After being forced to stay overnight in her remote cottage, David accompanies Elaine to the music festival. Their day out is a turning point for them both.

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Disclaimer: The original characters and plot of this story are the property of the author. No infringement of pre-existing copyright is intended. This story is copyright (c) 2009 Penny Lane. All rights reserved.

2 - Saturday

David entered the kitchen to find it empty. He had washed, shaved and dressed without hearing any movement in the cottage, and he wondered whether he had got up before Elaine. However, as he appeared she called a cheery greeting from the utility room, where she was bent over an ironing board.

"Do take a seat!" she called, putting the iron on a surface and switching it off. "How did you sleep last night? Can I get you tea or coffee?" She bustled into the kitchen and began filling the kettle. "I heard you stir, so I decided to wait for you before I made breakfast, and then decided to do a spot of ironing while I was waiting."

"I slept very well, thank you. It's extremely quiet out here in the country, isn't it? Er, may I have some tea, please? Usually, I need strong coffee to get me going in the morning, but I don't believe that's necessary today."

"Tea it is. I'm afraid I can't offer you a full English breakfast, as I finished off the bacon on Wednesday, but you can have toast, eggs done several ways, muesli or porridge."

"Just toast today, thank you. Can I help lay the table?"

"By all means. Oh, and there are times of the year when it's distinctly noisy outside. Like when they're taking hay off the fields, or scraping the drains clear, or moving animals. Fortunately those days are few and far between."

They got down to the business of breakfast, and gave their food their undivided attention. After Elaine had poured them each a second mug of tea, David asked about the day's activities.

"I assume you have some kind of plan for today, as you've been before?"

"Oh yes. We can amble up this morning, and I'll give you a proper tour of Tulmouth, seeing as you missed it before. We can find lunch there, and then go and sample the festival. Will you mind eating out? I'm sorry, you've probably seen far too much restaurant food on your travels, haven't you?"

"That's okay, I'll manage. You must know decent places to eat in Tulmouth."

"I do, but of course with the festival in full swing everywhere's crowded. Fortunately a phone call or two can fix that, I know a few people."

Phone calls made, they dressed in their outdoor clothes and left the cottage. This time, David noticed, Elaine made sure that all the doors and windows were secure. The weather was much the same as it had been when he had arrived yesterday, frost on all surfaces, misty, little sun.

"My car or yours?" she asked.

"I think I shall insist on driving you," he said. "After all, you've put me up, the least I can do is to chauffeur you around today."

"Very well," she replied, "but remember what happened to that milk tanker. The roads round here are lethal in this kind of weather."

David bit off a retort that of course he would take care, he had driven here yesterday, hadn't he? And wasn't he a member of the Institute of Advanced Motorists? Then he realised that she was merely showing care for his welfare, and she was familiar with the road conditions round here while he wasn't, and he felt silly. He plipped the remote door locks and then held her door while she climbed in.

Turning out of the gate, he asked, "Which way? Do I go back to the main road?"

"No," she replied, "even in this weather it'll be choked with festival traffic." She glanced at him. "Of course, us locals know all the back roads. I'll take you a way that will keep us off the beaten track for most of the trip, and it will be shorter as well."

They drove past the site of yesterday's excitement, nothing visible now except a white patch on the road and some deep gouges in the bank where the vehicle had slid down. Even in the mist she could guide him with no difficulty exactly where she wanted to go, and they soon arrived on the outskirts of Tulmouth, joining the stream of traffic entering the small town.

When they were almost all the way in as far as he'd been on Thursday evening he began to wonder where they could park, as the town was obviously filling with festival goers. He needn't have been concerned, as she directed him up a side street and then along an access way behind some shops, making him park behind a modern commercial property.

"This is the back of the gallery where I bring a lot of my work," she explained. "I have an arrangement with Rebecca who owns the gallery, so I can park here whenever I come to Tulmouth and avoid hassle and crazy parking charges."

They got out and she rang a bell as he locked the car. The door was opened by a thin woman with dark red hair, whose face lit up when she saw Elaine.

"Elaine! You managed to get here, then? Where's your car? Oh! You have a friend..?"

