She Did It: You think you know her - think again.

by Mel Sherratt

  ‘I guess there might be more now the Village Enclosure has been opened.’

  ‘Do your parents ever visit?’ she asked.

  ‘They came down earlier in the week, for the first two days. I booked the box for today so that I could avoid them. It’s easier.’

  ‘Ah.’

  Tamara had gone to the bathroom but was now walking towards them. Oscar appeared by her side and said something to her. Her head went back and she guffawed. Esther held in her distaste. She didn’t like Oscar. He was opinionated, loud and brash, but at least Tamara would have her hands full with him so that she could spend time with Jack.

  She looked around the room at the people in her group. Did she stand out as the poor relation? Jack, still standing by her side, was clearly a millionaire. The box was small but she’d checked out the rates on the website. Prices started at ten thousand, eight hundred pounds, rising to fourteen thousand, seven hundred pounds. Just like Tamara, he must have had money passed down to him as the publishing house he owned wasn’t that big. Yet, to treat his staff was remarkably thoughtful, and a testament to his hard work that he had cash to splash.

  The racing started, and two hours in Esther’s annoyance began to show. Getting a little frustrated as she lost every race she tried for, she helped Jack to choose a few horses to place bets on. But then she struck gold and backed a winner. A Long Way to Go netted over three hundred pounds.

  When Jack had collected the winnings, he handed a wad of cash to her.

  ‘I can’t take this.’ She gave it back to him.

  He looked hurt. ‘Why ever not?’

  ‘Because you paid for the bet, so the money is yours.’

  ‘But you won it.’

  ‘A lucky guess after all the losers.’ She laughed. She wasn’t taking his money.

  ‘Please,’ he insisted, putting it in the palm of her hand and then curling her fingers around it tightly. ‘If you think I’m after anything in return, then you’re mistaken. You won this fair and square, like you won the pitch for Something’s Got to Give.’

  Like you won my heart. Esther wouldn’t have been surprised if he had come out with a corny line such as that. Jack was a smooth talker but he was a creep. Even though this was what she wanted, he was giving her the come-on, despite being married.

  In the end, she decided to take the money but she wasn’t going to thank him. She put it away in her purse and picked up her glass. It was almost empty so he reached for it, his hand lingering over hers as he looked into her eyes.

  ‘A refill?’ he asked, his voice playful.

  Esther nodded.

  Jack moved to the bar behind, and she gazed out over the racecourse as everyone got ready for the next race. It felt good to be up here in her ivory tower, away from strangers – although it had crossed her mind more than once or twice that the dipping would be rife for a good pickpocket.

  Tamara sidled over to her, her eyes bright and shiny. ‘Are you enjoying yourself?’ she asked.

  ‘Yes. You?’

  ‘Very much so. That Oscar is a wild one.’

  Esther saw Jack with his arm around Oscar’s neck. ‘Well, I would,’ she teased.

  ‘You would?’ It was Tamara’s turn to frown.

  She shrugged. ‘You know. With Jack, if he wanted to.’

  Tamara continued to frown and then her eyes widened when she grasped Esther’s meaning.

  ‘But he’s married!’

  ‘I meant hypothetically speaking, of course!’

  Tamara’s mouth dropped open for a moment and then she laughed. ‘You’re so naughty,’ she said.

  Esther laughed along with her. It felt good. Perhaps the champagne, or the ambience of the day, was finally getting under her skin.

  The trouble was, she wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  Esther left the room and made her way along the long corridor, almost bouncing on the plush carpet. It was relatively quiet there, and a blessing after standing on the balcony with the crowd below. A man rushed past her on a mission to use the bathroom. Two women chattered about someone named James being too common and brash. A couple in their mid-twenties were muttering under their breath, trying not to show they were in full argument mode, which was quite funny to watch.

  Paintings and framed photographs lined the walls either side, making a mini gallery as she walked. Winners and riders of years gone by, plaques with names engraved for each year. She was too tipsy to read any of the small print. Unexpectedly, her eyes fell upon an illustration that made her stop dead.

