Bad Blood

by Lily Hayden

  Belle had been planning on staying with her friend for the whole weekend, but Rose had called her out of the blue to ask her if she wanted to go halves on a hotel room. It was only forty pounds, but she was watching her pennies, so her initial reaction had been to decline until Rose had told her that she had lost her job. With a little coaxing, her sister had admitted that she was struggling, emotionally and financially. Knowing how that felt, Belle hadn’t had the heart to say no.

  She had zero desire to attend the wedding. Linda couldn’t have made it any clearer that she had no intention of playing happy families, and after the last few months tiptoeing on eggshells around Tim, Belle was in no rush to be made to feel unwelcome ever again. But in the back of her mind, she couldn’t shake the hope that Frank might still want to do the right thing and cut them into the profit from the sale of the fields. She’d been wrestling with worries about the will since they’d received the invitation, but as time ticked on it seemed more and more likely that she would be left out in the cold when the time came.

  But the more Toby and I are around, she thought with fierce determination, hopefully the less chance that he’ll decide to cut us out completely after the wedding.

  Tim

  “Are we not all going to help your dad set up?” Eleanor asked in surprise when Tim suggested that she take the children off to the hotel’s indoor swimming pool for an hour.

  Tim shook his head briskly. “No, the children will get in the way and it makes sense for at least one of us to enjoy the facilities. I’ll go on my own.”

  She looked disappointed, but now that he’d mentioned the pool in front of the children there was no way she could insist without a mutiny on her hands from an excited-looking Hugo. He felt a flicker of guilt at the expression on her face, but the weight of his phone in his pocket reminded him of the increasing urgency of Emma’s messages. He needed privacy to resolve the issue.

  He tried calling her on the drive over to Bluebell Farm, but there was no response. It was typical that she called him back as he was stood holding up a pole in the middle of the field waiting for his brother to secure it in place.

  “Can someone grab this?” He called to his sisters who had just arrived. “I need to take this call.”

  By the time Belle had ambled over with the heavy boot on her foot, the call had rung off. He passed the pole to her wordlessly, feeling her eyes on the back of his head as he redialled.

  His face reddened with discomfort as a hot-headed Emma launched into a barrage of weepy accusations as soon as the line connected. He heard himself uttering assurances that he had no intention of keeping, desperate to placate her to buy himself a few days reprieve while he figured out the best way to break off their arrangement. He hadn’t reckoned on her irrational reaction to the mention of his weekend plans, assuming the feelings she had mentioned were just pillow-talk.

  He didn’t want to lose Eleanor, he realised with sickening clarity. He loved her, and the life they had. He had only wanted the illicit thrill of an affair with the wild, adventurous Emma. He had made no promises to her, presuming that she understood that their time together was just a fling, albeit an addictive one. Her teary emotional outburst had him terrified that he had bitten off more than he could chew.

  “Everything alright?”

  Tim had stopped to make his call in the semi-privacy of the lane between the house and the field, and Frank had emerged from the garden gate looking sprightlier than he had at their previous visit. He hadn’t heard his father approach, and he hurriedly shoved his phone back into his pocket.

  “Yes, fine,” he said quickly.

  His father looked better today, Tim thought to himself regarding his father in the cloudless daylight.

  There’s plenty of life in the old man yet, he thought. We must have just caught him on an off day.

  “Thanks for coming to help get everything set up,” Frank said awkwardly. “Linda and I appreciate the help.”

  “That’s ok,” Tim said already turning back towards his siblings setting up in the field opposite the house. It was the one remaining parcel of land that Frank hadn’t leased out to the neighbouring farmer, and Tim remembered his brother and sisters’ comments about asking for a cut. His head quickly ran the calculations. Compared to his in-law’s fortune, even with the fields Bluebell Farm was a comparative pittance, but between Emma’s increasing demands and his gnawing paranoia since Belle had somehow cottoned on to his secret, Tim suddenly felt a flicker of fear at the thought of losing his portion of the estate, and he turned back to his father sharply. “Can I ask what your intentions are when you’re married? I vaguely remember that you and Mum had mirror wills, but I imagine you’ll be looking to make an amendment to provide for Linda.”