They air-kissed, and Elaine explained. "Yes, Detective Chief Inspector Warfield came yesterday to ask questions about the person I bought the cottage from, and a truck got stuck in the drain and he couldn't leave. So I offered him a room for the night and brought him here to have a look at the festival."

David walked over and Rebecca held out her hand. "I'm Rebecca. Nice to meet you, er..."

"David. I'm not working today, so you might as well call me David." He shook her hand, and she ushered them into the back of the gallery before securing the door.

"It's colder than usual out," Rebecca said to Elaine, "I wasn't sure whether you would bother coming in this year, but obviously if you've got a guest then you have to make the effort."

"Yes, he'd expressed an interest when he came yesterday, and when he got stuck I realised that if he stayed overnight, and there was nowhere else he had to be this week-end, he might as well come and enjoy himself here. Will his car be all right back there?"

"Of course! If his hadn't been there, yours would have, so it evens out. What had you planned to do today, then? Do you want to have a look at some of her paintings while you're here, David?"

"I've seen some, and they're very good. I'll look at whatever else you have here, though. I don't claim to be any kind of expert, so don't expect anything but unqualified admiration, though."

Elaine smiled. "He's the kind of art critic I like, I think. We were planning to have a walk around the town before lunch, although it's probably too cold to stand around much. After lunch, it's just going to be a lucky dip, I expect."

"Where are you eating lunch?" Rebecca asked. "The Lifeboat House? You usually do."

"Yes, I've a table booked for one o'clock. Why?"

Rebecca looked smug. "Because I phoned them earlier and found out that you had booked. If you don't mind, Julian and I will be joining you for lunch." Her expression changed, as she suddenly realised she might have presumed too much. "Oh! Unless you had other plans?"

"No, we'll be delighted with your company. We'll have to come back here just before, as there's a little shopping I must do this morning as we're going round, so we can all walk down there together. How's Julian these days?"

The talk went on as Rebecca showed them around the gallery. Julian, Rebecca's partner, waved from the till but he was busy so they left him alone. David spotted some of Elaine's canvasses and was overwhelmed by the prices set on them. She obviously had a serious talent.

Eventually Elaine decided that they had spent enough time keeping Rebecca from her customers and they left the gallery by the front door. Without thinking, David held out his arm and a startled Elaine promptly put hers through the gap. Thus linked together, the two walked slowly down the crowded, narrow street towards the quayside. David managed 100 yards before he stopped, suddenly aware of what he'd done.

"I'm so sorry! That was a bit presumptuous of me, wasn't it? I've been so used to doing it with my wife, it was automatic." He attempted to shake her arm free.

"It's not a problem, David," she said quietly. "I took it in the spirit it was meant. It's hardly as presumptuous as me offering to put you up overnight, is it?" She smiled at him and pulled his arm to her body. "Besides, it's much warmer if we walk together like this. Come on."

They resumed walking, David now very conscious of her body touching his in several places. It was true, he had acted automatically, but he realised that it was just his natural instinct to look after her. She was a woman, and even if she lived an independent existence he would still behave that way, it was the way he had been brought up. He resolved to be more careful in the future. Elaine had taken his attentions with good grace, another woman might have been offended - or worse. At this point in his career, a sexual harassment charge was something he could live without.

The buildings ended, and suddenly they were standing on the stone quay. The harbour was fairly wide, and to his right a mole jutted out from each side a short way into the sea. The tide was currently out, exposing a wide expanse of evil-smelling mud dotted with numerous sailing craft of all sizes. To his left, a number of small fishing boats lay piled against the quay. Over the other side of the harbour could be seen a number of rusting sheds linked together.

"This used to be quite an active fishing port in bygone times," Elaine explained. "There was a big herring fleet, and sea-going barges came through as well, taking produce to market. This was quite a prosperous little place."

"What happened? Progress?"

"Sort of. The river silted up, which meant that the fishing boats couldn't get in and out. There's only a few left, the very small ones you can see. The grain and veg barges could get inland quite a way up the bigger drains, they lasted longer because they were shallow-draft. That all ended when the railways came."

"It's a pity. All that's left is smelly mud and rusting sheds."

"Those rusting sheds are where we are going this afternoon. That's where a lot of the music acts will be taking place."

"You're kidding."

"Don't judge by appearances. You'll see when we get there."

