘What did you think?' Jim said.

‘That was fun,' I said.

‘Again?'

‘Okay,' I said.

We walked back up the hill and, this time, it was even more exhilarating as my fear had dissipated. This was the most exciting thing I'd done for ages; but, as we neared the bottom of the hill, the sledge hit something – a rock, possibly – and turned on its side, and I rolled over into the snow.

‘Ow,' I said, as my ankle hit a tree stump, and then I swore under my breath, not wanting Jim to hear how foul-mouthed I could be.

Looking up, I saw him standing over me, his face scrunched up. He sighed.

‘What happened?'

‘I banged my ankle on that tree stump,' I said. It was throbbing. ‘It really hurts.'

Squatting down, he removed my welly and peeled off my sock, and gently ran his hand over my foot and ankle. Despite the pain, I couldn't help enjoying his soothing touch.

‘Where does it hurt?'

He pressed the skin around my ankle until I said, ‘There.'

‘We'd better go and get some ice.'

He helped me up, and said, ‘Try not to put any weight on it. Here, lean on me. Let's get you in the warm without making it worse.'

We trudged up the hill and crossed the field, and he helped me over the stile and back past the lake and the house, through the rose garden, and to his cottage, where he unlocked the door and helped me to his sofa. He went into the kitchen, and I heard him open the freezer door and bang the ice cube tray about in the sink. A few minutes later, he returned with a sandwich bag filled with cubes and a rubber band.

‘Here, give me your foot,' he said, perching on the edge of the coffee table. I lifted my ankle. It was really throbbing now, any adrenaline having subsided, and he rested it in his lap. He studied my ankle carefully, turning it gently in his hands. His touch distracted me from the pain, and he said, ‘Ah, there's a bruise coming out, that's good.' It was turning a purple-black colour and looked terrible.

Sighing, I said, ‘Yes. Would you mind getting my bag so I can find some ibuprofen?'

‘Let me sort this out first.'

He placed the sandwich bag filled with ice onto the bruise and used the elastic band to keep it in place. The ice relieved the pain a little. Taking a couple of cushions and putting them on the sofa, he said, ‘Right, rest your foot on these.' He propped another cushion behind my head, then brought me my bag and a glass of water.

‘There you are,' he said, perching back on the coffee table, his eyes reflecting concern.

‘Thanks,' I said.

‘I'm sorry, it's all my fault.'

‘You did promise you'd look after me,' I said with a laugh.

‘True. I hadn't factored in random tree stumps though.'

‘Yeah, I know. Thanks for the ice pack.'

‘I'm an expert from my days of sports injuries.' He smiled. ‘Now it's my job to get you better.'

‘That's very kind of you.' I took two ibuprofen with water.

‘It's a good job my shower is fixed, at least. I need to have a wash and do some work. I'll go in the office upstairs,' he said. ‘Text me if you need anything, and don't move unless you really have to. Maybe take a nap?'

‘Okay,' I said.

He threw me a nod and closed the living room door behind him. It seemed he felt bad for encouraging me to go sledging, but it wasn't his fault. And perhaps this was karma for me letting him down that night. The injury had at least balanced everything out. He'd only been trying to get me to break out of my comfort zone and, apart from the injury, the experience had been good for me. Jim brought out a different side of me, and that could only be a positive thing.