  Frank’s eyes flickered away from Tim’s shiftily. “Of course,” he responded tightly. “I haven’t got around to speaking to my solicitor yet, but I imagine I will in the next few weeks. I need to get the ball rolling with the fields anyway…”

  He trailed off staring over at the gazebo, and in that moment, Tim knew intuitively that his father had every intention of cutting them out completely. A spark of indignation ignited in the pit of his stomach, and he opened his mouth to press him on the matter when Will appeared at the gate to the field.

  “It’s up, Dad,” Will stated proudly. “I was just coming to get you.”

  The relief was evident on Frank’s face as he sauntered away after his younger son, leaving Tim stood in the lane alone. His legs felt like stone, and instead of following after them, he turned in a slow circle looking around at the rolling green of Bluebell Farm. The land had been in his mother’s family for decades, and his eyes travelled back to the farmhouse settling on the cheap double-glazing that Linda’s nephew had installed after his last visit home. He blazed with fury at the thought of that wretched woman taking what was rightfully his. At the back of his mind, he remembered all the times that his siblings had tried to raise the subject with him. He flushed with humiliated regret remembering that he had cut them off; too preoccupied with his own life to have time to consider their warnings.

  No, he pushed away any accountability fiercely turning the blame back onto the three of them, they should have been the ones to raise it with Frank. Why should I be the one to go chasing after solicitors?

  He stood at the gate watching his father and his brother stroll across the field towards his sisters. He felt his hackles rise at the sight of Belle. He had noticed that her limp seemed to have magically disappeared now that she was back in Hampton Dale, and he felt a secondary swell of anger rise up deep from the pit of his stomach so strong that it threatened to burst from him in a mighty roar. But instead, with practised deliberation, he pressed it back until he could feel the vibrations of his rage settle into his core. Nothing good would come out of him losing his temper with them all, he knew.

  No, he would have one shot to convince his father, and he knew that he would have to play his hand carefully. And then he would never have to set eyes on any of them again.

  Rose

  Rose stretched up on to tiptoes to tie the bunting to the corner of the gazebo, but she couldn’t quite reach. She stepped back to look around for someone to help. Belle and Toby were tossing a ball back and forth, and her brothers had disappeared.

  She spotted Craig’s head over the hedge and waited, idly watching as Toby threw the ball wide and Belle nimbly threw herself up into the air to catch it. Rose grimaced as she watched the heavy boot take off thinking her sister had forgotten about her injury, but Belle barely flinched when she landed. Rose’s phone buzzed from the back pocket of her jeans. She fished it out, her heart skipping a beat at Gareth’s name flashing up on the screen.

  Just ignore it, she told herself, but willpower had never been her strength.

  “Hello,” she answered cautiously.

  “Hey,” Gareth sounded endearingly nervous making her stomach flutter with hope. “I hope you don’t mind me calling. I heard you’re in town.�
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  When she had made the decision to end things with Gareth, it had been entirely out of self-preservation, but she couldn’t switch off the magnetic pull she felt towards him.

  “I am,” she confirmed quietly. “How are you?”

  “I’m ok,” he replied. “I was just wondering if you had time to get a coffee?”

  She hesitated, and he added quickly. “Just as friends if that’s all you want, Rose.”

  It’s not what I want, she thought glumly. Even though there had only been one kiss, they had spoken enough for Rose to know that she really liked him. Just friends, her heart was already trying to trick her into accepting, it would be rude to say no. You’re in town, where’s the harm?

  “That would be nice,” she heard herself reply guardedly. “I’m staying at The Red Lion if you fancy a proper drink later.”

  “I’m working this evening,” his voice brightened instantaneously at her response. “Any chance you can meet me at the café on the High Street in half hour? Or I can pick you up?”

