Suddenly, Leanne stopped dead and stared at Maddy. ‘Is it—?’ she panted. ‘It couldn’t be!’
‘Who?’ Maddy asked, so out of breath she could hardly get the words out.
Leanne started to laugh as the man came closer. ‘It’s him! What the hell is he doing here?’
Chapter Fifteen
‘Sir Horace!’ Leanne exclaimed, laughing so hard she had to hold on to Maddy to stay upright. ‘It’s you!’
‘Indeed it is, dear thing,’ Horace said, panting hard, his face purple. ‘You nearly killed me.’
Maddy gasped and stared at their stalker. ‘Jesus Christ, you scared us shitless.’
Horace put his hand on his chest and coughed. ‘Well, if you’d stopped and looked, you’d have known I wasn’t a stalker or anything.’
Leanne couldn’t stop laughing. ‘We thought you thought we were hookers.’
‘And I thought you thought I was some kind of weirdo following you. I ran as fast as I could so you would see me, but you were too fast for me.’ He took out a large hanky and wiped his brow. ‘Must try to get in a little sport now and then. I’m too out of shape for this kind of thing.’
‘Did you follow us all the way from the hotel?’ Maddy asked.
Horace pocketed his hanky. ‘Yes. I was just asking about you at the reception desk when you came out of the lift.’
‘Oh God, your bad heart!’ Maddy exclaimed. ‘You said you might need surgery. This could have killed you. Are you feeling all right?’
Horace blushed. ‘I’m fine, darling. I might have stretched the truth a little bit. I do apologise.’
‘Hmm, I thought so,’ Maddy muttered.
‘But what are you doing here?’ Leanne enquired.
‘I came to see you,’ Horace replied. ‘I read your blog post this morning about going to the red-light district and thought…’ He coughed. ‘As I know Amsterdam rather well, I told myself it wasn’t very safe for two pretty young girls to walk around in this part of town at night. Or any part of this town. It might look charming and picturesque in the sunlight, but after the dark, the rats come out of the sewers, believe me.’
Maddy looked at him thoughtfully. ‘I’m sure that’s a slight exaggeration, but you have a point.’
Leanne smiled fondly at him. ‘So you came all the way over here to protect us?’
Horace nodded. ‘Yes. I saw there was a flight at two o’clock, so I hopped into the car and drove to the airport. Finding you was no problem, as you’d posted a photo of the view from your rooms.’
Maddy clapped her hands. ‘Bravo! Great detective work. But what about her ladyship? What did she think about you taking off like that?’
Horace adopted a sad expression. ‘I’m afraid she came down with one of her migraines. She’ll be out for several days. I’ll be back before she comes out of her room. She’ll be none the wiser as to my little, ahem, fling.’
Leanne giggled. ‘You snuck out behind her back? Brilliant. But what about the farm? Your prize hens?’
‘All taken care of. Alistair, our butler, will see to them. As usual.’
‘As usual?’ Maddy’s eyebrows shot up. ‘Is this a permanent arrangement?’
Horace squirmed. ‘Weeell… whenever the old girl has one of her turns, I have little holiday. Nothing much I can do to help her, so I stay out of her way and do my own thing, so to speak. And Alistair is my confidant of sorts.’
‘A partner in crime?’ Leanne suggested.
Horace smiled. ‘I suppose so. But enough about that. Where are we going?’
‘We were planning to have dinner at something called the five flies,’ Maddy replied.
Horace nodded. ‘Ah, yes, d'Vijff Vlieghen.’
Leanne looked impressed. ‘You sound as if you speak Dutch like a Dutchman.’
Horace laughed. ‘Not quite. But I spent some of my misspent youth here, if you get my drift. Sowed a few wild oats and so on. Before I met Edwina, of course,’ he added.
Leanne winked. ‘Of course.’
‘Nice place, that restaurant. Used to be quite an elegant joint in my day,’ Horace remarked. ‘I hope I’m up to standard.’
Maddy looked at him. With his polished brogues, corduroy trousers, tweed jacket, Viyella shirt and Eton tie, he was almost like a pastiche of the English country squire. But she knew it wasn’t contrived; it was simply how he had always dressed. ‘You’re grand,’ she said.
‘Splendid.’ Horace linked arms with Maddy and pulled Leanne to his other side. ‘But let’s get going before someone thinks we’re standing here discussing the price for a threesome.’
Leanne giggled. ‘Horace, you’re a scream.’
He squeezed her arm. ‘That’s the nicest thing anyone has said to me for a long time. I was wondering,’ he continued as they turned into the main street, ‘if you’d consider—’ He stopped. ‘No, that would be an imposition.’
‘What?’ Leanne said. ‘Come on, don’t hold back. You’re among friends, here. Except if it’s something smutty. We don’t do that.’
‘No, of course it isn’t.’ He stopped abruptly in front of a shop selling sex toys. ‘Nothing remotely sordid. I was just wondering if you’d take me with you to Paris?’
His wistful expression touched Maddy’s heart. He looked so forlorn and slightly lost, like someone whose life was passing him by. Just like her, like so many other middle-aged people in the world, stuck in loveless marriages with no way out except a major upheaval that would break a lot of people’s hearts. He needed a bit of fun.
‘Of course we will,’ she heard herself say. ‘Won’t we, Leanne?’
