‘I’ll ring you at midnight to wish you Happy New Year— or maybe not,’ said Frances hastily at the look on Avery’s face. ‘I’ll say it now instead.’ She gave Avery a hug and walked off quickly to her car.
Avery’s long, lonely evening was followed by such a restless night that she woke up in militant mood next morning. The day was fine, and there was no point in moping about at home. She would take Frances’s advice and drive to the Barn to look for her phone. And instead of posting the key to Jonas she would leave it behind afterwards, with a note to explain her visit.
Avery drove as fast as the legal limit allowed for the entire journey. When she turned down the track towards the lake at last she felt a sharp pang of disappointment as the Barn came into view, and realised that she’d hoped in her heart of hearts to find Jonas here. But there was no car outside, so he wasn’t.
She stopped just beyond the last cattle grid and reversed the car onto the grass verge in a good getaway position, but as she walked the short distance to the Barn her enthusiasm for her quest evaporated. Searching Jonas’s home felt more and more like illegal entry now she was actually here. She unlocked the door and keyed in the burglar alarm, then stood still just inside the lofty room, which looked twice as big now she was alone here for the first time.
Suddenly she stiffened. The heating was on. Jonas must be out in his car somewhere. She hated the very thought of being caught in the act, but now she was here she might as well look for the wretched phone.
Avery tried hard to think where she’d had it last. She searched first in the kitchen, then went back to the main room, all the time keeping an ear cocked for the sound of a car engine. She peered in vain in the alcove cupboards, looked along shelves and under rugs. In any other man’s home there would be hundreds of nooks and crannies to search. Here there was simply space.
At last, afraid Jonas would appear at any moment to ask what the hell she was up to, Avery rushed up the spiral stairs at breakneck speed. She got down on her hands and knees to look underneath the bed—which was unmade and looked as though Jonas had just got out of it—then hurried to the dressing room. The familiar scent of something he used after shaving was everywhere, tormenting her, but she kept doggedly on with her search. With no luck in the bathroom afterwards Avery gave it up as a lost cause and ran downstairs. Frustrated and breathless, she took out her new diary and wrote swiftly on one of the blank pages at the back.
I’ve lost my phone. I thought I might have left it here and came to look for it today, but with no luck. I’ve left the key. My apologies for the intrusion. Avery.
She read the terse little missive, thought about altering it to try for a warmer tone, but in the end left it as it was. Outside, she wrapped the key in the note and posted it through the locked door, then walked away, feeling more miserable than ever. The phone had been a genuine excuse, but her real motive for coming here had been the hope of seeing Jonas.
Avery had almost reached her car when she heard a shout accompanied by loud barking. She spun round guiltily, her heart thumping as she saw Jonas sprinting towards her with a couple of dogs in hot pursuit.
‘Avery—wait!’ he shouted.
She had no choice. At the sight of him her feet had taken root. ‘Hello,’ she said warily, unsure whether she was delighted to see him or sorry she hadn’t made her getaway five minutes earlier.
Jonas came to a halt beside her, flushed and windblown in a thick sweater and padded jerkin, but as heavy about the eyes as she was, Avery noted. He ordered the frisking retrievers to sit.
‘I left a message at your place to wish you Happy New Year earlier,’ he told her, breathing hard.
‘You did that when you left last week,’ Avery reminded him.
Jonas winced. ‘This time I meant it. Come back to the house.’
‘No, I’d rather not,’ she said, backing away.
‘Just for a few minutes. Please.’
Avery eyed him, undecided. ‘All right,’ she said at last. ‘Nice dogs.’
‘They belong to my landlord, who is probably skiing down some Alp as we speak. I woke with a hangover this morning and felt like some fresh air, so I drove over to Eardismont to take these chaps for a run. How are you with dogs?’
‘Fine.’
‘Stay,’ ordered Jonas, as the dogs became restive, and both animals obeyed instantly, panting joyously as he lavished praise on their golden heads. ‘Meet Castor and Pollux—Cass and Poll to their friends.’
