Pack of Lies

by Lucy Felthouse

  “Yeah, okay, I see where you’re coming from. But it still doesn’t make you stupid. If it does, we both were. And Richard, Alex…everyone. Everything pointed to a villager in the know. How were we ever to know that Nathaniel had ancestors from Eyam? We still don’t know who they were. So many people have come and gone over the years, and generations later there’s no telling how many surnames there have been in between.”

  “Find out if you like, Matthew, but not on my account. I don’t care. I meant what I said. I’ll never forgive Nathaniel Marsden—if that’s even his real name. I don’t want anything to do with him. To see him, to speak to him, nothing. Out of respect for what we had—more fool me—I’ll keep my word and make sure he’s in a decent facility to care for him should he be declared mentally unwell, but that’s as far as it goes. I’d really rather just forget the whole thing ever happened. It’ll take a while, I know, but I’m going to start now.” He reached for the bottle of whisky and topped up his glass. “I am going to make a toast. Here’s to forgetting, even if it’s just for a little while. Cheers.”

  “To forgetting,” Matthew said, and they clinked their glasses together.

  Epilogue

  Several times along the road, Isaac almost turned around and headed back home. But he made himself push on through the wintery slush on the pavements, made himself continue his journey to the pub. He’d been avoiding the place—avoiding everyone, really—for weeks. It was time to get back into the real world. Work had been necessary, but he’d basically turned up, done his job and returned home again. Gone was the happy personality that his patients had liked so much. He’d even overheard one of his more flirtatious ladies trotting out the cliché that he was a shadow of his former self and she wondered if somebody had died. He’d wanted to storm into the waiting room and say that, in a manner of speaking, yes, somebody had died. But he had kept a lid on it and the only damage he’d inflicted was on a pen that snapped clean in half in his hand. Christmas and the New Year had come and gone without so much as a mention in the Adams household. There had been the occasional murmurs about his sexuality, which was now apparently common knowledge, but that was to be expected.

  A good majority of the village knew why he was so down, and they left him to it, staying friendly and polite but not trying to force him into conversations he didn’t want to have. He was supremely grateful for that, for them, and that was why he was making an attempt to move on, to start living his life again. Seeing people, spending time with them, would help him to do that—he hoped.

  Matthew was working, so that was a definite plus point. If things got too difficult, his brother would be there to step in. Since it had happened, Matthew had done nothing but step in and be there for him. He’d been through a damn difficult time himself, but he’d shoved that aside and been an absolute pillar of strength for his brother, a fact Isaac wouldn’t soon forget. He wasn’t sure how he could ever repay him but he’d give it a damn good go.

  Running a hand through his hair and pulling in a deep breath, Isaac pushed open the door to the Miners. He hoped like hell that when he walked into the room, everyone wouldn’t immediately fall silent and turn to stare at him. It was inevitable that people would look, that they’d talk about him, but he just hoped they’d be subtle about it. It was hard enough being out and about without all that crap.

  Averting his eyes from the rest of the room, he made a beeline for the bar. Matthew stood there, a genuine smile transforming his face as he caught sight of his brother.

  “Isaac,” he said, not too loudly. “Good to see you, mate. What can I get you?”

  “Uh, just a pint, I think.”

  “Nothing to eat?”

  “No.” He shook his head. “I just ate.”

  Narrowing his eyes, Matthew seemed to stare into his very soul. “Did you? Really?”

  “Yes, really.” He suppressed a sigh. “I promise. Now stop nagging and get my bloody drink.” He didn’t blame Matthew for checking, not really. Isaac hadn’t exactly been looking after himself recently, and it was only his brother’s influence that made him get up in the mornings, eat, shower, shave and so on.

  With a curt nod, Matthew set about pouring the drink. He placed it on the bar with another smile. “I am really glad you’re here. There’s someone I’d like you to meet. Well, re-meet, if that’s even a word.”

  Isaac’s stomach dropped but he immediately realized how stupid that was. A new person, far from being terrifying, would be kind of nice. They wouldn’t have a clue about him, about his past, what had happened, why he was so fucking miserable. “Oh, okay. Who is it?”

