‘Oooh, is there a party? You didn’t say.’ The girl eyes the cars parked in the driveway, clinging to Kester and tottering on her wedge heels as he tightens his arm around her.

‘My grandmother has guests.’ He explains offhandedly, slowing to nuzzle at the side of her face as they walk along.

She pulls away. ‘Your grandmother? I in’t going to meet her am I?’

‘No’ he murmurs, trying to turn her towards him again and failing. ‘We go down here’ He indicates the path running around the side of the house. ‘But we could pop in if you wanted to.’

She pauses and slowly looks the main house up and down considering each lit window in turn.  ‘Don’t think it’s my sort of thing really, not grannies and stuff…they’re older’n us i’nt they?’

‘It has to be that way, unfortunately.’ Kester walks on.

‘You what?’ She hurries to catch up with him.

‘Doesn’t matter.’

‘Yes it does.’ She pokes him in the ribs as his arm goes round her shoulder again. ‘Go on.’ she urges in a nasal whine ‘Tell me what you said’

In the shadows along the path he pulls her closer, his hand sliding underneath her top as he leans her against the wall of the house and nuzzles at her ear. He whispers hoarsely ‘I said it has to be that way.’

She moves her head to avoid his kiss. ‘What does?’

With a frustrated sigh he steps back. ‘Grandmothers being older than we are.’

‘Oh, yeah.’ She says vaguely then giggles. ‘Be no good them being younger than us else we’d be the grannies wouldn’t we?’ She taps his chest to emphasise the point. ‘Silly!’

‘Ye-es’ Kester replies slowly and walks ahead, pulling a bunch of keys from his pocket ‘You are so right.’

The security light switches on, bathing the courtyard and the front of the annexe in bright light.

‘Ooooh.  This where you live?’

‘My domicile.’ He grins proudly.

‘You've got a servant? Wow!’ She scans the ivy clad wall and the dormer windows above the trellised porch before looking at him again. ‘Ah, right! ‘ She whispers her understanding. ‘And he lets you borrow it if…you know.’ She snorts. ‘Don’t you mind him knowing?’

‘Knowing?’ Kester unlocks the door and reaches inside to turn on the light in the hall.

‘That you’re …you know…...up to summat.  Don’t he tell your granny?’

Kester closes his eyes briefly, his smile becoming more fixed as he ushers her in. ‘Nope, never says a word.’ He bends his head to kiss her.

‘Well, you’re lucky then!’ Her retort stops the kiss from becoming more passionate. ‘I was only having a fag in my granddad’s shed and he went and told me mum!’

‘Not very nice of him’

‘No it weren’t!’ She peers into the living room. ‘Ooo, he’s got it nice in’t he?’ She wanders into the room and stands in the middle of it looking round. Kester follows and switches on the wall lights, keeping them dimmed. ‘Real comfy and all.’ She bounces on the sofa. ‘Dead posh considering’

‘I like it’ Kester sits next to her and slides his arm around her waist.

‘But I reckon you might be paying him too much. Them tellies cost a bomb.’

‘Mmm.’ He draws her towards him, tipping her chin to kiss her again. ‘I had a nice time tonight’ he says softly as he lifts his mouth from hers. Brushing the hair from her forehead, he gazes into her eyes.

She sits up abruptly. ‘Less he nicked it!’ She looks over her shoulder to where Kester has sprawled against the sofa back. ‘You don’t want nobody what nicks stuff.’

‘I’m sure there’s nothing here that’s not his’ he says wearily.

‘You can’t be too careful’ she warns ‘My mum’s heard all sorts at the hotel. She works there, we don’t live in a hotel or nothing. Didn’t you say what we was having coffee?’

Kester struggles to sitting. ‘I did.’

‘Course, if he’s a big bloke, you in’t gonna get too nosy, ‘specially if he lets you use this place. Don’t want no trouble.’

‘What makes you think he’s a big bloke?’

‘Them shoes.’ She nods under the coffee table. ‘He's got to be as big as what you are in’t he? Lessing he looks like Donald Duck or summat when he’s got ‘em on.’

‘Ah! Ze leetle grey cells.’

‘You what?’

‘Never mind. Coffee or shall I open a bottle?’ Kester stands up and takes a step towards the door. ‘I can ring a cab to get you home.’

‘Aaw.’ The girl gets to her feet and slides her arms around his waist, smiling up at him coquettishly. ‘When you wanted to know if I got a toothbrush in me bag, I thought…’

‘I know’ he manages to look regretful. ‘Sorry, I forgot. I’ve got to be somewhere tomorrow morning….early.’ His hands caress her back and he closes his eyes, wondering if he should change his mind again as she presses herself against him.

‘But it in’t that late Jester’ she coos, fingering the buttons on his shirt and pouting.

‘The name’s Kester.’

She giggles and grins up at him. ‘Ooops how silly am I? I thought what it was some nickname or something. What’s it stand for?’

‘What?’ he looks bemused

‘Kester.’

‘It doesn’t. That’s it. That’s my name.’ He stifles a groan, letting his arms fall to his sides and continues on his journey to the kitchen

‘Really? Well I never.’ Her heels click on the parquet flooring of the hall. You wait while I tell my mum. She’ll think you’re foreign or summat.’

‘Your mother?’ Kester rubs his forehead, his fingers and thumb meeting and separating at the bridge of his nose as he slowly tries to massage his disbelief away.

‘Yeah. She likes to know where I been and that. You alright? Got headache or something?’

‘Yes…sorry…think I’ve got a migraine coming on.’ He jumps at the excuse, grasping it gratefully.

‘Oh, they’s terrible them. You ought to go lie down a bit.’

‘I think I might have to.’ He squints as if in pain. ‘Sorry’

‘You want I should come with you, make sure you’re okay? My mum gets terrible sick with ‘em. I could hold a bowl or summat.’ She offers.

‘No…It’s okay….I think I might sit out in the cool instead. That could help. I’ll call you a taxi.’

She strokes a gentle hand over his brow. ‘Now don’t you worry about me. I can get meself home.’

‘You out and out bastard.’ He groans with self-loathing.

‘Aaw, you poor thing, you are in pain in’t you?  I’ll see another time maybe. Perhaps best you're on your own if your feeling poorly. I know what you men are like, getting all embarrassed and that.’ She takes her mobile phone from her capacious shoulder bag and scans her address book. ‘You ring me, right, and we’ll see what we can’t sort out.’ She presses the call button.

‘Sure.’

She kisses him tenderly on the cheek. ‘You take care, alright?'

'Hello? Yeah…I need a  taxi?....... yeah…...Woodbury......Milliwick....oh, I dunno…That big house…looks like a castle…right by there….yeah that’s the one…Yeah, that’ll be lovely.’

She turns from the door. ‘I’ll just walk up the road. Bye Jester. Hope you feel better soon.’ She smiles. ‘We could’ve had a nice time couldn’t we? Such a shame’ she shrugs ‘ but that’s life as they say. ’ With a wave of her fingers and another look of genuine concern, she leaves the room.

At the sound of the front door closing, Kester kicks at the base of the window seat. ‘Why do I do it?’

Outside Tawny House

Chapter One