Avery held out her hand palm down as she greeted the dogs, then submitted to some introductory sniffing and licking before scratching them behind their pale silky ears. ‘There was no car outside, so I had a look in the house for my phone,’ she said awkwardly. ‘I thought I might have left it here.’
‘I found it behind the toaster this morning,’ he informed her. ‘In my message I asked if I could call in on my way back to hand it over.’
Before the rift he would have just turned up with it, to give her one of the surprises he was so fond of, she thought sadly.
Jonas gave a curt command to the restless dogs. ‘Avery, go inside and make tea or coffee, or whatever, while I take these chaps home and collect my car. I’ll be fifteen, twenty minutes tops.’
‘You’ll have to give me your key, then. I left mine inside, with a note.’
His face set. ‘I see.’ He fished in his pocket and handed his key over. ‘I won’t be long.’
Avery watched Jonas and his handsome escorts out of sight, then unlocked his door again. She picked up her abandoned key and put it with the note beside the winged lion, thinking with longing of the tea Jonas had offered. But making it herself smacked of a familiarity she no longer felt entitled to in the circumstances.
It seemed like a long time before she heard the familiar car. There was a slam of the car door, and then a pause while Jonas exchanged mud-encrusted rubber boots for shoes before entering the room, which immediately shrank to more ordinary proportions.
‘I was afraid you wouldn’t wait. Sorry I was so long,’ he informed her. ‘Charlie’s housekeeper wanted to give me tea and cakes, and it took a while to extricate myself.’
‘It seemed rude to leave before you got back,’ Avery said quietly.
Jonas glanced down at the table and picked up the note. He read it, and looked at her quizzically. ‘Very terse. Did you make some tea while you were waiting?’ ‘No.’
‘Would you like some now?’
‘Yes. Please.’
‘Come into the kitchen while I make it, then.’
Almost as though he was afraid she’d take off if he left her alone, thought Avery as Jonas pulled out a chair for her to sit down at the table. He filled the kettle, and said nothing more until he was sitting opposite her with two steaming mugs between them. ‘When I returned the phone to you I intended to tell you a story—a true story about my landlord.’
Avery smiled faintly. ‘Sounds intriguing.’
Jonas drank some of his tea. ‘It’s a bittersweet little tale. The main protagonists are close friends of mine. Charlie and I met the first day we started school—’
‘Wait a minute,’ said Avery. ‘Would this be the Charlie who stole your girl?’
‘That’s the one.’
‘And he’s your landlord?’
Jonas nodded. ‘Tremaynes have been at Eardismont for centuries. So, to revert to my story, Charlie and I were left alone together that first day at school, trying hard not to cry when our parents left. I was tall for my age, but Charlie was small and he was bullied at first. I soon put a stop to that.’
‘I can’t imagine anyone bullying you,’ said Avery.
‘Size matters,’ he said, shrugging, and went on.
‘Years later Charlie Tremayne had been in the sick bay at the time of the first dance at the local girls’ school, and had felt hotly envious when Jonas came back with tales of some of the luscious totty on display—in particular one Miss Henrietta Farrar. Jonas had raved about her to all and sundry, so
smitten with the lovely Hetty that his peers had egged him on to do something about it.
‘So I sneaked out after lights out one night and cycled to the girls’ school. I’d lost all enthusiasm for the stunt by the time I got there, but pride made me carry on.’ He smiled wryly. ‘I could have been expelled, but it was just before exams—not to mention a vital cricket match with a rival school—so in the end I was merely gated. Charlie was fit and well for the end of term party. Miss Farrar took one look at him and I was history. My height and my prowess on the cricket pitch were no match for whatever it is she sees in Charlie.’
‘Sees?’ said Avery, fascinated.
‘They were married the day after he got his degree in Land Management. I was best man.’ Jonas tugged his wallet from his back pocket and took out a photograph of a radiantly beautiful girl in bridal white smiling at a short, slim young man with laughing eyes in an otherwise unremarkable face.
‘Good heavens,’ said Avery in awe. ‘She’s breathtaking.’
