Free Ravens Gathering by Graeme Cumming Page B

stile .
    “Still a public footpath then.”  It was more of an
observation than a question, so Tanya’s response was only a slight nod.
    Martin led the way, pausing only to make sure she climbed
over the stile safely.  It wasn’t in bad condition, but he must have
recognised that she was hardly a regular rambler.  Perhaps the
near-pristine condition of her walking boots had been a giveaway, she thought
to herself.  They had only been on her feet once before, when Ian had
insisted on giving her a complete tour of the land they owned.  She’d
sported blisters for several days afterwards, and refused to accompany him
again.
    As they made their way up the footpath, she was aware of the
– to her – unnatural sensation of wearing the boots again.  They were
flatter than she was used to, and her feet seemed to move a little more freely
inside them.  She began to wonder whether she would have been better to
let Martin go on his own, and save herself the possibility of further
discomfort.  Especially as he seemed very focused on the walk and his
destination, and not on her company.  At the same time, she didn’t feel
comfortable with the idea of simply telling him she’d changed her mind. 
She didn’t want to seem either indecisive or a wimp.  So she kept up with
him, surprised to find that she was having to take two strides to his one.
    In the past, Ian had tried to persuade her to take up
running.  She had responded that she couldn’t see the point. 
Whenever she saw anyone running, they never looked as if they were enjoying
themselves.  Ian had tried to explain that, for him at least, it was the
sense of achievement that created the buzz, not the running itself.  He
had also said that, when he was running long distances, he found it helpful to
have someone with him to talk to.  The conversation took his mind off the
running, and the time passed more rapidly.  The memory of these words gave
her hope.
    “So, Martin, would I be right in thinking you’ve been
working abroad?”
    “Yes.”
    It took a moment for her to realise that was it.  When
she’d met Ian, she had been working in sales.  Using her sales training,
she identified her mistake: she’d asked him a closed question.  She tried
one that was more open.
    “Where have you worked, then?”
    “Here and there.”  Only marginally more helpful.
    “But obviously sunnier climes,” she prompted.
    They had covered a couple of hundred yards, and now the path
led into the woods themselves.
    “Sunnier than here,” Martin agreed.  His eyes were on
the route ahead.  All of the attention he had paid to her earlier was gone
now.  She was starting to feel as if she had been duped, though what his
game was, she didn’t know.
    “Are you trying to be deliberately obtuse?” she asked in
frustration.
    He glanced across at her and grinned.  For a moment she
saw the playful flirtatiousness that had attracted her in the first place.
    “Not deliberately,” he assured her.  “Just a habit.”
    “Why?”
    “That’s a long story.”
    “It could be a long walk,” she pointed out.
    “Not that long.”
    As they continued along the path, the trees closed in
overhead, cutting out most of the light.  It was still bright enough for them
to see where they were going, but the relative gloom made her feel a little
more uncomfortable.
    “What about you?” he asked suddenly, surprising her.
    “Me?”
    “Yeah.  What’s your background?  You’re not from
these parts, are you?”
    “Hardly,” she said, then realised that she had been too
dismissive.  “I’m sorry...”
    “Don’t worry about it.  I’m with you on that.  Why d’you think I left?  If I hadn’t, I’d still be
living with my parents, stuck in a dead-end job, and spending my free time
propping up the bar at The Oak .  Everyone in the village
would know everything I’d done since I was a baby.  Every minor
indiscretion used against me at all times.”
    “Indiscretions?”