Originally I was going to add a small epilogue after the this, but there are too many lose ends. So the good news is instead you're going to get a longer final chapter. The bad news is it may take a while, I'm in the middle of national novel writing month (participants attempt to write 50,000 words in 30 days), so I won't even be starting on the final chapter until the end of November, but I will finish it.
Thanks again to my editor North200 who has been over this chapter twice now!
*****
As they reached Ruth's tiny, battered Fiat Panda Richard hovered at the door and frowned.
"What?" Ruth asked.
"We could take my car."
"No, it will be better if I drive, I know where we're going. Get in and don't worry, the engine won't fall out on the way up the road. It just passed its MOT last month."
She cleared some clutter off the passenger seat and he climbed in.
"Can I give you some money towards petrol?"
"Let's just get there first, we'll talk about details later."
"Okay."
They pulled out of the gate and the car backfired as they drove up the hill. Richard looked at Ruth.
"Don't."
He threw hands in the air. "I didn't say anything!"
"You didn't have to."
*
They didn't speak much on the way. Richard was too busy worrying about what he was going to say to Ivy. Ruth was concentrating on getting them there as quickly as possible - she knew Ivy didn't like to make long journeys in the Dodge when it was dark, she might leave at any moment.
By the time they arrived the sun was low in the sky, bathing the site in late evening sunlight. As they wandered through litter strewn fields they passed Andy and Geoff sitting by a smouldering camp fire. They sat on a battered, brown sofa without any cushions, sharing a can of cider and smoking a joint. There was a dog, a lurcher of some sort curled up at Andy's feet, he lifted his head and stared at Ruth and Richard as they approached.
"Oi Oi Ruth, we thought you'd left."
"I did," she answered without slowing her pace, "I'm back."
"Who's this then?" Andy asked, looking Richard up and down. Both men stood up and walked towards them. They weren't obstructing the way exactly but Ruth stopped walking all the same so Richard did too. He suddenly felt faintly ridiculous, his grey three-piece suit; which although perfectly acceptable attire at a wedding in the Cotswold's stuck out like a sore thumb here.
"This is Richard, he needs to talk to Ivy. Is she still here?" she folded her arms across her chest, daring them to challenge her.
They both surveyed Richard and, narrowing their eyes, they looked him up and down.
"Does he now?" Geoff said finally.
"Look, I don't have time for your misplaced chivalry, is she still here?" Ruth asked again, not bothering to try and conceal her impatience.
"Yeah, she is," Andy replied slowly, still not removing his gaze from Richard.
"Thanks," Ruth said.
They carried on and Richard was starting to wonder if coming here had been such good idea. He was definitely out of his comfort zone. He hadn't really known what to expect but this was nothing like the cozy meal by the fire they'd shared last weekend. More like a scene out of a Mad Max film, except with more litter.
"Don't worry about Geoff, his bark's louder than his bite," Ruth said, seeming to read his mind, "We're all a bit protective of Ivy."
They looked at each other and when he looked up towards where they were heading he caught sight of Ivy's little, green van and his stomach lurched. This was it.
Ruth stopped walking. "I'll wait back at the fire pit," she said.
"Thank you Ruth." He knew she was mostly doing this out of concern for Ivy, but he was still grateful.
She smiled back at him. "Good luck."
He saw her as she emerged from behind the van, her movements were jerky as she packed her stuff into the Dodge. She was wearing a tiny pair of denim shorts, big boots and that camisole top, the leopard print one with pink lace trim. Her thick, dark hair was lose and it fell around her shoulders, giving her a wild, unkempt look and he forgot to be worried. Instead his stomach clenched as longing hit him. She was even more beautiful than he remembered.
She was pulling a container from under the truck and loading it into the back, frowning with concentration. For moment he was overcome with panic. She was getting ready to drive away from here and her life in Cartwright Hall, to sever any connection they had. He was determined to prevent that from happening. He wanted her and there was no way was he going to let her get away. She stopped and gazed into the distance and he wondered what she was thinking.
He couldn't close the distance between them quickly enough, so he managed to get quite close before she saw him. When she finally noticed him shock registered on her features and maybe a little bit of fear but quickly she locked it down and her face was a blank sheet again.
She squared her shoulders, lifted her chin. "What are you doing here? How did you..."
"Ruth told me you were leaving, so I came to find you."
"Did you?" But it wasn't really a question, or at least not one that needed answering.
"She said you weren't coming back," the words didn't do much to fill the empty space that seemed to yawn between them.
