Patently in Love (21 page)

Jane crept up to the door and peered through the spy-hole. She couldn't see anything.
Just as she was about to retreat again, Marsh's head popped up.

"I thought I heard you walking." His face was distorted by the spyhole.

Jane knew he couldn't actually see her. "Go away."

"Not until you talk to me."

"No."

"Well," he said, "you don't actually have to open the door for me to talk to you."

Jane put her fingers in her ears. She could hear muffled sounds of Marsh talking as
she walked back to her room, but couldn't make out the words. Fine. There was nothing he
could say that could make this better.

* * * *

From: Stevie
Winfield
To: Marshall
Winfield
How are you
getting on? Any progress?

##

From: Marshall Winfield

To: Stevie
Winfield
No progress. She
won't open the door or even talk to me through it.
I really, REALLY need
coffee, but I can't leave here.

##

From: Stevie
Winfield
To: Marshall
Winfield
Why don't you
call up the local café and see if they'll deliver you one.

##

From: Marshall Winfield

To: Stevie
Winfield
Don't be ridiculous.
Can you imagine the conversation?
"Where would you like it delivered
to?"
"The corridor outside flat 32, please."
"Flat 32, got it."
"No,
the corridor outside. Oh, and there's no point buzzing to be let in, she won't let
you in. You need to ask the guy at the desk to send you up to the
floor..."
No, I think I'll have to remain caffeine-less for now.

##

From: Stevie
Winfield
To: Marshall
Winfield
How did you
get in, if she didn't buzz you in?

##

From: Marshall Winfield

To: Stevie
Winfield
I followed someone
else in. I just have to hope she's not so cross that she calls security.

##

From: Stevie
Winfield
To: Valerie
Fenwick
Val, have you
got an email address or phone number for Jane Porter?
Marsh is sitting
outside her flat, trying to talk to her and she's not letting him in. He's had about
2 hours sleep and only one cup of coffee. Things could go horribly wrong if
someone doesn't do something.
Love
Stevie

##

From: Valerie Fenwick

To: Stevie
Winfield
I only have her
work email address: [email protected]
I'll see if I can get
any more info from HR. Strictly speaking, I'm not supposed to divulge this sort
of information.
Val

##

From: Stevie
Winfield
To: Jane Porter

Hi Jane
My name's
Stevie Winfield. I'm Marsh's sister. I don't know if you can pick up your work
emails from home.
Marsh told me what happened. I just wanted to say that
he would NEVER do what you accused him of.
Let me tell you about my
brother. When my parents died, I was 13 and he was 21. He became my legal
guardian. Rather than give up uni, he bought the flat for us to live in, and he
studied, did up the flat and looked after me all at the same time. He became my
Mum and Dad and my best friend as well as my brother. Any semblance of
normality I have in my life is because of him.
Does that sound like the sort
of man who would betray the girl he loves, just to get his face in the
paper?
Also, his career was the only part of his life that he felt like he had
any control over and he threw himself into it. It means the world to him. Trust
me, I know. There is NO WAY he would jeopardise this promotion by doing
something like this.
I understand that you got your information from Keith.
He's a sleazebag and not above lying and cheating. He made a pass at me when
I was 17. I wouldn't believe a word he says.
That's all, really. Marsh loves
you. He wouldn't do anything to hurt
you.
Stevie
Xxxx

* * * *

Jane was stalking around the flat, trying to ignore the fact that Marsh was still on the
other side of the front door. If she stood still and listened, she could hear soft tiptap of his
fingers on the keyboard. An image of him, sitting hunched up on the floor, working, floated
into her mind. She shook her head and turned on the TV. Loud.

It was odd, knowing he was out there. It was almost like it was before, when she had
been trapped in the flat, unable to go out because of people lying in wait for her outside. At
least she wasn't frightened of Marsh. Angry, yes, but not frightened. She tried to concentrate
on what was on telly. At some point in the middle of "Murder She Wrote", she fell
asleep.

