by Rachel Dove
Taylor sniggered again, louder this time, and Agatha jabbed him with a pointy elbow. He made an ‘ooof’ sound as she connected with his torso, and he spluttered twice before turning to the rear door. Agatha stared at the couple before her as though nothing had happened. They are like moody teenagers, she thought to herself.
‘So, shall we say 10 o’clock, Ben, for you to pick Amanda up?’
She turned to the door, seemingly thinking all was arranged, got in and looked expectantly through her open window as Taylor returned to his seat, red-faced.
Ben muttered quickly, ‘Yes, that would be fine. Amanda?’
Amanda looked into his eyes and nodded.
Agatha nodded back, a smile of accomplishment lighting up her features. ‘All settled then, and I shall see you next week, Amanda. Drive on, Taylor,’ she said in a clipped tone, obviously still ticked off with her driver. Taylor shrugged good-naturedly at her as he pulled away, but Amanda and Ben were oblivious to all, as they still stood, staring at each other.
Ben eventually broke the silence, his voice cracking as he spoke. ‘Wear something warm, OK?’ he said gruffly.
Amanda nodded, turning to her doorway. Male chauvinist pig, he probably thought she would turn up in heels and a ball gown, like some feckless damsel. She would show him.
She felt a warm, manly hand grab hers and she turned back to him in question.
‘Sorry,’ Ben said, his grip easing slightly. ‘I just wanted to ask, do you like chickens?’
Six
The next couple of days went by in a blur. Amanda worked hard at the shop, finishing her projects and cutting out fabric for cushions and scented drawer liners, the items she was hoping to sell to the tourist trade. At night, the TV stood quiet, Mr Darcy left unwatched, as she frantically put together her flat into some semblance of the home she wanted. All but three of the packing boxes were now crushed and sat by the door for recycling, her sheets were all unpacked and put away. She had even been to the local grocer’s and filled her fridge with some proper food, things that required more than the pricking of plastic and the ping of the microwave. The shop had even made some sales, not enough for her to relax, but she had noticed a small trickle of townsfolk and was cautiously optimistic about things picking up once word had got around.
And here she was, Sunday morning, the date of her tour with Ben. It wasn’t a date, she reminded herself. She hadn’t slept well the night before, mentally and literally scanning her wardrobe for the appropriate outfit. Dress warm, he had said, so eventually she had decided on her favourite pair of faded blue jeans, a nice top and a slick of lipstick. She had even bought a pair of walking boots for the occasion, although she had needed to go back to the shop for a pair of thick socks, realising that her Betty Boop trainer ones wouldn’t quite fit the occasion. In the city, she had never really worn socks, other than for the gym, and she much preferred to be barefoot or wear simple pumps or heels. Now her feet felt heavy, encased in thick wool and hard rubber. She had been clumping around the flat since she got up, just to wear them in. She felt like a spaceman, but she was going to show the Cockapoo shampooer next door that she was not just some city slicker, and she had a right to be here.
The trill of the doorbell downstairs made her jump. He was right on time. Amanda headed for the buzzer, flicking her gaze to the mirror as she went past. She looked like a giddy schoolgirl, all flushed cheeks and shiny eyes. This is not a date. Be cool. Aloof.
She pressed the buzzer and opened the door. Ben was halfway up the stairs, and she resisted the urge to meet him halfway.
‘Hi,’ he said, smiling. ‘Ready to go?’
Amanda smiled, her small rucksack—also new—hanging from one shoulder. ‘Yep,’ she said, grabbing her warm parka from the hook on the way down. Locking the door downstairs, she was very aware of Ben’s gaze on her, and she willed her arms to work the key into the lock. Ben now stood by the side of a dark blue jeep, and he opened the passenger side for her. She settled into the seat, as Ben took her bag from her and put it into the boot without being asked. Country manners, Amanda scoffed.
Ben slid into his leather seat at the side of her and started the engine. ‘So, I thought we could maybe have a picnic on the fell? I just need to call at my place first, to make lunch. That OK with you?’
Her head whipped around in suspicion. ‘A picnic? Just us?’
Ben kept his eyes on the road, his cheeks colouring. ‘Yes, well, Agatha thought it might be a good idea.’
