After their belated lunch, no one felt much like starting the renovations right away, so Mab offered to give the brothers a quick sight-seeing tour of her hometown.She hadn’t realised until this moment how proud she was of the bustling little place with its unusual and quirky shops and the constant murmur of the river in the background.Den accepted happily, although the others seemed less keen, being full of curry and very comfortable.Sophie looked down at her sky-scraper heels and trilled that annoying laugh again.Mab thought of the brick, and averted her gaze as Leo said sympathetically, ‘I know you’re not much of a one for walking, love.Why don’t you and me stay here and just chill?We’ve got a lot of catching up to do, and I can show you my plans for the shop?’
‘Oh, sweetie, that does sound lovely… but I guess I’ll manage, even in these shoes.I can always hold on to Stan if I wobble, can’t I?’
Stan blushed again and nodded.Leo glowered at him, and Mab could see Stan’s chances of finding a new home disappearing rapidly.
‘What a shame; Stan’s got to leave now, haven’t you?’she said, looking hard at her brother.‘He’s promised to go and see his friend with the van about moving my things tomorrow.’
Jess snorted.‘Well, let’s hope the friend is more reliable than he was last time, eh, Stan?George is still upset about the cinemadisaster.’
‘Right, yes, I’ll be off then,’ said Stan, edging towards the door, waving to everyone rather sadly.‘Maybe I’ll come back later tonight, to see what I can do to help over the weekend?Don’t forget to show them the secret passage to the Spinney, and the old toffee shop, and the statue of… you know, what’s his name, the king with hair like mine…’
Mab pushed him out of the door, with a hissed, ‘Next time, be more careful, Stanley.If you flirt with that minx, you’ll be out before you’re in!’He rolled his eyes and headed down the stairs.
In the end, everyone decided to take the tour of Clayton-on-the-Bream, with Sophie trailing along at the back hanging on to Leo’s arm.Every now and again he would stop and kiss her or give her a hug, treating her as gently as if she was one of the glass swans that used to sit on Mab’s windowsill at home.
The group made their way down the busy high street and turned left onto Mab’s favourite path; the one with the old-fashioned pointing-hand sign, and the faded words ‘River Walk’.Now they were walking under a deep canopy of trees, sunlight dappling the stony path.Mab could hear Sophie’s shrieks of dismay as she negotiated the bumps.What could Leo possibly see in her?This was such a beautiful, dreamy place.The brothers and Harry were all looking around and murmuring their delight but all Sophie could do was complain about the ruts.Mab glanced back and shuddered as she saw Leo bend to kiss Sophie again.His hand stroked the long, glossy hair and then carried on down until he was cupping one of her tiny buttocks.Mab turned away hurriedly.
When they got almost to the riverbank and saw the path winding away through the water meadows, Josh let out a whoop and ran ahead, jumping over the clumps of long grass and reeds.The others followed more slowly, drinking in the warmth that was beginning to make this May afternoon perfect.Den turned to Mab and grinned.
‘I can see why our kid chose this place to settle down in, pet.It’s magic.’
‘Yeah, totally blissful.I could really get to like it here,’ Alex agreed, blowing Mab a kiss.Mab smiled at their pleasure.This was more like it.At least most of the gang seemed to appreciate her town, and particularly this most tranquil part of it.For a moment, Mab had an alarming vision of herself walking along by the river with a pram – a retro one with fringes around the hood.She shivered and looked down to see that her hands had instinctively moved again to protect her softly rounded stomach.Giving herself a shake, Mab turned to speak to Harry, who was walking along with his hands buried deep in his pockets, chuckling at the sight of a family of ducklings that were keeping abreast with them on the river, jostling to keep up with their mother.
‘This is great, I haven’t seen this much wildlife since I used to take our Josh fishing,’ he said.‘Hey, is that a heron over there?’Harry turned to share his find with Leo, but Sophie was still grumbling.
‘Leo, how far did you say this walk was going to be?I didn’t know we were going on a route march,’ she said, stopping dead in her tracks with hands on hips.At this, Leo gave in.He scooped her up and carried her for a few paces, causing her to giggle with pleasure.Mab could see that this sound was going to prove tiresome very soon.Sophie appeared to have regained interest in her beloved now there was no alternative, and after another few yards, now trailing far behind the others, Leo shouted, ‘I’m away to take Sophie back to the flat now, guys, she’s really exhausted.See you later.Don’t rush, now!’
