‘He’s a lucky man,’ Matt managed to respond. ‘I hope he’s worth it.’
She wished so much that she could make him feel better, but there were no words. Everyone back home assumed they’d get married one day and have kids. She’d thought so, too.
‘I’m sorry,’ she said, aware of how inadequate it sounded, and also how final. Was she doing the right thing? She drew back her shoulders. She’d been cheating on him in her head for weeks and finally, last night, she’d done it for real. There was no going back.
‘At least I know,’ Matt said at last. ‘At least I won’t be hanging on any more, like some stupid idiot.’
‘I really am—’ Bramble started to say, but there was a click and she realised that he’d gone.
After that, the toast tasted like charcoal in her mouth, the coffee bitter and cloying, and she pushed them away. Do to others what you would have them do to you, the saying went. Well, she’d hate Matt to treat her in the cruel manner that she’d treated him – but of course he never would.
*
Katie was no comfort whatsoever.
‘You’ve made a big mistake,’ she tutted from her bed when she heard what had happened. The curtains were still drawn and merely lifting her head off the pillow made her wince. ‘You’re going to regret it.’
It wasn’t what Bramble wanted to hear, so she stormed off and refused to speak again for hours, festering alone in her room. Matt loomed so large in her mind that she feared she might go mad; the thought of him suffering made her feel wretched. She tried to focus on Piers instead, but it didn’t help that he didn’t call her back all that day.
‘He’s probably just tied up with work,’ Katie said crossly when Bramble finally broke the silence later that afternoon. ‘Maybe he’s waiting to tell you he’s had an offer of a million pounds for your land.’
‘Don’t be silly; it’s not worth that much.’ But she was secretly pleased, for the thought of what Gus’s bill would be when they’d finished made her feel sick.
Ryan turned up unexpectedly at about seven p.m. with a bunch of white roses for Katie and an invitation to the cinema. She was still in her pyjamas and didn’t even ask him in, instead making him hover awkwardly at the door.
‘I don’t like sitting in cinemas and I’m not into dating at the moment; I’m focusing on other things,’ she said haughtily while Bramble hid in the background. Poor Ryan looked crestfallen.
‘You’d better keep these,’ Katie added, handing the roses back, and he sloped off to his car with his tail between his legs. Bramble felt like running after him to give him a hug, but decided against it on the grounds that he might get the wrong impression and ask her out instead.
‘You could have said it more nicely,’ she scolded once the door was firmly shut.
But Katie was unrepentant. ‘There’s no way I’d ever go out with him. It would be meaner to string him along.’
Bramble didn’t dare point out that it had been a very different story last night, when Katie had been batting her eyelashes and flirting with the fishmonger like mad. Now she was in such a bad mood that even the slightest criticism might spark World War Three.
When Piers did finally ring, at about five o’clock on Tuesday afternoon, Bramble was so relieved that she almost lost all composure and burst into tears.
‘I thought something might have happened,’ she said, watching Shannon out of an upstairs window, trug in hand, dead-heading a pink rosebush. She’d just gone back to school, but had promised that she’d come for an hour or two after lessons when she could. Piers laughed humourlessly.
‘Sorry. It’s been one meeting after another like you wouldn’t believe.’
‘You could have texted,’ she scolded. ‘How about supper tonight? The Lobster Pot in the village does good food.’
A change of scene would be welcome, and besides, she couldn’t help feeling that he owed her. If anyone should take on the task of cheering her up and taking her mind off Matt, it was surely him.
‘I can’t,’ he replied, before apologising again. ‘I’ll be in touch soon – at the end of the week. Promise.’
The end of the week? That was so far away! Disappointment washed over her, but she told herself that he must have his reasons.
‘Any news about the land?’ she asked, hoping to detain him a little longer. Besides, she really was keeping her fingers crossed for a cash injection, or at least the prospect of one.
‘I, um...’ He sounded slightly uncomfortable, or was she imagining it? ‘Nothing yet.’ Was he was holding something back? ‘It takes time...’
‘Of course,’ she replied, trying to disguise the anxiety creeping into her bones. ‘Just let me know as soon as you can.’