She nodded slowly. She felt a pang of embarrassment. This was like a pity date, she realised. Take the poor lonely girl out and feed her. She folded her arms tight across her chest. Fine, she would play along. It was just one afternoon, then he was out of her life. She could avoid him easily enough.
Thank the Lord for the nice weather, Amanda thought to herself. It was slightly cold, but the sun was warm and the sky clear. ‘Sounds lovely,’ she said, throwing him an over-the-top smile. ‘Do we need to shop first? I didn’t bring any food.’
Ben shook his head, pulling away from Baker Street in one smooth movement of the wheel. ‘No, I have that covered.’
A short drive later and they pulled into the drive of a large house. The shopfront next door said Evans Animal Practice, and was painted in green and white. After flicking a button on the dashboard, an impressive wrought iron set of gates slowly rumbled closed behind them.
Amanda looked around. Was this his parents’ house? An arranged date and meeting the parents? What was next? Shotgun wedding?
Ben got out and dashed to her door before she could even reach for the door handle. Giving her his hand, he helped her out and then led her down the cobbled driveway. Amanda tried not to notice the jolt she felt when his fingers once again wrapped around hers momentarily. After opening the front door, he led her through to a large farmhouse kitchen. An Aga gave the room a nice warmth, and Amanda was immediately drawn to the huge pile of food amassed on the wooden table, and the small woman cutting doorstop slices of bread on a wooden chopping board. She looked like Ma Larkin, complete with pinny and ruddy cheeks. Ben dropped a kiss onto the woman’s cheek and motioned for Amanda to take a seat at the table. Was this his mother? Did he live with his parents?
Amanda sat down and smiled at the lady, who was quite possibly the happiest woman she had ever seen.
‘Amanda Perry, this is Dotty. Dotty, Amanda Perry.’
Dotty wiped her hands on her apron and held one out to Amanda. ‘Pleased to meet you, dear, I work with Ben. I’m just here to give him a hand with lunch. Do you have any preferences for sandwich fillings? Ben said you might like sushi, but we don’t get much call for that around here. Pickled herring is probably the best you will get,’ she chuckled, her belly rocking with mirth.
Amanda laughed too, throwing a quick dirty look Ben’s way. His eyebrows shot up in surprise, but he said nothing. ‘Oh thanks, but I am not one for sushi anyway. I’m not fussy with sandwiches, this all looks lovely though.’ The table was groaning with bread, cheeses, fruits, a potato salad and a huge pork pie. Amanda’s stomach rumbled, and she put a hand on her tummy, embarrassed.
Dotty smiled at her. ‘Did you not have any breakfast, dear? I can make you some toast if you like?’
Amanda opened her mouth to say no, but Dotty had already picked up some bread slices and moved over to the toaster on the worktop. Amanda looked at Ben, who was staring out of the kitchen window. He looked back at her, a funny look on his face.
‘So, you never answered my question, about liking chickens?’
Amanda looked at Ben. ‘To eat?’
Dotty laughed, setting a kettle of water onto the stove.
‘Show her, Ben, go on, I’ll put the coffee on.’
Ben grinned and, motioning for Amanda to follow him, moved to the back door. He clicked the stable doors together and opened the door to the outside. Birdsong and sunlight infiltrated the kitchen. Amanda stood up and walked out to the garden. ‘Garden’ was an understatement of course. Be
yond Ben’s back door was a huge field, complete with patio and garden furniture. A large gas barbecue stood covered in one corner, and one side of the garden was home to a huge hen house. Ben opened the door to the house, and Amanda gasped as four chickens tentatively popped their heads out. He stifled a chuckle. He had a feeling that coming face to face with some animals would freak her out.
‘Wow, you meant real chickens then, huh?’
Ben sat down on the grass. ‘Yep, not had them long. They were going to lose their home, so I took them in. Come, sit. They are quite friendly.’ He tapped the ground beside him, challenging her.
Amanda, well aware of what he was doing, defiantly strode over and took a seat next to Ben, careful to sit far enough apart from him to feel comfortable, and to resist the urge to jump into his lap. What was it about this man that made her want to run her fingers through his hair? Why were the wrong ones always so cute? The chickens strode over to them, pecking at the green grass around them.
‘So, do they have names?’