  It was a charcoal drawing on a pale-cream background. A pair of men’s brown riding boots, a hat on the ground next to them and a crop leaning against them. It was the simplest of images, and fitted the venue and decor beautifully, but it brought memories that Esther had long buried rushing to the forefront of her mind.

  A sharp pain whipped across the back of my legs. Even through the thickness of my jodhpurs, I felt its sting. I stumbled forward, my hands on the stable floor covered in straw and manure.

  Another lash crashed across my back. And then another one, followed by two more in quick succession.

  ‘Stop!’ Tears stuck in the breath I was struggling to catch.

  ‘Shut up.’ It was a male voice.

  Before I could scramble away, he seized hold of my hair and yanked my head back. I tried to scream but a hand then pushed me face down into the straw.

  I thrashed around, but the weight on my back meant I couldn’t breathe. And then he turned me round to face him, straddling me. I heard the crack of his hand on my face before the pain tore through me.

  The room began to spin. Esther held on to the wall.

  ‘Hey!’ A hand grasped her elbow and she felt Jack’s warmth against her clammy skin.

  ‘Are you okay?’ he asked.

  She nodded, unable to speak.

  ‘Do you need some air? I can take you outside if so?’

  ‘I’m fine, if a tad embarrassed. I think I had a little too much champagne.’ For a brief moment, she wanted to be in his arms, shielded instead of sickened. Then she quickly stepped away.

  ‘Come and sit down for a moment,’ he said.

  He guided her to one of many settees that were dotted along the corridor. They sat down together; her legs still felt shaky. Her hands shook too, the fear taking hold of her with that one powerful image. She knew she wouldn’t sleep that night, or if she did her dreams would be plagued with memories that would turn into nightmares.

  As more racegoers milled around in the corridor, Jack didn’t push her to speak. He just sat next to her, keeping her company while her breathing and colour returned to normal.

  After a few minutes, Esther treated him to a faint smile. ‘I’m sorry about that. Thanks for sitting with me.’

  Jack held up a hand. ‘You don’t need to apologise. It’s hot, we’ve been drinking and getting excited. It’s a bad combination sometimes.’ He paused for a moment as a couple walked past. ‘We’re continuing the party back at my house afterwards if you’d like to join us?’

  ‘Oh, I don’t think your wife would want us intruding.’ She looked him straight in the eye.

  ‘She’s out of town until tomorrow evening. It’s a sleepover at my place tonight. She knows how rowdy we can get so we have an arrangement. She and our boys go to stay with her parents in Kent and she goes shopping and out for a meal with old friends. I’m not sure which of us spends the most money, if I’m honest.’

  Esther gave him another half-smile. She didn’t want to hear about his wife, only her whereabouts.

  ‘How are you feeling now?’ Jack touched her arm gently.

  ‘Much better, thanks.’

  He stood up and held out his hand. She grasped it and he pulled her upright. He held on to it as they stood there together.

  His mouth opened and for a moment she thought he was going to say something. But he closed it again.

  ‘I’ll see you back in the box,’
he said eventually and then left her standing.

  Esther watched him until he had disappeared from her view.

  Alone in the bathroom, she went into the last cubicle in the row. With one hand over her mouth as she gagged, she lifted the lid in time to vomit in the toilet. She retched until it hurt her chest and then, exhausted, she flopped to the side, propping herself up against the wall.

  This day had mostly been torture in the first degree. She hated coming to places like this, with all this money and upper-class twattery. She wasn’t like the Parker-Browns or the Maitlands of this world. She never would be.

  If only she had some speed to remove the frustration she could feel building up.

  She pulled out a blister pack from inside her purse and spied only two diazepam tablets left. She had already taken one earlier to get her through the day. Having another could tip her over.

  Screw it.

  Esther snapped one out and swallowed it before she could stop herself. She had a few more hours to go yet to keep up appearances.