The sound of voices in the corridor woke her. Marsh was talking to someone. Jane hit
the mute button on the TV and listened. Polly's voice. She heard them talk back and forth, and
then Polly's key grated in the lock. She sprang to her feet and spun round to face the
door.

Polly smiled at her apologetically. "I think there's someone here wanting to talk to
you." She stepped aside to let Marsh through.

Ever since her conversation with Keith, Jane had been seething about Marsh and
what he'd done. In her mind, she'd painted him as two-faced and evil. But the Marsh who
shuffled in, still stuffing his computer into his bag, looked anything but evil. His hair was a
mess, there were bags under his eyes and his suit was crumpled, just as though he'd been
sitting on the floor in it.

Completely against her better judgement, Jane felt the urge to throw her arms around
him when he gave her a tentative smile.

She remembered why she was angry and pulled herself together. "I have nothing to
say to you."

"Hear me out," he said.

Behind him, Polly slipped away to her room.

Jane crossed her arms. "Fine."

"I didn't do it. All that stuff you accused me of, I didn't do any of it."

"Of course you're going to deny it. You'd be stupid not to." Whatever else she could
call him, she knew he wasn't stupid.

"But Jane, why would I do it? I knew you wanted to be left alone. What possible
reason would I have to tell the press where you are?"

Her anger reignited. "How should I know how your twisted mind works? Maybe you
just wanted your face in the papers? Or to tell everyone you'd slept with a famous bird." The
minute she said it, she wondered if that was true. Her stomach twisted with disgust at the
thought.

Marsh's face was a picture of horror. "That's just ridiculous. I can't believe you'd even
think that."

"And what about Dominique?"

"What about Dominique?" He looked genuinely puzzled. "What does she have to do
with anything?"

"Oh, so you deny that you two are still together?"

"Oh course I bloody deny it! We split up ages ago." His frown was turning into a
glare. He was losing his calm, but she didn't care.

"Who lives with you in your flat then?"

"My sister. Stevie."

"Oh yeah? What about the perfume?"

He stared. "What bloody perfume?"

"Aha!"

"For heaven's sake!" He reached in his bag, tore a corner off a protruding piece of
paper and scribbled something down. "Here. She's there now. Call her."

Jane didn't move.

Marsh let the paper drop. He stepped closer and his eyes flashed with anger. "Look,
you insane woman, Keith is lying. He wanted to stitch me up. It was probably him that told
the magazine in the first place."

Jane backed away. "Why on earth would Keith lie? What does he have to gain?"

"You don't know the guy." His tone was bitter..

"You're right. I don't know him any more than I know you."

"And yet you trust his word over mine?"

When Jane didn't respond, he went on. "I knew it was a mistake to fall for you.
Before I met you, I was set to be promoted. Now, thanks to all this, I'll be lucky to have a job
tomorrow. And you know what? Until five minutes ago, I would have thought it was worth
it.

"I would have thrown away the job of my dreams and started over, just to be with
you." His mouth twisted down at the corners. "And it turns out that you don't even trust me
enough to stand up for me when Keith spins you a ridiculous yarn. I can't believe I was so
stupid!" He glared at her, hurt and resentment etched on his face.

All the fight suddenly drained out of her, leaving her close to tears again. "I don't
know who to believe anymore."

The anger in his eyes subsided. "Perhaps that's something you need to work out for
yourself. I'm just sorry I got involved."

He turned and walked out, shutting the door behind him.

From: Marshall Winfield

To: Stevie
Winfield
Am coming home.
Make coffee.

##

From: Stevie
Winfield
To: Marshall
Winfield
Oh dear. I take
it things didn't go well then.
I will have coffee ready for you. And I've just
been out to get more ice cream. Chunky Monkey okay for you?
Stevie

##

From: Marshall Winfield

To: Stevie
Winfield
Thanks.(:-)

##

From: Stevie
Winfield
To: Marshall
Winfield
You're
welcome.
Us Winfield kids should stick together,
right?
X

* * * *

Jane stared at the door for minutes after Marsh left.

