High praise indeed from someone like Johnny.
‘So,’ he said, a questioning smile forming on his lips, ‘are you still going out with that smooth-talking, filthy-rich, intensely annoying property developer, Max Golding?’
‘Yes, yes, I am.’
‘Well that’s deeply disappointing, Ellie. I thought you might have got over that little infatuation by now. The bastard! I never did like him.’ Johnny was teasing me, but I’d known him long enough to realise that there was an element of truth to his words.
‘Johnny, I know you don’t mean that. And by the way, I should introduce you, this is Katy, Max’s little sister.’ I gestured to Katy who’d been avidly watching our conversation ever since Johnny wandered in and now had an amused grin on her face.
‘Oh shit! Hi Katy, lovely to meet you,’ he said, holding out a hand in greeting. ‘You do know I was only kidding about your brother. He’s a great guy, a really great guy.’
‘Don’t worry. As his sister I know just how intensely annoying he can be.’ She turned to me. ‘Look I’m going to get going now, but I’ll see you tomorrow.’
‘Yes, you get off. Thanks Katy.’
‘Well that wasn’t embarrassing at all,’ said Johnny once Katy had left. He moved his glass forward on the bar, indicating he was ready for his next drink.
I laughed, and pulled Johnny another pint. He hadn’t changed in the slightest. After my initial shock at finding him in my bar, we quickly picked up where we'd left off six months ago, with Johnny telling me tales, amusing and teasing me.
‘So was it really amazing?’ I asked him. ‘Trekking around the world?’
‘Yeah, it was good. I got to see so many amazing sights, climbed mountains, saw beautiful sunsets, walked barefoot over glorious remote sandy beaches. I’m really glad I did it. It took me out of my comfort zone, showed me a whole new side to life I didn’t know existed.’
For a moment I was transported to that remote beach imagining how wonderful it would be to feel the sand between my toes and the sun on my back. I couldn’t imagine when I would next get a chance to go off on holiday. I promised Mum and Dad I would visit them in Dubai, but the months were rolling past and there was always something on the horizon that kept me behind the bar of The Dog and Duck. Not that I was really complaining. Now the sun was shining in Little Leyton, it was our own tiny bit of paradise in the depths of the English countryside.
‘And do you have wanderlust now?’ I asked. ‘Are you going to disappear off again somewhere new? Or are you back to stay?’
Johnny shrugged. ‘Who knows? Back for the immediate future though. Sadly, I need to earn some money again. Besides, it’s great to see new cultures and meet new people, but it’s just as great to come home again. There’s no place quite like the Dog and Duck.’
‘Good, I’m pleased to hear it.’ I glanced at my watch. It was just before five. Polly would be shutting up shop soon and then she would no doubt come straight round here for her customary after-work tipple. Did she know Johnny was home? And how would she feel coming face to face with the man who’d broken her heart?
‘Does Polly know you're back?’ I asked, trying to keep the panic from my voice.
‘No. I thought I might need some Dutch courage first before telling her,’ he said, holding up his glass, with a wry smile. ‘I texted and emailed her a couple of times while I was away, but I got the impression she wasn’t that keen to hear from me.’
‘And you really expected anything else? You broke her heart, Johnny.’
‘I didn’t mean to. I certainly didn’t want to. Things happened fast between us. Maybe too fast. I just needed some space, a chance to get my head together. Hopefully she’ll understand that when I get the chance to talk to her.’
I wasn’t so sure. Polly had been getting her life back on track these past few weeks. I couldn’t bear the thought of her going on a downward spiral now Johnny was back in the village.
Mind you, it was really nothing to do with me. Maybe I should just take a step backwards and let them get on with it. An occupational hazard of being the landlady of the local pub was that it was easy to believe you could take on everyone’s problems and solve them. I had to frequently remind myself that wasn’t the case.
‘Hello young man!’ Arthur’s face lit up when he came through the door and saw Johnny propping up the bar. ‘Back from your travels then?’
‘Yeah, I couldn’t stay away, Arthur. Let me buy you a pint, and you can tell me what’s been happening in the village in my absence.’
