Ruth had promised to meet her cousin at the harbour steps before the town walk. She arrived early, carrying the map they had printed the night before. Beyond the wall, boats tugged gently at their ropes.
A bell rang from the clock tower. Ruth counted eleven strokes, then checked her watch. It showed half past ten. She frowned. Her cousin was usually punctual, but perhaps the tower was right and she was already late.
A man on a nearby bench looked up from his newspaper. “That bell isn’t giving the time today,” he said. “They’re testing it after a repair.”
Ruth glanced towards the tower. Two workers stood in the open window beneath the clock face. One lifted a hand, and another uneven burst of ringing followed.
She sat down to wait. A minute later, her cousin hurried round the corner, holding a paper bag. “Still warm,” he said, offering her a bun. “I thought we could eat before we start.”
Ruth folded the map so that the first part of their route was visible. She had nearly left to catch up with a walk that had not begun. As they climbed the steps together, she checked the map’s meeting time once more, then put her watch back beneath her sleeve.