‘Is that something you’d like to do?’ Hope asked warily. ‘See more of me?’
He picked up an unused teaspoon and turned it over in his hands. ‘I think you know the answer to that, but I’m astute enough to accept that you might not want to, that your love and loyalty to Dieter would keep you from changing the status quo. Maybe for ever. Which I’m bound to say I think would be a great shame for you.’
‘You’re such a good and decent man, Edmund.’
He put the spoon down and drew his eyebrows together in a frown of obvious disapproval. ‘How exceedingly dull you make me sound.’
‘That wasn’t my intention. Not at all.’
‘Describe me in three words,’ he said, once their waitress had brought their tea and crumpets and left them alone, though not before bestowing upon Edmund a wide and admiring smile. It made Hope appreciate that her childhood friend had grown into an attractive man, something she hadn’t been aware of before. He was just Edmund, the boy with whom she had played when home at Island House for the school holidays.
But now she gave herself up to studying the intently serious expression across the table from her as Edmund waited for her response. How strange, she thought, that she had genuinely never really looked at him until this moment. Perhaps knowing him for so many years, she had taken him for granted in the same way she took her own appearance for granted. Which was ironic, for as an artist she prized what she viewed as her highly attuned ability to observe with an acute eye for detail. If she were to paint him, she thought with renewed perspective, she would endeavour to capture the gentleness of his face, the blue of his eyes, the length of his eyelashes, the fairness of his hair, the deceptive strength of his jaw and the smoothness of his pale skin.
‘You’re staring at me,’ Edmund said, pushing the plate of crumpets towards her. ‘Does that mean you’re struggling to think of something that makes me sound vaguely interesting? And for the love of God, please don’t describe me as dependable. I cannot think of anything that conjures up dullness in a person more than that one word.’
‘I’m thinking,’ she said, hurriedly changing tack – dependable had certainly been on the tip of her tongue. Maybe it showed how dull she was that she had thought of that particular adjective to describe Edmund. ‘Irritable might be one word I’d use,’ she said with a flash of humour and a smile.
He smiled too. ‘Go on. Your next word.’
‘Insightful.’
He nodded. ‘Explain why.’
‘You understand people. Me in particular. I respect that about you.’
He groaned. ‘Next you’ll say that you admire me.’
‘Certainly not!’
‘Thank God for that,’ he said with a laugh.
She spread some butter onto her crumpet. ‘Gifted,’ she said at length.
‘In what sense?’
‘As a doctor you have a gift for healing people, and since we met up again last year, you’ve helped in some measure to heal me.’
He stared at her. ‘Have I? Have I really?’
‘You know you have.’
Her answer seemed to hang between them for a very long time.
‘Those are your three words to describe me, then,’ he said at length, ‘irritable, insightful and gifted.’
‘No,’ she said, meeting his clear blue eyes, ‘I’ll take back irritable and replace it with the-person-with-whom-I’d-most-like-to-spend-more-time.’
He held her gaze. ‘I make that a lot more than one word. But I strongly approve.’
‘Good. Now it’s your turn to think of three words to describe me.’
‘That’s easy.’ He leant forward, rested his elbow on the table and placed his chin on the upturned palm of his hand. His eyes were clear and so very guileless, yet so intently searching. She felt he saw right into the depths of her soul, into the dark nooks and crannies where the worst of her lay hidden from view. ‘Brave,’ he said softly, ‘and beautiful.’ He raised a hand as she opened her mouth to dispute his description of her. ‘Don’t interrupt!’ he said. ‘And now I’m going to cheat the way you did. The words Brazil nut come to mind.’
‘Brazil nut?’ she repeated, puzzled. ‘What on earth do you mean?’
‘Difficult to crack, but worth it when one does. That’s me being incredibly insightful by the way, in case you missed it.’
She laughed. ‘It’s not everybody’s ideal description of oneself, but I accept it’s perfectly apt when applied to me.’