‘We want to hear what you’ve been doing, don’t we, Ellie?’
I laughed nodding my head in agreement. As I poured Arthur’s pint, he turned away from Johnny for a moment and leaned across the bar to whisper to me.
‘That crumble you made me was bloomin’ lovely, darling. Almost as good as my Marge’s.’ He chuckled. ‘I have to say that in case she’s listening up there. But, oh, I did enjoy it. If I bring you some more rhubarb sometime would you make me another?’
‘Of course, I will,’ I said, feeling a huge swell of pride, and a tiny pang of embarrassment. I’d almost cried when I realised I’d scorched Arthur’s prize crop and seeing my disappointment, Max had made a mercy dash to the supermarket to buy up their stocks of rhubarb. I knew it wasn't the same as using Arthur’s home-grown produce, but it had done the job and next time Arthur would get the real thing as I was determined not to make the same mistake again.
With Johnny now deep in conversation with Arthur, I decided they wouldn’t notice if I popped out for a moment so I slipped out the back door and dashed round to Polly’s Flowers. The last thing I wanted was for her to get the shock of her life, from walking into the pub and coming face to face with Johnny. The front door was locked, the closed sign hanging wonkily inside, and when I banged on the glass, thinking she might be out the back, there was no answer. She’d obviously shut up shop early, but frustratingly she wasn’t answering her phone either, so I sent a couple of texts asking her to contact me.
Back next door, the pub was slowly filling up, with everyone making a beeline for Johnny, as he held court, regaling his audience with tales of his foreign adventures. A succession of people came in, all wanting to buy him a drink, so he was well and truly ensconced, and I doubted whether he would get out of the pub much before closing time.
It was much later than when she usually came in that I heard Polly’s distinctive voice trilling through the front door. Luckily Johnny was too preoccupied with his loyal band of followers to notice. If I could just get Polly to one side for a jiffy, tell her the news, then we might be able to avoid any awkward moments between the pair of them. I rushed out from behind the bar, weaving my way through the huddles of people, moving bodies out of the way, until I was standing in front of Polly.
‘Oh hi, Ellie,’ she said, coming to an abrupt standstill as I stood firmly in her way. She smiled warily, trying to look past me, obviously wondering why she was getting a one-woman welcoming committee from the landlady.
‘You’re late tonight. I was wondering where you’d got to. Did you receive my texts, I asked you to call me?’
Polly curled up her lip and shook her head. ‘No, but then I’ve not looked at my phone recently.’ She gestured with her head behind her and it was only then that I realised she wasn’t alone. George Williamson was trailing along after her.
Ah, that would go some way to explaining why her mood was so chipper. Now I came to think of it she’d been spending an awful lot of time with George recently, ever since she’d managed to persuade him to open the summer fete for us. That had been a real coup and all of the committee had been so thrilled that we would be having a famous personality joining us for the day. Maybe she'd signed George up for something more too…
‘Come through into the back bar. I’ve got something I want to tell you,’ I said, trying to keep the panic from my voice.
‘Oh, that sounds interesting. Well, actually I’ve got something to tell you too.
’
Thankfully, George slipped away to get a round in, leaving us alone for a minute.
‘Look, Polly…’
But she didn’t give me a chance to finish because she was giddy with excitement and determined to get her news out first.
‘Guess what?’ Polly grabbed me by the wrists, her face alight with excitement. ‘George has offered an amazing prize for the charity auction. A signed hardback copy of each of his books plus the opportunity to have a character named after you in his next book. Can you believe it? You can choose to put in your own name or someone else’s. Isn’t that great?’
‘Yes, well that’s brilliant, so very generous, but the thing is…’ I spotted George returning with a tray full of drinks, and realised I wasn’t going to have time to tell her about Johnny.
‘Here you go.’ George placed the drinks on the table.
‘Polly was just telling me about your amazing donation to the charity ball,’ I said, looking over my shoulder and noticing, with a huge sense of relief, Johnny deep in conversation. ‘I can’t thank you enough, George. It’s going to be a hugely popular lot.’