  “I don’t know if you’ll remember her. Leah Jones? Kevin and Patricia’s daughter. Noah’s sister.”

  “Yes, of course I remember her. Been away traveling, hasn’t she? Christ, she’s been gone a long time. Or does it just feel that way?” He took a sip of his pint as he waited for his brother’s response.

  “Kinda both. She’s been away for ten years. Went on a gap year and never came back. She’s been all over the place, working to pay her way then moving on when she got fed up. And now, apparently, she’s ready to chill out, put down some roots. So she’s home.”

  “You seem to know a lot about what she’s been up to.”

  Matthew’s gaze flicked across the room, just for a millisecond, then back to Isaac. He shrugged. “Nah, not really.”

  Now it was Isaac’s turn to narrow his eyes. Slowly, so as not to draw attention, he turned around so he could see the direction his brother had glanced in. It took him a moment to recognize her, but when he did he couldn’t help the smile that took over his lips. It had been so long that it felt alien, but it also felt good.

  Swiveling on his stool to face the bar again, he raised an eyebrow at his brother, who’d been busying himself by emptying the glass washer, wiping the glasses and replacing them on the shelves and hooks. “Not been chatting to her then? Having nice long conversations about her travels? Getting to know each other again?”

  He expected Matthew to vehemently deny it, but instead he nodded. A small smile flirted with the corners of his lips. “Yeah, yeah, all right. We’ve been talking. Quite a lot.”

  Isaac frowned. “Why didn’t you just say that, then? She’s a good choice. She’s in the know, she’s from a family we trust, and even I can see she’s attractive.”

  Sighing, Matthew replied, “I was trying to play it down. I didn’t want to, you know, rub it in your face. I think there’s something between us, something that may develop. But I haven’t done anything about it because I thought you’d be on a downer about the whole relationship thing.”

  Isaac shrugged. “So what if I am? It’s nothing to do with me. Obviously I haven’t spoken to her for over ten years, but I’m sure she’s a nice girl. And frankly, if she makes you happy that’s good enough for me.”

  “So you wouldn’t mind, then? If we got together? I mean, I’m not about to propose marriage any time soon, but I’d like to spend some more time with her, see how things go. If it doesn’t work out, so be it. But I’d like to try. Also, the fact I don’t have to keep my secret from her is a huge plus point.”

  “You sound as if you’re asking for my permission or something.”

  Matthew looked thoughtful. “I suppose I kind of am. We’ve had a tough few months, especially you, and I don’t want to do anything that’s going upset you or piss you off.”

  Taking another swig of his pint to give him a few seconds to formulate his response, Isaac finally spoke. “You’re right, we’ve had a shitty few months and that’s exactly why you should go for it. Life goes on. It has to. And although I’m far from being back to my normal self, I’m definitely taking baby steps in that direction. I can’t wallow in self-pity and grief forever. If I do, even though he didn’t achieve what he set out to achieve, he’s still won. So believe me, brother, when I say I’m fighting my way back to normality. It won’t happen overnight. It may take months, even years, but I’m going to give it my
best shot. And it’ll definitely help me if I see you happy. You deserve it.”

  By the time he was done, Matthew looked utterly dumbfounded. After a beat, he recovered enough to call out to his boss, “Dennis, mind if I take my break now?”

  “No, of course not. I’ll cover you.”

  “Thanks, mate.”

  Matthew stepped out from behind the bar, closed the hatch behind him, then crossed over to where Isaac sat. Then he did something totally unexpected. He wrapped his brother in a big bear hug.

  “Oof!” Isaac said as the air was squeezed out of him. “What the hell?”

  “Just shut up and hug me back. This is, what? The second time we’ve hugged in four hundred years? Don’t get used to it.”

  Chuckling, Isaac returned the gesture, then they did the manly slapping-each-other’s-backs thing before parting, wearing identical grins.

  “Thank you, Isaac,” Matthew said. “Your blessing means a lot. Everything, actually. Ready to come and re-meet her?”

  Reaching over to grab his pint, Isaac got down from the bar stool. “Yes, absolutely. Let me at her.”

  “Oi.” Matthew elbowed him. “Hands off. I saw her first.”

