Winter at Wishington Bay

by Maxine Morrey

  He made a sound that suggested he didn’t entirely agree but carried on. ‘Anyway, she’s been sent packing now. She was on her last warning anyway – and she’d had far more of those than she had a right to. I only ever hired her as a favour and she only did it because her mother insisted.’

  ‘So, you’re already short?’ I said, thinking of the shift I was supposed to do.

  ‘Not at all. There’s a couple of university students home for the holidays and they’re happy to fill in for as long as we need them for, so don’t worry. And when you’re ready, if you still want it, the job will still be here waiting for you.’

  ‘Thanks, Ned. I really appreciate that, and I’m sorry if the press are causing you problems.’

  ‘Don’t worry about that. If they want food, they’ve got a limited choice with most of the other restaurants closed for the season.’

  ‘I hope you’re charging them double.’

  ‘At least.’ I could hear the cheeky smile in his reply.

  ‘Glad to hear it.’

  There was a pause and for a moment I thought the connection had dropped but then Ned spoke again.

  ‘Nate was in here last night, with a woman. One of the kitchen staff said it was his wife.’ The laughing tone of a moment before had been replaced by one of confusion.

  ‘Yes. They were right. She flew in yesterday morning from what I understand. I guess she wants to give it another try.’

  ‘And Nate’s taking her back?’ Ned asked, the surprise in his voice unmistakeable. He and Gabe were close, and he had obviously heard various tales of Serena’s behaviour from her frustrated brother-in-law. And Ned, like the rest of us, had also witnessed the change in Nate since he’d been here. On one hand it was hard not to be surprised. But on the other, you only had to look at Serena for the surprise to lessen.

  ‘It rather looks that way.’ At least it had yesterday, I thought, remembering Serena’s possessive stance, her eyes warning me off, telling me Nate was hers.

  Ned let out a sigh. ‘Gabe always did say his brother was nuts about her, and I guess, on the face of it, I can see why. Even Carrie let out a small “wow” when she poked her head in.’

  I made a faint sound of agreement.

  ‘But he was so different, Soph. It’s almost like he was back to where he was when he first got here. Like he’d retreated back inside himself. It was kind of sad to witness.’

  The words, Ned’s tone, all of it, settled in my stomach and twisted round, making me feel something I didn’t want to. I shoved it away. I had enough going on right now – I couldn’t take on Nate’s pain too – if that’s what it was. Maybe it was just discomfort going to Ned’s with Serena, knowing that they all knew he’d spent the weekend with me. It was hard to keep a secret in this village, especially when that secret involved someone as drop-dead gorgeous as Nate. Not to mention that the ‘married man’ the papers had happily harped on about was, clearly, Nate, even if the media hadn’t mentioned him by name. Why Corinne had kept that little nugget back, I didn’t know. I assumed it was just to ingratiate herself with her new pal, Serena. Either way, I was glad for his sake he hadn’t been identified. Whatever else had gone on, he didn’t deserve to be dragged into my mess any more than he needed to be. I suddenly realised Ned was still speaking.

  ‘He didn’t laugh or even smile once. It was kind of sad.’

  I squashed back down the feelings threatening to rise up. ‘I’m sure they had a lot of serious things to discuss.’

  ‘If they did, they weren’t doing it last night. Nate barely spoke a word from what anyone saw.’

  An extra commotion from outside the shop caused me to turn and peer through the shop window’s display. Great. This was just what I needed.

  ‘Ned, I have to go. Thanks so much for ringing, and I’m really sorry about the disruption.’

  ‘No apology needed. Just look after yourself, Soph, and keep in touch.’

  ‘I will. I promise.’

  ‘Now who’s this?’ Flora said, coming to stand next to me as the cameras now focused on the silver Bentley that had double parked on the pavement opposite. The door was flung open and Jeremy, looking more red-faced than ever, hauled himself out.

  ‘That,’ I said, letting out a sigh, ‘is my ex-husband.’

  27

  I bent and kissed Flora on the cheek before hugging her close. ‘You know where I am,’ she said, as I began to pull away. I nodded against her, afraid that replying verbally to her kindness might fracture the fragile dam I had built to stem my emotions. Stepping back, I smoothed my hair again, took a deep breath and unlocked the shop door, heading back out into the fray.

