‘Juno didn’t want to turn the treadwheel today so they had to go and get Jack to show everyone how water can be brought up from the well,’ Tasha said with a laugh.
‘It’s like a big hamster wheel,’ Erin added. ‘It’s amazing. You ought to take a look.’
‘I will. I went around the chapel earlier and into Princess Beatrice’s gardens. Both are beautiful.’
‘Did you see the window where Charles I tried to escape?’ Tasha asked.
‘No,’ Jules said, impressed by the girl’s enthusiasm. ‘Not yet.’
‘We’ll show you later. He got stuck between the sill and an iron bar so had to abandon that attempt. He tried again later on even though he’d been moved to another room which was more difficult to escape from. You can see his room inside but it’s been altered a bit.’
‘Presumably that escape attempt failed as well?’ Jules said.
‘He was betrayed at the very last minute by two sentries. When he first came to the island it was meant to be a refuge, but it ended up turning into a prison, although he had a bowling green and a fair amount of freedom to begin with.’
‘How long was he here for?’
‘Fourteen months. You must go into the museum,’ Tasha said. ‘There’s loads more about it in there.’
‘I’m impressed,’ Jules said.
‘Granny says that history is important and if you don’t know where you’ve come from, how can you work out where you want to go,’ she replied, ‘or something like that.’
‘I can’t argue with that,’ Jules said, exchanging a glance with Lance.
‘Wise woman,’ he said, lying back on the rug and closing his eyes. ‘You’ll never win an argument with Rita or Tash so don’t even try.’
Erin put her EarPods back in and Tasha began writing in a little notebook she had fished out of her pocket. Jules felt herself starting to relax. After a few minutes she plucked her book out of the basket, turned on to her front and began to read.
Later they dropped Tasha off at the farm and Lance drove the car around to the cottage.
‘Thank you for a lovely day,’ she said as he got out to open the door for her. ‘I’ve really enjoyed it.’
‘You sound surprised.’
‘I am. Sorry, that sounds so ungracious. It’s not the company. I mean, it’s not your company.’
She was beginning to feel flustered.
‘It’s any company. I’m not good with strangers, not that you’re a stranger…’
She glanced at Erin sitting on the back seat listening to her music. The hole she was digging felt as if it was getting deeper with every word.
‘Jules, stop!’
She looked up at him, startled.
‘You don’t have to explain. When Sarah died, I didn’t want to go anywhere or see anyone. I understand.’
‘Except Gavin hasn’t died. At least I don’t think he has. I’m so, so sorry. Compared to what you’ve been through, my problems are insignificant.’
‘You’re still grieving, though, for someone you’ve lost.’
‘That’s true and I’m actually a bit angry too, which I suppose is a good sign.’ Her eyes flashed up at him. ‘People can be so disappointing, can’t they?’
‘It’s easy to think that, but there are good people, too.’
He’s a good person, she thought. That’s what she needed, to spend more time around good people.