Ben shook his head. ‘No. They were kept for their eggs, not as pets, so the owner never got around to naming them. I have three hens and a cockerel. Here he is, look.’
Amanda looked to the hen house and saw a larger, brighter chicken strut his stuff on the lawn. The hens ignored him for the most part, and he snuck the occasional glance at them before sticking his beak back high in the air. He reminded her of something, and she laughed out loud. Ben smiled, curiosity written all over his face.
‘What? You thought of a name?’
Amanda giggled. ‘Darcy. He reminds me of Mr Darcy, all haughty and proud. It’s daft.’ She shook her head, embarrassed that she had shown herself in all her book geekiness. Ben chuckled, stroking the head of one hen that came to him, looking for food.
‘Darcy, I like it. It suits him. So that would make the hens what? Jane, Lizzie and Lydia?’
Amanda’s jaw dropped. ‘You know Austen?’
Ben nodded, standing up to grab a bucket of corn from the back door.
‘My mum did,’ he said, stroking the back of his neck with his free hand. ‘I am afraid to say, I was pretty much force-fed it when I was a kid.’ Smooth, Ben, smooth! Why don’t you just don a cardi and recite Keats to her! You are not here to impress her, you donkey. ‘Er, I guess some of it stuck.’
Amanda smiled broadly. ‘Smart woman.’ For a second her mind flashed to an image of Marcus. His idea of reading had been perusing the sports pages on the toilet. With the door open. Yuk. He had always mocked her for her love of reading, berated her for her flat full of books. She looked again at Ben, who was now talking to the hens, feeding them from his hand.
‘You want to give it a try? I think Lydia is getting impatient.’
Amanda stood up and scooped a handful of yellow corn from the bucket.
‘You’re not really going to call them that, are you?’
Ben looked down at her. ‘Yes, why not? I think that they suit them, don’t you?’
Amanda nodded happily, and for a moment their eyes locked on to each other.
Ben looked like he was going to speak, and Amanda found herself willing those lips to move, but the moment was broken when the back door opened. They jumped apart from each other.
‘Coffee and toast is ready, my dears. I have packed your lunch too.’
They both looked to Dotty, and then back to each other. After dispersing the rest of the corn, they walked back to the house, a sizeable gap between them.
The toast was the best that Amanda had ever tasted. The bread was thick and crunchy, and the butter was melting into the slices. It was heaven. She devoured the contents of her plate, resisting the urge to lick her fingers clean. Dotty smiled, passing her a napkin. Ben had excused himself to pack up the car.
‘So, Amanda, how are you liking the village life so far?’
Amanda smiled at the friendly woman. ‘I like it so far—everyone seems calmer here. The pace is a lot slower than London, it was quite a shock to the system.’
Dotty’s face dropped slightly. ‘So, you are a city girl born and bred? Don’t you miss the bright lights?’ Amanda noted the concern in her voice, unsure why this question seemed so loaded.
‘Bright lights are all well and good, but it also comes with long hours, stress and drunks peeing in the street. I am enjoying the change of pace to be honest.’
Whatever test Dotty had just thrown at her, she had seemingly passed it. Dotty’s shoulders had notably relaxed, and her returning smile was genuine.
‘Oh good, we are often worried that newcomers will leave after the novelty has worn off. Us natives, we never get far. Ben went away and came back, and we are glad he did.’
Amanda was intrigued. He left? Why all the pomposity then? He had gone full-on League of Gentlemen on her when they first met.
‘Oh really, why did he leave?’
Dotty sat back, sipping at her mug of coffee. ‘He went to university, and then came back when he graduated. It was a difficult time—he had not been in a new job long, when his parents passed.’
Amanda’s heart plummeted. He had lost his parents, together?
Dotty saw the question on her face and smiled kindly. She looked to the hallway, as though checking Ben was out of earshot.
‘Ben was working in a practice in London, when his parents died. They got into a car crash, up on the main road. Some boy racer passing through the village, thinking our roads are racetracks. They never suffered, bless their hearts, it was very quick.’ Dotty grimaced at some memory playing in her head. ‘Ben came home straightaway of course, and took over the family business. Once he came back, he never left. He is a country boy, through and through. It’s just a shame that Tanya didn’t see it that way, but that’s a whole other story.’
