Page 124 of The Little Board Game Café

‘A trip? Where to?’

‘If I told you that, it wouldn’t be a surprise.’

From outside, she heard a car horn beep. Ludek looked at his watch. ‘That must be our taxi. Bit early. Come on.’

He grabbed the rucksack as they went out, but Emily took it off him, mindful of his injuries, and refused to hand it back. She was surprised at how heavy it was; what the hell had he got in there? She let him carry the bag with their meal deal.

They were heading for Halifax, Emily thought, as the taxi wove its way along the main road. But why?

‘Are we going to the Piece Hall?’

‘Nope.’

‘The Minster?’

‘Nope.’

The taxi pulled up outside Halifax station. Leeds or Manchester then, Emily thought as they made their way down onto the platform. Knowing Ludek, it had to be something games related. A new board games shop perhaps?

She looked up at the sign indicating the next train. ‘London? Are we going to London?’

Ludek shrugged, but when the Grand Central train pulled into the station, he said, ‘This is us. Coach C.’

‘Wow,’ he said as they sat down. ‘The table tops have board games on.’

‘I know. That’s what gave me the idea for my board game café. I went on a patisserie course in London and on the way back…’

‘Hang on. I thought I gave you the idea. When I brought the board games group to play at The Lancashire Hotpot instead of the pub.’

‘’Fraid not. It was definitely these tables. Although, come to think of it, if you hadn’t got me into board games in the first place, maybe I wouldn’t have come up with it.’

‘I’ll drink to that.’ Ludek reached down into his rucksack, stashed under his seat, and pulled out a bottle of champagne. ‘I brought this to wash down our Sainsbury’s sandwiches. What d’you reckon?’

It seemed rather decadent to be popping a champagne cork on a train when it was barely lunchtime. But by the time they reached Dewsbury, the bottle was empty.

‘Why are we going to London?’ Emily said.

‘You’ll have to wait and see. Like I said, it’s a surprise. Fancy playing a game?’

Emily looked down at the table top. ‘Draughts or snakes and ladders? Oh. But we don’t have any games pieces.’

‘That’s okay. I make it a rule never to travel without a board game in my bag.’

She might have known. He reached down into the rucksack again, and pulled out a box. No wonder that bag had been heavy. A bottle of champagne and a board game. Heaven only knew what else he had in there.

Ludek placed the box on the table.

Emily peered to see what it was. ‘Great. I love Dinner in Paris.’

‘Can you set it up?’

Odd. He always set up the games.

She opened the box – carefully, of course, knowing how he liked to keep his games in pristine condition – and took out the rules leaflet. Underneath were two sheets of printed paper. Without looking at what they were, she handed them to Ludek.

‘Not sure how these got in there,’ she said.

He handed them back. ‘You might want to read them.’