"What are we going to do now, then?"

"Well, first thing to do is get out of this freezing draught. I suggest we go this way, that'll take us into some of the narrow streets and we can just amuse ourselves watching the tourists. I'll show you a couple of places that might interest you as well. It's probably time we had a coffee, don't you think? There might not be much wind, but it's still very cold out here."

They returned back to the gallery just before lunch, each holding a plastic shopping bag in their free hands. Rebecca led them through and out the back, where the bags were secured in the boot of David's car. Once back in the warm, they waited a few minutes before Rebecca put up the 'Closed' sign and she and Julian joined them in their winter gear. The two couples walked back towards the harbour before turning down a side street and coming out at the seaward end of the quay. The corner building was the restaurant, and they gratefully entered to get out of the cold.

The maá®tre d' recognised the locals and showed them to a table set by one of the large front windows overlooking the harbour. They were relieved of their coats and seated themselves, Rebecca and Julian on one side of the table and Elaine and David on the other. A waiter brought the menus, they discussed what was good and what was not, and made their choices. Naturally, in such a location there was a preponderance of seafood, and both Elaine and David chose freshly-caught fish, but one of the lighter lunch options.

Their first courses came, and they began eating. While they waited for the main course, Rebecca said, "Did Elaine say that you'd come down here to investigate a crime? Is there anything you can tell us?"

"Yes, although it's an old case, a murder thirty years ago." Rebecca's eyes grew round as she listened to David recount his tale.

"East Midlands?" she interrupted him. "Isn't that near where you're from?" she asked Elaine.

David turned to Elaine, surprised since he had assumed all along that she was a born local.

"It's true," she confirmed. "But not from there, I'd never heard of that village. My family's from Mansfield."

"Oh," Rebecca said, "my geography's not that great, never mind. Carry on, David. What happened?"

He went through the details, but didn't say much more than he'd told Elaine previously. With her assent, he did tell them of the Irish connection and how the trail had finally run cold.

"Oh, that's a shame," remarked Julian. "I bet you hate it when you can't get a result in a case."

David shrugged. "It's life. Sometimes real life doesn't turn out as nice and neat as some of us would wish it to. It took me a good while in the force before I realised that there were situations where I had to make a compromise."

Lunch finished, the two couples left the restaurant and separated, Rebecca and Julian to return to the gallery while Elaine and David walked into the town along the quay.

"Are those two a couple?" he asked, as they walked along arm in arm. "I couldn't quite figure them out."

Elaine gave a half-laugh. "No, I don't think those two would make a very good couple," she said. "It's a business relationship only, although I can see why you'd think there was more to it. Julian's gay."

"Really? I would never have guessed."

"They're not all like those you see on the television. Some of them just want to get on and live quietly like the rest of us do. His partner works in one of the local bank branches here."

Several of the local pubs were hosting festival acts, and there was a brass band playing in the furniture section of the town's independent department store. They took their time sampling the attractions, and eventually came to the bridge over the river that divided the town.

"Technically, everything the other side of the river is St Mark sub Tull, but everyone just calls it all Tulmouth now," Elaine explained as they walked over the bridge, attempting to keep out the keen wind now blowing from the sea. "This side was the fishing side, where we came from is where the rich merchants lived. Now, that big building there is the old Corn Exchange, that's where we would have been going if we'd managed to book the Gilbert and Sullivan concert. We want to go down this way to the Fish Market."

The route she took him brought them to the other side of what had previously appeared to be dilapidated sheds, but which David could now see were nothing of the sort. From this side he could make out a building originally constructed of Victorian cast iron framework, but now augmented by stainless steel and modern glass. The wide space between the buildings had been turned into a cobbled plaza, and it was apparent that during warm weather there would be pavement cafes and restaurants. She led him towards the largest of the buildings, and they gratefully moved inside into the warmth.

"If this is like this," David asked, indicating the restored interior of the building, "why is the outside on the harbour side so decrepit?"

Elaine rolled her eyes. "It's all Listed Buildings," she said. "They've been arguing at least eight years what to do with the outside. Meanwhile it rusts away. Fortunately, inside the old skin there's a very modern thermally-efficient second layer, so no-one inside suffers."

"Made of bales of hay, do you think?" he asked.

