The Nightingale Girls - By Donna Douglas Page 0,128

Victoria Park was still full of families enjoying the fresh air. They stopped for a moment to watch the boats on the lake.

‘Do you row?’ Helen asked.

‘I haven’t for a long time. When we were first courting, me and Sal—’ He stopped himself short. ‘I’m sorry,’ he said, his face colouring.

‘You can talk about her, you know.’ Helen squeezed his arm. ‘You were engaged to be married. You’re bound to mention her name sometimes.’ She looked across the water, sparkling in the low evening sunlight. ‘I don’t think I’ve ever been in a rowing boat before,’ she mused.

‘What, never?’ Charlie stared at her. Helen shook her head.

‘My mother always said it was too dangerous.’

‘Not if you do it properly. I’ll take you one day. You’ll be safe with me.’

Helen smiled at him. I know I will, she thought. She gazed at his profile as he looked across the water. She hoped he wasn’t thinking about Sally.

‘In fact,’ Charlie said, ‘why don’t we do it now?’

‘What?’ Helen said, half laughing. ‘Are you serious? The park will be closing soon.’

‘Not for another half an hour or so. We’ve got plenty of time for a quick spin around the lake. What do you say?’

Helen looked down at her dress. ‘I’m not really dressed for rowing!’

‘Then you can just sit there and look beautiful while I do all the hard work. Unless you really don’t care to?’ He frowned, suddenly anxious. ‘I want you to enjoy tonight. And if you’d rather do something else . . .’

Helen looked from him to the boats and back again. Tonight was a time for new experiences, she decided. ‘Why not?’

‘That’s my girl!’ Charlie grinned.

Helen almost changed her mind once he’d purchased two tickets from the small booth and she was stepping into the rickety little boat. It swayed and rocked under her feet, nearly knocking her off balance.

‘Why won’t it keep still?’ she laughed.

‘Wouldn’t be much fun if it did!’ Charlie put out his hand to steady her. ‘Come on, if I can do it with one leg, you can do it with two!’

They were finally seated and set off, Charlie pulling strongly on the oars until they were gliding over the water. Fine golden hairs glistened on his strong forearms as they pulled the oars back and forth.

Helen took off her glove and let her fingers trail in the water, watching the dark shapes of the fish darting about beneath them. A few curious ducks paddled by to watch them, then swam off again.

‘Well? What do you think?’ Charlie asked her.

‘It’s lovely.’ Helen lifted her face to the low evening sun, dappling through the trees. ‘It’s all really lovely.’

She hadn’t known what to expect from her date, but this was far better than anything she could have imagined.

‘I don’t mind being on the water myself,’ Charlie said. ‘I don’t feel as awkward as I do when I’m walking around. No one’s looking at me out here.’

Helen regarded him sympathetically. ‘Are you still finding it hard to get used to?’ she asked.

‘I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to it, to be honest. I have good days and bad days, like you do with anything else. It’s helped a lot, my uncle giving me a job at his joinery firm. I’ve always been good with my hands, and this is my chance to learn a proper skill. Makes me feel a bit less useless when I’m not earning my own living.’ He smiled at her. ‘Hark at me, going on!’

‘I like listening to you.’

He shook his head. ‘But you don’t want to hear me moaning. I’m trying to impress you, remember?’

‘It would impress me more if we didn’t keep going round in circles,’ Helen teased.

‘Oh, really?’ Charlie’s brows rose questioningly. ‘If Madam is not happy with the service, perhaps she’d like to have a go herself?’

Helen saw the glint of challenge in his eyes. ‘Perhaps she would,’ she said, reaching for the oars.

It took a bit of practice, much laughter and rocking of the boat before she got the hang of it. Charlie’s hands covered hers as he showed her how to pull back and forth with the oars.

‘It’s hard work on the arms,’ he warned her.

‘Not when you’re used to hauling people in and out of baths!’ Helen replied.

She would have liked to stay in the boat forever, with Charlie, the world drifting past, feeling the sun on her face and hearing the pleasant sound of laughter and birdsong. But all too soon the boat