  Shooting his brother a look of disdain, Isaac replied, “I said she was attractive. That doesn’t mean I’ve turned straight.”

  Matthew snorted. “I was only joking, Isaac. Take some of those baby steps in the direction of getting your sense of humor back, eh?”

  Grimacing, Isaac replied, “I’ll do my best.”

  They crossed the room and Isaac subtly checked Leah out as they approached. She really was attractive—tall, athletic, a very pretty face. Certainly a good match for his brother physically. He just hoped she could keep up with Matthew in every other sense.

  It was then that it occurred to him to look at who she was sitting with—she clearly wouldn’t be drinking alone in her home town, even after a decade away. Sure enough, she was sharing a table with a man who looked to be around the same age. He obviously wasn’t her boyfriend—Matthew would have found that out before he even thought about chatting her up. Besides, their body language was all wrong. They were fond of each other, sure, but it wasn’t a sexual thing. More familial.

  Fortunately Matthew put his whirring brain at rest by muttering, “Don’t worry, he’s her cousin.”

  Nodding, Isaac pasted a smile onto his face as they approached Leah and her cousin’s table.

  “Hey,” Matthew said, his attention firmly on Leah. “Mind if we join you for a little while? I’m on a break and I wanted to bring Isaac over to say hi.”

  “Of course not,” she said, grinning back, “take a seat.”

  With murmurs of thanks, the brothers sat down. “So,” Matthew said, “here’s Isaac. Isaac remembers you, Leah. Do you remember him?”

  “Hi,” Isaac said, holding out his hand. She shook it. “Nice to, er…meet you. That sounds silly, doesn’t it? What do you say to someone you haven’t seen in a decade?”

  Leah laughed, her eyes glinting and dimples appearing in her cheeks. Cute. Yeah, definitely a good match for his brother. “I have no idea. Nice to see you, Isaac. I do remember you. And,” she indicated the other man at the table, “this is my cousin, Jonas.”

  Isaac shifted slightly to face Jonas, holding his hand out once more. They shook. In his emotionally numb state, he couldn’t be entirely sure, but Isaac thought he’d felt a frisson of…something…as they’d touched. Maybe he couldn’t process this kind of stuff right now, but his subconscious had sure clocked on to the hunky stranger.

  Without thinking, Isaac said, “Jonas Jones? Seriously?”

  Shaking his head, Jonas chuckled. “Thankfully not. We’re related on our mothers’ side. I’m Jonas Grant.”

  “Phew, that’s much better. Isaac Adams.”

  “He’s a doctor,” Leah added. Needlessly, Isaac thought. Why was that relevant?

  “For my sins. I work here in the village.”

  “Good to meet you.” A curious look crossed Jonas’ face. Was the name just ringing a bell for him or something? Had he heard about what had happened? It wasn’t impossible—Jonas’ mother had been brought up in the village, so she was privy to his and Matthew’s secret. Why shouldn’t her son be?

  “You too. So, what brings you to Eyam? Just a family visit?” Isaac’s subconscious interfered and he found himself appraising the young man as he spoke. He was blond, blue-eyed, handsome. Tall too. He’d bet Jonas was popular with the ladies.

  “Uh, sort of. I’ve been traveling with Leah. We went together and we just kinda felt as if it was time to come home. My parents are away at the moment—pretty bad timing—so rather than going to an empty house back in Dronfield, I thought I’d come with Leah and see my aunt, uncle and cousin. Feels weird seeing them before my parents, but hey, what can you do?”

  “Aw, that sucks. But it’ll be great to see them when they get back, won’t it?” A memory had clicked into place as Jonas spoke—something harking back to when Leah had wanted to go off on a gap year. Her parents hadn’t been too keen at first, he remembered, but when she’d said she was going with her cousin, they’d relented. And apparently they’d had such a good time that they’d carried on for ten years.