  Outside the cubicle, she surveyed herself in the mirror above the sinks as she washed her hands. For a moment, she was alone in the room. If she had felt better, she would admire its chrome decor, treat herself to a splurge of the decadent hand cream and spray on the perfume left out in the dressing area. She loved the little touches that made everything special. It was one of the things she would never get used to mixing in these circles, but one she enjoyed.

  The colour had come back to her face but she refreshed her make-up to add a little more. It was a time for a dark lipstick, daring, a little vulgar but oh so powerful.

  Fooling everyone today was only the start of everything.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  It was half past ten by the time the train arrived back in London. Tamara woke up, her head resting on Oscar’s shoulder, his head on hers. Across the table, Jack and Esther were looking at her. Esther had a hand on her arm.

  ‘Next stop is ours,’ she said.

  ‘We can share two cabs back to my house,’ Jack offered. ‘Do you both still want to come back?’

  Esther nodded discreetly at her. All Tamara wanted was to go home and collapse on her bed but Esther had been good to her, and she knew she wanted to hang around with the men a little longer. She wished she had her stamina. Esther didn’t seem drunk at all.

  She lifted her head, felt it pounding and grimaced. ‘Do you have any painkillers?’

  ‘Yes, you’ll need to take them with water, though. Wait until we get to Jack’s.’ Esther stood up and came around the table. Putting a hand underneath her arm, she pulled. ‘Come on, let’s get you some fresh air.’

  Esther was right. Tamara was much better when she got off the train. The champagne had made her feel sick but because she hadn’t drunk anything for a while, she began to perk up again.

  They climbed into two cabs and sped off. Everyone was invigorated now they’d had time to relax and get a second wind. They had to pull a paralytic Richard from the window as he shouted to passers-by. The driver told them to calm down twice and Tamara prayed Richard wouldn’t throw up.

  Jack lived in Holland Park. The cabs pulled up in front of large wooden gates with a six-foot wall either side. Tamara could just about see the roof of his home as she stepped out on to the pavement. Her feet and back were aching with the standing around they had done all day and she really wanted her bed. She would stay for as long as it took to be polite and then she would make her excuses and leave.

  Esther was laughing at something Jack was saying as he typed in a code on a keypad. The gates opened up to a gravel driveway and they crunched along on it for a few metres until the house was in full view.

  It was a rectangle building of epic proportions. Oak double doors stood proud in the middle of four, large windows downstairs and a pillared porch had a veranda upstairs with French doors leading into a room. The oak-framed garage to the side could easily store three cars.

  Jack had obviously done well for himself in publishing. It was exactly what she saw herself living in when she was married with children, she mused, as she followed behind him and Esther. It would suit her lifestyle as much as his.

  Jack let himself into the house and switched off an alarm before opening the doors wide for them all to clamber through. It was a good thing there weren’t any adjoining properties. Tamara was sure they would have woken everyone up. As it was, it was close to midnight and some of Jack’s neighbours were bound to be unimpressed. Thankfully, she wasn’t working tomorrow.

  Esther came towards her. ‘This place is amazing, isn’t it?’ she whispered.

  Tamara looked around the large hall with marble tiles on the floor, and a staircase in the middle leading to a galleried landing. The walls were covered in delicate cream striped wallpaper, a bank of photos of two boys covering one of them almost from skirting board to ceiling.

  There were double doors to their left and they followed Jack into a sitting room that was the size of her whole flat. The couple had impeccable taste. Everything was grey and white with a dash of sunflower yellow here and there to break up its clinical feel. Despite itself, it felt warm and homely.

  ‘Sit yourselves down, ladies, and I’ll get more drinks.’

  ‘I’ll help.’ While Esther left her to perch on the leather settee, she ran a hand over the soft feel of it. How could they have chosen white with young children around?