  For a moment the cameras and shouted questions remained focused on Jeremy. He was dressed far too casually for his own comfort, in clothes at least two decades too young for him. This was a man who had dressed his entire life like he’d stepped out from the covers of Horse and Hound. I was pretty sure even his nappies had been tweed. And yet, here he was, attempting to discreetly adjust his too-tight jeans and looking as out of place in the clothes as he did in the village. For a moment I felt a pang of something akin to pity for him. Perhaps being without anyone was better than pretending to be something, and someone you weren’t, just to make a person like you, and want to be with you. I knew from experience that pretence wasn’t a sustainable way of living. It only took you so far – and yes, you could carry on like that for years – but it didn’t make you happy. And at some point, when you least expect it, everything falls to pieces anyway. Thoughts of Nate filtered through, and I had a feeling that he could testify to the same experience. But I was done with pretence. That had been my path for far too long and never would be again.

  Jeremy was now blustering his way through the pack of media clustered round my front door, before beginning to hammer on it with the side of his fist. Suddenly one of them noticed my exit from the shop and the lenses swung towards me, clicking maddeningly. My ex looked round at this sudden flurry of activity, his eyes narrowing as he saw me. I took my time heading back to the flat, politely asking those in the way to move. Eager to see the showdown they obviously expected to happen, justifiably considering the fetching shade of plum Jeremy had now turned thanks to his exertions, they parted to let me through.

  ‘I can’t believe you’d do this to me!’ Jeremy hissed as I reached the door, and pushed the key I had ready in my hand into the lock.

  I kept my eyes averted from his and said nothing. I didn’t want to discuss things outside where the press waited, craving gossip, and although I wanted to silence him with a look, I didn’t want to give them the opportunity to grab a shot of that look which they would then write their own caption to accompany. Besides, for all his expensive education, Jeremy could be stunningly obtuse sometimes, so probably would have entirely missed the message anyway. I twisted the key and Jeremy made to barge in the door first.

  This wasn’t anything new but my time away from him had heightened my awareness of these attributes. I’d got used to them before. Just let them happen. It was too much hassle to argue and wouldn’t have done any good anyway. Money could only buy so much. If Jeremy’s parents had paid for manners at that ostentatiously expensive school they’d sent their prodigy to all those years ago, then they really ought to get a refund.

  I kept my hand on the key for a few moments as Jeremy huffed and puffed beside me. Finally, he took the hint and made a small step back. I finished the turn of the key and stepped first inside my own property. Turning, I met his eyes, holding the gaze for a moment, before opening the door a little more to allow him to enter. The flicker I saw in his expression told me that even he’d got the message this time. This is my house. You’re not in charge any more.

  I walked steadily up the stairs, hearing him puff and bluster behind me, clearly in a rush to get on with whatever it was he’d driven down here to say. Unlocking the interior door, I stepped through before facing him, making sure my point was made.

  ‘Please come i
n.’

  He shot me a look and stepped through. His eyes took in the small, tidy flat before landing back on me.

  ‘This is where you live?’

  ‘It is.’

  His brows knitted for a moment before a sardonic smirk slipped onto his face. ‘Some of the servants’ quarters are bigger than this.’

  I didn’t flicker. ‘That is true. Some of those rooms are quite generous. Would you like tea, or coffee, perhaps?’ I asked, moving towards the kitchen.

  ‘No, I don’t want bloody tea or coffee. This isn’t a social visit.’

  I gave him a quick glance. ‘No. I have to say, it’s rather a surprise to see you.’

  ‘Even you can’t be that stupid, Sophia.’

  I gripped the jar containing the tea bags a little tighter. Had I liked it less, there was every chance it would now be sailing through the air towards Jeremy’s head.

  ‘Don’t speak to me that way, Jeremy.’

  ‘I’ll speak to you any bloody way I please!’

  ‘No,’ I said, turning slowly and hitting him with a direct, self-possessed stare. ‘You won’t. You’ll either speak to me respectfully or you will leave this moment. The choice is yours.’

  His eyes widened a little. This was not the wife he’d been used to. The one who’d kept quiet for what she’d hoped would be an easier life – when in fact all it had been was a lonelier one.

