Pink Wellies and Flat Caps (28 page)

‘Poor Alice, it was just too awful. I’m so sorry. I
…’

His breath smells of
champagne and his body of Ungaro, a dangerously sexy combination.

‘I didn’t know where to go.’

This is awful. I’m certain I wouldn’t be this distraught if my mother died. Oh dear, that is an awful thing to think isn’t it? Of course I would be more upset if it were my mother. She’s not a cow. Well, she can be. What am I thinking? I wish there was a magic key that turns my brain off.

‘You have come to the right house. Let’s get a brandy into you.’

The thought of more alcohol makes me feel slightly sick. Besides, I daren’t drink anymore.

‘I’m driving,’ I say reaching in for the Maltes
ers.

‘Don’t be crazy, you can’t drive back. Besides you don’t want to go back there.’

‘Edward may …’ I begin and then immediately forget what I was about to say. I’m more drunk than I thought.

‘Don’t give that monster a second thought.’

Yes, that’s exactly what he is, a monster. Dominic is quite right. He leads me into the cosy sitting room and I flop onto his immaculate cream couch. He pulls my muddy shoes from my feet and I see him wiping some mud off the cream shag pile carpet with a J cloth. Oh dear, did I do that? Of course it wouldn’t have mattered in the slob’s house. There is always mud there both inside and out. In fact, I was always bringing mud in after feeding Chloe. No, don’t think of Chloe, it’s too painful.

‘Sorry,’ I say absently.

‘It’s nothing,’ he says, scrubbing madly at the brown mark.

I look around me at the softly lit room. It’s warm and cosy but I feel myself yearning for the messy living room at Trenowyth. Why did Edward have to spoil everything? Dominic carefully drops the J Cloth into a waste
-paper basket and gives the carpet a last look before walking to a well-stocked drinks cabinet. I look down and strain to see the muddy patch.

‘Here, drink this, it will make you feel better,’ he says in a husky voice, pushing a tumbler of brandy into my hand.

‘I really can’t,’ I protest blinking rapidly as the room seems to dim.

Heavens, I most certainly have drunk more than I thought. I then realise Dominic is lowering the lights remotely. Thank God for that. For a second I thought I was going blind with the shock of this evening’s events. I’m beginning to wonder if perhaps I overreacted. I know I tend to do that when my hormones are up the creek.

‘I’m so glad you came. You’re finally seeing Edward in his true colours,’ he says leaning closer to me on the couch.

I put the glass to my lips, take a sip and move further along the couch until I realise there isn’t actually very far to go. I put my hand onto his chest to push him back. He clasps it and begins sucking on the fingers. I feel a shudder of disgust go through me. Dominic, obviously mistaking it for desire, pushes me urgently back against the cushions. The brandy wobbles in the glass and visions of Dominic on his hands and knees enter my head unwillingly. Brandishing a J cloth that is, to clear up the brandy, and not anything remotely sexual. Good heavens, the last thing I need now is sex. Even a mild grope is likely to have me throwing up all over the cream couch. I try to sit up but he pushes me back down forcefully.

‘Dominic, I really don’t want …’ I protest, but his hot wet lips silence me.

He is suddenly all over me. His lips travelling wetly over my neck and landi
ng back on my lips again. It’s like being waterboarded. I feel like a political prisoner.

‘You know you want me. Why else would you come?’

For you to comfort me I think. Perhaps this is Dominic’s way of comforting. He pushes his knee between my thighs and I gasp. I push against him in an effort to get him off me but he just waterboards me some more, and pins my arms at my sides. I feel panic rise within me.

‘Dominic, please stop,’ I cry, struggling to get up.

I feel his hand sliding up my skirt.

‘Come on Alice, you know you want to. I’ll help you forget the calf. It’s not like it was a person. Come on, let’s go into the bedroom.’

Oh no, I don’t think so. With a big effort I lift my knee and thump into his groin. Okay it was a bit of a reflex reaction. I didn’t have that many options did I? The last place I want to end up tonight is in Dominic Montfort’s bed.