‘Even more so now she’s older.’ Jonas looked down at the snap with affection, then tucked it away again. ‘The illness Charlie had in school was mumps. He was pretty ill for a while, and although sterility is pretty rare as a result Charlie is one of the unlucky ones. He can’t father little Tremaynes to inherit Eardismont.’
‘Ah. I see.’ Avery eyed him challengingly. ‘There’s a moral to your tale?’
Jonas nodded. ‘For Charlie and Hetty the only important thing is having each other.’
‘Were they married before they knew about Charlie’s problem?’
‘No. But it made no difference to either of them. If you met them you’d know it was the truth. Charlie’s perfectly happy to pass Eardismont on to his nephew as long as he’s got Hetty.’
‘Very admirable. But if your story was intended as an object lesson it’s failed. I still won’t marry you, Jonas.’
‘I’m not asking you to.’
Colour flooded her face and he jumped up in instant contrition.
‘I meant that I accept your terms. I want you in my life, Avery. It’s as simple as that.’ He took her by the hands and drew her to her feet.
Her racing pulse kept her colour high as she gazed up into his face. ‘You’re willing to be my part-time lover?’
‘In preference to the alternative, you’ve left me no choice,’ he said, resigned. ‘Only there won’t be much part-time from now on, Avery. If you want to see me in future you’ll have to come to London. I’m only here now because my father insisted I make the most of the New Year break before applying nose to grindstone.’
Avery was silent for a long time as she looked down at their joined hands. At last she raised her eyes to his. ‘All right. We’ll give it a try and see how it works out. But now I’m going to say something you won’t like.’
‘You have to leave?’ he demanded, but Avery shook her head impatiently.
‘No, not yet. But I think that for a while our relationship should be—well, more temperate.’
Jonas raised an eyebrow. ‘No sex?’
‘I thought it was making love!’
‘It is for me.’ He released her hands. ‘Come in the other room so we can be comfortable while we thrash out these ground rules of yours.’
‘They’re not rules,’ she protested. ‘I just want to explain something.’
Avery sat down on one of the sofas, but instead of sitting beside her Jonas took the one opposite.
‘Fire away,’ he said briskly.
Avery took in a deep breath, hoping her colour would diminish some time soon. ‘Until I met you I believed that my operation had killed my libido stone-dead,’ she said bluntly. ‘But it took only one kiss from you to bring it back to life.’ She looked at him in appeal. ‘I know that side of a relationship is important—’
‘But from now on,’ said Jonas, ‘you think I shouldn’t take you to bed the minute I’m through the door.’
‘You’re not taking this seriously!’
‘I’m deadly serious.’ He leaned forward, hands clasped between his knees. ‘In future, even if we spend long intervals apart, I promise I won’t rush you to bed the minute I lay eyes on you. But being a normal sort of bloke, Avery, I’ll want to.’
Wishing she hadn’t started this, Avery got up. ‘I’d better be going.’
‘Why?’ said Jonas, jumping up to forestall her. ‘Is there something—or someone—waiting for you?’
‘No,’ she admitted reluctantly.
‘Then stay. Please. Let’s make the most of this bonus time right now, Avery. Just spending time together—doing the crossword, going for a walk, listening to music—whatever you want.’
She looked at him levelly. ‘You mean stay the night?’
‘Yes.’
‘I didn’t bring any clothes.’
‘Borrow something of mine.’ The compelling, fatigue-smudged eyes held hers with such determined persuasion Avery couldn’t have resisted even if she’d wanted to.
She nodded slowly. ‘All right. Do you have any food?’
CHAPTER NINE
THE immediate catering problem was solved by lunch in the low-beamed, friendly atmosphere of one of the village pubs. After the meal Jonas, well known from his frequent stays at Eardismont, was asked to play darts, and Avery applauded wildly when he hit a showy bullseye.