  “It will, definitely. In the meantime, though, I’m crashing at Uncle Kevin and Aunt Patricia’s, delaying the moment when I really have to get back to reality.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “We’ve both been globetrotting for a decade and it’s been a truly amazing experience, one I wouldn’t change for the world. But now we’re back, we’ve kind of got to start from the beginning. Yes, we’ve got our families, thankfully, and they’ll let us move back in. But we haven’t got jobs or any career prospects. We’ve got heaps of experience in various different industries, but no actual qualifications beyond A-levels. So we’re starting from scratch.”

  “Huh,” Isaac said, empathizing fully with the young man, “I know exactly what you mean. I can’t help you, Jonas, I’m afraid, since you don’t live in the village. But Leah, you might want to pop in to the surgery at some point and see the practice manager. One of our receptionists is about to go on maternity leave and we haven’t found a replacement yet. That should tide you over until you find something else.”

  “Oh thank you, Isaac, that would be great.” Her pretty face broke into a grin. “I’ll go over first thing in the morning.”

  “You’re welcome. So, Jonas, what sort of thing are you looking to do?” I know a position for an IT manager in Sheffield that probably needs filling.

  “Actually,” Jonas fiddled with his hair, “I’d like to train to be a doctor. Part of the reason I went traveling—other than to see the world, of course—was because I didn’t really know what I wanted to do, career-wise. But now I’ve seen all kinds of things, all kinds of people, from different places, different cultures. And it made me want to do something that involves caring for people, looking after them. Improving their lives. I’m not talking about becoming a field doctor or anything. I’m quite happy to stay in this country and have holidays, like most people. But a GP or hospital doctor.”

  He sighed. “But I think I may be too late. Too old. Most people start on that career path right from school age, don’t they? There are years of education and training, which all cost money. I know my parents won’t exactly kick me out on the streets, but I can’t expect them to feed me and put a roof over my head for nothing while I train up. It’s not fair on them. They’ve had an empty nest for a decade and I’m about to fly back into it.”

  “You’re an only child?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Hmm, okay. Let me have a think about this. If it’s what you really want, I’ll help you in any way I can.” It would distract him from his own miserable life. Who knew, spending time with a cute young guy could be the kick up the arse he needed to drag himself out of the doldrums.

  Jonas nodded frantically, his eyes wide. “Yes, yes, it definitely is. And any help whatsoe
ver would be hugely appreciated. Thank you.”

  “I haven’t done anything yet.”

  Jonas laughed. “No, but I have every faith in you. Maybe we can catch up in a couple of days? Let me buy you a coffee or something in return for your wisdom?”

  “Y-yeah, can do. I dunno about wisdom, though.”

  Beside him, Matthew shifted in his seat. “Guys, I’m sorry but I’m going to have to get back to work.”

  Turning to acknowledge him, Isaac saw the shit-eating grin on his brother’s face and realized he’d been well and truly set up. Whether Leah was in on it too, he had no idea, but it was clear Matthew was attempting to play the part of matchmaker. Presumably that meant that Jonas batted for the same team as him.

  Glancing at Jonas, then back at Isaac, Matthew gave him a meaningful look. “See you later.”

  Yeah,Isaac thought as he smiled politely at Leah, then turned back to the eager-looking young man who’d just invited him out for coffee, you bloody well will.

  He’d been burned so badly last time that he wasn’t in any hurry to jump back into the dating game just yet, but when he was, Jonas would be a damn good candidate. Attractive, smart and worldly for his age. And to paraphrase his brother, the fact that he wouldn’t have to keep his secret from Jonas was a huge plus point.

  It was still January, so he decided it wasn’t too late to make a New Year’s resolution. He didn’t normally bother, hadn’t for decades. But this time it was different. Last year had been horrific, so it was up to him to make sure this one was better. Much better. And deep down, something was telling him that Jonas would be playing a big part in that.

  I resolve to let go of the past, look to the future and allow myself to love again.

  Addendum—The History of the Plague in Eyam

  In early September of 1665, the bubonic plague came to a small village called Eyam—pronounced Eem—in Derbyshire, England. The disease was rife in London at the time, and it is thought that it was brought into Eyam on some cloth from the capital. The cloth had been transported in a box, and when it arrived in the village, was found to be damp and was laid out to dry off. This took place in the house of Mary Hadfield, previously Mary Cooper, where the traveling tailor, George Viccars was living at the time.