Isaac soon covered a couple of miles across the playing fields and down the bridleway at the edge of the Carlysle Estate, vaulting a stile and following the path into the woods around a small lake. The path crossed Little Lane then ran by the stream that fed the lake and over a fallen tree used as a bridge. Soon he was heading towards the ford that stood across the road and down the bank from The Three Fishes. His original plan had been to continue on the footpath around the top end of the village, the newer part, and back into the Carlysle Estate via the home farm to emerge again in Port Road near the playing fields. However, he’d kept an eye firmly on the sky, which had become increasingly dark. The ford would allow him to cut short his walk and head back to the pub, avoiding whatever was brewing in those purple clouds.

As he strode, his mind wandered to Lily. He was building up quite a store of mental images of her. Most prominent was how she’d looked in that short, tight, shiny blue dress a few evenings ago, her blonde hair hanging loose, but even in her pub uniform of black polo shirt and trousers, designed to be effacing, he was aware of her. Last night she’d looked different again in blue jeans that clung and a lilac jumper bearing a picture of a white kitten in a snow globe. He found himself smiling as he remembered her teasing him, flirting, daring him to react. No matter how much you want me. Lying sleepless in bed a couple of hours later he’d wanted her so much his quilt had been in danger of combusting.

Like a saddo, he’d even viewed the video of the choir he’d taken to watch the way Lily’s lips moved.

Then suddenly he had a brand-new image of her because there she was as he rounded a curve in the path, standing by the ford and wearing a navy coat embroidered with flowers and a turquoise scarf that fluttered in the wind. She was watching the thunderclouds boiling across the sky. Her hair was pulled into a ball atop her head and tendrils flew around her face. He wanted to take out his phone and take a picture to capture her intensity. Girl and sky.

Before he could do anything so stupid Doggo gave a bark and plunged into a gallop, tail beating as he recognised a chum.

Lily turned. ‘Hello, Doggo,’ floated back to Isaac on a gust of wind.

Doggo treated her to his happy dance before racing back to Isaac as if to say, ‘Look who I found!’ Lily watched Isaac approach with a smile.

‘It’s wild this morning.’ He watched the wind trying to blow her hood up onto her head.