Midsummer Magic (9 page)

‘– Who had a fight with Auberon Fanshawe,’ continued Nicola. ‘I know.’

‘Who told you?’ said Josie, laughing. She’d forgotten how swiftly news travelled in Tresgothen.

‘Well, Mrs Allison was just coming out of the butchers, when she met Jenny Osgood, who’d been walking past the beer garden and heard the whole thing.’

‘More like snooping past the beer garden,’ said Josie. Jenny Osgood was a well-known local gossip.

‘So what happened, then?’ Mum was all agog. ‘Those two have history, you know.’

‘We gathered,’ said Josie. ‘She accused him of following her down here. It wasn’t pretty.’

‘I bet,’ said Josie’s mum. ‘The most exciting thing to happen in Tresgothen for years, and I missed it.’

‘Oh, and she’s apparently talking to Mike Slowbotham about being in
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
,’ said Josie. ‘I didn’t think he was anything to do with the theatre.’

‘Oh, it’s his new thing,’ snorted Josie’s mum. ‘Somehow he’s got on the board of directors who are behind the renovation project. He’s got a bee in his bonnet about being an influential producer, and he’s planning a production of
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
. He claims that he’s always wanted to see it put on at the theatre, but I’m not convinced. He’s just interested in women, that one. He’d do anything to add someone like Tatiana Okeby to his bedpost. He’s a total ass. Poor woman. Someone should tell her.’

‘I’m not sure I’d like to be on the receiving end of that conversation,’ said Josie. ‘Now, come on, let’s look at those wedding dresses again. I think I’m getting an idea of what I want …’

Ant and Harry had moved into the bar, and Ant was beginning to feel slightly drunk. It was a while since he’d had a session this early in the day, and he wasn’t as used to it as he once was.

The bar had cleared out somewhat, and most of the tourists seemed to have moved on. Tatiana Okeby hadn’t stayed long either. Auberon Fanshawe had also disappeared. Maybe he’d gone to try and appease her. But Freddie Puck was still propping up the bar when they came inside.

‘Have you persuaded your friend to take part in my experiment?’ Freddie gave an ingratiating smile.

‘What experiment?’ Harry looked puzzled.

‘You know, the hypnotic thing,’ said Ant. ‘Freddie here thinks he can hypnotise us all. It’s for a TV show.’

‘Ha,’ said Harry. ‘Hypnotise us. I don’t think so.’

‘Oh, well, it was worth a punt,’ said Freddie. ‘There’s a bit of money in it.’

Harry thought about that.

‘Enough to go travelling?’ he said.

‘Not quite,’ said Freddie, ‘but maybe enough to have a great weekend away somewhere’.

‘That would be nice,’ said Harry. ‘I’d at least like to pay for our honeymoon suite. Or maybe take Josie away for a long weekend – soften her up to go travelling with me.’

‘I thought Josie’s folks were paying for everything to do with the wedding,’ said Ant, surprised.

‘Yeah, well, it would be nice to pay for something,’ said Harry, ‘and I would like us to splash out on our wedding night.’

‘So you’ll think about it?’ said Freddie.

Harry looked sheepish.

‘Better run it by Josie first,’ he said. ‘Talking of which …’ He looked at his watch. ‘I think it’s time we were heading back.’

‘God, she really has got you under the thumb, hasn’t she?’ said Ant. ‘One more can’t hurt.’

Harry looked mortified. ‘I’m not under the thumb,’ he muttered. ‘Josie’s mum; it would be rude to her.’

‘I suppose you’re right,’ said Ant, unconvinced. He had a feeling Harry and Josie might be having words when they got back. Prime reason if ever he needed one to remind him never to get married. ‘See you around, Freddie.’

‘So what about my show?’

‘We’ll think about it,’ said Harry.

‘I shall just have to bring all my powers of persuasion to bear on Josie, won’t I?’ laughed Ant.

‘Don’t,’ said Harry, ‘please don’t.’

Diana found herself wandering the coastal path and getting a bit lost, before she eventually reached the Standing Stones.