Watching him as he laughed with the other dart players, she felt passionately grateful that they were together again. But passion was playing no part in their reconciliation so far. If she’d pictured a reunion at all it would have included making love as the first step. Instead they’d walked to the pub, talked without constraint as they ate, and eased back into their relationship by degrees.
‘I enjoyed that,’ said Avery, as they walked back through the cold, crisp afternoon. ‘I didn’t know you were a whiz with the arrows.’
He grinned. ‘I’m good, but Charlie’s better—and Hetty can whip both of us. How about you?’
‘Not bad, but I haven’t played since college.’
‘Next time I’ll take you on at the pub.’ As they reached the first cattle grid on Eardismont land Jonas took her hand. ‘Were you at a party last night?’
‘No. Were you?’
He shook his head. ‘I was here. Alone.’
‘I pictured you in London at some smart social gathering,’ she said casually.
‘I could have been.’ He looked down at her, his grasp tightening. ‘For some reason I wasn’t in the mood.’
‘I don’t like New Year’s Eve parties,’ Avery confessed. ‘To me there’s something melancholy about the passing of the old year. I can’t take all that meaningless kissing either.’
‘I can’t say I agree with you there,’ said Jonas, grinning. ‘Give me your keys. I’ll drive your car up to the Barn.’
‘I’ll make the most of the weather and walk the rest of the way. You can put the kettle on,’ she said, as he folded himself into the driving seat.
Jonas looked up at her through the open car window. ‘I’ll do anything you want. Always.’
Avery was very thoughtful as she walked slowly down the track to the Barn. Always was a long time.
She shrugged off her fey mood, watching curiously as Jonas took a box from his car before going in the house.
‘What was in that mysterious package?’ she asked when she joined him.
‘I was in such a hurry to get back here after I’d returned the dogs I forgot that Mrs Holmes had given me a pie,’ he informed her.
‘Who is Mrs Holmes?’
‘She’s Charlie’s housekeeper. I’ve known her since I was thirteen—I used to spend part of every school holiday here. When I went over this morning she was baking a batch of these for the freezer.’ Jonas led Avery into the kitchen, where an outsize pie, still giving off a mouth-watering aroma, sat on the table beside an equally large fruitcake.
‘What a glorious smell!’ she exclaimed. ‘No problem about dinner, then.’
‘Afternoon tea fi
rst,’ he informed her. ‘The tray’s in the other room. I’ll bring the cake.’
Two slices of cake and a large quantity of tea had been consumed before there was much conversation.
‘The walk made me hungry,’ said Avery. And she hadn’t eaten much lately, either. Just being with Jonas had kick-started her appetite. She took off her shoes and curled up on the sofa, watching the flames flickering on the pebbles in the wall-mounted fireplace.
‘What did you do last night?’ asked Jonas, leaning back beside her.
‘I watched some videos until the usual fireworks signalled zero hour, at which point I drank a glass of wine in toast to my mother. Even in my partygoing London days I always took some leave at this time of year so I could spend Christmas and New Year’s Eve at home with her.’
‘This year we should have been together,’ said Jonas with sudden bitterness.
‘You were the one who walked out.’
‘Not without reason.’ He stared into the fire. ‘Your rejection was a body-blow.’
‘I rejected your proposal, Jonas, not you personally. Not that I cared for your rearrangement of my life much,’ she admitted bluntly. ‘But I suppose it’s understandable. You’re used to people who jump when you say jump.’
He turned to look at her. ‘I didn’t mean it that way. I just took it for granted that after what you told me about your childhood you’d be glad to turn your back on your home town.’
‘In some ways I would. But if I sold the house and the business I’d have nothing to fall back on in the future when—’
‘When I find someone to mother these mythical children of mine,’ he finished for her.
‘When we’re no longer together,’ she said, glaring at him.
‘That isn’t going to happen!’ He seized her by the shoulders. ‘My name is Mercer, not Morrell. I don’t know what the bastard did to destroy your faith in mankind, Avery, but it’s time to put it behind you and cultivate some trust where I’m concerned. We’re going to stay together, married or not. I love you, Avery. Nothing’s going to change that. I swear it.’
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