Amanda frowned, taking a gulp of her own brew. Tanya? Practice? Is Ben a vet? Why is he running a dog groomer’s then, if he is a vet?
Dotty’s hand patted her own across the table. ‘I’m glad he met you, dear, he needs some company.’
Amanda didn’t answer. Nemesis, more like.
Dotty stood up, taking her cup over to the sink. She started humming to herself as she set to work. Amanda glugged the rest of her coffee down, unsure what to make of the last two minutes. Ben strode into the kitchen at that moment, checked blanket in hand.
‘Amanda, are you ready?’
For what she was supposed to be ready for, she had no idea.
The jeep moved along the country lane leading to the Westfield Fells. Ben had put the radio on low, and the music and chatter helped to diffuse the static in the air between them. Ben was aware that Amanda had not spoken since they said goodbye to Dotty, and he had the feeling that he was in for a long day. Her reaction to the chickens had surprised him; he had half expected her to run for the hills. Peeking across at her, his suspicions only deepened. Amanda was staring out of the window, brows furrowed, lip being nibbled ferociously between her teeth.
He wished he knew what was going on in that head of hers. What made a city girl move to a small town and open up a craft shop? She must have bigger plans, he felt sure of it. Those types of folk always did.
‘You OK?’ he asked tentatively. Amanda’s lip sprang from between her teeth, her face smoothing out. She looked at him, smiling weakly.
‘Yes, I’m fine, thanks.’ Silence again. Music, chatter, static.
Ben tried again. ‘You feeling OK?’
Amanda nodded. ‘Fine, thanks.’ Music, chatter, static.
Ben sighed. Bracing himself, he looked at her.
‘Amanda, do you want to go home?’
Amanda’s neck snapped round, her eyes locking on to his.
‘No! I mean, er … no …’ Smooth, Amanda, cool operator.
‘Well, what is it then? Something is bothering you. I know neither of us planned this, but we should make the best of it, for today at least. We do have to work alongside each other,’ Ben stated, exasperated.
Amanda ran her hand through her hai
r, distracting him momentarily from even remembering he had asked a question. He got a whiff of coconut, probably her shampoo, and he stifled the urge to sniff her hair. Where did that come from?
‘Sorry, Ben, I am just a bit confused. Are you a vet?’
Ben flinched, as though she had poked him. ‘Er, yes, I am the village vet. Did you not know that?’ He mentally slapped himself. You forget, idiot, she is not from here, she doesn’t automatically know your business!
He sighed softly, smiling a little. Amanda continued to wait for an answer.
‘Sorry, Amanda, when you have lived here as long as I have, you forget that people don’t automatically know your life story. Yes, I am the village vet, my practice is next to my house, which you have seen. Dotty is my receptionist, and was my father’s before that. My parents died, and I took over the practice.’
Amanda nodded, tallying it with what Dotty had told her. ‘So, the dog groomer’s?’
Ben winced. ‘It was my wife’s. I opened it for her, and now Tracy runs it for me. I just do stock and fix stuff there really. Tracy manages it and it gives me time to work.’
Amanda put the pieces together. ‘Tanya, is that your wife?’
Ben’s face was a picture. ‘Dotty got a lot of chat in with that coffee, didn’t she? Yes, Tanya was … is my ex-wife. She lives in London now. She left a while ago, so now it’s just me, Darcy and the Bennet sisters.’
Amanda laughed, and Ben thought how wonderful the sound was, like the static in the car danced and bounced around him. She seemed to relax slightly and she reached for the radio knob. Kings of Leon sang out in the car, and Ben did a double-take.
‘I like this song.’ Amanda smiled.
‘You like Kings of Leon? Check this out!’ He pressed the CD eject button and Amanda gasped as she saw the album of the band pop out. She laughed again, and Ben gripped the steering wheel a little tighter as a frisson of excitement gripped him, low in his gut. She pushed the disc gently with one finger and the CD started to play. Looking at him mischievously, she lowered her window and gazed out on the deserted road they were on. ‘Get ready to lose your cool, Ben Evans.’ She cranked up the stereo. They both laughed together, singing loudly to the words and taking it in turns to play drums and air guitar as they headed to the fell, all bad feeling forgotten in that moment.