‘Enjoy your romantic dinner for two?’
Vivienne jumps, pulling one shoulder up to her ear and swinging round, her eyes wide.
‘Sorry!’ Nathan laughs and puts a hand against her back ‘Didn’t mean to frighten you to death’
She lets out the breath she had sucked in and grins ‘Not every day I get some hunky fella blow in me ear...’ her eyelashes flutter and her grin develops into an earthy chuckle. ‘What are you on about, what dinner?’
‘You were seen’ Nathan winks ‘you and Daniel, eh?’
‘Gerroff!’ she pooh-poohs the idea ‘Me and Daniel?’
‘Don’t go denying it. I saw you tucked away in that corner, getting all up close and personal’
‘I was not!’ a rosy blush creeps its way to her cheeks.
‘I saw you!’ he gapes as she tries to refute the accusation.
‘You might very well’ve done but we were NOT getting up anywhere or anything like personal’ she hisses, anxious not to be overheard ‘he was just cheering me up, that’s all’
‘Oh, I bet he was’
‘Nathan, don’t’ she looks him in the eye, her smile gone ‘I thought better of you’
‘Hey’ he curls his arm around her shoulder ‘I never meant to upset you. Come on, it’s me. Nobody ever takes me that seriously, not when I’m fooling around’
‘We had a nice night, that’s all. He’s a lovely man who took me out of myself for a couple of hours. There’s nothing going on, alright?’
‘Sure. I’m sorry’
‘You will be, sweetheart. Slops for you next time you’re in for a pint’ Viv regains some of her good humour ‘Actually...’ she says, moving forward a few paces as the queue shortens ‘Seeing you....I...er....could do with a bit of advice...when you’ve got a minute’
‘Yeah?’ Nathan flicks a look of surprise.
‘If you wouldn’t mind, I don’t have many people I can talk things through with and sometimes if you’re tossing a few ideas around, just saying them out loud can make sense of some of them, get them right in your head sort of thing’
‘Well, yeah...if you think I can help. What’s this all about?’
‘Pubs’
He laughs ‘I think I can safely say I’m an authority on them’
Viv lowers her voice almost to a whisper and she puts her hand on his arm, leaning nearer to confide ‘Running one’
‘You... What...The Horse? That would be bloody brilliant!’
‘Shush! No, not necessarily there’
‘Dunno what there is to talk about, you damned near run the place anyway’
‘I know’ she sighs ‘but it’s not just pulling pints, is it? There’s the business side of things, books and so forth...I thought what with you having your own business...’
‘But the brewery would help you out there, wouldn’t they?’
‘But I need to know what’s involved, what questions to ask, all the ins and outs before I get in touch with them. I don’t want to jump out of the frying pan ‘n that...you know how it is’
‘Still not sure how what I know fits in with what you need to know but sure, I can listen if nothing else’
‘More bloody help than the cat is’ Viv chuckles. ‘You’ll do it then?’
‘No problem. You want me to come round if it’s likely to take a while...Or you can come to me if you like’
‘Either way. Thanks, sweetheart...Oh, right...sorry’ she turns and laughs an apology to the girl behind the counter ‘Too busy nattering! Small bloomer and a couple of those cottage rolls, please’
The Village Bakery
Chapter Thirty-eight
Tawny House, Manor Road
The Annexe
Kester comes from behind the open boot of Helen’s car, holdall in hand, to look down the drive as a car pulls in.
‘Is that the last of it?’ Helen asks from the front door. She leans further forward on hearing the car and steps out onto the courtyard.
‘Apart from a few odds and ends’ he touches her arm and gives her a careful look as he reaches around her to throw the holdall into the hall ‘Okay?’
‘Absolutely fine’ her eyes thank him for worrying and she walks forward to greet Daniel.
‘Hellooo!’ Daniel slams his car door and twirls the keys on his finger ‘Glad you’re back. Couldn’t really hang about much longer but I thought I’d pop in again on the off chance. How’s things?’
They stand a cautious few feet apart and eye each other for a short time, Helen breaking the awkward silence ‘It’s good to see you’ her voice cracks and without another word she throws her arms around him and sobs.
He looks over her shoulder at Kester, hesitating while his arms hover at her back.
‘Thank you’ Kester mouths silently, blinking his gratitude and inclining his head in a slow nod.
Daniel hugs her, one hand at the back of her head while she buries her face against his chest ‘I’ve been worrying myself sick wondering if I’d done the right thing’ he says, stroking her hair ‘Even so, I’m not sure this was the reaction I expected’ he laughs awkwardly.
‘Sorry’ Helen stands back wiping her eyes with both hands ‘I’ve embarrassed both of us’
‘At least you didn’t slap me...or get him to’ he tries to make a joke and follows it with another bark of self-conscious laughter.
Kester walks forward to put his arm around Helen’s shoulder and draw her closer, smiling at Daniel ‘Not sure I went much on the ending but I reckon I might let that pass under the circumstances’ he turns ready to lead the way indoors
‘Er...yeah’ Daniel grimaces ‘Bit of artistic licence there’ he grins.