  ‘Believe me, I’ll be leaving as soon as I can.’

  ‘I’m glad to hear it,’ I said, evenly, turning back to my teacup and finishing the process. ‘So, why are you actually here at all?’ I asked as I carried the delicate china over to the coffee table, set it down and took a seat.

  ‘Why do you think I’m here?’ he shouted. ‘Because of all this!’ He pointed towards the window. ‘I can’t believe you’ve done this to me!’

  I took a sip of my tea before placing the cup back on the saucer and standing. Jeremy wasn’t an especially tall man and now we were on a more even level. ‘This may come as a surprise to you, Jeremy. In fact, having known you as long as I have, I’m certain that it does, and is perhaps something I should have made you aware of a long time ago – but not everything is about you.’

  For a moment, he stared back at me, his mouth opening and closing a few times like a koi carp at feeding time, shock registering in his eyes. It was hard to tell whether this was due to him being genuinely flabbergasted at the news I had just imparted, or the fact I had dared to impart it at all. For so many years I had said nothing, letting him prattle on about things, allowing him to believe what he wanted because frankly it was too much effort for too little result to do anything other than that. But that was the old Sophia. And she was long gone.

  ‘Of course this is about me!’

  I gave a small shake of my head and reached again for my tea while Jeremy blustered on.

  ‘You’re doing all of this just to try and humiliate me and ruin my upcoming wedding!’

  ‘So, firstly, I haven’t done anything but try to take care of myself, ensuring I had a place to live, and employment enough to cover all my expenses. I didn’t have a big exit plan, Jeremy. I just got to a point that I knew if I didn’t leave, I would be irrevocably broken, so I took what money I had and left. I didn’t spend months putting funds aside, preparing, so I had to be careful and sensible, which is why I got a job.’

  ‘Waitressing? Cleaning?’

  ‘Let’s face it, Jeremy. A Swiss finishing school doesn’t really provide you with a lot of skills for the world at large, so I took what I could get.’

  ‘Since when did you know anything about cleaning?’

  ‘The truth was, I didn’t. But I had to learn, so I did.’

  ‘Did you have to set up a bloody Instagram account about it? Honestly, it’s mortifying! Of all the things!’

  ‘Don’t be such a bloody snob, Jeremy. I wasn’t qualified for anything and I only had so much money. I was married to you for long enough to know how damn sneaky you can be when it comes to money and deals and I knew you wouldn’t want to make the divorce easy. As my so-called friends and family also made themselves scarce the moment I left, I was on my own and I did what I needed to, to keep a roof over my head and food on my table. I’d say that I’m sorry it doesn’t meet with your approval, but I’m not. I stopped trying to get approval from you a long time ago and I certainly don’t give a fig about it now.’

  He opened his mouth to say something but I held up my hand. ‘I’m not finished.’

  Surprisingly, he closed his mouth again. I’m not sure which one of us was the most startled by that particular turn of events.

  ‘As for your other accusation,’ I continued. ‘As I said, none of this is about you and as I had absolutely no idea you were even getting married again, it was certainly not in my mind to try and cause any sort of disruption to that.’ I gave him a glance. ‘That does, however, explain this new look you’re sporting.’

  He gave me a glare and yanked at the crotch of his jeans.

  ‘Of course you knew. You had to! Why would you pick now to let the world know about your fall from grace if it wasn’t to upstage me?’

  ‘Oh, for the love of God, Jeremy!’ I slammed the teacup I’d just picked up back into the saucer, its contents spilling over. ‘Get your head out of your backside for two minutes and see some light! If I never had to think about you again, it would have suited me. You are welcome to go and marry whomever you want, so long as I have what I need, and what I deserve from our marriage. I signed the papers and I hoped that would be the last time I’d ever have to think about that life again! All of this,’ I jabbed at the window with a finger, ‘was brought about by someone else looking to be unkind and to make money. I was more than happy living here, having put my old life behind me. This is not about you! It’s about me and it’s my life that’s out there for everyone to gawp at. Me that people like you are sneering at for no good reason other than they think they are somehow better than people that do any sort of manual labour.’