After he’d gone, she stood there for a few minutes, going over the conversation. He hadn’t been particularly warm, which was peculiar given their intimacy on Saturday night. Had she done something wrong? If so, she couldn’t imagine what. Over dinner he’d hardly taken his eyes off her, and he’d been extremely amorous later on and had seemed not at all dissatisfied with his experience either before, during or after. Quite the opposite, in fact.
Had something changed? But how, in such a short space of time? No, she told herself firmly, she was being silly and paranoid. He was stressed, super-busy and working extremely hard on her behalf. She must be patient. He’d no doubt call back soon sounding completely different, the gorgeous, dashing Piers again.
She could hear an engine starting up and peered out of a different window to see Gus and his men scrambling into their lorry. Gus spotted her from the passenger side, opened the door again and leaned out, flashing the large, lurid tattoo on his thick forearm.
‘We’re off for fish and chips,’ he shouted merrily. ‘Fancy anything? A battered sausage?’ He made it sound faintly suggestive and she shook her head quickly. ‘A nice juicy pasty? A pickled egg? You can pay us back later.’
Bramble retreated quickly, feeling rather tainted. They never worked beyond five. In fact they usually finished much earlier, and there was no sign of the new roof tiles yet. Piers, Gus – she wasn’t having a good day. And if only she could stop brooding about Matt...
She’d been planning on making a start on the drawers in Lord Penrose’s study downstairs, which was overflowing with papers and books that looked as if they hadn’t been touched in years. It was time, she felt, to start opening up other parts of the house, to put her own stamp on them, but she wasn’t in the mood now. Instead, she went to find Katie, having decided to accompany her to The Hole in the Wall. She’d be on duty but Bramble would be bound to bump into some locals there; she’d rather chat with them than stay here on her own.
Katie was lying on her bed again, staring at the ceiling. The windows were closed and the room smelled stuffy. She hadn’t recovered from Saturday either. There had been little mention of Danny, despite the fact that she’d seen him at work, and she was clearly still upset that her best efforts at seduction had failed so miserably.
‘Isn’t it time to get ready?’ Bramble asked, looking at her friend’s blotchy face and greasy hair and thinking of all the hours that she’d once spent making herself beautiful for her bar shifts.
‘In a minute.’ Katie didn’t move. ‘I don’t want to go to work today. In fact, I don’t want to go there ever again. Maybe I’ll call in sick.’
She’d only been doing the job for a few weeks and she needed the cash; they both did.
‘You can’t let them down,’ Bramble said firmly. ‘Get up and have a shower. You’ll frighten away the customers if they see you in that state!’
*
‘Shocking, the way she treated Ryan. What harm has he ever done anyone? He wouldn’t hurt a fly. That girl needs to learn some manners.’
Esme’s long nose twitched with annoyance and her small grey eyes flashed menacingly. She was sitting with Tabitha at Liz’s kitchen table while Liz put the kettle on and handed beakers of diluted fruit juice to Oscar and Lowenna.
It had been a busy
morning making lunches at the church hall, but fortunately Lowenna had slept after returning from Jean’s house, giving Liz the chance to relax. She had been delighted when her friends had turned up at almost the same time for a chat and a cuppa; in fact, it had been perfect timing. Rosie was at a friend’s and Robert had said he wouldn’t make it home for supper, so there was no rush to prepare food.
‘Biscuit?’ asked Liz, handing the tin to Esme first, who looked as if she needed sweetening up.
She took a chocolate one before passing them to Tabitha.
‘Did you hear what she did?’ Esme went on, sinking her teeth into her food and crunching loudly.
Liz shook her head.
‘He brought her a bunch of roses and she thrust them back at him. How rude is that? She could at least have taken them and thanked him graciously, even if she didn’t want to go out with him. It’s seriously dented his confidence – and he didn’t have much in the first place.’
Liz poured boiling water into three mugs and stirred the teabags around.
‘I wonder why Katie behaved so badly? Perhaps she was feeling terrible. She did seem to drink a lot that night.’
