he said softly. ‘I mean, when we were young we only had to think about ourselves, but now we have our parents to worry about. It’s a total role reversal and one I’m not very comfortable with, to be honest.’
‘You’re an only son, which is tough. Responsibility rests on your shoulders alone. At least I have Suze, although my sister’s not really very capable. She only thinks of herself.’
‘You’re going to end up looking after all the oldies,’ he told her with a mischievous smile. ‘My mother included.’
‘No, I’m not,’ she replied. ‘You’re going to look after your mother, Taran.’
‘I’ll always be there for her. It’ll just take me about nine hours to reach her.’
They remained in the pub until it closed. They had ordered more drinks and some food and chatted with the ease of old friends. The fact that they had grown up in the same village and been in the same class at school gave their growing friendship roots and the illusion of familiarity. Daisy forgot all about her conversation with Luca as she laughed with Taran. When the bill came, Taran insisted on paying.
By the time they left the pub, Daisy had lost count of the amount of drinks she had had. Taran had drunk a lot too and was a little unsteady on his feet. A pregnant moon hung low and heavy in the sky, drenching the landscape in a luminous silver light. Daisy didn’t think she’d ever seen it so big or the stars so bright. They were mesmerizing. ‘Let’s go for a walk,’ she suggested impulsively.
‘What? Now?’ Taran asked. ‘You do realize it’s night-time, don’t you?’
‘It’s beautiful. Come on, let’s walk around the fields. It’s too lovely to sleep through it.’ She tugged his sleeve. ‘It’ll be over in a few hours.’
‘I suppose I should sober up,’ he conceded. ‘I don’t want to wake Mum by crashing through the house.’
‘The fresh air will do us both good.’ And I want to show you just why your father loved it so much, she thought to herself a little drunkenly, setting off the way she went every morning with a purposeful stride.
They left the village and headed up the farm track towards the woods. Daisy’s heart expanded at the sight of the trees silhouetted against the deep indigo sky and the fields of wheat and oilseed rape, which lay silent and still beneath it. It was as if they were stepping into a parallel world. A more beautiful world. A serene and secret world, full of the gentle rustling of small animals and the eerie hooting of owls. ‘Have you ever seen it look lovelier?’ she asked in delight, inhaling the earthy smells that rose up from the ground and lingered in the cool night air.
‘I remember once, when I was a teenager, having a party and taking a girl for a walk just as the sun was beginning to peep over the horizon. It was lovely then too.’
‘Do you remember who she was?’
‘Haven’t a clue.’ Taran laughed, putting his hands in his trouser pockets. ‘But I remember where we kissed.’
‘And where was that?’
He looked at her and grinned roguishly. ‘Well, seeing as we’re up here, I’ll show you.’
‘I wonder whether she remembers you.’
‘I doubt it. I was a pretty uninspiring youth!’
‘I somehow doubt that.’
He laughed. ‘You’re just being nice, Daisy Fane.’
They wandered slowly around the edge of the wood for it was too dark to venture through the trees. After a while they came to a bench set back from the track and sat down. From there they had a magnificent view of undulating hills of farmland as far as the eye could see. It glowed magically in the watery light of the moon. ‘When Dad inherited the estate he put this bench here because of the view. It was his favourite place on the farm. He used to stop and sit here every time he passed it, just to savour the sight.’ Taran sighed deeply, pausing a moment as if seeing it differently now. ‘It’s beautiful, isn’t it?’ he added wistfully.
‘You’re so lucky, Taran,’ said Daisy with feeling. ‘All this is yours. All this beauty. You can walk for miles and miles and not meet a soul. It’s for you and you alone. And it’s here whenever you want it. Do you know how lucky you are?’
Taran leaned his elbows on his knees and rubbed his chin. ‘I’ve never thought of it like that. I suppose I’ve always taken it for granted.’
‘That’s natural.