Love (17 page)

“T
hat picture in the window,” Karen interrupted his reading. “The little water colour of the Cove. Could I see it, please?”

The old man looked surprised,
“Yes, I suppose so.” He shuffled over and fetched the picture for her, wiping some of the cobwebs off on his sleeve before handing it over. “That’s a nice one, that is.”

Karen turned the picture over. Good, a wooden backing and a small price sticker:
forty pounds. She turned it back over. It was signed and dated 1905. It was surprisingly good, she thought. The colours were clear and it looked as though it had been painted with love.

“
I’ll take it,” she said.

She watched with some impatience as the old man then laboriously wrapped it up in three sheets of his newspaper. She could have wept when he took out a ball of string and proceeded to tie it up carefully and make a string handle to carry it with. He looked pleased and surprised with the
two twenty pound notes Karen handed him. She suspected she could have bargained him down though it was well worth the money.

The old man wished her a good day as he held open the door for her on her way out. What a difference, thought Karen. She found Adam in the fudge shop. He was choosing a box of mixed fudge to take to Mrs
Maybury. She was, according to Adam, inordinately partial to fudge.

Adam handed Karen a paper bag with some sweets in,
“Here. Pick out some more penny sweets for the drive this afternoon.”

Karen went over to the rows of jars and boxes. It was a child
’s fantasy come true. Every possible thing that could be made into a jelly was there in rainbow colour; there were chocolates and coconut ices, boiled sweets in every shape and flavour, liquorice and toffees. Karen soon filled the bag. She felt quite reckless as she added a few jawbreakers before handing the bag back to Adam.

When they were sitting in the car, Karen handed him the package containing the painting. She had meant to save it until they got home, but she couldn’t wait.

“
Here you are,” she said. “If you can undo the knots, it’s all yours.”

Adam whipped out a
Swiss army knife from the glove compartment and winked at Karen. “I used to be a boy scout,” he joked. Then he saw Karen’s face. “Just kidding,” he reassured her. “I promise. Scout’s honour. I was never really a boy scout.”

He cut the string and had the package open in seconds. He held the picture up to the light.
“Wow!” said Adam. “This is brilliant. Second only to a Karen Packer original. Thank you.” He picked up Karen’s hand, uncurled her fingers and kissed her palm.

He carefully re-wrapped the picture and put it on the back seat.
“Now for the second half of your mystery tour. We’d better get going. The days are still quite short.”

Karen did not recognise the route they took. She knew they were heading up country, along the coast, towards the area criss-crossed by numerous creeks and rivers. It was not an area she knew well. It was some time before Adam turned off the main road onto a narrow dirt road, which wound between the high Cornish hedges.

“
Nearly there,” said Adam. “These roads can be a real nightmare in the summer when there is lots of traffic. There’s only really room for one car to pass in most places so you’re always looking for somewhere to pull off the road.”

They turned off the road through a pair of ornate gate posts which were topped with large menacing figures of birds of prey.

“I hope they’re not symbolic of what’s ahead,” said Karen grimacing. “They are rather ominous. Not the most welcoming of creatures.”

“
Actually, they’re not that bad. I think they’re rather sweet. Thank goodness, not a breath of wind. And the sun is shining for once. This area is known for its mild micro-climate. I’m glad the weather has held,” said Adam as they pulled up in front of what appeared to be an immense walled garden.

There was a small cottage to one side.
“This is it,” said Adam. “You said you wanted to go for a walk the other day. This is the ideal place for OAPs and recovering invalids. It’s a sub-tropical garden built in a completely sheltered valley. It’s almost too hot to enjoy in the summer but on a mild day like this it should be perfect. The sunshine will do you some good too.”

Adam went into the cottage to buy their tickets and a guide to the gardens. They stepped through the gate in the wall and entered another world. The foliage was verdant, even though it was still winter in the rest of the country. They followed the path down through the avenue of lush tree ferns. On the one side the path followed the course of a stream as it tumbled down the rocks to the secluded lagoon. On the other side there were spiky tropical plants and flower beds. At the bottom of the valley, by the water, Adam found them a bench hidden in a willow arbour.

There wasn’t a soul around. It was as though they had stepped into the Garden of Eden.

“
How appropriate that you’re called Adam,” said Karen. “My name should be Eve. Mind you they got booted out of paradise, so perhaps it’s just as well that I’m plain old Karen.”

“
Come and sit down. Plain old Karen, indeed,” said Adam pulling her down onto the bench next to him. “Tropical places have this very strange effect on me. I forgot to tell you. I always go to pieces in the tropics.”

Karen sat back on the bench and lifted her face to the sun. She felt as though she and Adam were on a desert island, all alone.

Adam fished in his pocket and brought out a small paper bag. He opened it up carefully. Inside was a rainbow coloured jelly ring. He took Karen’s left hand in his and slipped the sweet onto her ring finger. He knelt down in front of her and said, “Will you marry me, please, Karen?”

Karen laughed and said,
“Certainly, I will.” She then popped the jelly ring in her mouth and chewed it. “Yum,” she said, “I must get engaged more often.”

“
I see you’re going to be a very expensive sort of fiancée, If you keep on eating the rings.”

Karen did not know
if Adam was being serious. As he took her in his arms she guessed that he wasn’t joking. He plundered her mouth with his. His firm and sensuous lips covered her lips and his tongue slipped into her mouth. She could feel his body trembling beneath her fingers.

“
You taste of engagement ring,” Adam whispered into her ear. “I think we should honeymoon somewhere in the tropics, don’t you? This is making me crazy.”

“
Me too,” sighed Karen.