‘I hope so, and no problem at all. I’ve not really had a chance to get involved in village life until now what with all my deadlines so this is my way of making up for that. I’m looking forward to coming along and joining in with all the fun.’
‘Oh George, that’s so lovely.’ Polly threw her arms around George’s neck and gave him a friendly kiss on the cheek, leaving him looking gratefully bemused. I suppressed a smile. Clearly I was well overdue a proper catch-up with Polly. She turned to look at me. ‘So, what is it you have to tell me?’
‘Oh, it’s just that…’ I glanced from her to George, weighing up whether I should say something. Perhaps it would be best to leave it; I didn’t want to mention anything in front of George. The pub was really busy now, maybe the pair of them would have a quick drink and then slip out again without even bumping into Johnny. But that turned out to be wishful thinking on my part because just then Johnny sauntered past the back bar on his way to the loos.
‘Polly!’
She looked up, a quizzical expression on her face, seeing but not actually believing who was standing in front of her. ‘Johnny?’
He held up his palms to the air, a big grin on his face. I could have throttled him then for being so squiffy, so full of himself, so certain that Polly would actually be pleased to see him. Johnny may not have noticed the pain and confusion flicker across her features, but I did.
‘I’m back Polly.’
‘So I can see.’ Bless Polly’s heart. She said it with a big welcoming smile. From the depths of somewhere she’d gathered her composure and looked Johnny directly in the eye. ‘Well, it’s great to see you again, Johnny. And looking so well too. Travelling obviously suits you. Oh, I don’t suppose you know George. He’s recently moved into the village, he’s renting Ellie’s old place at the moment.’
She placed an arm through George’s, gaining confidence from his proximity.
The two men nodded in acknowledgement of each other, but I noticed a flicker of irritation in Johnny’s expression.
‘Well, no doubt I’ll see you around,’ said Polly, very clearly bringing their conversation to a close. ‘We’ll have to catch up sometime.’
Johnny Tay might be back in town after travelling around the world on his adventures, but if he thought Polly had been sitting at home pining for him, just waiting for him to return, then he might have just realised he was sorely mistaken.
Twenty-Three
It was ten days before the summer fair and I was down at Braithwaite Manor, along with Josh and Mary from the committee, firming up on the arrangements for the big day; where exactly the marquee was going to go, what lighting we required, how many portaloos we would have, the placement of the tables and chairs, and confirming numbers with the caterers. Max’s gardens were looking stunning today thanks to his small team of landscape gardeners. The lawns were a lush green, striped and perfectly tended and climbing roses in an array of yellow, oranges and reds rambled over the old retaining walls, their sweet delicious scent filling the air. Raised beds were awash with a plethora of old-fashioned flowers, like hollyhocks, delphiniums, foxgloves and mock orange.
‘Fancy living in a place like this,’ said Mary, looking all around her, before her gaze alighted on the striking Georgian mansion. We’d finished all our summer fair business and were now having a mooch around the gardens, admiring all the hard work that had gone into creating such a beautiful space. We all looked up at the imposing architecture for a moment to appreciate its grandeur.
In truth, I’d been giving a lot of thought to living here. How amazing would it be? This could be something I woke up to every day, if only I said the word. Most women would jump at such an opportunity so what was holding me back? Fear mainly. It hadn’t been that long ago that Sasha had been the lady of the house, well at weekends and holidays anyway, and look what happened there. Perhaps it was an offer Max made to all his girlfriends. For convenience sake. And if I were to move in would that be the kiss of death for our relationship? I really wasn’t brave enough to find out, nor was I ready for that kind of commitment.
‘I know, it’s stunning, isn’t it?’ I said, soaking up the beauty of my surroundings. The sun shone high above us, kissing my bare arms and warming the back of my neck. I twisted my hair up in a knot on top of my head, securing it with the band around my wrist, immediately feeling the benefit of a breath of coolness at the top of my shoulders.