"Well, that didn't go so well," said Polly, making Jane jump.

Her thoughts were a jumble of hurt and anger. The piece of paper with Marsh's phone
number lay at her feet. She picked it up.

"For what it's worth, I believe him," Polly said.

"I don't know, Polly. I'd like to, but who else would have known where we were
going for dinner?"

"God, he could have mentioned it to anyone."

"I don't think he did. He was always very keen on keeping everything hush hush.
Which is why it makes sense that he's probably still got a girlfriend. I mean, there's clearly a
woman living in that flat from time to time." She waved a hand, as if gesturing at a shelf full
of cosmetics. "There's Cosmo magazines and cellulite scrub and everything."

"Maybe it is his sister's, like he said."

Jane sank into a chair. "Maybe."

"Look, why don't you call the flat and find out. He said she was there at the
moment."

Jane looked at the paper. "What if it's Dominique and she pretends to be his
sister?"

"So phone and ask for Dominique then. If it's her, she'll say so, won't she?"

"I guess."

Polly thrust the phone at her. "Go on. Do it before he gets home."

To her surprise, her hands were shaking as Jane punched out the numbers. She took a
deep breath and put the receiver to her ear.

"Hello." A female voice.

"Uh..." Her throat had gone dry.

"Hello?"

"Is Dominique there, please?"

There was a short silence. "Who is this?" the woman said on the other end. When
Jane didn't reply, she continued, her tone frosty. "Dominique doesn't live here. She never has.
I don't know where she is, so I can't take a message."

"Oh. May I know whom I'm speaking to, please?"

"This is Stevie Winfield. Who are you?"

Not knowing what to say, Jane hung up.

"Well?" said Polly, who was perched on the end of the sofa.

"She said she was Stevie Winfield." Jane looked at the number on the paper. It was a
London number, but that was all she could really deduce from it. "It might not have been the
number to his flat. He had hours to cook something up. He could have asked Dominique to
pretend to be Stevie..."

Polly made a disgusted noise and rolled her eyes. "I give up! If you won't help
yourself, then there's no point me even trying. You really have to let go of this Ashby thing,
Jane. If you don't, you'll end up sabotaging every single relationship you have. Just because
Ashby was a rat bag doesn't mean Marsh is, too. Until you get that into your head, you're
never going to be happy."

From: Marshall Winfield

To: Susan Jameson

Hi Susan
The
finalised report, as promised. Let me know if you need anything
else.
Marshall.

##

From: Stevie
Winfield
To: Louise
Edwards
He's just texted to say
he's coming home. Apparently, it didn't go well.
I can't believe she took
Keith's word over Marsh's. What a moron.

##

From: Louise Edwards
To:
Stevie Winfield
Keith can be
very persuasive and charming when he wants to be. It comes from having no
scruples whatsoever.
Jim says both Marsh and Keith have been suspended.
Apparently, most people have a lot of sympathy for Marsh. Not surprising
really, I'm sure most people would love to have the chance to thump
Keith.
Poor Marsh. It's the first time in years that I've seen/heard him get
worked up about anything that wasn't about you or work. He lets his heart start
beating again, only to have it stomped on.

##

From: Stevie
Winfield
To: Louise
Edwards
I hope he's not going to
be down in the dumps for ages. I hate leaving him by himself when he's
depressed, but I do have to go back to college.

##

From: Louise Edwards
To:
Stevie Winfield
He won't be.
It didn't take him long to recover from Dominique.

##

From: Stevie
Winfield
To: Louise
Edwards
I think this might be
different. He wasn't in love with Dominique, even though he probably thought
he was in the beginning. I think he was almost relieved when they split up. I
don't think he was that surprised to find out that she was cheating on him. He
was just embarrassed about the scene she made.
He really liked Jane. You
should have seen his face when he talked about her. It would have made me
puke if it wasn't so sweet.

