‘You’ve broken me. I think I’m worth a little more than a plastic gun, don’t you?’
‘It’s not a gun, it’s a—’
Tess stared at him. ‘Are you serious? You’re arguing the toss about whether a toy is a gun or vaporiser? You’re unbelievable. God, I’ve been such an idiot.’
‘I know you’re angry now, but if you’ll just listen to me, I’ll explain.’
Tess stood looking directly at him with her hands on her hips. ‘There’s nothing to explain. You lied to me and let me worry, cry and stress. No wonder you never answered any questions when I asked you about your treatment. Never once in four months did you attempt to explain things to me. What were you going to do? Pretend to suddenly get better?’
Blake opened his mouth to speak, but looked down at his feet.
Tess was becoming hysterical. ‘I don’t believe it. You were.’ She looked around the kitchen, tears blurring her vision as she searched for anything that belonged to him. She saw the business card from Amsterdam that she’d placed on the noticeboard for safekeeping. She unpinned it and read the word Cherry. She paused and read the rest of the badly printed type set. Her mouth fell open when she absorbed the words, Cherry Lips’ Brothel. She turned it over and read, ‘See you again next time?’ Surely not even Blake would stoop so low?
Tess couldn’t take her eyes from the words and little red logo of two shiny cherries hanging from a stalk. How had she passed it so many times without reading it? She slowly turned and stared at Blake.
‘Yours, I presume?’ Tess held up the receipt in front of her.
Blake shrugged his shoulders. ‘I haven’t put anything on your board.’
‘I think I’d remember if I’d visited,’ she looked down to read the name correctly, ‘Cherry Lips’ Brothel.’
She saw Blake swallow hard and watched the colour drain from his face. It was as much a sign of guilt as signing an admission. He took a step towards her holding out his upturned palms.
‘It’s not how it seems. I didn’t know what I was doing.’
‘Well, I can vouch for that,’ Tess added, sarcastically. ‘I assume you managed something or you wouldn’t have been asked back.’
‘I mean I was stoned. I’d drunk too much and smoked too much weed. I didn’t know what I was doing.’
‘How could you, Blake?’
‘I—’
‘It was a bloody rhetorical question. I don’t want to listen to your pathetic excuses. Get out. It’s over. Get out!’ Tess pointed towards the back door, her hand shaking with fury.
‘Let me ex—’
‘Get out!’
‘Can we talk later?’
‘About what exactly? What position you did it in with Cherry?’
‘Tess, don’t. Please. I’m sorry.’
‘Well, that makes two of us. I’m sorry I hung around for the last few months. Get out, Blake, we’re finished.’ Tess ran upstairs. She stopped on the landing, turned and leaned over the banister. ‘And don’t forget your bloody rubbish!’
Chapter Thirty-Six
Forty-eight hours later, Tess had refused to go to Blake’s sentencing. She didn’t want to see him. He was on his own. A full load was churning in the washing machine. Tess was sitting down with a newspaper crossword. She was intrigued to find out what sentence Blake had received, but certainly wasn’t going to ask him. Besides, she’d deleted his number from her phone. Although she’d rather face root canal treatment than call his mother, she knew that it was inevitable if she wanted to know the outcome.
Procrastination had been the order of the day so far. Hence the whirring washing machine, a gleaming bathroom, a neatly ordered letter rack and the Telegraph’s crossword puzzle spread out before her. Tapping her biro against her front teeth she read the first clue out loud.
‘Russian monetary unit. Six letters.’
The telephone’s shrill ring interrupted her thoughts. She hesitated before answering. It could be Blake trying her landline.
‘Hello.’
‘Hello. I thought I’d phone and see how you are.’
She felt her shoulders relax. It was Daniel.
‘I’m okay, thanks.’
‘I wanted to call yesterday, but you said you needed time to get your thoughts straight.’
‘I’m feeling fine, honestly.’
‘Have you seen him since court?’
‘He came round a couple of hours after you dropped me off. Thank you so much again for taking me, by the way.’
‘That’s okay.’
‘He caught me clearing out his things.’