‘Bloody hell Alice,’ he yelps falling onto the floor and straight onto his wet patch. ‘What did you do that for? That was a bit below the belt.’

I jump up.

‘Wasn’t it? How dare you force yourself on me.’

He grimaces.

‘Running back to Edward are you? He’s a ponce, you know that don’t you? I offered him a good price for that farm. He and his father
are both bloody stubborn. He won’t keep that milk licence five minutes with that farm the state it’s in. His bloody father should have sold it to me. I gave him the chance. I don’t know what you see in that veterinary pleb. He’s crazy and so was his father. The old man was rolling in it, and he still wouldn’t sell that place. I don’t know why I was so soft with him …’ he breaks off, stumbles to the drink cabinet and pours a whisky.

‘What do you mean?’ I ask angrily.

He sighs.

‘The old man had dementia. He sold me the farm for a good price. Edward got wind of it and got all legal. I pulled out because I felt it was wrong to go through with it, but it’s madness Alice. The farm is a mess. It’s not about money. The Fairfax’s are the most comfortable family in the country. It’s sheer bloody
-mindedness. That land is being wasted. Do you know how many houses can be built on that land?’

‘Houses?’ I re
peat.

What is he talking about?

‘Just forget it,’ he says dismissively. ‘Christ Alice. That was some knee jerk you walloped me with.’

He grimaces and knocks the whisky back in one go. I walk past him and pick up my bag.

‘I’m sorry but I am tired of everyone taking advantage of me, or thinking I don’t have feelings,’ I say angrily.

How dare they all walk over me like this? What is wrong with me for even allowing it?

‘First bloody Karen talks to me like she is my boss and not the other way around …’

‘Who’s bloody Karen?’

‘And then Charlie dumps me like a piece of rubbish, and then Edward, well Edward …’

I stop as my breath catches in my throat. Edward is the worst of them all. Edward took away the one thing that had made me feel worthwhile.

‘Who’s Charlie?’

‘The man I should have fought for instead of coming here.’

If I had never come here I wouldn’t have met Edward and I wouldn’t be feeling as wretched as I am now.

‘You can all go to hell,’ I say fierce
ly and walk from the house to the Beetle.

I’m half way down the drive by the time he reaches the front door.
He’s clutching his groin with one hand and waving me to stop with the other. For a second I feel bad about kneeing him so hard, but that soon passes and the tears come unbidden. Racking sobs make it difficult for me to breathe and I clutch the steering wheel as my vision blurs. Everything was going so well. How could Edward spoil it all? I have no idea where to go. I consider driving all the way home but in my present state that would not be sensible. A sudden fork in the road takes me by surprise and I brake sharply before skidding to the right. The country lane is pitch black. I fumble with the lights and then see a deer. I push my foot on the brake and the Beetle shudders uncontrollably. I swerve and the steering wheel is wrenched out of my hands. I close my eyes and scream as the car spins out of control. It seems to whirl around like water in a whirlpool. There are deafening bangs and the Beetle lurches to its side, and then everything is still. I open my eyes to find myself in total blackness. Christ, I’ve died, this is awful. I didn’t get to marry Charlie. Come to think of it, I didn’t get to marry anyone. This could only happen to me. I then see the deer looking in at me through the window and we lock eyes for a moment.

‘I’m so sorry,’ I whisper and am not sure if I’m
talking to the deer or myself.

It runs off into the darkness
and I rummage in my bag for my Nokia and pray that I have a signal. Oh thank you God, there are two bars. I try to start the engine but nothing happens, but even if it had started I have no idea how I would get the car back onto the road. Come to think of it, where is the road? A car whizzes past but I don’t see it. I’m in someone’s field. I open the door and clamber out. I sniffle and hiccup my way through a gap in the hedge, losing my footing twice, scream
fuck it
three times and finally make it to the roadside with muddied hands and knees. I look back to my little Beetle and let out a tiny sob. Falling onto the wet ground I cry silently for five minutes before phoning Edward.

