He saw her hand grab the doorframe and then a slow smile spread across her face.
‘You are something else, Henry Garnett, I tell you that much.’
‘A good something else?’ He laughed.
‘Better than good,’ was all she said before she left him alone in the kitchen.
31
The next morning, Clara was up and dressed and ready to face the day. Her moment with Henry the night before had given her a new energy that she hadn’t felt before, not even with Piles.
Pansy was soon up, as was Henry, and the three of them chatted with ease in the kitchen. The electricity between her and Henry was addictive, and at times, she stood a little too close just to feel the friction. She wanted him. It was simple and yet complicated, as she knew Henry wasn’t ready for the next move; him admitting he had feelings for her was huge in itself.
Part of her worried he would never be ready for them to be together but she had time, and she wasn’t about to rush anything – besides, she had to help Rachel.
‘I’m heading to Salisbury library today, and I thought you might want to come with me, Pansy. We can read some books and visit a very good toy shop they have there.’
Pansy pleaded with Henry to go, who rolled his eyes.
‘I really don’t think I have a say in it,’ he said to Clara. ‘I’ll put her seat in your car.’
They caught each other’s eyes and her stomach flipped.
‘Thank you.’
Pansy was dancing between them, discussing what toy she might like to get before Henry told her to go and find her shoes and put them on.
‘I haven’t had any long periods of time without her since Naomi died,’ he said. ‘The other day when you went to Rachel’s was the first time in three years we haven’t been together.
Clara felt herself frown. ‘What do you mean? You’ve never been apart?’
Henry sighed. ‘Never. At first she wanted to be with me all the time, which I understood, but then I guess I wanted her with me all the time also, so now we have this weird co-dependent thing and I know she needs to have other people. My parents have asked for two years to have her to stay but I couldn’t do it.’
Clara nodded, trying to understand, and she thought of her own mother.
Piles had said they were co-dependent but when there was no one else to depend on, it made sense to want to only be with each other.
‘I will look after her, Henry, I promise.’
He shrugged and put his hands up. ‘I know you will. And she knows also – that’s why she wants to go. She always says no to other people but she didn’t even miss a beat today.’
The privilege of Pansy and Henry’s trust wasn’t lost on her and she took Henry’s rough hand in hers.
‘Thank you,’ she said.
‘And thank you for not judging me. I know it’s not healthy but being here at the cottage, I don’t know, it’s kind of healing us both.’
Pansy exploded into the room with her shoes on the wrong feet, a sun hat on her head and pink feather boa.
‘Wow, that’s perfect for town,’ said Clara. ‘Exactly what I would have worn if I had a feather boa.’
Pansy looked smug as she walked out to the car and climbed into her seat.
Soon they were on their way to the village in Clara’s car.
‘We just have to stop in and see a friend of mine,’ said Clara.
She parked the car and walked up the path and knocked on the door that opened almost immediately.
‘Good morning, Tassie, I’m heading into—’
‘Yes, I know,’ said Tassie. ‘Let me get my handbag.’
The old woman shuffled to the hall table and picked up an old-fashioned bag. Clara smiled when she saw Tassie was wearing pink lipstick.
‘How did you know I was coming to see if you wanted to come to Salisbury?’ Clara asked, trying to see if Tassie had a hidden camera somewhere.
‘I had an itchy stomach all last night and woke this morning to a bumblebee in kitchen, so I knew something good was coming and I needed to be prepared.’
‘I like your lipstick,’ said Clara, meaning every word. The lipstick added much-needed colour to Tassie’s tiny face and she had little pearl earrings on that Clara was sure she hadn’t seen before.
‘I thought I should look nice for whoever came to the door, even if it was the reaper – at least I would go dressed and ready.’
Clara laughed as Tassie closed the door and handed her house keys to Clara to lock the door.
‘We have another passenger. Pansy is the daughter of the man who is helping me fix up the cottage.’
She opened the car door and helped Tassie get into the car then ran around to the driver’s side and put Tassie’s seatbelt on for her.
‘This is a fancy car,’ said Tassie to Pansy in the back.
‘It’s red,’ said Pansy. ‘Red cars go fastest.’
‘That’s wonderful to know,’ said Tassie, sounding sincere. Clara saw Pansy nodding as though she knew a great many things she was ready to share with Tassie.
‘Your man is the one with the little house on wheels?’ asked Tassie.
‘Yes,’ said Clara amazed. ‘How did you know? More and more I think you’re the witch of Merryknowe.’
Tassie giggled. ‘Don’t be ridiculous, there are at least three of us in the county.’
Clara wasn’t sure if she was serious or not but didn’t ask.
They drove along the roads towards Salisbury, and Tassie told Clara the history of the druids in the area.
‘They loved oak trees; would meet under them and do their druid business. You have a great oak
