There's No Accounting For Love

Chapter Eighty Three

Alan and Clare began to house hunt in earnest. They started by looking at houses around their price range, rather than any specific area. Alan didn't want to be more than thirty minutes drive from the office. They particularly wanted a house with at least four bedrooms and a large garden, but finding one that they both liked was proving difficult. By the end of July they had looked at five houses and none of them had felt remotely like anything they could make into a home or if they did, they didn't like the surrounding area.

On the first Saturday of August they came home during the afternoon disappointed again with the house they had just viewed. Alan threw his jacket on the sofa and went into the kitchen to boil the kettle. Clare followed him.

"I think we're doing this all wrong." said Clare. "I think we should pick an area we would like to live in and then go looking there."

Alan sighed. "Perhaps you're right. This certainly doesn't seem to be working. When I've made us a cup of tea, we'll get the map out and have a look."

Alan made their tea and took it into the lounge.

Clare fetched a map of Bristol and laid it out on the dining table.

"If we find where the office is and draw a circle around it say twelve miles in circumference, we should be looking within that area."

Alan drew the circle and one of the areas within which they should be looking was Westbury On Trym.

"I know Westbury On Trym." said Alan. "I had a friend who lived there. It's a historical place with good properties. Let's start looking there and if we don't find anything we'll look at these other places." He pointed within the circle on the map.

"This is better." said Clare. "We'll get somewhere now, although really it's not a matter of life or death is it? Even if I was expecting a baby, we would still have plenty time to find somewhere. And we're not exactly homeless are we? We're very lucky and I feel so grateful for everything I've got. I never thought I would have so much."

Alan put his arms around her and pulled her into his chest.

"All I know is, that I'm so lucky to have you, darling. You're my world. My Sun, my moon, my stars...my everything." He lifted her head and traced her eyebrows with his fingers.

Clare laughed. "Why do you keep doing that?"

"I adore your eyebrows, that's why. In fact, I adore every part of you, from your pretty little head to your half a toe."

Clare couldn't reply as Alan kissed her and shortly afterwards a trip to Venus took off from the red fluffy rug.

That evening Alan ordered them an Indian takeaway which they ate at the dining table. They shared a tin of lager. Clare lit some candles and put them on the mantle piece and placed some on the hearth. She then turned on the glow light for the fire and sat down in front of it on the rug.

"This is so cosy." she said. "It's such a lovely feature this fireplace."

Alan came and sat beside her, putting his arm around her shoulder.

"I like it. I put it in. There was just a plain wall this side and I thought it needed something."

They sat quietly, enjoying the soft glow from the candles and the fire.

"Oh, it's so stupid!" said Clare suddenly.

"What do you mean?"

"I've prayed about the baby, lots of times, but it didn't occur to me to pray about the house. We're doing this all wrong. We need to live where God wants us to live, not where we want to live. We should pray about it."

"Oh. I never thought about it. I'll do that, on Sunday when we go to church." said Alan.

Clare laughed. "Why do you have to wait until Sunday?"

"Well, it's Sunday tomorrow isn't it? It can wait."

Alan got to his feet and turned off the fire glow and blew out the candles.

"Come along Mrs Harding, it's time for bed. And, if you're lucky enough, you might even get a trip to Venus before midnight."

Alan pulled Clare to her feet and they walked hand in hand to the bedroom.