‘If we like it here, there’s no reason we can’t come back to see it in the summer,’ Zoe replied.
‘Oh, I don’t know if it’s worth that. Unless you get your membership, but I doubt I’d bother with one, and I wouldn’t want to pay again when I’ve already seen everything once, so…’
‘There’s a lot to see, and they do events throughout the year, so they might be worth coming to.’
‘Once you’ve seen one old house, you’ve seen them all, haven’t you?’
Zoe pulled on the handbrake and turned to her. ‘If you don’t want to go in, we can find something else?—’
‘I do. Anyway, it was your idea to come. I’ve never been into poetry and whatnot, so none of this means anything to me.’
‘But surely…it’s not just random poetry, is it? It’s Wordsworth’s home! I mean, he’s almost as famous as Shakespeare – everyone has heard of him. I thought you might be interested, even if you’re not into poetry.’
‘I am. I’m just saying it wouldn’t be any skin off my nose if I didn’t come back.’
Zoe turned off the engine and got out her phone.
‘Is everything all right?’ her mum asked.
‘What…?’ Zoe looked up. ‘Yes, just pulling up our tickets. I thought it would save time to book them online before we came.’
‘Right. I wondered if your dad had messaged you or something. Or your Alex’s daughter had gone into labour.’
‘No, nothing like that. We’re all good. Shall we go?’
The sun was trying to break through the blanket of grey, a point of haloed brightness in an otherwise heavy sky. The path crunched beneath their feet as they approached a sprawling, putty-coloured house, the entrance hugged by trees, hills stretching into the distance beyond.
‘I thought it would be bigger,’ Cherie said. ‘Seeing as it belonged to someone so famous.’
‘Maybe he wasn’t all that rich. And I suppose he’s famous now, but perhaps he wasn’t so well known back then. You know, when he lived here.’
‘I’m sure he must have had some money. It’s not exactly a hovel.’
‘Well, yes…not exactly a hovel. But not as big as I expected either.’
‘A bit underwhelming, really.’
‘I think it’s nice. I wouldn’t say no to living here if someone offered it.’
‘And have people in anoraks traipsing through day and night making themselves free tea and coffee? No thanks. I’ll keep my house in Manchester.’
‘But,’ Zoe said with a faint smile, ‘if I owned it, then I don’t suppose I would have people traipsing through.’
‘What would you do with it then?’
‘I don’t know. I don’t actually think someone is going to gift it to me. It was just a throwaway comment.’
‘So what about this farmhouse your Alex owns?’
‘What about it?’
‘You’re going to move in there eventually?’
‘I don’t know. He’d like me to.’
‘But it would never beyourhouse.’
‘We haven’t discussed that. I mean, perhaps not, but then Kestrel Cottage isn’t mine either. I rent it from Victor and Corrine.’