She smiled at him. "I think they've moved on since then. I don't pretend to understand the technology myself. What do you fancy, folk, barber-shop, traditional jazz?"

They moved from room to room at random, staying if something took their fancy, and moving on when the current act became less than tuneful. During one of these room changes they stopped at a booth for afternoon coffee.

"You're certainly enjoying yourself, David. Do you have any musical abilities? Can't manage a note myself."

"I can play the piano. When forced to. No, joking aside I can play reasonably well, and I can read music while I do so. Ruby inherited a piano from one of her grandparents, so I've had the chance to keep in practice at home." He paused, thoughtfully. "Actually, I haven't touched it since she died." He looked at Elaine. "Thank you, my dear, for reminding me. I must remember to have a go when I get back home. It might be something I can take more interest in when I retire."

David moved his cup and saucer away from the edge of the table and began mock-playing an invisible keyboard. After a few seconds he looked up. "At school, I learned to play the saxophone in the school brass band, but I gave that up when revising for exams took over. Do you play anything?"

"No," she replied, "we didn't have much of a musical bias where I went to school. It was academic plus sports. I did... netball and hockey when I wasn't doing English Lit or History, although I wasn't good at any of them. Sports, I mean. My brother had a guitar he used to play incessantly. Thought he was Eric Clapton or Mark Knopfler, I don't know. Was in a band like a lot of boys his age."

"Wish I'd had the time! Probably was a good thing, though. If I'd ended up in a band, I'd never have got the exam grades I did, and that would have meant I never went into the police. Wonder what would have happened if I'd gone musical instead."

"You might have been playing here instead of watching. What do you think of the acts we've seen so far? Is it what you expected?"

David nodded. "Yes, it is. I've thoroughly enjoyed myself so far, although I think part of that is due to the excellent company. I must thank you for talking me into doing it."

Elaine smiled. "It was the least I could do. You looked thoroughly fed up when you discovered you were stuck, and the opportunity to come presented itself, so here we are. I'm glad it worked out well."

"And what of yourself? I hope I'm not upsetting your usual routine too much by dragging you round."

Elaine paused. In truth, she had been enjoying herself immensely, although it was only David's question that made her aware of the fact. This trip to Tulmouth with him had been like moving along a well-greased slot, a level of familiarity with a companion she had not experienced for some years. Although she'd known him for little more than a day, they dovetailed together like they had known each other for ages.

He treated her, automatically, the same way he had treated his wife, that is with tact, politeness, consideration, care, warmth. Although she might otherwise have objected to someone behaving that way towards her she discovered that she minded not at all to the same treatment from him. In fact, part of her enjoyed being looked after by an attentive man. To be honest with herself, she was enjoying being looked after by him.

"This is an unusual experience for me," she said quietly, "but it's an experience I wouldn't have missed for the world." She moved her hand over towards his and clasped it. "Thank you for escorting me around today."

He returned the clasp. "It's been my pleasure and a privilege," he said. "Since Ruby died I've become too wrapped up in my work to think about relaxation. Being stuck out here has made me realise just how much of life I've been missing. I needed this break, short though it will be, and I thank you for that. Oh, the music festival has been part of it, true, but I've enjoyed just being here with you."

Elaine dropped her eyes, and a faint flush began in her cheeks. Is he saying what I think he's saying? Perhaps my intuition did know something. Let's see what the evening brings. She raised her gaze to meet his.

"Thank you," she said simply. "Shall we go and find something else to listen to?"

They moved on, barber-shop followed folk, which in turn followed trad jazz. By that time they needed another break, which worked out just right as it was about time for an early dinner. Elaine had previously booked, so they bundled themselves up warmly and made the trek back across the bridge into the other half of Tulmouth. The tide was now in, filling the harbour to the brim, and the breeze had picked up enough to blow the mist and low cloud away. It was going to be a cold night.

The restaurant was an Italian one, up a side street, and the proprietor and Elaine were old friends. He led them through the packed restaurant to a reserved table and took away their coats while they inspected the menu. After much discussion they placed their orders.

"Would you like anything to drink, Sir, Madam?"

"Unfortunately, no, thank you," replied David. "I'm driving, and the way the temperature's going down the roads will be dangerous enough without any complications. How about you, Elaine? I don't want to stop you if you want to have something with your meal."