‘That’s no excuse,’ snapped Esme, reaching for another biscuit. ‘I know men are daft – look at Rick! But Ryan’s a sensitive soul and she should have been gentler. I’ve half a mind to have a word with her and tell her how upset she’s made him. He could hardly speak when I bought my fish this morning. He had tears in his eyes. I thought he was about to break down.’
Liz put three mugs on the table and sat down. She’d fetched a box of toys for Oscar and Lowenna, who were busy throwing them around and roaring with laughter. Tabitha, who’d been silent up to now, asked Esme how she knew about Katie’s bad behaviour, and the older woman explained that Ryan had confided in Jesse, who’d told Loveday, who’d mentioned it to Barbara, who’d spilled the beans to Esme. Nothing was secret around here for long.
‘It’s odd, because she was flirting with Ryan at the party,’ Tabitha commented. ‘Flashing her boobs and batting her eyelashes. She was all over him like a rash.’
Liz took a sip of tea and nodded. ‘That dress was something else.’
‘I thought she was eyeing Danny up, too,’ Tabitha went on slowly. ‘Did you notice? He said it could have been embarrassing but he just ignored her. Apparently, she’s been really frosty with him since and it’s quite awkward in the pub. The others have commented as well.’
‘Oh dear.’ Liz had suspected that Katie was keen on Danny and had secretly never thought that she was serious about poor Ryan. But she hated bad feeling and didn’t believe that deep down Katie was a mean person. Immature, a bit selfish and misguided, yes, but not deliberately cruel.
Fortunately, Tabitha wasn’t a vindictive person either, and besides, she and Danny were clearly so crazy about each other that she really didn’t need to worry. Esme, however, took a different view.
‘Barbara says that girl isn’t welcome in her pub any more,’ she sniffed, brushing the crumbs off her lap. ‘And I won’t be inviting her to my next exhibition, that’s for sure.’ She waggled a finger at Tabitha. ‘You watch her with your chap. I wouldn’t let him out of my sight if I were you. Katie’s a man-eater; I’ve seen her type before. She’ll gobble him up for breakfast if you’re not careful.’
By the time Esme had finished her rant, Tabitha was so alarmed that she asked Liz to mind Oscar for her while she hot-footed it to The Hole in the Wall to have a word with Danny. She wasn’t quite sure what she’d say, but she wanted him to know that she wasn’t happy about Katie and didn’t trust her. At the very least, that might make him more wary of the other girl’s charms.
He was in his flat upstairs, checking stock levels on his computer, and he looked up and grinned when Tabitha walked in.
‘Hi, gorgeous!’ he said. ‘To what do I owe this unexpected pleasure?’
He was looking particularly handsome, in a close-fitting black T-shirt that showed off his muscles. His hair was tied back in a ponytail and his teeth flashed white against his brown face. It was quite dark in the room, owing to the low-beamed ceiling and small, leaded windows. The floor was uneven beneath the beige carpet, and there was an empty fireplace in the corner that must have been a blessing on cold winter nights before the central heating had been installed.
Tabitha pulled up a chair opposite and explained her conversation with Esme. For a moment it seemed that Danny might laugh, until he clocked his girlfriend’s worried eyes, the anxious twisting of her lips. He knew her history and understood, deep down, how easily her fragile trust could be broken.
When she’d finished, he got up and knelt before her, smoothing away the furrows on her brow with his thumbs.
‘I promise you,’ he said warmly, ‘that I’m not and never will be remotely interested in Katie. I offered her a job because she needed work and I needed a bar hand, simple as that. I’ll happily fire her this evening if you want me to. She’s been quite difficult these past few days, so I’ve got a very good excuse.’
‘That won’t be necessary.’
Danny looked up, and Tabitha turned and her mouth dropped open – for there, in the doorway, was Katie herself.
‘I was planning to hand in my notice anyway,’ she said, her chin jutting, arms crossed tightly over her chest. ‘I don’t like working here – in fact, I hate it – and I don’t like Tremarnock either. I’m going back to London as soon as I can.’
And with that she stalked away, while Danny and Tabitha stared at each other, listening in silence to her angry footsteps on the wooden stairs and waiting until they were certain that she’d left before opening their mouths.
