Cambridge Blue - Alison Bruce [9]
‘I don’t need the tourist route, Richard,’ she protested.
They marched shoulder to shoulder, their strides matching.
‘I do. I think it’s good to remember what a beautiful place we live in,’ he replied. ‘How lucky we are.’ Yet he passed Trinity without even a glance through the ancient gate, towards the perfect green of the quadrangle lawns beyond.
She knew they were both lucky to live there. She always looked. Even now, with Richard walking ever faster, she stole a glance at the small statue of King Henry, and the chair leg he held in the place of a sceptre. What sort of man brandished a chair leg? Hadn’t the university establishment realized that leaving it in place was mocking the monarch? ‘I don’t need the tourist bit today is what I meant. Where are we going exactly?’
‘By the river.’
Of course, he wanted to look at the water.
Neither of them spoke again until they reached the Anchor pub. Alice chose a table with a clear view of the mill pond, while Richard went to the bar and returned with two half pints of IPA.
Alice was looking at the river, and Richard settled into the opposite seat and watched it too. It snaked towards them through the flat of the water meadow, in the distance, a scattered herd of cows grazed, up to their hocks in rich spring grass.
‘Do cows get laminitis?’
Alice shook her head. ‘Never heard of that. It’s probably only an equine illness.’
‘Just as well.’
The water slipped through the sluice gates, calmer and more refined as it tiptoed up The Backs, probably so as not to disturb the scholars.
Alice was the first to look away from the river. ‘Remember when we were children? We all loved the water, but you most of all.’
Richard sipped his beer.
‘And if you cried, Mother would say, “Let him see some water,” and if we were indoors, she’d run the tap and you’d settle down straight away.’
He let her finish the anecdote, though she’d told it many times before. It gave him extra time to put off talking about the present. Those were his best childhood memories anyway; the later ones were rarely so fond.
His eyes flickered and made him refocus on the present. Alice was staring at him, not unkindly, just tolerantly, as if she’d been doing so for some time. Waiting for him to answer something. He tried to remember hearing a question. No, but he could guess what she was expecting, and he wanted to tell her anyway. Or at least, he thought he would feel better if he did.
‘Do you think Lorna’s too young for me?’ he began.
Alice smiled. ‘Well, the age gap’s the same as it’s always been. Are you suddenly thinking of marrying her or something?’
‘No. Should I?’
‘Haven’t a clue. Do you want to get married?’
Richard screwed up his face. ‘Sometimes I do, but I’m not sure enough. But then again, I don’t want to lose her.’
‘And you think you will?’
‘She wasn’t at home when I dropped by this morning.’
‘So?’
‘That means she didn’t go home last night. But she didn’t stay with me either.’
‘Perhaps she was up early. Don’t start making assumptions. You can’t expect to know every move a person makes, that would be unreasonable. You know that, don’t you?’
‘Uh-huh.’
‘Ask her where she was, then. But in a nice way.’
‘I did.’
‘And?’
‘She said she was in the shower, but . . .’
Alice leant across the table. ‘Richard, look at me. You can’t let yourself start to get possessive. You know that’s when it starts going wrong.’
Richard nodded dumbly. Finally, he whispered, ‘You’re her friend . . .’ His words trailed away, but Alice could guess the rest of the question.
‘OK,’ she replied, ‘I’ll have a chat with her, but I’m sure you’re worrying over nothing. You always feel she’s loyal to you, don’t you?’
‘Yes, but . . .’
Alice reached over and squeezed his hand. He seemed like a little boy again, but that gave her a feeling of relief rather than concern. ‘You’re feeling jealous again, aren’t you?’
He squeezed her hand in return. ‘I know it’s stupid, but yes, I am.’
FIVE
Lorna never