‘I don’t suppose that went well.’
‘You could say that.’
‘I’m here for you if you want someone to talk to or simply need a lift somewhere.’
‘You’re very kind.’
‘Try not to feel too down.’
‘I don’t. I didn’t love him any more so I don’t have a broken heart. I’m just mad as hell with him.’
‘What did he get?’
‘I don’t know. I’m not going to call him, so I suppose I’ll have to call his mother.’
‘Sounds like a bundle of laughs.’
‘It’ll be as funny as a will reading, I assure you.’
‘Let me try and cheer you up. How do you fancy a trip to a visiting fair?’
‘A fair?’ Tess hugged the receiver.
‘I’ve heard that a fair’s visiting Silbury for three days next week. It’s only half an hour away. I thought it might take your mind off everything and give me a change of scenery from my canvasses.’
‘I’d love to go. It’s been years since I last visited a fair.’
‘Great. What are you doing now?’
‘I’m doing a bit of a tidy up and I’ve started the crossword.’
‘Go on then. Ask me a question.’
Tess chuckled. ‘One across. Six letters. Russian monetary unit. Blank, o, blank, blank, blank, blank.’
‘Easy, I’ve been to Moscow. Rouble.’
‘Ah ha!’ Tess scribbled it down.
‘Sorry, I can hear someone at the door and I’m expecting a delivery of frames. I must dash but I’ll call you about making arrangements.’
‘Okay, thanks again.’
‘Speak to you soon. Bye.’
Would the fair be their first official date? Anticipation bubbled inside her like celebratory champagne at the thought of being alone with Daniel. The telephone rang again. She grinned and picked up the phone, thinking that he’d forgotten to ask her something.
‘Hellooo,’ she sang.
‘Just as I thought. You sound like you’re very worried about my boy.’
‘Joy.’
‘He’s in prison thanks to you.’
‘Blake’s in prison?’
‘Yes, with precious little support from you. Where were you?’
‘I don’t need to explain myself to you.’
‘Probably with your fancy man.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘Blake told me that you’d been seeing a local artist. He gets into a bit of bother and you jump ship.’
‘I know you’re upset but it wasn’t like that.’
‘You’ve ruined his life.’
‘I don’t know what Blake has told you, but I’ve never been unfaithful to him. You need to look a little closer to home to find who’s been unfaithful.’
‘Cavorting up at the big house behind his back.’
‘Listen to me, Joy, because you seem to have selective hearing. I’ve always been loyal to Blake and have never cavorted, as you call it. It’s time to stop accusing people of things they haven’t done or you’ll end up very lonely in your last few years.’
‘How dare you. I don’t make up stories. Are you denying that you wrote the letter of lies which imprisoned Blake?’
Tess didn’t answer.
‘Well, are you?’
‘I did write the letter, but—’
‘Finally. She speaks the truth. You admit that you
wrote the letter.’
‘Let me finish. Blake led me to believe that he had cancer for months. He never once told me that he only had asthma. He lied to me about hospital visits and treatment. It came as a complete shock to me when I found out that he wasn’t sick. And why the hell am I defending myself when it’s your precious son who has been deceiving everyone. You filter out what you do hear and hear only what you want to. You and Blake have both finally pushed me too far with your lying, manipulative and selfish ways. I’ve left Blake, with the added bonus of never having to see you, speak to you or listen to your nasty accusations ever again.’
Tess slammed the telephone down with a crash. She waited for the tears to come, but instead of feeling sad or angry, a tsunami of relief swept through her body. She felt almost euphoric. She breathed in deeply, slowly exhaling with a smile on her lips. She was free. It felt wonderful.
A new start.
A clean page.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
It was the week before Daniel’s birthday and art exhibition. Tess closed her laptop and smiled to herself. She’d just read Sean’s last email before he was due to leave to catch his flight to Heathrow. They’d arranged to meet the day before the exhibition in The Royal Oak. She hoped the surprise wouldn’t be emotionally too much for Daniel so close to his big party.
