‘I could never deny you, Theo Whittington,’ I reply dramatically.
‘Well, that’s good to hear,’ he says in that low meaningful voice of his, his blue eyes twinkling.
Last night, Jessamine gave birth to a snowy white cria. Theo declares her the cutest thing he’s ever seen.
She is unbelievably adorable with her long wobbly limbs, big dark eyes and small ears that flick this way and that. We’ve walked up to the girls’ paddock to see her.
‘Shall we carry on to Brimham?’ Theo suggests.
I glance back at the farm, but there’s no sign of the Land Rover. Dad drove George today – we should be able to see them returning from up at Hare Heads.
‘Sure.’
When we reach the stile, I climb over and check the farm again.
Theo follows my gaze. ‘He’s lucky to have you,’ he says.
‘Who?’
‘George. You can’t even walk five paces before seeing if he’s back yet.’
‘You can call George a lot of things,’ I reply drily. ‘Lucky is not one of them.’
I take a last look at the farm before it disappears from view. We continue on in silence.
We’re almost at the silver birch wood when Theo says, ‘He is lucky. I’m lucky too. I don’t know what I would’ve done if you hadn’t come after me that day.’
‘George came after you too,’ I remind him.
We’re walking in single file along the narrowest part of the track. Tall bramble bushes line the path on either side.
‘Yeah, but I feel like it was mostly you. I think George was following you, not me.’
I frown at him over my shoulder. ‘Why do you say that?’
His mouth twists at an odd angle. ‘Don’t you think he likes you?’
My heart jumps and I stumble, scratching myself on the prickles.
Theo’s hand shoots out. ‘Mind yourself!’
I dart away from him. ‘What, like likes?’
He nods.
‘No!’ I exclaim, facing forward as my cheeks heat up. ‘No way. We’re friends. That’s it.’
‘So you don’t like him?’
‘No!’ My voice jumps up another octave. ‘Definitely not! Oh my God!’
Don’t protest too much, Leah…
‘Okay. Well, that’s good,’ Theo says casually as we come out into the wood.
‘Why is it good?’ I know I should leave it alone, but I can’t.
‘I don’t think he’s a great fit for you.’
‘In what way?’
He lifts an eyebrow at me and sets off along the track towards the first crop of rocks.
‘I’m only asking because I’m curious!’ I exclaim.
‘You’re too kind. And after what I saw in the lane a few weeks ago, I’d be scared he might hurt you.’
‘What? Physically?’ I’m shocked. ‘George would never! He was upset, not violent. I’ve never seen him lift a finger in anger towards anyone. Unlike you.’
He blanches. ‘I would never hurt a girl.’
He’s appalled and I immediately wish I could take back my words.
‘I know you wouldn’t.’
He digs into his pocket for his cigarettes. He lights one and walks a few paces away from me, then climbs up onto a boulder.
He looks older than usual, even though he’s technically dressed in a school uniform. He’s wearing black trousers and a white shirt, rolled up at the sleeves and unbuttoned at the collar. He left his blazer and tie with his rucksack down at the farm.
‘I’m sorry, Theo,’ I say, pushing my toe into a molehill. The peaty earth is richer and darker than coffee. ‘It wasn’t your fault that Pete started on you.’
He makes his way out onto another rock close to Mini Druid’s Writing Desk. I feel so bad as I follow him up. I can tell I’ve hurt his feelings.
He’s looking down at a dip in the rock that’s half filled with rainwater.
‘It’s shaped like a love heart,’ I say with surprise.
‘I know.’
‘I’ve been up here so many times, but this is the first time I’ve noticed it.’
‘See the edges…’ Theo points with his shoe. ‘If it had even a tiny bit more water in it or a tiny bit less, it would just be a blobby puddle.’
‘Well, today it’s a heart,’ I state.
He looks at me, and a moment later, he presses his lips together, suppressing a smile. ‘It’s a sign from the gods,’ he says, trying to keep a straight face.
I laugh with relief at the return of his sense of humour and he turns away, walking out to the overhang. With a jolt, I hurry after him, realising I haven’t checked to see if Dad and George have returned. I look down at the farm, but there’s still no sign of the Land Rover.
Theo finishes his cigarette and bends to stub it out on the rock, placing the butt beside the charred mark.
‘I’ll take it with me when we go,’ he says as he sits down.
‘That’s very conscientious of you,’ I tease, settling beside him.
He shrugs. ‘It’s beautiful up here. It should stay that way.’
‘This is where I want my ashes to be scattered.’
‘That’s a bit morbid,’ he grumbles.
‘I disagree.’
‘I’ll be buried in the family graveyard,’ he says sardonically. ‘So yeah, maybe this is better.’ He sighs. ‘I do love it here. I’m going to miss it when I move to Australia.’
I laugh. ‘With your Aussie wife that you’re going to meet at The Royal College of Art?’
He smirks. ‘Exactly.’
‘It was funny when everyone saw your portrait of me.’ I keep thinking about our classmates’ faces when Mr Edwards showed his drawing around. ‘They were all so blown away. You’re proper talented. Becky wants you to sketch her.’
Theo lets out a small snort that sounds like derision.
‘You wouldn’t?’
He shakes his head. ‘I’ve no interest in drawing Becky.’
‘Why not? She’s stunning.’
‘She’s predictable.’ He glances at me. ‘I’d draw you again, though.’
I know it’s wrong, but I get a thrill when he says that.
His hair lifts in the wind, near-black strands floating away from his face. Maybe it’s what he’s wearing, but with his sharp eyebrows and angular features, he looks more like a Dark Prince than ever.
‘You want to know why I was laughing?’
His blue eyes sharpen. ‘Are you going to tell me?’
‘I might do… Actually, I don’t know if I can.’
‘You’re such a tease! Why not?’
‘I’ll sound like a psychopath.’
His eyebrows jump up and he looks absolutely delighted. ‘Oh, now I really want to know.’ He reaches over and pokes my ribs. ‘Tell me.’
I squawk and he does it again.
‘Okay! Okay.’ I take a deep breath. ‘Your hair.’
‘Yes?’
‘It always looks so shiny.’
He looks amused. ‘Right…?’
‘I imagined myself making wrist warmers out of it,’ I blurt.