It was Danny who spoke first, exhaling loudly. ‘Well! I didn’t see that coming. I guess it makes things easier. Only problem is, I need a new barmaid now.’
‘I can help out until you find one,’ said Tabitha. ‘If Liz doesn’t mind looking after Oscar.’
She twisted a strand of her curly black hair round and round a forefinger. ‘I’m glad she’s going, though I feel a bit sorry for Bramble. I should think she’ll be lonely in that leaky old manor with only the surly housekeeper for company. I wouldn’t like it. I wonder what she’ll decide to do now.’
18
BRAMBLE HAD DROPPED Katie off near the pub before heading to park the car. It was too early to go for a drink – she might be the only customer – so she decided to kill time and stroll along the seafront first.
The heatwave was finally over and a slight chill in the air suggested that autumn was just around the corner. Most folk had left the beach and the streets felt emptier than of late, but several people in shorts and warm sweaters were out exercising their dogs, nodding at each other and stopping for a moment to chat while their pets sniffed and growled or wagged their tails. The lights had just gone on in The Lobster Pot, for although it was only six thirty, the sky had already begun to darken, and the windows in the shops and cottages were shut tight to keep out the wind.
Meanwhile the tide, a fair way out, had left a wide stretch of sandy-coloured shingle covered in blobs of slimy seaweed and the odd length of crusty rope, perhaps from one of the boats bobbing out at sea. One hardy soul in red swimming trunks walked boldly down to the water, plunged in and swam vigorously towards an orange buoy. Bramble watched him getting smaller and smaller and shivered in her jeans and thin cotton top, wishing that she’d thought to bring a jumper. Definitely no swimming today for her; she’d rather have a hot bath.
She wondered what the place would feel like when all the tourists had gone and felt a shudder of fear. So far she hadn’t missed London, but perhaps the village would seem dull without the hordes of noisy, colourful holidaymakers to brighten things up. What if she went off the life here, as Matt had predicted that she surely would?
She was just reminding herself that at least she had Katie when her friend appeared, tapped her on the shoulder and pointed to the bench behind. ‘You’d better sit down.’
Surprised, Bra
mble did as she was told, and listened in dismay as Katie explained that she’d packed in the job and wouldn’t be going back.
‘What?’ stuttered Bramble, hoping that she’d misheard, but Katie’s expression suggested otherwise. ‘Why?’
The news was only just beginning to sink in when yet another bombshell made Bramble reel.
‘I can’t stay here any more. I miss home too much. I miss my family. I’ve tried, but I can’t do it. I’m sorry, Bramble. Cornwall’s not for me.’
She was so shocked that she couldn’t speak for several minutes, and when the words finally came, they tumbled out in such a rush that she herself could hardly understand what she was saying.
‘You can’t... We’ve only been here one summer... Give it a bit longer... Just because Danny’s not available... You’ll meet someone else... What about me?’
She must have said ‘please’ at least ten times, and she would have got down on her hands and knees and begged if she thought it would do any good, but Katie looked at her sadly.
‘It’s no good, I won’t change my mind. I’ll stay a couple more days to pack up and spend some time with you, but I need to be home by the weekend. It’s my little sister’s birthday on Sunday. I want to give her a surprise.’
‘I – I don’t think I can manage without you,’ Bramble stammered. ‘It’s too big a project, too lonely...’
Katie seized her by the shoulders and stared earnestly into her eyes.
‘Come with me. You can sell the manor and come home, too. It’s such a big old place, it’ll take years to get it how you want it, and that’s always assuming you can make enough money from flogging the land to do the renovations. Come back to London; it’s where you belong.’
Bramble shook her head. ‘No.’
‘Your mum and dad will be so happy,’ Katie wheedled. ‘And Matt...’
‘I said that’s finished. Over.’
‘Are you sure?’
For a moment the thought of her old life with Matt danced tantalisingly before Bramble’s eyes. She’d hated her job and had wanted some sort of change, an adventure, but picturing Sunday lunch with him at her parents’ dining table, opening their presents together on Christmas morning, holding hands with him on the sofa in front of the telly – it gave her a lump in the throat.
Tremarnock Summer Page 27