It was so peaceful up here. The wind tangled her hair, and she sat down and looked over the bay. The sun was dropping low on the horizon, casting out golden rays on a sparkling sea. Seagulls whirled high in the sky above her. It was just perfect. Diana felt free and happy for once. It wasn’t a feeling she was very familiar with. Much of the time, she felt grouchy and miserable. Life hadn’t quite panned out the way she’d thought From such promising beginnings, when she’d got promotion after promotion in the travel company she worked for, her career had stalled of late. The global recession had meant big cutbacks in her industry. And now she was beginning to think the unthinkable; maybe her job wasn’t safe. The text she’d received before losing the signal had been ominous. Perhaps her dad had been right all those years ago. She should have done that law degree. The world always needed lawyers.

She heard her phone give a familiar beep. Brilliant, there must be a signal up here. Two seconds later she wished she hadn’t checked.
Sorry to have to tell you but your services are no longer required
, followed by dozens of texts from work colleagues similarly affected. Overnight the company had gone into liquidation and everyone had been given the sack. Shit, shit, shit. Now what was she to do? She could just imagine Dad’s reaction when she told him.

Stop, stop, stop. Old familiar feelings of self-hatred surged through her. Dad couldn’t be right. Otherwise the life she’d carved for herself over the last few years was meaningless.

That was why Ant had seemed so special, of course. He’d been the first person to see through her spiky defences and find the real Diana, the vulnerable Di she kept hidden from the world. And for a time they’d been happy. She’d been properly happy, for perhaps the only time in her life. And then … he’d let her down. As everyone did. Ant had reminded her why she didn’t let anyone get close to her, why she didn’t trust anyone. She’d vowed never to make that mistake again, and up till now, she’d been true to her word.

But Ant, here; this weekend, when it was all about Josie and Harry and their marriage (despite having eschewed it for herself, she loved her friends and was genuinely happy for them). It was unsettling looking at him, and remembering a time when life had been very different.

This was no good at all. She and Ant were history. Diana took one last look at the view, and got up. Time to get back before they sent out a search party. No point letting Ant get to her. After the weekend she wouldn’t have to see him till the wedding, and then he could disappear out of her life again. This time she hoped, for ever.

‘Do you really think that Freddie can hypnotise people?’ Josie was laughing at Ant, who was pontificating once more about the conversation he’d had with the wonderful Freddie. He’d talked about nothing else since they came back from the pub, when Harry had whispered a hurried apology for staying out so long. Josie had never seen Ant so in awe of anyone. It was quite funny, as was the idea that he thought it was so real. Josie was a complete sceptic about that kind of thing. ‘I thought all of that was just nonsense for the TV.’

Laughing at Ant was at least making her not so cross with Harry, who’d been behaving like a naughty little schoolboy since he came back. Why could he not just stand up to Ant and have come back at a sensible time?

‘No, straight up. I went to see him when I was still at school. He could do it, definitely. He had people dancing with complete strangers on the stage, doing handstands. All sorts. You couldn’t have faked it!’

‘They might have been plants,’ suggested Di, who had found her way back from the Standing Stones a few minutes earlier. She seemed flushed and thoughtful, but was making an effort to talk to Ant.

Ant bridled, ‘I don’t see how everyone could have been a plant,’ he said. ‘At one point he had the whole audience doing the
Birdy Song
. Well, I don’t quite remember doing it myself – I just remember him talking and standing up in the aisles with everyone else – it’s weird, I’ve watched that episode and
everyone
took part.’

‘Mass hallucination,’ said Josie swiftly. ‘Don’t believe a word of it.’

They were sitting round the pool sipping cocktails, while Peter made his usual song and dance about the barbie, which was the sole interest he had in family cooking. In fact doing the barbie was about the only time Peter got involved with anything domestic. Josie loved her dad, but she was glad Harry, who was a keen cook, wasn’t like that; if truth be told, Harry was better at cooking than Josie.

‘What are we doing tomorrow?’ said Harry, yawning.

‘Di, Mum and I are dress shopping,’ said Josie, ‘and you, Dad and Ant have an appointment at Garratt’s.’ Garratt’s was the local gentleman’s outfitters.

‘No, no, no,’ said Ant looking horrified. ‘You didn’t tell me you’d dress me up like a penguin!’

‘Sorry,’ said Harry. ‘You don’t get a say in it, and neither do I.’

‘Yeah, I can see that, mate,’ drawled Ant. ‘You’ve really got him jumping to your beat, haven’t you, Jose? I can see I didn’t come home a minute too soon.’

Josie felt like throttling him, but she smiled sweetly and said nothing. She hated conflict, and didn’t want to start a row. She waited for Harry to say something, put Ant straight about their relationship, but Harry was silent. What was it about being round Ant that turned him into a Neanderthal? Why couldn’t he stick up for her? Saying nothing was much worse than anything Ant had said.