***

Twenty minutes later I hear the sound of the Land Rover. To me it feels like the Batmobile has arrived and I could cry with relief. I have shielded myself from the rain as best I could, but by the time Edward reaches me I am shaking with cold. I burst into tears and cling to him. The fresh smell that is so uniquely him makes me cry even more. He wraps a blanket around me and the familiar smell of Chloe makes me sob.

‘It’s okay, I’m here now,’ he whispers softly into my ear. ‘Let’s get you into the Land Rover. Are you hurt?’

‘I don’t think so,’ I hiccup.

‘The Beetle,’ I sob and point to the car.

‘I’m going to have a look at it. Let’s get you in the warm first.’

He wraps his arm around my waist and leads me to the Land Rover. I watch as he climbs down into the woods and stupidly hope he can get my little Beetle out. I really need my car if I am going home. I study my reflection in the dashboard mirror.

‘Shit
.’

I look like I have been in the clutches of King Kong. My cheeks are smudged with dirt and my hair is a tangled mess. I certainly feel like I am on Skull Island right now. I shakily take a sip from the bottle of water Edward gave me and wait for him to return. His grim expression does not bode well.

‘The Beetle’s a write-off I should think,’ he says, taking the water from me and guzzling half of the bottle. ‘You smashed into a tree. I gave Jed a call; he’s coming with a pickup. We’ll know more when we see it.’

That’s all I need. I must get some perspective on this. It’s a little car accident. What am I thinking? It’s not a
little
car accident when your car is written off is it? Okay, I must keep calm. It could be worse. It could have been a plane crash and then I most certainly wouldn’t have survived, but a write-off, oh dear. Why couldn’t I have just dented a wing or scraped the bumper. That’s what most women do isn’t it? Not me, oh no. I have to drive the thing into the woods and wrap it round a tree.

‘How can I get home now
?’ I whimper.

‘Well if you really want to get to London there are trains. It’s only Cornwall after all, not the Outer Hebrides.’

He throws the half packet of Maltesers into my lap.

‘I rescued these.’

There is silence and I pop three Maltesers into my mouth. Silently he digs into the bag, stroking my knee as he does so. I shudder against my will as that familiar jolt of desire shoots through me. What is the matter with me? It’s like being turned on by a murderer. I have no shame. I think back to Dominic and my feelings of revulsion when he had touched me.

‘These help,’ he says, breaking the silence and reaching for the bag.

‘I kneed Dominic in the groin,’ I say.

He smiles.

‘You did? Well done.’

‘He made a pass at me.’

He lowers his eyes.

‘I can’t altogether blame him,’ he says so quietly that I only just hear him.

My heart flutters and I self-consciously pat at my hair.

‘Really,’ I whisper
. ‘You don’t blame him?’

‘No, I rather envy his nerve.’

Double heart flutters. What’s happening now? This couldn’t be a worse time. I can just discern his face in the darkness of the Land Rover but I can’t see the expression there.

‘I didn’t mean it when I called you a monster,’ I say hesitantly and pop a couple of Maltes
ers into my mouth. Chocolate cures all so they say.

‘Chloe didn’t feel anything. I want you to know that. It was cowardly of me not to tell you first.’

‘You did it? You put Chloe to sleep?’

I feel him nod.

‘It did hurt when you called me a monster. Animals are my greatest love. I’d never cause an animal any suffering. I do what is best for them and …’

I’m such a bitch.

‘Edward, I’m so sorry. I really didn’t mean it I …’

Our hands reach in for the Maltes
ers at the same time and touch. I let out a small gasp and suddenly I am in his arms, and this time it feels far from being waterboarded. It feels like heaven. It actually feels like every chocolate bar you can think of all in one go. It’s marshmallow and hot chocolate, and it’s divine. I’m drowning in pleasure. His lips are warm and welcoming, his tongue deliciously arousing. I feel my body melt under his touch and yield beneath him when he pushes me back onto the seat. I wasn’t prepared for this. I’m overcome by a whirlpool of emotions that I never felt with Charlie, or anybody else for that matter. I’m overwhelmed with a need to hold him so tightly. What is happening to me?