  Oscar came bouncing into the room after having disappeared to the bathroom. He sat down next to her. Her stomach rolled over as he rested a hand on her thigh. He’d told her several times that day that he was free and single. Not young, he had laughed, but definitely young at heart.

  ‘I’ve had a great day.’ He turned to face her. ‘Not least because of the races but because I’ve had fun with you.’

  Tamara blushed, delighted at his wide grin. ‘I’ve had fun too,’ she told him.

  He took her hand and pulled her to her feet. ‘Come on, I’ll show you around. It’s an amazing place.’

  She didn’t have much choice as he was already walking out of the room and towards the kitchen. Everyone else was in there and she could see why. The walls were covered in a row of white gloss cupboards from floor to ceiling. Florescent pink lighting on each base plinth gave the room a glow of an 80’s disco. A large island held a sink within its black marble top and was lit up at the bottom too. But as eye-catching as the kitchen was, it was the bank of windows that opened up on to a large, landscaped garden that drew her eyes.

  Outside, beyond most of the group who were sitting around a large wooden table, was a manicured garden. A vast array of shrubs and flowers were in pots or buried along the border around the fencing. In between, everything was illuminated by coloured lanterns. It all lent itself to a magical feel. Tamara guessed the children loved it.

  Esther was sitting next to Jack, Miles, and Brett at the other side.

  ‘Where’s Richard?’ Tamara wondered aloud.

  ‘Gone to sleep the day off.’ Jack pointed upstairs. ‘There are six bedrooms. You’re welcome to stay over if you like?’

  ‘That depends on whose bed she will be sleeping in.’ Oscar roared with laughter. ‘Come on, I’ll show you the rest of the house.’

  Again, he pulled Tamara by the hand, this time up the stairs and on to the galleried landing. He opened one door to see Richard asleep, fully clothed, lying on his stomach.

  ‘Can’t take his ale.’ He laughed again.

  The next door opened into a young boy’s room. A single bed in the shape of a racing car was on the far wall, toys piled high in several clear boxes beside a bank of wardrobes.

  ‘I’m not sure which twin sleeps in here, but the next room is Jack’s.’ Oscar pointed to a door and marched past it, stopping at the next. ‘And this is a spare room.’ He turned to Tamara, swaying slightly, his speech slurred. ‘You can stay in here if you like.’

  ‘Thanks. I’ll let Esther know, and we can share.’ Tamara stayed on the threshold bu
t he pulled her inside and closed the door behind them.

  ‘Or we can get to know each other better.’

  Oscar’s lips found hers as his body crushed up against her. Tamara found herself responding to his touch and in seconds she was kissing him back with vigour she could never recall having before. His lips moved to her neck, delicately brushing over her skin, making her moan in pleasure.

  She realised that she was glad he wasn’t married.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  The whiskey Esther was drinking had lulled her into a false sense of security. She’d kicked her shoes off under the table. Brett and Miles were in the kitchen making coffee for everyone.

  She was trying to keep her temper in check after glancing around Jack’s house with envy. It was something she had always dreamed off – a loving husband, children, and a family home. Would she ever get that? Surely it wasn’t too late for her.

  The whiskey was warm as it went down, the night turning a little chilly. She shivered as a breeze floated over her bare shoulders.

  ‘So, tell me, Jack, how well do you get on with your wife?’ she asked.

  ‘I guess things could be better.’ He ran a finger up and down her forearm. It made her shiver even more. ‘It’s a good job we have the boys or the house would be so quiet.’

  ‘Do you think you’ll always be together?’ Esther wanted to sound him out, even though she wasn’t looking forward to her mission. She needed to keep him talking because if he didn’t remove his hand she might slap it away and that would never do.

  ‘I’d miss my boys if we separated but I wouldn’t stay together for them. We all deserve a little love and happiness.’

  ‘Have you ever been tempted to stray?’ They stared at each other. She could see Jack’s eyes shining with lust and knew if there were only the two of them he would have leaned across and kissed her. She needed to prepare herself for that moment, to make sure she didn’t repel him.