Christmas at the Farmhouse - Rebecca Boxall Page 0,29

stuffed my bed with pillows before climbing out of the window and running all the way to Number 6 Hartley Street.

‘You’re out of breath!’ Robin said when he opened the door.

‘Ran all the way!’

‘Come in,’ he said and, as with the last time Mr Jenners had gone away, I noticed that Robin had got the house looking nice and clean. They had Mrs Gable working for them now, too, which helped.

‘Would you like some pop?’ he asked me and I followed him through to the kitchen where he poured us both a glass of Cola. ‘How about something to eat?’ But I shook my head. I took a sip of the drink, cold and refreshing after my run. Robin abandoned his glass and came up to me, taking my face in his hands.

‘You look beautiful.’

‘Red in the face!’

‘Red in the face and beautiful,’ he smiled. ‘Shall we…’ he started. ‘I mean, do you…?’

‘Shall we go upstairs?’ I said, helping him out.

Up in Robin’s bedroom, we began to undress, keeping the lamp on.

We explored each other, unrushed and uninhibited, though we were restrained despite our passion. We both knew the repercussions of going too far and it wasn’t as if we had any sort of safety measures. I’d never have been bold enough to ask my doctor for the new pill that was on offer, and I don’t think it had occurred to either of us for Robin to buy what were called ‘rubber johnnies’ back then.

Some time later, as I lay in Robin’s arms, we talked about the future.

‘What sort of doctor do you want to be?’ I asked him.

‘A country GP,’ he said. ‘Living far away from here, but somewhere rural. I’d like to have a dog, a black Labrador. I’d take him with me in my blue Morris Minor when I make my visits.’

‘You’ll be wonderful.’

‘What about you?’ he asked. ‘What are your plans for the future?’

I sighed. ‘I don’t know,’ I admitted. ‘Penny wants to be an air hostess, but I haven’t a clue. All I know is what I don’t want.’

‘Which is?’

‘To work at Downley’s; to live in Silverhurst; to stay much longer in the stifling company of my parents…’

‘You must have some idea of what you want to do,’ Robin said, pulling me to him even closer.

‘There’s only one thing I know I want for the future,’ I told him. ‘And that’s you.’

I could hear Robin’s breathing, feel his ribcage as it moved gently up and down. We were as close as it was humanly possible to be.

‘I want that too,’ he said, kissing the top of my head. ‘When I daydream at the library – when I’m meant to be studying – it’s not just the job as a country GP and the blue Morris Minor and the Labrador that I imagine. I think about driving back after a day’s work to a little house, a farm cottage maybe, and opening the front door and seeing you there, waiting for me, and feeling like I’ve come home.’

There was something about Robin’s words that brought a lump to my throat. They were so heartfelt. Most importantly, it was clear his daydreams matched my own.

‘Your father won’t be pleased,’ I said, thinking about the realities of the situation.

‘I know… we’ll have to keep us secret. Just until I’ve finished training. As soon as I no longer need his help financially, we can be together.’

I sighed. ‘It’ll feel like an age.’

‘Can you wait that long?’ Robin asked.

‘Course I can,’ I told him. ‘I’ll wait as long as it takes.’

Chapter Sixteen

Sunday 22nd December 2019

Jo – Family

‘What time will they be here?’ asked Magnus, looking up from the papers, which were spread around all the breakfast detritus. ‘Do they need picking up from the airport?’

‘They’re going to hire a car,’ I said, starting to clear everything away. One of my ‘visitor rules’ is that I like the house to look tidy and welcoming when guests arrive, even if it all gets messy after that – which it usually does now there are little children to take into account. ‘They’ll be here at twelve. Just in time for lunch.’

‘Smells delicious,’ said Magnus, abandoning his papers to help clear up.

I was cooking one of my roasts again, though I’d decided not to bother with pudding, given the amount of fattening food we’d all be eating over the next week.

I’d just checked on the first floor guest bedroom, which was all set up with the travel cot, when I heard a car