  ‘That’s because we are!’ His voice had a tone of surprise that I could consider things to be otherwise.

  ‘No, you’re not! We’re all the same people, Jeremy. Just some of us landed, by luck of birth, higher up the financial tree which meant we were afforded opportunities not open to others. But the people who clean your house are just as good and valuable members of society as you are. In fact,’ I gave him a look, ‘possibly more so as they actually contribute something other than hot air to the world.’

  ‘Oh, you’re “one of the people” now. Is that it? I know what the divorce settlement was, Sophia, and there’s no way you’ll be staying in this pokey place now. You’re just the same as me.’

  I spun at him. ‘I am not the same as you. I have never been like you. God knows it probably would have made my life a lot easier if I had been, but I’m not, and I’m incredibly thankful for that.’

  ‘You’ve humiliated me in the eyes of my friends and in the media! Do you know what people are saying?’

  ‘I don’t care what they’re saying, Jeremy! And don’t you dare speak to me about humiliation.’ He shifted his weight, looking a little unsure as I advanced on him. ‘Not very pleasant, is it? But maybe now you’ll have an iota of an idea how I spent years of my life, thanks to the person who’d vowed to honour me, cherish me, and respect me.’

  ‘Sophi—’

  ‘You spent our entire married life humiliating me in one way or another. Putting me down in front of people, laughing at me, having one bimbo affair after another. Sleeping with one of my so-called best friends!’ I stepped up to him, fury sparking in my eyes now, ‘So don’t you dare speak to me about humiliation because whatever misplaced embarrassment you think you’re feeling now, it’s an absolute fraction of what you caused me during our marriage.’ I was inches from his face and I saw, for the first time, him realising that he was no longer able to intimidate me.

  He stepped back and made a small, dismissive sound but I’d seen
the look in his eyes and that had said far more than anything he could do now. Snatching his phone out of his jacket pocket, he glared at the screen. There was clearly not enough room in the trouser pocket for it. By the looks of things, there wasn’t enough room for a lot at all in those, and sadly, I knew there wasn’t even that much for them to accommodate.

  His phone bleeped again seconds before my doorbell rang.

  ‘You should get that.’

  I looked at him in shock. The bell rang again.

  ‘I beg your pardon?’

  ‘I said,’ he repeated slowly, the sneer back on his face, ‘that you should get that.’

  ‘I am not your maid, Jeremy, and I do not need to be told who I should and shouldn’t answer my own front door to. That lot have been banging on it all morning.’

  He turned the phone screen towards me briefly, showing me the text he’d just received, instructing him to open the door. ‘This time it’s your mother.’

  28

  I crossed to the window to see a current model Range Rover bumped up on the kerb behind Jeremy’s Bentley. The window was down and I recognised my mother’s driver at the wheel. I let out a breath slowly between my teeth. Today was just one surprise after another. I closed my eyes briefly as the doorbell rang again, this time more persistently. Opening them again, my gaze was caught by something on Jeremy’s windscreen, flapping slightly in the stiff breeze. He always did think rules were for other people. However, parking on the kerb violations in Wishington Bay applied to everyone, no matter how titled you were, or how entitled you thought you were. A small smile crept on to my lips. It disappeared just as quickly when the door rang again.

  ‘Are you going to let her in?’ Jeremy puffed at me, his cheeks a vivid shade of plum.

  ‘No. I didn’t invite her, and I have no wish to see her.’

  ‘Oh, for God’s sake,’ he said, before trailing a string of expletives behind as he yanked the top door open and stomped down the stairs. I leant on the door jamb. Even I knew my mother was going to have to come in at some point, but I was in less of a rush than Jeremy was. He was now staring at the exterior door. A grin slid on to my face as he stared at it. Jeremy hadn’t been born with a silver spoon in his mouth – he’d had the whole cutlery canteen. Right now was probably one of the rare times he’d ever had to open a door for himself. Even his student accommodation had had Louis XIV furniture, a butler, valet and several other staff. After a few moments, he worked it out and opened the door. I left them to it, avoiding the intruding camera lenses trying to peer their way up the stairs, before I heard the noise muffle again as, I assume, Jeremy closed the door. My mother was even less likely than him to do any simple or menial task herself.