‘Right, I’d better see if Mum needs some help,’ she said, more brightly then she felt. She got up to go inside, and looked back at Harry hunched over his chair looking miserable, while Ant goaded him about the loss of his freedom. At least Harry didn’t look happy about his lack of support, but she wanted to tell him to get some backbone. It had been a huge mistake having Ant here. He was going to ruin everything.

‘You could at least try to tone it down, for Josie’s sake,’ hissed Diana at Ant, as Harry got up abruptly and went to help Peter on the barbecue.

‘What? What did I say?’ Ant thought he’d been rather jovial and friendly. He couldn’t think why Diana was being so aggressive.

‘All those jokes about Harry giving everything up for love. Do you think that’s fair?’

‘I’m only having a laugh,’ said Ant. ‘Though I don’t expect you’d know anything about that.’

‘Mainly because it’s not funny,’ said Diana.

Had she always been such a sullen cow? he thought. They’d had fun once.

‘Oh, lighten up will you?’ he said crossly. ‘I’m just teasing them. Anyway, Harry
has
gone all dappy since he’s got loved up with Josie. It’s my duty as a friend to point it out.’

‘Just because you wouldn’t know what love is if it hit you between the eyes,’ said Diana with feeling.

‘And I know who I have to thank for that,’ Ant shot back.

‘That aside,’ said Diana, ‘other people do fall in love. And you should leave them be.’

‘Why shouldn’t I point out to my best mate that he’s making a big mistake?’ said Ant.

‘Because he’s not,’ said Diana. ‘You’re just jealous.’

‘I’m not jealous,’ said Ant.

‘Of course you are,’ said Diana. ‘You know that you’re incapable of loving a woman the way Harry loves Josie, and you can’t stand it.’

‘That’s because the only woman I ever loved turned her back on me.’

There was a pregnant pause, and then Diana turned accusing eyes on him. He felt deeply uncomfortable under her gaze.

‘And why not, after what you did?’

‘Who said I was talking about you?’

‘Weren’t you?’ said Di.

They sat glaring at each other.

‘This is ridiculous,’ said Ant, finally, breaking the silence. ‘I don’t have to put up with this crap.’

He got up and wandered over to the men, where he felt safer. There was a reason he was single, and Diana had just reminded him of it. He felt hot under the collar just thinking about their time together. Being tied down to a woman screwed up your life. He didn’t envy Harry one little bit. Diana had got that completely wrong. He was young, free and single and quite content to stay that way. Harry could settle into boring domesticity if he wanted to. There was a whole world out there and Ant wasn’t done exploring it yet …

Diana felt like a spare part. The boys were happily ensconced with Peter at the barbie, trying to outdo each other in their efforts to impress him. Annoyingly, she had the feeling that Ant was winning. She knew if she joined Josie and Nicola indoors she’d be driven mad within minutes by the incessant wedding chat. She was happy for her friend, really she was, but the wedding seemed to be Josie’s only topic of conversation. She knew that was the point of the weekend, but still. … True, Josie had been suitably sympathetic when Di had told her about her redundancy, immediately offering to help out financially if she could, but Di had waved her away, with a ‘don’t worry, I’ll be fine’ response, which Josie seemed to be taking literally.

‘Come on, let’s take your mind off things,’ she’d said. ‘Here look at some of these dresses, see what you think.’

So Di had been forced to endure half an hour of flicking through bridal magazines, looking at dresses she wouldn’t be seen dead in.

‘You’ll find another job in no time,’ she’d said, when she realised Di wasn’t quite as focused on the dress issue as she was.

‘Will I?’ Di wanted to say, but she didn’t have the heart. What was the point in ruining Josie’s weekend, going on about how anxious she was? She’d have to face up to what had happened when she got home. Nothing she could do about it now.

Instead she smiled, and said ‘That one’s lovely’ (it wasn’t, but Josie seemed satisfied), and tried to throw herself into wedding chatter. It was why she’d come down, after all.

Diana took a sip of her cocktail and sat back, looking up at the evening sky. It was really warm and the bats were out in flight. As the night drew in, stars appeared, brighter then she’d ever seen before in England. There was so little background light here, she realised. In London you never saw the stars.

‘Oh –’ she looked in wonder as a shooting star flashed across the sky.