##

From: Louise Edwards
To:
James Edwards

Jim
I'm worried about
Marsh and Stevie. Is there anything we could do to help, do you think?
On
the plus side, Marsh's predicament seems to have made Stevie forget how
heartbroken she was over Buzz.
Also, please don't forget that you've got to
pick Molly up from the childminder at lunchtime tomorrow. I'm going to the
Natural History Museum with the twins' class, remember.

##

From: James Edwards

To: Louise Edwards

I won't forget Molly. What sort
of a father do you take me for? I've set a reminder on my phone.
I don't see
what we can do for Marsh and Stevie.
I'm doing my best to get Marsh off
the hook in the office, but there's only so much I can do. I don't think he's
going to make it to partner this time round, which is a real pisser because
they'd already decided to promote him. If only he'd postponed his bust up by
another half a day, they would have announced it!
I don't know what else
we can do for them, aside from being there if they need a shoulder to cry
on.
Don't worry. Those two are tough. They've been through worse
together and come out relatively normal.
Love
Jim

##

From: Susan Jameson

To: Eric Korsky

Come and see me
tomorrow. 9.25.
Susan

##

From: Eric Korsky
To:
Keith Durridge
Why did
you have to drag me into this? I've just been summoned to talk to the partners
about your little run in with Marshall.

##

From: Keith Durridge

To: Eric Korsky

Relax. I'll take care of it.
We're partners. Marshall is not. Disciplining partners would look bad.
K
man.

##

From Stevie
Winfield
To:

Hi Aunty Caroline
I
know it's short notice, but can Marsh and I come down to you for the
weekend? We're both suffering from broken hearts at the moment and could do
with cheering up a bit. Yes, Marsh had a new girlfriend! A nice one this time,
not like Dominique. I hope they can get things sorted out and they get back
together. I've never seen him quite so loved up as he was when he was with
her.
Would it be okay for us to come tomorrow? We'd help with the farm
and the B&B and things, obviously.
Love
Stevie

##

From:
To: Stevie
Winfield
Hello Stevie
darling.
Of course it's okay for you to come and stay for the weekend. You
can stay for longer if you'd like. There aren't many tourists around at the
moment since it's winter, so we're not that busy with the B&B.
I'll get
two rooms ready for you and Marshall. I'll have to bump two of our regulars up
from single to double rooms, but that's not a problem. It'll be lovely to see you
both.
I'm sorry to hear you're both suffering from broken hearts. I'll have to
bake you a nice cake to cheer you up.
Love
Aunty Caroline and Uncle
Frank

##

From: Stevie
Winfield
To: Marshall
Winfield
FYI--we're
going to see Aunty Caroline for the weekend. I've persuaded her to make one
of her cakes to cheer us up.
No need to thank me!
Stevie

##

From: Marshall Winfield

To: Stevie
Winfield
Hang on. I can't just
take off like that. Especially on a weekday.

##

From: Stevie
Winfield
To: Marshall
Winfield
I thought you
were suspended from work. It's not like you'll be going in anyway!

##

From: Marshall Winfield

To: Stevie
Winfield
There's no mobile
reception at Aunty C's place. I won't know it if they do want me to come
in!
It does sound tempting though. I'll call Susan and see what she
says.
M

##

From: Marshall Winfield

To: James Edwards
and Louise Edwards

Stevie and I are heading to
Wales to see our Aunty Caroline for the weekend. We should be back by
Monday. I've spoken to Susan and she agrees that it's most unlikely I'll be
asked back into the office tomorrow anyway, so I may as well go
away.
Mobile reception at Aunty C's is pretty awful, so don't expect much
communication from me--or Stevie, Lou!--I'll check email each night
though.
Hopefully, I'll see you on Monday, Jim.
Marsh

##

From: James Edwards

To: Marshall Winfield

Is Aunty Caroline the
one who used to send those fantastic cakes?
You lucky
bugger.