Within half an hour of closing her computer, her boots crunched along The Rookery’s driveway until she reached the front door. She knocked and waited. After a few moments, the oak door swung open. She could feel the dogs sniffing her boots and their tails slapping her knees, but she could only focus on Daniel. He was smiling a welcome, wearing a chunky jumper and a dark olive scarf. He called Goya and Gogh into the hallway and stepped aside for her to pass.
Tess stepped inside. She fidgeted with the buttons on her coat. ‘Hello.’
He took a step towards her and held her in an embrace. For a few seconds her cheek lay against his soft jumper while she hugged him back. Both dogs wanted to join in and were standing on their hind legs, jumping up and looking for attention. Tess and Daniel stepped away from each other, both laughing.
‘Come on, you two, into your baskets for a couple of hours. You’ve had a good run on the green,’ said Daniel. The dogs ran into the kitchen ahead of them.
‘It’s as if they can understand you,’ said Tess, watching them run to their baskets.
‘I speak dog. Didn’t I tell you?’
They walked back through the hall and out of the front door. Tess watched Daniel lock it and check it three times. He caught her eye.
‘I know, I know! I’m getting better, honestly. Didn’t you notice that I didn’t check the kitchen lights?’
‘Then why now.’ Tess pointed to the front door.
‘You know. Dangerous fair rides. Scary ghost trains.’ Daniel raised his arms and dangled them like a zombie. ‘You can’t be too careful.’
They could hear and smell the fairground before they could see it. Music boomed into the evening and the smell of roasting chestnuts wafted on the breeze. They joined a crowd, falling into step alongside parents clutching children’s hands and groups of friends hurrying towards a night of rides and music.
Some earlier visitors were weaving against the flow of people in the opposite direction. They were carrying balloons, luminous bangles and trophies of soft toys. Tess and Daniel followed the procession down a pathway and across a grassy embankment. They passed a copse of trees and the fairground came into view. The cacophony of noise vibrated in their chests and lights flashed on speeding rides. Elegant horses rode up and down on an enormous carousel. People screamed with delight, as they were whisked higher and faster. Daniel reached for her hand and wound his fingers around hers.
He shouted in her ear to be heard above the music. ‘Don’t want to lose you in the crowd.’
Ruby red toffee apples shone as if they’d been polished and pink candyfloss frothed like old ladies’ perms. Carriages rumbled past out of the green-lit ghost train and stallholders cajoled the crowds to hook a duck or test their strength. Daniel and Tess stood in front of a carousel of painted horses. Twisted poles were fixed to the horses’ saddles and they rose and fell as the merry-go-round turned to the sound of a music organ playing, ‘Delilah’. A wizened showman beckoned to them.
‘Oh, let’s,’ pleaded Tess.
‘Be prepared for your horse to lose.’
Daniel helped her up the roundabout’s two steps. She climbed on the back of a golden cockerel and Daniel swung his leg over a horse called Dolly.
Tess hugged the barley sugar twisted pole in front of her. The ride began. It started slowly at first, rising and falling as the carousel turned. The organ played on and the ride picked up speed. Crowds and lights mingled into one as she was whisked round and round. She turned to look at Daniel. His dark hair was blowing away from his face, revealing his cheekbones and pale scar. He noticed her watching him and reached out to hold her hand. His warm fingers wound around hers as the music played on and the lights dazzled.
Eventually the carousel slowed to a stop. Daniel jumped down the two steps and turned to help Tess. He gripped her waist and she held onto his shoulders and jumped. When she landed, she realised that they were embracing. Their faces were close and their bodies touching. She felt the intensity of his gaze, oblivious of the crowds. The moment only lasted a few seconds before being jostled by bony elbows and bulging handbags.
Daniel took hold of Tess’s hand again and gently pulled her away from the main walkway. He guided her to a hot dog stall where onions sizzled on a griddle.
‘Are you hungry?’
She nodded. ‘Smells delicious.’
Daniel ordered two hot dogs with all the trimmings. Tess bit into hers, catching dribbling tomato sauce and falling onions in her serviette. They saw teenagers scream with delight, lost balloons floating into the liquorice sky, girls fluttering eyelashes at boys, inviting them to join them on this heady aphrodisiacal evening.