"It seems rude, drinking on one's own. I know, Paolo, do you still have any of those little bottles of red left, you know the ones I mean?"

Paolo beamed. "Of course. An excellent idea. I'll order one brought out. Enjoy your meal."

The waiter brought the tiny bottle of wine and a carafe of water. Elaine poured two-thirds of the wine into her own glass and held the bottle over David's glass. She raised an eyebrow at him.

"Oh, go on then. There's hardly enough left in there to do me any damage."

She emptied the bottle and they touched glasses in a toast before attacking their entrées.

As they reached the end of their main courses she asked, "What would you like to do afterwards? Have you had enough for today? I don't want to tire you out."

David played with the remains of his half-chicken. Subconsciously, he didn't want the evening to end. The meal had given him a little fresh energy, so that despite the cold outside he felt that he could manage to go on some more.

"I'm game to stay out a little longer if you are," he replied. "Do you normally stay the evening?"

Elaine nodded. "If I'm with friends, that's what we usually do. If I'm on my own I tend to go home a little earlier. It depends on what's on and also the weather, of course."

"Very well, then. What's there for us to see this evening?"

They discussed options and decided to return to the Fish Market. David insisted on paying for the meal, and they wrapped themselves up warmly again before venturing out of the crowded restaurant. They hurried back across the bridge into the centre again, and found themselves a table in the Fish Hall, where an orchestra accompanied an ensemble singing tunes from musicals.

After an hour or so the orchestra transformed itself into a Big Band set-up, some of the members leaving and others joining, and the seating adjusted accordingly. The middle of the hall had been left empty, and as the band began to play one or two people got up from their tables and went into the open space to dance. Elaine and David watched them, and when the next tune began he turned to her and held out his hand.

"Shall we join them?"

Elaine gulped. There's nothing I would like more. "Yes, why not? I'm afraid I'm not that brilliant, I'll try and keep out from under your feet."

They joined the half-dozen other couples and began circulating to the gentle music, David carefully guiding her.

"I'm not that expert myself," he murmured. "But you're not doing too badly. I would guess we're about the same kind of standard."

Elaine couldn't answer, because her head was spinning. Is this what it's like? And why now, and why him?

"Elaine? Something wrong?"

She swallowed. "No, I'm just concentrating on moving my feet, and I'm trying to remember the last time a handsome man took me dancing."

"Handsome?" David chuckled. "It's been a while since anyone called me that. It's been a while since I've been dancing, as well. I'll say it again, I'm glad you talked me into this."

"I'm glad too," she said softly, and clasped him a little more closely.

The number ended, and they separated in order to join in the applause. A new number began, slower and more smoochy than before, and they set off once more. By this time David was aware of a change in Elaine, and he wondered whether they had done too much in the day.

"Are you all right?" he asked. "You're moving a little differently. Is the dancing too much for you?"

"The dancing, no," she replied faintly. "I'm sorry, I'm not concentrating."

All the same she held him closely, and was reluctant to release him when the number ended. The lights came up slightly, and they could see that the hall was beginning to fill. The band struck up a new tune, much quicker tempo, and they moved to the side to watch the younger element take over.

"Do you mind if we sit down for a bit? My legs are a bit wobbly."

"Oh, you should have said! Come on." David led the way back to their table.

"Would you mind getting me a drink, please? Not a coffee, I think I want something cold - a coke, perhaps."

"Of course I will. I'll be right back."

While David was away, she tried to calm herself down, to rationalise what had happened to her. She had been aware that it might happen one day, as it might happen to anyone. Something within her cried out for her to seize her chance before it slipped away, but something else told her to be very, very careful. She had barely known him for a day and a half, after all.

Unless they just parted amicably in the morning, her life would change forever, and in unpredictable ways. Would she be able to cope with that? For a split second, she considered getting up and running out of the hall, away from him and the inevitable complications he would cause. But then she realised that she respected him too much to do that to him. Besides which, they had come in his car, and she would have to go and knock up Rebecca to have somewhere to stay overnight.

No. Let the chips fall as they may. But she would have to be extremely careful.