‘Hmmm...as long as that’s all it was’ Kester feigns annoyance while Helen snuffles into a handkerchief.
‘I’d say wishful thinking if it wouldn’t get my face smashed in’ Daniel’s laughter is more relaxed ‘Sooo... do I consign it to the bin or what?’ he follows them into the hall.
‘No...’ Helen struggles to speak between dry sobs ‘Not as far as we’re concerned’ she presses the inner corners of her closed eyes with her fingers hoping to dispel fresh tears ‘ I’m sorry...I don’t seem to be able to stop. You’ve no idea what you’ve done, have you?’ she gives him a watery smile and steeples her hands over her nose and mouth, swallowing hard and trying to regain some control.
‘Can’t be that bad or I’d be flat on my back out there, not in here talking’
‘Go on in’ Kester nods him towards the sitting room while he takes Helen’s hands away from her face and smiles down at her. He places a kiss on her forehead ‘You need a few minutes?’ he asks softly.
‘I’ll be alright’ she shakes her head and lifts her face for a kiss on the lips ‘I feel such a fool. I thought I was over all that’ Sighing a smile, she follows Daniel ‘I bet you’re glad you came now’ she laughs ruefully as she settles on the sofa, tucking her skirt underneath her before she sits down and arranges the fabric over her knees in precise folds before speaking again. ‘It was very good...the book....a very good read and....’ Groaning, she wipes her cheeks again ‘Sorry’
‘Don’t worry about it’ Daniel waits uncertainly, looking to Kester for some clue as to what else to say.
‘I think what my wife is trying to tell you’ Kester says, sitting next to Helen and threading his fingers through hers ‘is that the book in its own right is a page turner, she’s spot on when she says it’s a good read. It’s powerful stuff....but more than that...’ he lifts her hand and gives it a squeeze as he looks at her and smiles before facing Daniel again ‘the memories it brought back, she’s dealt with them, you made her do that. Those that were still hanging around, those at the back of her mind...the worst ones...reading that forced her to face them again, then she realised she could actually meet them head on’ he gives her a broader smile and lifts her hand to press it to his lips for a moment ‘We both know it’s not something she’s ever likely to forget but that was as good a confirmation as she’s ever going to have that she can be detached about the whole episode. It’s over, finally over and we’ve you to thank for that’
‘Not sure I can take much credit’ Daniel says modestly and drops his gaze ‘She met the right man, that’s what happened there’ he looks up again ‘Someone who took the time to understand and work through it’
Kester clears his throat, looking diffident in turn ‘Maybe so’
‘I know so’ Helen rests her head against his shoulder ‘I couldn’t have done it without you...both of you....for different reasons, in different ways’
‘About this ending...’ Kester grins as he takes Daniel to task ‘Wishful thinking, I believe you said?’
‘Oh, stop it’ Helen nudges him ‘I found it quite....interesting’ she smiles slowly and unblinking, making Daniel flush.
‘Told you he’d got to be a bit in love with you to be able to capture you in words the way he did’ Kester lowers his voice to tease in a meant to be heard aside ‘Before we ever got to the ‘interesting’ bit. Didn’t I?’
Daniel concedes the point without the imagined embarrassment ‘I care for Helen very much’ he admits freely ‘The ending was what might have happened if I’d been quicker off the mark or not had my own problems at the time. You’ve got to allow me some flight of fantasy’ he winks at Helen and smiles at both of them, completely unabashed.
‘As long as that’s how it stays’ Kester grunts, feeling the boot is well and truly on the other foot.
‘Daft I may be but I’m not entirely stupid’ Daniel laughs, enjoying gaining the point ‘There’s a line I don’t cross and that’s the one with you standing behind it’ he fingers the bump in his nose ‘Unless I’ve got access to a full round of plastic surgery and the time to get it done in’
‘Er...yeah’ Kester clears his throat ‘that was...um....unfortunate’
‘And over and done with’
‘So....’ Helen comes between them verbally ‘What’s to happen now, will you publish?’
‘That’s not what I’m here for; I’m not looking for any sort of decision. The book is yours, it’s for you make that choice, I’ve done my bit’
‘Then go ahead ‘she says firmly ‘It’s too good not to’
‘You mean that?’
‘Absolutely’ she looks to Kester for his confirmation ‘We have talked about it. There’s nothing there that would point directly to me but I expect it will strike a chord with a lot of women...not the rape, heaven forbid, but certainly the subtle and sometimes not so subtle bullying they...we.....put up with because something inside of us is too afraid to move on. You showed in a very believable way that there are alternatives, if only we can find the courage to do something. I think we ought to share that. If only one woman breaks out of a controlling relationship and is happier as a result, it will have been worth it’
‘That’s very deep’ Daniel comments ‘I really didn’t think the underlying thread was that obvious’
‘It is to those who know’ Helen takes a deep breath and exhales on a wan smile ‘I want you to do it’