‘Just what I’ve been looking for,’ said Daniel. They passed a chugging generator and he rolled up his sleeves and stood in front of a coconut shy.
‘Have you done this before?’ asked Tess.
‘Are you kidding? I was the reigning champion for five years in my teens. That must be, oooh, a couple of years ago now!’
‘A couple?’
‘What are you saying?’
‘Nothing, I just thought the closest you’d come to a coconut was a Bounty bar.’
‘Watch and learn.’ Daniel paid for three balls and lined them up as if he was about to bowl for England at Trent Bridge. The first ball missed by an inch and fell to the floor.
‘Just warming up,’ he said with a laugh, jogging on the spot.
The second ball caught the edge of the coconut’s stringy surface, but the shell didn’t fall.
‘Okay, this is the one.’ He rolled the soft ball between his hands and blew on it for luck. He threw it hard. It reached its target. The coconut thudded to the floor.
‘Yes!’ Tess clapped.
Daniel winked. ‘I told you three’s a lucky number.’
‘Choose any of the prizes hanging on this front row, miss,’ said the stallholder.
Tess chose an orange toy dog because it bore similarities to Goya. ‘Thank you. I love it.’ She stroked its soft ears.
Daniel dared Tess to go on the ghost train. She wasn’t scared of the rubber spiders or floating ghouls, but it was fun pretending. It was a good excuse to lean on Daniel’s chest and feel him put a protective arm around her shoulder. On the cakewalk, they laughed until they couldn’t move. They whirled on the waltzers and bumped on the dodgems. They shared a tub of mushy peas with mint sauce and dipped into a polythene bag containing a fluff of candyfloss.
Feeling dizzy and tired, they decided to go back to Halston and check on the dogs.
They passed the big wheel. ‘One last ride,’ said Daniel.
‘I don’t think I can take another,’ groaned Tess. She clasped
her stomach.
‘This is a gentle one. We’ll catch our breath before the walk back to the car.’
Tess looked at the twinkling lights on the wheel. It looked majestic as it rotated slowly on its axis. ‘The only way is up.’ Tess grinned, her words echoing the words of the song that was playing.
A man beckoned to them. They ran to the next free carriage and the bar was lowered and secured across their thighs. The cage swayed gently backwards and forwards. It moved a few feet backwards so the next couple could take a seat on the following one. A few more carriages were filled and they started to rise further from the ground. The higher they rose, the quieter the music became until it was a distant hum.
Tess looked at Daniel, half smiling and half grimacing at the rocking of the carriage. It moved up and over the top of the rotation and began to descend again, the music growing louder and the lights brightening. They sat in silence for six revolutions, each absorbing the atmosphere and looking at the lights of the fair while leaning against each other. Tess could sense sparks of electricity passing between their touching thighs. The wheel slowed as their carriage became level with the treetops. Their carriage reached the top and stopped. It swung gently.
‘It’s so beautiful,’ whispered Tess, looking down on the glittering scene.
She felt his hand touch hers. ‘You are.’
She turned to face him. Her eyes moved from his eyes to his mouth. He leaned towards her and she closed her eyes. She felt his breath on her lips and his cologne of spicy amber. He caressed her neck with his fingertips and whispered her name as his lips touched hers, hesitantly at first, gently lingering. Tess lifted her hand and slid her fingers through his hair. With a gasp, they pulled each other closer, their bodies pressing close.
They kissed passionately, gasping breathlessly into each other’s mouths. His hand slid inside her coat and under her jumper, finding the warm skin of her back. His lips moved from her mouth, down her jasmine-scented neck, until he reached the soft hollow at her throat. His tongue sensually circled this sensitive area, making Tess’s breath escape in shallow gasps.
Daniel steered his Land Rover through The Rookery’s gates and parked it in next to the gnarled wisteria.
You've Got My Number: Warm your heart this winter with this uplifting and deliciously romantic story! Page 23