"There you go." David set down a tumbler full of coke over ice in front of her, and a similar one for himself. "How do you feel now?"

"I'm fine, really I am." As David sat down she grasped the glass in one hand, the shock of the cold bringing her back to full awareness. She took a sip, letting the liquid run down her throat, cooling her gullet. "There's nothing wrong with me physically. A lot's happened today, and I'm trying to make sense of it all."

"Well, judging by that lot out there, we did well to keep out of the way, I think. My muscles are aching just watching them."

Some of the younger audience were jitterbugging and jiving, the men throwing their girlfriends into the air and between their legs. The rest of the dancers had drawn back to let the exhibitionists have the whole floor.

"Gosh, yes. That's far too energetic for the likes of me. Mind you, my younger sister could do things like that, but then she was only just over half my size. She's the dancer in my family."

"I never had that, fortunately, having just a brother. No daughters, either. Still boy's pursuits can be as expensive as girls, can't they? If it wasn't tennis rackets it was fishing gear. If it wasn't that it was bikes. Or model trains. Or football season tickets."

"I'd think the girls would still win. All those clothes! Make-up, hairdos, shoes, accessories. That's before you start on the ballet gear or hockey kit or pony tackle or things like that."

"True." David sighed. "I often wonder what life would have been like if I'd had a daughter or two. Not that I grudge having the sons, you understand."

After the music ended a young blonde girl in a very short dress came out and sang in front of the band. She managed three numbers to very appreciative applause before the lights dimmed again and the band went back into smooch mode.

"Manage some more?"

"Just try and stop me."

When they got to the floor she wrapped herself around him and snuggled her head firmly on his chest. He was initially startled but held her close and spent the rest of the number with a smile on his face. They separated for applause at the end and then started the next dance, but he held her away from him slightly so that he could talk to her.

"Elaine, are you trying to tell me something?"

"Is it something that you need to be told?"

"No," he replied, "no, it isn't."

David took her around the floor in a semi-daze. An entirely chance meeting, in a part of the country he would never normally have come to, and an answer to a question he had never thought to ask himself. The fates had engineered their meeting, and it already seemed that they understood one another thoroughly. What an amazing thing! He was surprised when he realised the strength of the feelings growing inside himself. Perhaps enough time had passed, perhaps it was time to start again.

At the end of the number it was David who had to sit down. They didn't talk much, just enjoyed each other's nearness, knowing that something between them had changed. Eventually, the hall filled and they decided that they had done enough. As they walked back over the bridge, arm in arm, they both realised that it was entirely different to when they had originally crossed.

They made their way back to the car, and David had to scrape the ice from the windscreen before getting in. The journey back was silent, apart from Elaine's directions, since both were trying to figure out how to handle their situation. He parked the car in front of the cottage and Elaine opened up while he retrieved the shopping from the boot.

In the kitchen, Elaine asked, "Would you like a drink before you retire? Or do you want to talk at all?"

"Ah, no, thank you. It's quite late enough as it is. I think we'll do better in the morning when we're fresh and rested, don't you think? Do you want a hand putting that away?" He gestured at the shopping.

"No, thank you, David. I'll have to put it somewhere cool anyway to defrost. It's all totally frozen from being in your boot all day."

"We do need to have a talk tomorrow," he said, looking at her meaningfully, "before I leave you."

"We certainly do." She lifted a shopping bag. "You might as well go to the bathroom while I'm sorting these out."

"Goodnight then, Elaine."

"Goodnight, and thank you for a very special day."

Despite the fact that she had just had a long and active day, Elaine couldn't immediately get to sleep when she finally made it to bed. Too many thoughts were pounding through her head. Perhaps she should have had a night-cap. Her mind dwelled on David, on the way he smiled, the way his eyes crinkled when he laughed, the soft but assured way he spoke, his firm but safe hand supporting her when they danced. She understood the signs all right, and she understood where they were leading her.

It was circumstance rather than deliberate policy that had kept them from kissing. She shuddered internally with expectation from imagining herself reaching her lips to meet his. It was perhaps just as well that they hadn't kissed, as it would make what had to happen tomorrow just that little bit more complicated, just that little harder to bear.

She knew that she had come to respect him so much that she could not bear to dissemble any further. Tomorrow she would have to tell him the truth.