time and imprisoned hundreds of years in the future. Marta would take care of her, of that I was certain.
Lost in a million thoughts, I found myself outside Barley Hall staring up at the building. I heard a familiar voice and turned to see Rose in the gift shop stacking new stock. Her face lit up with a beaming smile when she saw me.
“Hey, what are you doing here?” she chirped.
“Not sure,” I said, making my way into the hall. “I got insanely bored at the shop and went out for a coffee. Somehow I ended up here.”
“Well intentional or not, it’s nice to have some company.”
“Do you want some help?” I asked.
“Yeah, if you want. I’m only putting these souvenirs out and then I’m closing up. You can walk home with me if you’ve no other plans.”
“I doubt Simon and Duncan have even noticed I’ve gone.”
“Well how about I give them a ring and let them know where you are?” Rose suggested.
I was still annoyed with them for ignoring me over the laptop and was half tempted to tell Rose not to bother but instead I just nodded and let her make the call.
“You fancy a Chinese takeaway tonight?” Rose asked, putting the last book on the shelf.
“I’ve never had one, but I’m sure it will be nice,” I replied, grabbing the keys off a hook behind the till.
“You’ll love it. Come on, then. We’ll get it on the way home,” she said, leading the way out of the Hall.
I turned the key in the lock and slipped them into Rose’s hand.
“Ta,” she said, stuffing them into her purse.
“Have we told you that we used to live here?” I asked quietly.
Rose turned to face me. “No, you never said. Where?”
“In there,” I said, pointing towards the great hall.
“You lived in the great hall?” she asked with clear disbelief.
“No, not in the great hall. You know where the toilets are now?” I asked.
She nodded.
“That was our front room, well, it was our only room downstairs,” I said softly.
“Really?” Rose said. “Why didn’t you say something sooner?”
“I don’t know. I guess it just didn’t come up.”
“It must be strange, I mean seeing it now.”
“It is.”
“You know this street hasn’t always been called Grape Lane?” I said, absently staring down the cobbled road.
“Really?”
“When Simon and I were here, you know when Duncan was little, it was Grope Lane.”
“Eww, that sounds horrid,” she said, screwing up her nose. “What on earth inspired them to call it that?”
“I guess it was on account of the nightly activities down there,” I paused, remembering my own encounter on the lane.
“You OK?”
I blinked and shook off the memory. “Sorry, I just remembered something that happened, just down there,” I said nodding my head at the lane.
“Go on then,” Rose said. “You can’t not tell me now.”
“Oh, it’s little or nothing really,” I said, shivering at the memory.
“I’m all ears,” Rose said, taking my hand and leading me into the Slug and Lettuce bar. “I’ll buy us a coffee and you can tell me.”
“Do you know they used to keep pigs down here?”
“Well I kinda guessed, seeing as how it’s called Swinegate,” Rose said, ordering two cappuccinos from the waiter.
“I’ll show you something on the outside wall of this restaurant when we leave,” I said, staring out of the large window onto the cobbled courtyard.
“Cool, but I want to know what you were thinking of just now,” she said, lifting her elbows onto the table and resting her chin in her cupped hands.
“There really isn’t much to tell.”
“Just tell me.”
“Alright, but it’s not as exciting as you think,” I said with an impatient sigh.
The waiter returned with two large round cups of frothy coffee, a delicious looking slice of shortbread balanced to the side of the saucer, and two small jugs of milk.
“Cheers, mate,” Rose said, nodding up at the man.
He smiled down at her. “Give me a shout if you want anything
Lost in a million thoughts, I found myself outside Barley Hall staring up at the building. I heard a familiar voice and turned to see Rose in the gift shop stacking new stock. Her face lit up with a beaming smile when she saw me.
“Hey, what are you doing here?” she chirped.
“Not sure,” I said, making my way into the hall. “I got insanely bored at the shop and went out for a coffee. Somehow I ended up here.”
“Well intentional or not, it’s nice to have some company.”
“Do you want some help?” I asked.
“Yeah, if you want. I’m only putting these souvenirs out and then I’m closing up. You can walk home with me if you’ve no other plans.”
“I doubt Simon and Duncan have even noticed I’ve gone.”
“Well how about I give them a ring and let them know where you are?” Rose suggested.
I was still annoyed with them for ignoring me over the laptop and was half tempted to tell Rose not to bother but instead I just nodded and let her make the call.
“You fancy a Chinese takeaway tonight?” Rose asked, putting the last book on the shelf.
“I’ve never had one, but I’m sure it will be nice,” I replied, grabbing the keys off a hook behind the till.
“You’ll love it. Come on, then. We’ll get it on the way home,” she said, leading the way out of the Hall.
I turned the key in the lock and slipped them into Rose’s hand.
“Ta,” she said, stuffing them into her purse.
“Have we told you that we used to live here?” I asked quietly.
Rose turned to face me. “No, you never said. Where?”
“In there,” I said, pointing towards the great hall.
“You lived in the great hall?” she asked with clear disbelief.
“No, not in the great hall. You know where the toilets are now?” I asked.
She nodded.
“That was our front room, well, it was our only room downstairs,” I said softly.
“Really?” Rose said. “Why didn’t you say something sooner?”
“I don’t know. I guess it just didn’t come up.”
“It must be strange, I mean seeing it now.”
“It is.”
“You know this street hasn’t always been called Grape Lane?” I said, absently staring down the cobbled road.
“Really?”
“When Simon and I were here, you know when Duncan was little, it was Grope Lane.”
“Eww, that sounds horrid,” she said, screwing up her nose. “What on earth inspired them to call it that?”
“I guess it was on account of the nightly activities down there,” I paused, remembering my own encounter on the lane.
“You OK?”
I blinked and shook off the memory. “Sorry, I just remembered something that happened, just down there,” I said nodding my head at the lane.
“Go on then,” Rose said. “You can’t not tell me now.”
“Oh, it’s little or nothing really,” I said, shivering at the memory.
“I’m all ears,” Rose said, taking my hand and leading me into the Slug and Lettuce bar. “I’ll buy us a coffee and you can tell me.”
“Do you know they used to keep pigs down here?”
“Well I kinda guessed, seeing as how it’s called Swinegate,” Rose said, ordering two cappuccinos from the waiter.
“I’ll show you something on the outside wall of this restaurant when we leave,” I said, staring out of the large window onto the cobbled courtyard.
“Cool, but I want to know what you were thinking of just now,” she said, lifting her elbows onto the table and resting her chin in her cupped hands.
“There really isn’t much to tell.”
“Just tell me.”
“Alright, but it’s not as exciting as you think,” I said with an impatient sigh.
The waiter returned with two large round cups of frothy coffee, a delicious looking slice of shortbread balanced to the side of the saucer, and two small jugs of milk.
“Cheers, mate,” Rose said, nodding up at the man.
He smiled down at her. “Give me a shout if you want anything
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