He picked her up, slung her over his shoulder and almost ran back up the path, to the accompaniment of her squeals.Den grinned.
‘You’d better take us the long way round, pet.We don’t want to get back too soon, do we?Sophie’ll probably need a bit of a lie down if she’s so tired.’Den and Josh guffawed and nudged each other, and an image of the brick once again popped into Mab’s mind.
The rest of the party meandered along the river, stopping every few minutes to admire the moorhens and coots.A pair of swans drifted over to them looking for bread but soon swam away in disgust when none appeared.Mab sniffed appreciatively – water weed and wild garlic, two of her favourite smells.Summer must be on the way at last.When they reached the bridge over the river that led to the castle grounds, everyone but Jess leaned over as far as they dared.
‘Can we play Pooh Sticks?’asked Josh.Jess handed him a twig that had broken off from one of the overhanging willow branches.
‘You can if you like, but I’ll be leaving you here, guys.I’m off to fetch George from school and I can take a short cut across the castle meadow.Come and say hello to my mum while you’re here, though?’
Nina was directing an elderly lady to the toilets when they found her.She looked shattered today, but she grinned when she saw the crowd with her daughter.‘Have you brought me some business, Jess?’she asked.‘It’s been really quiet today.Fridays are usually quite busy, but the cool breeze is putting most people off, I reckon.’
Mab, feeling unusually tired herself, sensed Nina’s exhaustion.It must be hard work both living with George and trying to work as many hours as possible.According to Jess, Nina had been worried about money ever since she’d been widowed three years ago.Jess’s dad had only been fifty-five when he died suddenly, and they’d had no life insurance and a huge mortgage.Mab itched to get hold of Nina and give her theQueer Eyetreatment or similar.A whirl round the sophisticated but trendy shops in Clayton-on-the-Bream’s nicest shopping street would be a start, and then a visit to Mab’s favourite hairdresser for a sharper look.Maybe short and sassy?And with elegant blonde highlights, of course.
Mab sighed.She hadn’t seen Jess’s mum look this cheerful for ages, and it seemed a shame to disappoint her.As she tried to think of a way to explain why these people weren’t prospective customers, Den broke in with, ‘Why aye, we’d all like to see this canny place, wouldn’t we, lads?Come on, I’ll treat youse all.’
Needing no further encouragement, Harry and the gang flocked after Nina as she climbed up into her booth.Jess gave Den a grateful smile as she escaped across the grasslands, and soon, the whole party were engrossed in Nina’s talk as, a wad of money having successfully changed hands, she ushered them around the ruins.
‘This is amazing, Nina.You should write a book about the old castle,’ said Harry, as he peered into the dungeons.‘You’d sell loads of copies in the town when the tourist season really starts.Hey; Leo can stock it in his shop!’
Nina looked hopeful.‘Well, actually, I have got quite a few notes ready for a book, but I haven’t had time, what with work and everything.’
‘Make time, then,’ said Mab.‘What about joining my writers’ group?You can be the first member.’
Nina flushed with pleasure, and Mab thought how pretty Jess’s mum was when she smiled.Even in her beige t-shirt with the castle logo teamed with uninspiring navy trousers, Nina managed to look better than most people did when they got dressed up.Harry seemed to be thinking the same thing, as he gave her a hand down the steep slope leading to the exit.He gave Nina the benefit of his dark blue stare and a heavy wink as she said goodbye to the group, kissing her hand with a flourish.Nina giggled like a teenager, tucking her hair behind her ears and giving them all a wave as they set off again.
Josh began to drag his heels.‘Are we ever going to get to this lake you were telling us about, Mab?’he grumbled, texting madly as he negotiated the humps and bumps in the path.
‘It’s just round this next corner.Look, you’ll see it in two minutes.’
They rounded the bend and the vast stretch of wetlands lay before them, with an island in the centre, surrounded by deep channels.The river meandered off into the distance as the lake took centre stage.It was fringed with reeds and bulrushes, and today was a deep azure, its surface ruffled with tiny ripples.Mab caught her breath.This was where she’d done some of her best writing.Her fingers itched to jot down some more notes and she rummaged in her bag, taking her eye off her party for a crucial moment.Glancing around in delight, Josh ran forward and peered into the water, which was clear, its shining surface ruffled by the breeze.