“
Come on,” said Adam, standing up and holding out a hand for Karen. “Let’s see the rest of the garden before we get kicked out for indecent behaviour.”

They strolled around the rest of the garden. Adam kept his arm firmly around Karen
’s shoulders. It was as if he couldn’t bear to be parted from her. She was pleased that they had come. It was good to walk in the fresh air again. She felt revived and ready to get back to work again.

“Th
is is really clearing my head,” said Karen. “I was turning into a vegetable. I couldn’t imagine feeling fit enough to want to paint. I am so glad you brought me here. It’s a really special place, I will never forget it.”

“
I would have taken you on the cliff path, which is one of my favourite walks but it’s a bit too wild. This is so much milder and more sheltered. I didn’t want you getting sick again,” said Adam.

By the time they got back to the car the light was already beginning to fade. The sun was setting over the sea as they drove along the coast road back to Trelawney Cove. Adam put on a CD and the soft notes of a cello concerto filled the car “Do you mind if we stop at the shops on the way back?” asked Adam. “I could do with some things for dinner this evening and I don’t imagine you have very much left after the weekend either.”

“
I suppose it’s a necessary evil. I hate supermarkets. All those people pushing into you with trolleys, standing in some enormous queue and then having to carry home all those heavy bags.”

“D
ear me! You do make it sound grim. This one is very pleasant. No crowds. No queues. I just go round, pick out all this good stuff, throw it in the back of the car and drive home. Nothing could be simpler.”

Adam made certain that they got a parking place right next to the store exit.

“Shall we share a trolley? Or would you like your own?” he asked Karen.

“
I don’t have a lot to get,” said Karen. “So, I’ll share yours. As long as I get to push.”

“
Right. You’re on. You can be mother,” he laughed as Karen stuck out her tongue at him in response.

Adam did enjoy shopping. Karen was surprised as he chatted away to the lady behind the deli counter. She seemed an old friend and insisted he try samples of several new cheeses. She was amused as she watched him, he should be in
politics, she thought, he got on with everyone and he even smiled at babies! He picked out a free-range chicken for their dinner and loads of fresh fruit and vegetables. Karen, by contrast, bought some eggs, milk and bread. She wouldn’t need much as Adam had made it clear that she would be eating most of her main meals with him until she returned to London.

Adam had been right about the checkout as well, there was no queue. They simply piled the groceries into bags and paid. Karen wheeled the trolley out to the car and Adam loaded the bags into the back and they were off again. Karen was impressed by how pleasant Adam made even the most mundane of tasks. He was very even-tempered and didn
’t let little things get under his skin the way most men of her acquaintance did. He was one of the least uptight people that she had ever met.

Her father, by comparison, was a rather irascible man, easily irritated by other people
’s failings and though she loved him dearly, he was not the easiest of people to live or be with. He quite often had the whole family walking around on eggshells when he was in a bad mood. Adam’s easy good nature made for a more relaxing lifestyle. She could not help thinking that he would make a terrific father.

Then, she realised the direction her thoughts were taking. She must be losing her grip thinking about fathers! She would be picking out names for their
kids soon if she didn’t watch herself. No sooner had she thought it than a vision of a tiny Adam-baby sprang to mind. Then another of him as a little boy. No! She told herself. Stop! “Daydreaming?” said Adam, interrupting her thoughts. “You’re very quiet. Are you feeling ok?”

She could hardly admit that she had been thinking about having his children! She avoided the first part of his question,
“No, I’m feeling fine. It has been great to get out. You should run tours for the tourists in summer. You’re very good at it.”

Adam reached over and squeezed Karen
’s hand. “Nearly home,” he said. “Humphrey will be pleased to see us.”

They turned off the main road onto the Cove road. Karen thought how innocent it looked by daylight. Even driving along it now brought back memories of that hideous night. As they reached the top of their road Karen could see an unfamiliar car parked in Adam’s driveway. Adam saw it too.

“
Shit! That’s Morgan’s BMW.”

Adam had barely stopped the car when Morgan came flying out of the front door waving some papers.

“D
arling!” she shouted as he got out of the car. “It’s too wonderful! I’ve got you the most amazing American lecture tour. It’s so prestigious. You’ll sell a million.”

“
Whoa,” said Adam. “Let me catch my breath and take this shopping in. Then we’ll sit down and you can tell me all about it.”

“Th
ere’s hardly time for that. You leave on Friday. It’s all booked. Eight weeks, coast to coast. All the major universities and big bookstores.”

Karen felt bewildered by the sudden turn of events. All she could understand was that Adam was probably going away.

Adam, sensitive as always to her feelings, said, “Karen, come on in. Let’s get a drink. I’ll take the bags up and then we can all talk.” He turned to Morgan, “Is Humphrey still with you?”

“
Oh, him. No. Mrs Maybug-thingey took him away. She said something about a walk. God, that woman can talk!” said Morgan. “This is the schedule. I’m so excited about it. I can’t wait to show you. Can’t Karen do the groceries?”

At this point Karen said firmly,
“I must take my things and go home. Humphrey will need his dinner.” She turned to Adam, “Thank you for taking me out. I’ll see you. Good bye, Morgan. Nice meeting you again,” mentally adding ‘not’.

She gathered up her bag and turned to go but Adam wasn
’t going to let her get away that easily. He insisted on walking her back to the cottage, leaving a disgruntled Morgan to carry in some of the shopping herself.

When they were safely out of Morgan
’s earshot, he said, “I had no idea Morgan was coming. She’s an impulsive person at the best of times. I hadn’t expected her to organise this lecture tour so soon. It has been on the cards for quite a while, but it has been one of those things you think will never actually happen. The trouble is, I can hardly refuse to go at this stage.”