‘Eleri worked in the kitchen with Siân, and I didn’t because I love living at home. My mam and I are very close.’
I smile through a pang of envy. She’s lucky.
‘She also does the best lamb cawl I’ve ever tasted,’ Harri chips in.
‘What’s lamb cawl?’ I ask.
‘It’s like a lamb and vegetable stew.’
‘It’s more of a soup,’ Bethan argues.
‘Whatever, Iloveit,’ Harri says dramatically.
Bethan grins at him. They’re a cute couple.
‘How long have you guys been seeing each other?’ I ask.
‘Too long!’ Evan says, at the same time that Bethan and Harri reply simultaneously, ‘Two months.’
Harri whacks Evan’s arm and Evan chuckles, turning to me. We smile at each other and then he drops his gaze and takes a swig of his beer.
No one looks at me like Ash did.
But I’m tired of being on my own. I’m sick of feeling desperately lonely. I want to fall in love. I want to get married and have a family of my own one day, bring children into the world who will never for a second doubt my love for them.
I used to wish with all my heart that Ash and I would find our way back to each other, that he might be my person, the person I would spend the rest of my life with. But I’ve spent a lot of time wondering if I built those three days into a bigger deal than they were. That connection feltsostrong … But I think it might be time to lower my expectations and start being a bit more realistic.
I look down to where Harri’s ankle is hooked around Bethan’s and feel another twinge of envy.
I’m attracted to Evan. I like flirting with him and we havegood banter. If he made a move on me, I’d welcome it. But could I fall in love with him? Is it worth the risk? What if it gets messy?
Argh, I’m overthinking again. I should probably call it a night.
‘Right, bed is calling,’ I say as I stand up. ‘Ready tomorrow morning by eight?’
‘Yep,’ Evan replies, getting to his feet. ‘I can knock for you or you can meet us in the walled garden. It’s where the volunteers congregate and where we kick off each day.’
‘Cool. I don’t know whether to go home through the front door or the back.’
‘We need a hatch in the wall,’ Bethan says. ‘Or a secret doorway hidden behind wallpaper like the ones in the house!’
It hits me, once again, that I’ve landed a job at a five-hundred-year-old historic home. I have a roof over my head in a gorgeous cottage, a steady, reasonable-sized salary, colleagues I like and who may even come to feel like family, and a job IknowI’m going to adore with all my heart. I’ve done it. I’m proud of myself.
That night, I go to bed feeling so happy I could cry.
CHAPTER TWELVE
I wake at dawn to the sound of birdsong and don’t even bother trying to doze back off. I could barely sleep last night with the excitement. There’s a chill in the air as I climb out of bed and go to the window, drawing back the curtains. A thin layer of mist hovers over the garden within the walls, and I can see it drifting in long swathes across the fields at the front of the house. It creeps into the woodland in the north and sits on the hills in the west like a blanket – a bit further on are the Berwyn Mountains. Further still is Snowdonia National Park. Evan said I can borrow the staff Range Rover on days off and explore. I have so much to look forward to this summer.
I’m ready to go long before eight, champing at the bit to get started.
Evan laughs when I exuberantly open the door to him. ‘All set?’ he asks with a smile.
‘All set,’ I confirm.
‘Good morning!’ Bethan calls as I walk down the garden path.
I turn around to see her exiting number two with Harri hot on her heels.