‘Very generous of Max to allow us to use the grounds,’ said Josh. ‘It will be the perfect setting for the ball.’
‘I just can’t wait,’ I agreed. ‘This year’s summer festivities will be the best ever.’
Mary nodded. ‘Well, as much as I’d like to spend the entire day here in Max’s beautiful grounds I really ought to get back and see Lester. He’ll be wanting some lunch.’
‘Yes,’ Josh glanced at his watch, ‘and I should get back and do some work too.’
I said my goodbyes and wandered on down through the garden. Really, I should be getting back to the pub, but another half an hour or so wouldn’t matter. It really was too lovely outside. And once I got stuck behind the bar, I knew there’d be little chance of me escaping again. I took a deep breath, inhaling the warm fragrant air. There was so much to see here. I’d been out in these gardens on several occasions, but on each visit there was something new to discover. Another delicate flower coming into bloom, a shrub turning from a dowdy green into a vibrant pink, trees bearing fruit. I walked through the archway cut into the hedge separating the gardens and found myself in the vegetable garden. Lining the gravel pathways was an abundance of lavender, its lilac flowers trailing over onto the path, its gorgeous scent teasing my senses.
Right down at the end of the garden there was a bonfire burning and I noticed someone working, tending the fire. It took only a moment for me to realise it was Max. His distinctive tall and broad frame wasn’t easy to miss. Especially today when he had his sleeves rolled up, his white shirt unbuttoned to the waist, his chest smudged with black marks from the heat of the bonfire. He was dragging cut branches from the trees and shrubbery across the ground and tossing them on the fire. Back and forth he went, the sweat pouring off him as he worked. As I approached closer, still keeping out of view, I felt compelled to watch him. His jeans were worn low on his waist, showing a glimpse of black cotton briefs beneath. There was something about the way he worked, single-mindedly with determination and effort, that made me think he wouldn’t want to be disturbed. He was lost in his own world. Besides, I’d taken up far too much of his time recently, bombarding him with questions and requests regarding the summer ball, he was probably sick to death of me and the demands of the summer committee. Best leave him to it, I reckoned.
Reluctantly I turned and walked away, but I’d only covered a few steps when I heard Max call out my name.
‘Ellie! Where you going?’
>
I span around to look at him. He’d stopped what he was doing and was stood stock-still, legs wide, one fist on his hips, the other holding his rake upright. His eyes were narrowed against the blinding light of the sun. If only I had a camera to capture the moment, Max in all his earthy glory. Had he known I was there all the time, watching him, transfixed by what he was doing?
He beckoned me over and I wandered down towards him.
‘Hello.’ I was staring, I knew, unable to take my eyes off him.
He wiped the sweat from his forehead with his arm, appraising me closely. I wondered if he could possibly know the effect each of his movements, so casually executed, had on me.
‘You okay, Ellie?’ he asked, reaching a hand up to my cheek. ‘You look a little… tired?’
Oh terrific. Max looked as though he’d just wandered off a photo-shoot for Hot Hunk of the Year and I looked… washed-out.
‘No, I’m fine,’ I said brightly, opening my eyes wide, as if that might help. ‘I’ve just been running about all over the place recently. I guess it’s catching up with me.’
‘Please tell me you weren’t going to slip off without coming down to say hello?’
I laughed, underneath the appraisal of his reproachful gaze. ‘Well, I could see you were busy. I didn’t want to disturb you.’
He threw the rake he’d been holding into a pile of cuttings and grabbed me at the waist, pulling me tightly towards him. My legs swayed beneath me and I hung on tighter to his firm hold.
‘Never too busy to see my favourite girl.’
‘Really? Don’t let Katy hear you say that.’
He laughed. ‘Well, you know, you both count as my favourite girls.’
He took my face in his hands and kissed me passionately on the lips, my mouth opening, receptive to his urgent insistent touch. His saltiness on my tongue stirred a longing deep down inside. The flat of his hand sweeping over the curve of my breast and the dip of my waist took me to a point from which I knew there could be no return.
Summer at the Dog & Duck Page 20