After that first evening Milly decided to take a towel along to dry Jane’s feet, but it took a lot of persuading before she would have a paddle herself. It did look very tempting, but she was reluctant to remove her shoes and stockings in front of Richard. After plenty of coaxing from Jane and Richard, though, she gave in, and once she had overcome her shyness she enjoyed it almost as much as Jane did. During the afternoon they would sit in the garden and talk. They were growing up and the conversations were very intense, and Milly was learning so much. They talked of many things and would read the papers together, and Richard was always eager to answer any questions Milly had about world affairs. She found him easy to talk to; he didn’t appear to regard her as a waif or someone to be laughed at any longer. He was very clever and seemed to enjoy her company, and would often come into the kitchen to find out if she was busy. Sometimes he’d sit and watch her preparing the veg, and all the while they would laugh and talk together.
