Lucia sets off for northern parts two days later. She’s done all the necessary sensible jobs first: checked the van’s tyres and filled it up with diesel, packed an assortment of clothes because the weather is spring-like rather than summery today, restocked the fridge and freezer and left instructions that they should call her immediately if anything goes wrong.
Her final task, in the privacy of her bedroom, is to get out the compass. Checking it after Polly’s visit with her dad, she saw that the stormy setting had returned to the more neutral barometer reading of fair, and the compass was pointing in the general direction of Chandlebury, but now, her mind full of the coming encounter with her husband, not to mention the recent burning memory of Tommy’s kiss, the stormy warning is back. The direction is North, which is reassuring if she’s heading for Yorkshire, but worrying when she thinks what might lie ahead.
‘Mum, are you sure you’re ready to do all this driving so soon after the big trip?’ Isaac asks for what seems like the twentieth time as she comes downstairs.
‘I’ve been driving since I was eighteen and I’ve never had even the tiniest bump,’ Lu says, through gritted teeth. ‘I’ve got Nigel for company this time and my phone is fully charged. Just back off, will you?’
Lucia sees Isaac’s face fall and is filled with remorse. ‘Look, love, I know you’re fussing because you care about me but honestly, I’ll be fine. I need to do this. And I have to do it on my own, you see that, don’t you?’
‘I guess so.’
‘But if you get too tired, you could always ring and one of us could come to meet you on the train and take over,’ says Polly, hugging Lu and presenting her with a large container of sandwiches and other assorted snacks.
Tommy stands on the drive to wave Lu off. His offering is a large bar of chocolate and some barley sugar sweets.
‘Will you call me? Or at the very least text?’ he asks.
‘Yes, don’t worry. Are you staying here?’
‘No. When I was out earlier getting your journey treats I saw an ad in the post office window. There’s a bed-sit to rent over the village shop. Sandy’s an old mate of mine. I’m going to move in there for a little while. It’s crowded enough here at the best of times and I’ve got a feeling Isaac and Polly need their space.’
‘Oh. Okay.’ Lucia can’t decide if she’s relieved or disappointed that Tommy won’t be in the house when she gets back. At least he’s not dashing off to look at boats for sale. She pushes the thought away for now. This isn’t getting her anywhere. At this rate she’ll still be here at lunchtime.
Finally, Lu and Nigel make their escape, driving down the lane with the radio playing seventies hits and the windows open to let in the fresh morning breeze. It’s chilly as yet, but the weather forecast promises a warm spell later. Nigel, in his travelling cage, lifts his head and sniffs the air rapturously. He may be elderly, but he hasn’t lost his inbuilt pioneering spirit, Lucia thinks happily.
As she heads out towards the motorway, Lu makes a snap decision to make a detour. There are no deadlines to meet and she’s a free agent, after all. She turns left down the lane that leads to Meadowthorpe Manor. Peter’s been on her mind ever since they got back, and now she won’t be able to ask him round for dinner for a few days. She hopes fervently that his decision was the right one and he’s not regretting giving up the ownership of the Manor now he’s home.
Pulling up as close to the house as possible, Lu jumps out of the van and hurries round the back to the entrance she used last time. She knocks and then tries and ringing the ancient bell, but nobody arrives to answer. Just as the feeling of panic threatens to overwhelm her, a voice calls, ‘Is that you, Lucia?’
Lu swings round to see Peter striding towards her across the grass, clad in a very battered wax jacket, some new-looking cords and wellies. ‘There you are,’ she says, hugely relieved. ‘I thought you’d done a flit.’
‘I’m just about to, as it happens,’ he says, coming forward to kiss Lu on both cheeks. ‘I’ve booked a very last-minute rail trip around the cities of Europe. They had a cancellation so they were more than happy to take my money. Never done anything like this in my life but the Trust have swung into action much more quickly than I expected. They still need to be in the house to do their surveys and the groundwork for the takeover for a while, so I thought I’d give Mrs Jacques a break and have one myself.’
‘Good for you! It’s all going ahead then? I was worried I’d pushed you into the wrong choice.’
‘Not on your life, my dear. I’ve never felt so footloose and fancy free. Can’t wait to get away for a while and see a bit more of the world. I’ve even bought myself some natty new togs.’ He gestures to the trousers and opens his jacket to reveal a very smart sweater.
‘Is that cashmere?’ Lu asks, impressed, reaching out to touch the soft wool.
‘Yes, I decided it was so long since I purchased any clothes that I deserved the best for this trip.’
‘That’s wonderful. As soon as you’re home, give us a call and we’ll have a fabulous reunion dinner and a good catch up.’
‘I most certainly will. It’s been quite strange being without you all. I loved our time together.’
‘You’re one of our new-look family now. We’ve missed you too.’
‘Thank you. That’s a perfectly lovely thing to say. You’re a strong, brave woman, Lucia Lemon. Anyway, enough of that, you must all come for tea as soon as I’m settled in again after my holiday. Can you stay for a while now? I can’t offer scotch pancakes, but I make a mean pot of Earl Grey.’