  Despite her own reservations, she found herself smiling as she made her excuses to her brothers and sister to drive into the village to meet him. Gareth was already waiting for her in the little coffee shop, with two lattes and a blueberry muffin on the table. His face lit up when she pushed the door open, and she felt her resolve weaken when he wrapped her in a friendly hug.

  “I didn’t know whether to call you,” he admitted sheepishly. “I remembered it was the wedding, but I bumped into my sister Steph earlier with your sister.”

  “I’m glad you did,” she admitted unable to resist his infectiously warm smile. “I didn’t realise that her friend was your sister though.”

  “That’s Hampton Dale,” he joked before turning serious. “Look, Rose, I totally respect everything you said about the distance thing, and I totally get it…”

  He paused, and she found herself holding her breath, suddenly wanting him to talk her around more than anything. A big part of her was thinking that she’d been too hasty, cutting her nose off to spite her face. She couldn’t bring herself to speak, but she met his eyes across the table feeling the invisible sparks fly between them.

  “But I really like you,” he finished nervously. “And I’d still like to be friends if nothing else.”

  The last of her resolution crumbled when he tentatively covered her hand with his own, and she felt a burst of butterflies from the pit of her stomach.

  “I like you too,” she admitted. “It’s just I’ve had a lot going on, I’ve just lost my job, I’m skint.” She laughed hollowly. “I’m not much of a catch right now and you deserve better. I’m not the best company, and I’ve got quite a lot of figuring stuff out to do.”

  “Oh, Rose!” Sympathy clouded his eyes. “I’m so sorry to hear that, but I do understand what you mean. I was made redundant just after my separation, and it totally knocked my confidence. It’s only after I got into the police that I really started to feel like myself again. I promise that we can do this completely on your terms, it’s just…” He trailed off smiling shyly at her.

  “It’s just?” She couldn’t help smiling back at him.

  “It’s just you’re the first person I’ve really wanted to date,” he admitted. “But if you’d rather just be friends, that’s totally fine too.”

  She felt her heart skip a beat with excitement, but she reminded herself to be cautious. “Things are just a little tough at the moment, but I think I’d like that. Maybe when I’m a little more fun to be around.”

  “You are fun,” he insisted. “But I totally understand what you mean.”

  They chatted easily until they realised the café owner was closing up around them, and they both laughed at how quickly they’d lost track of time absorbed in one other’s company.

  “Have you got plans with your family now?” Gareth asked as they stood outside on the pavement.

  Rose shook her head. “Not really.”

  “I’m working a night shift, but you’re welcome to come back to mine for some food if you want,” he said before quickly adding. “Just as friends, of course.”

  Rose felt her pulse quicken “I’d love too.”

  Will

  Will could sense Craig growing impatient as Linda marched across the field to dump another armload of decorative hearts fashioned from twigs and twine onto the trestle tables, and he pasted a cheery smile on his face.

  “Is there much more?” He asked his step-mother-to-be as brightly as he could muster.

  “If you’ve got somewhere to be…” she sniffed haughtily.

  He could feel Craig shooting him an imploring look, but he shook his head hurriedly. “We can help for a bit longer, can’t we, Craig?”

  Linda turned on her heel flouncing away without a response, and Will shot his boyfriend an apologetic look. “We won’t be much longer. I’ll finish putting these up, and then we can head back to the pub.”

  Will’s phone pinged from the table where he’d left it, but before he could descend the stepladder Craig had picked it up. He felt a flicker of irritation at the invasion of his privacy, followed by a sharp stab of panic that it could be an incriminating travel text from Raya.

  “It’s from your sister,” he said. “She’s met up with a friend and wants to know if we can drop Belle and Toby back to the B & B.”

  Will reached for the phone to reply before tucking the phone into the safety of his pocket.

  “I didn’t realise she was still here,” Craig said, and Will could hear the thinly veiled annoyance in his tone.

  “I think her foot was hurting,” he replied defensively. “Her and Toby were going to help Dad in the house.”

