‘I’ve never really walked through here before’ Helen leans against Kester, her free hand on his upper arm.

‘Helen!’ Kester chuckles ‘It’s the village green!’

‘I know…but…I’ve still not seen it….not properly’

‘And here is the highlight of this guided tour, the pond!’ he throws out an arm, laughing uproariously. 'Scene of the great tadpole hunt of eighteen-twenty-one’

‘Stop being so mean to me’ Helen grins as she looks up at him, their linked hands swinging forwards.

‘Me?…Mean to you?’ Kester huffs ‘Who suggested a walk when all I wanted to do was..’

‘I know exactly what you wanted to do’ She beetles her brows at him.

‘Uh uh!’ He waves a finger from side to side and grins. ‘What I wanted to do was to rustle up something to eat and just spend some time together, talk…just…be together.’

‘But we are!’ Helen laughs in return.

‘No…I mean…’

‘Play house?’ she giggles, looking down at her feet, trying to match her stride to his.

‘Nooooo!’ Kester denies with a brief, unconvincing laugh.

Helen looks at him and smiles without saying anything, bending the fingers that are laced between his and squeezing his hand a little more tightly.

‘Shall we see what Olly’s got in the window?’ He suggests as they reach the end of the path.

‘The antique shop?’

‘Mmm’ He shrugs. ‘Just a thought, not a lot to do round here on a Sunday’

‘This is nice’ Helen assures him. ‘I can’t believe there’s so much of the village I’ve never seen. I must walk round with my eyes shut’

‘I don’t suppose you’ve really had anyone to point things out’

‘And that’s been my fault hasn’t it’ Helen admits with a rueful smile ‘I have now though eh?’ she grins ‘Walks every weekend’

‘Oh dear, what a shame, I have to work most weekends’ Kester says with an exaggerated sigh of disappointment.

‘Not all weekend!’

They wait until the traffic clears and cross the road. Kester lets go of her hand and puts his arm around her shoulder instead as they peer into the window of the antique shop. He rests his forehead against the glass. ‘He had a pocket watch in here a couple of weeks ago…gone now by the look of it. Always fancied one of those. Should’ve gone in when I saw it, had a better look. Silver, beautifully chased’

‘I love looking round junk shops’

‘Junk shop! Don’t let him hear you call it that’ Kester laughs.

‘I didn’t mean this was one! I meant generally…Ohhh, look at that! Isn’t it beautiful?’

‘What?’

‘Down there, next to the snuff box or whatever it is, the mirror’

‘Was part of a set, I bet. Looks as though it should be’

‘Can you see a price? The ticket’s twiddled over’

‘Twiddled over?’ he teases, bending sideways as she digs him in the ribs. ‘Can’t see. They do that, turn it over on purpose so you have to go in and ask’

‘Really?’ Helen looks up at him.

‘Honest. You ask him when you see him’

‘I doubt he’d tell me if I did…That’s rather nice too’

‘What?’

‘The garnet and silver ring. Wonder if it would fit?’ Helen looks down at her hand, spreading the fingers and trying to gauge the size’

‘You could always get it adjusted if it didn’t’

‘I wouldn’t want to alter it…that would be kind of….disrespectful somehow’

‘Funny girl!’ Kester give her shoulder a teasing hug.

‘I know’ she sighs ‘I can be really daft at times’

‘Only at times?’ he laughs, stepping out of her reach, walking briskly away as she comes after him with her hand raised, he breaks into a trot with Helen chasing then turns to catch her in his arms and pull him towards her.

‘Kester!’ she looks around as he bends his head to kiss her. ‘We’re not teenagers!’

‘You care?’ he grins, linking his hands behind her back.

She bites her lip and looks up at him, her eyes dancing. ‘No, I don’t think I do!’

Milliwick Village

Chapter Eight

Tawny House, Manor Road

‘Ah! Here he is…the man himself’ Simon smiles, getting up from the sofa and walking towards Kester with his arms open.

‘If you’re thinking of kissing me, you can think again!’ Kester growls.

‘Aaaw’ Simon pouts ‘not even a congratulatory hug? I just knew you and Helen were perfect for each other. I just knew! Didn’t I say that to you, Jeremy?’

Jeremy nods with a small sigh.

‘Ohhh’ Simon gives a little shiver. ‘You’ve brought the cold in with you!’ he says, rubbing his hands on Kester’s cheeks. ‘Let me warm you up’ He tilts his head coquettishly.

‘Simon!’ Jeremy scolds with disapproving primness ‘Leave the man alone, can’t you?’

‘Well, pardon me! Who rattled your cage?’

Harriet smiles as Kester extricates himself from Simon’s clutches and bends to kiss her cheek. ‘Have you eaten, darling? There’s supper left’

‘No thanks…had something at Helen’s’

‘I bet you did’ Simon remarks, hand to his mouth and sniggering.

Kester fixes him with a steely glare ‘We fed the cat, Helen took a casserole out of the freezer, put it to defrost while we went for a walk and nuked it when we got back. Satisfied?’

‘Hmmm. I don’t suppose you were’ he titters ‘I’m sure that wasn't the meat and two veg you were expecting’

‘Now, now, Simon, that’s enough’ Harriet reprimands, noting the angry flush mounting on Kester’s cheeks. ‘A drink or would you like coffee, darling?’ she asks.

‘A drink I think’ Kester walks to the sideboard and pours a measure of whiskey from the decanter, splashing a small amount of water into it. ‘Frosty again tonight’ he remarks, taking a grateful sip. He sits in an armchair and crosses his legs. ‘So….what’s the goss on Dad then, Simon?’

‘Well! Nothing like beating about the bush is there, dear? What happened to the niceties of social intercourse?’ Simon huffs.

‘It’s past midnight, I’m whacked and I’ve got to get up in the morning. I can hear it from Harriet; no worries’ Kester tosses back the drink and makes to get up again.

‘Did I say I wouldn’t tell?’ Simon sniffs. ‘I was merely…’

‘I don’t care what you were merely doing…either you’ve got something to say or you haven’t’

‘Ooooh get you! Aren’t you the macho one’

‘Sorry’ Kester apologises to Harriet as he stands up ‘Guess I’m just too tired for this. I’ll try and get back tomorrow lunchtime…’ he checks his watch and groans. ‘Or should that be later on? I’ll give Dad a ring in between times’

‘You will?’ Harriet looks astonished.

‘That’s if I can get hold of him. Who better to get the truth from? Goodnight. Don’t you be too long out of bed yourself, ok?’ he says with a pointed glance at Simon.

He touches her shoulder and with a brief tight-lipped smile towards Jeremy and Simon leaves the room.