He led her out of the café and toward a wide path that climbed slowly toward some trees. Frank’s steps were slow and careful, but Libby didn’t mind taking their time.
“So, how have your first few poster outings been?” Frank said. “I was out on the 88 on Thursday and saw a couple of them around Oxford Street.”
“They’ve gone okay,” Libby said. “It was a bit slow to start with, but I think I’ve got the hang of it now. The key is to use electrical tape; I think that stops them being pulled down so quickly.”
“And Dylan’s carried on helping you, I hear?”
“He has.”
Libby could sense Frank waiting for more, but she moved the conversation on by telling him about her spreadsheet and color-coded map. After about twenty minutes, they reached the brow of the hill, both of them out of breath from the climb. Libby started to move toward the first bench, but Frank steered her to one a little farther along.
“My favorite,” he said as they sat down. “Now, be still for a moment and take in this view.”
Libby looked up and drew a deep breath in delight. London stretched out in front of them, shimmering in the morning sunshine. She immediately spotted the Shard, the tallest building on the horizon, and she could see St. Paul’s Cathedral nestled beneath it. To its left was a cluster of skyscrapers thatmust be the City of London; Libby could make out the Gherkin and several others she recognized from the TV. And on the far-right-hand side, she could see the BT Tower, which she recognized from the 88 bus route.
“What an incredible view.”
“It’s like sitting on the rooftop of London, isn’t it?” Frank said. “Now here, I brought you a little something.”
He reached into his satchel and pulled out a thin parcel wrapped in brown paper. Libby opened it and let out a small gasp when she saw a sketch pad and a tin of pencils.
“For your sketching practice,” Frank said. “I know you’re not keen on drawing on the bus, but I thought you might like to practice landscapes instead.”
“I don’t know what to say, Frank. Thank you.”
“You don’t need to say anything; just get out a pencil and start sketching.”
“Here?” Libby said. “I can’t draw this view. I wouldn’t know where to start!”
“Pick a small detail to begin with,” Frank said. “How about the Shard?”
Libby hesitated, feeling self-conscious. But Frank was watching her, so she swallowed her embarrassment and opened the sketchbook.
“Do you walk up here a lot?” she said as she selected a pencil.
“I come up here several times a week, have done since I moved to the area. My best friend, William, and I used to swim in the Men’s Pond, but I gave that up a few years ago, when he passed away.”
Frank pointed behind them, and Libby turned around to see several small lakes at the bottom of the hill.
“These days, I like to sit up here and watch the city,” Frankcontinued. “You wouldn’t believe how much it’s changed since I started coming.”
Libby stared out at the Shard, trying to work out where to begin. “Have you always lived in London?”
“Born and bred. My parents ran a grocery shop in Shepherd’s Bush and we lived in the flat upstairs. I moved out in my second year of drama school and rented with some fellow students in Notting Hill. And then I bought my place here in the early seventies so I could be near Clara and her mum.”
“Does Clara still live nearby?”
“No, she went to university in Edinburgh and never came back.” He said it matter-of-factly, but Libby could hear a tinge of sadness in his voice.
“Do you have grandkids in Scotland?”
Frank shook his head. “Clara has always been married to her job. Although she seems happy enough with her life.” He turned to Libby. “What about you? I take it you’re not a Londoner?”
“No, I was born near Guildford, in Surrey. Apart from a brief period at university in Bristol, I’ve lived there my whole life.”
“And can I ask what brings you to London?”
Libby exhaled and put down her pencil. She might as well tell Frank the truth. “My boyfriend broke up with me. We’ve been together for eight years and I thought we were going to get married, but he got bored of me and now he’s seeing someone else.”