  When Craig didn’t respond, he braced himself to ignore his boyfriend’s strop, but after a minute he felt too guilty and slipped an arm around his shoulders. “Sorry that we’ve been roped into this. I really do appreciate you helping my dad out though.”

  “That’s ok,” Craig sighed visibly softening. “To be honest, it’s been nice to see where you grew up and meet your family properly. You’re always so closed off about them. I always wondered what the mystery was.”

  “I don’t mean to be,” Will admitted. “And there’s no mystery. We just all kind of drifted apart. This has been nice though.”

  “Well, it’s solved the mystery for me,” Craig raised an eyebrow throwing his arms wide to gesture to the fields around them. “I can see why you’ve been so reluctant to get excited about a three-bedroom-semi in Suburbia when you’ve been sat on this gold mine.”

  “What?” He shook his head frowning in confusion. “It’s not that at all. And it’s hardly sitting on a gold mine, Craig. I’m as skint as I’ve always been.”

  “Only short term though,” Craig retorted triumphantly. “God, if my mum was leaving me all this, I’d be living like a playboy and jet-setting around the world too.”

  “No, that’s not how it is,” Will stared at his boyfriend in disbelief. “I’ll get, like, some of it in twenty years or whatever. If Dad doesn’t leave it all to Linda now.”

  He grimaced at the thought, but he had already come to terms with the fact that there was little that they could do about it. Tim had shot down all his attempts to discuss the will, and Belle hadn’t got anywhere with her plans to ask their father for a cut of the sale of the fields. Will couldn’t help feeling gutted at the unfairness of it all, but money wasn’t everything. Like Raya always said you can’t miss what you never had.

  “You get a quarter of it, or a fifth of it,” Craig pressed the issue making Will turn away in annoyance. “Which is more than enough to buy a massive house or even a few smaller ones. Invest in property and spend half the year travelling the world on the income. Will, you’ve got it made.”

  “No, Craig,” Will said when it was clear that he wasn’t taking the hint. “I don’t know what I get, and it doesn’t matter. It’s years away.”

  Craig raised an eyebrow. “Still, it makes me understand, so that’s a good t
hing. I really thought that your doubts were because you didn’t want to settle down with me.”

  “Really?” Will felt his guilty conscience resurface through his annoyance, and he knew that he couldn’t put the conversation off any longer. “Do you really think that I want to live like a gap-year student while I wait for my dad to pop his clogs so I can move into the family manor?” He realised how harsh he sounded, and quickly added to soften the blow. “Craig, I love you, I really do, but I just don’t want to settle down and live a nine-to-five life.” He felt Craig stiffen next to him, but he pressed on knowing it was long overdue. “If I did, it would be with you. I know it’s immature to want to be travelling all the time and not putting down roots, but I can’t help how I feel. I’ve always had wanderlust, but I thought I’d grow out of it. I guess it’s just part of who I am.”

  He braced himself for an onslaught from his boyfriend, but Craig was still looking surprisingly upbeat.

  “Exactly!” Craig exclaimed. “And you having all this means you can do both! You can have a base at home and afford to live your dreams. We can do it together.”

  Will narrowed his eyes in confusion. “Craig, you’re not listening to what I’m saying. I’m not waiting for a cheque to come in. It’ll probably never happen. I want to go travel the world, because it’s part of who I am.”

  “Maybe,” he shrugged unruffled. “But I totally get it and I understand now that you can do both.”

  Will regarded his boyfriend in disbelief that he was that pig-headed that he still couldn’t hear what he was trying to tell him. He took a deep breath before dropping the bombshell that he had been dreading.

  “I’ve been thinking about going to Japan this summer,” he forced himself to press on. “Raya has already booked flights and I was still trying to decide what to do for the best.”

  “This summer?” It was Craig’s turn to frown. “But that’s so soon.”

  “Yeah,” Will looked down at the ground guiltily. “But it doesn’t have to stop your plans to find a job and somewhere closer to your family, and it’s up to you, but if you still wanted us to be together…”