‘I’d better not, I’m on my way north to have it out with Des, but I’ll definitely come as soon as you’re organised in your new rooms. You’ve got my email address, haven’t you? Will you send photos from your trip?’
‘If technology allows it, you can be assured I shall. Bon voyage, my dear, and good luck with the showdown. It’s very good at my age to have made such splendid new friends.’
‘Ditto.’ Lu says goodbye, somewhat alarmed at the frailty of Peter’s thin body but reassured by the warmth of his hug. ‘I’ll see you soon, I promise. Safe journeying.’
A heady sense of recklessness hits Lu as she finally reaches the sign for the motorway and settles into the slow lane behind a stream of lorries. She sings along to an old Rod Stewart song, ‘This Old Heart Of Mine’. Well, Rod, hers has definitely taken a battering lately but today’s trip is going to mark the start of a whole new chapter. A different Lu needs to emerge. Someone who won’t let anyone trample on her heart. Someone who can make new friends. And also, a woman who knows how to let one of the most precious ones go, but that thought can wait. She can’t bear even thinking about losing Tommy forever.
There’s no rush to overtake anything, which is lucky because the van isn’t keen on that sort of manoeuvre, but as soon as it’s practical Lu plans to leave this horrible noisy motorway and take the back roads. She’s got every map she could possibly need for this excursion into the unknown and there is nothing to say where she should be on any given day. Not only that, but the compass is on the seat by her side. If ever she’s going to need help with decision-making, Lucia reflects, this is the time.
As long as Lu can remember, she’s never had this kind of open-ended adventure, and until now has never felt the lack of it. Before she met Des, she was a creature of habit, stuck in her self-imposed rut of guilt and regret. Now, as she swings onto the slip road that’s going to take her away from most of the traffic on this bright morning, Lu’s spirits soar. She’s only briefly outlined the first part of her scheme to Isaac and Polly. It’s not far to Huddersfield. It’s high time she faced up to the fact that she and Des can only go forward if they’re brave enough to talk about what’s happened in their past. After that it’s anybody’s guess what’ll happen.
When the road she’s following turns into a winding lane, Lu stops to check her directions, opening Tommy’s map more fully. She sees various intriguing village names, and soon finds the one she’s looking for. Bob lives outside the city so she’s only a few miles from Des now. She gets out her phone, takes a deep breath and calls her husband.
‘Lu?’ Des is quick to answer and sounds alarmed.
‘Hello. No need to worry, there’s no crisis. It’s just that I wondered if you’d like to meet me for a picnic?’
‘A picnic?’ Des repeats the word with as much surprise as if she’s asked him to go bungee jumping.
‘Yes. I’m not far from you, and it’s nearly lunchtime.’
She waits as he takes this in. ‘You’re … in Huddersfield?’
‘Well, almost. I could meet you near Holmfirth. There’s a place marked on the map just above the town that looks like a good place for a walk.’
‘But Lu … why are you here? I’m not saying you shouldn’t be,’ he adds hastily. ‘I’m just a bit taken aback, that’s all.’
She sighs. ‘I decided that there was no point in trying to sort out our problems on the phone so I’d drive up here to try it face to face. So, are you coming to meet me or not?’
‘Give me directions and I’ll be with you in half an hour,’ he says.
Lu tells him the exact place she’s aiming for and heads further up into the moorland. With every mile she feels more alive, and Nigel seems to pick up on her mood. He sits up in his carrying basket and shakes his head until his ears flap. The birds are singing, the sun is shining now and there’s hardly a car on the road. The van chugs rather alarmingly as she reaches higher ground but she’s soon pulling into a deserted car park with picnic benches and lots of shade. Nigel is delighted to be outdoors, sniffing around ecstatically as she steers him towards the nearest bushes.
When Lu hears the rumble of Des’s Skoda, her stomach clenches and she almost wishes she hadn’t come. What if he’s still distant and unreachable? What if their marriage really is in injury time? What if …
‘Hello, love,’ Des says, as he parks next to the van and winds his window down.
The familiar endearment nearly finishes her off, but Lu is determined to stay strong until she’s said her piece. She smiles at him in as cool a way as she can manage.
‘It’s good to see you,’ he says, getting out of the car. ‘I’ve got to admit it was a surprise to hear from you, but the best sort. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking.’
‘Really?’ She raises her eyebrows, unsure how to take this return to civilised chatting.
‘Yes, really. We should talk. Make plans for the future, that kind of thing.’
Lu’s heart sinks. This sounds ominous. ‘Shall we go for a walk?’ she says, trying to keep the wobble out of her voice.
He nods, and Lu clips Nigel onto his lead and heads for the waymarked trail that winds upwards, puffing slightly as it gets steeper and steeper. Hill walking has never been her thing. Tommy’s Somerset walk was much gentler. Her mind shies away from this thought. Today is about her marriage. They walk in silence for a while, and Lu turns over various outcomes in her head. Does her husband want a divorce? Does he plan to live in Yorkshire for good? Maybe he’s met another woman and he wants them all to be friends together and be civilised about all this. By the time they reach a plateau of heather-covered moorland, she’s covered most of the options. Or so she thinks.