But Leanne wasn’t listening. She was staring at the display in the window. ‘Can’t believe all this is out there for all to see. I mean…’ She pointed at an item. ‘What’s that for? The chain and leather thingy?’ She looked at Horace. ‘Any ideas?’
He looked uncomfortable. ‘Well, it’s…’ He leant forward and whispered something in Leanne’s ear.
She pulled back and stared at him. ‘Wow. No idea that was even possible. How come you’re so knowledgeable?’
Horace reddened and cleared his throat. ‘I picked it up here and there.’
‘Mostly here, I bet,’ Maddy suggested, nudging Leanne with her elbow.
‘Yeah, he seems to know Amsterdam like a local,’ Leanne agreed.
‘So that’s okay, then?’ Maddy asked.
‘What?’ Leanne looked confused.
‘Horace wants to come with us to Paris,’ Maddy explained. ‘I said we’d love to have him.’
There was a long silence, during which Horace appeared to hold his breath. Then Leanne shrugged. ‘Yeah, sure.’
‘Really?’ Horace looked as if someone had handed him a ticket to paradise. ‘You are both angels from heaven.’
Maddy laughed. ‘Not quite, but we’re working on it.’ She glanced at Leanne, trying to get her to chime in. But all she got was a dirty look behind Horace’s back.
* * *
‘What were you thinking?’ Leanne demanded an hour later in the ladies’ toilet of the restaurant.
Maddy put away her comb. ‘What do you mean?’
Leanne gestured at the door with her lipstick. ‘Him. That British chinless wonder. Inviting him to join us.’
‘Why not? He only wants to hitch a lift to Paris. Then he’ll get on the Eurostar back to London and Gloucestershire. He won’t make any trouble.’
‘But he’ll ruin the whole experience,’ Leanne moaned. Her eyes bored into Maddy’s as she continued. ‘I’ve dreamt of doing this for ages. Driving through Paris with the wind in my hair, just like in the song. And now I have to do it with fecking Horace!’
Maddy tried not to laugh. ‘It might be raining.’
Leanne applied lipstick and pressed her lips together. ‘Then I’ll wait until it stops.’ She glared at Maddy. ‘Listen, the blog is about us, not bloody Horace anyway! You read those comments from our fans. This will ruin the fun.’
‘I know.’ Ma
ddy put her hand on Leanne’s arm. ‘Come on, cheer up. It won’t be that bad. In any case, the Eurostar leaves from Gare du Nord. We can let him off there and then continue on through the city. We’ll drive down the Champs Elysées and on through to Rue de Rivoli and cruise through the best areas. It’ll be fun. And no Horace. I promise.’
Leanne glared at her. ‘I’ll hold you to that. If you wreck this, I’ll dump you at the nearest metro station. And that’s also a promise.’
‘I won’t wreck anything. In any case, I want to go and see someone when we get to Paris.’ Maddy felt suddenly breathless as she remembered her own agenda. Finding Ludo. Getting some kind of closure on the sense of loss that had haunted her for the past twenty years.
Leanne’s eyes softened. ‘Of course. You want to settle some scores.’
‘Not exactly. I just want to find out why it ended like that. Why he never got in touch.’
‘I know. Sorry.’ Leanne put her lipstick away and opened the door. ‘We’d better get back to Horace. He’ll have drunk all the wine.’
They made their way through the crowded restaurant to their table, where Horace was having a lively discussion with a pretty waitress. She smiled and walked off, saying something over her shoulder.
‘Ja, hoor,’ Horace shouted after her.
‘Did you hear that?’ Leanne muttered. ‘He’s insulting her. The eejit! Calling her a—’
‘That’s horrible!’ Maddy exclaimed.
‘What the hell do you mean?’ Leanne glared at Horace when they reached the table. ‘Calling women names like that. I think you should leave right now, you disgusting pig.’
Horace shot up, his face red. ‘What? I simply said—’
‘We heard,’ Maddy interrupted. ‘You said “ya whore”.’
Horace sighed and shook his head. ‘No, dear. I said “ja, hoor”. That’s Dutch. It means “yes, indeed”. We were talking about the town and how moy it is. I mean nice. In Dutch. I was being perfectly polite, as a matter of fact.’
Maddy laughed and sat down. ‘You were speaking Dutch? And we thought you were being insulting. That’s hilarious.’
Leanne sank down on the other side of Horace. ‘Sorry about that, Horace.’
Horace smiled and sat down. ‘It’s a rather strange language. I don’t speak it very well, but I picked up a bit years ago. Not that I’m good at languages, actually. Horticulture is more my thing.’
Leanne leant closer to Horace. ‘You might be a bit of a klutz, but you smell nice. What’s that aftershave? Sandalwood with notes of verbena and a whiff of something else.’
‘New-mown hay but just a touch,’ Horace filled in. ‘You have an excellent nose, there, m’dear. It’s a special blend. I get it from a small firm in Provence. They hand-mix their scents to order. Quite unknown but I stumbled upon it when I was in Paris a few years ago. They have a little boutique on the Left Bank.’
Leanne looked excited. ‘Really? I must go there. I love smelling things and detecting the different ingredients. Maybe they’ll make up a scent for me. What’s the name of the shop?’
Horace looked thoughtful. ‘Let me think. They’re called something odd, after the hometown of the owner, who is from one of the Scandinavian countries.’
‘Try to remember,’ Leanne urged, an anxious edge to her voice.
‘Hovden,’ Horace after a long silence. ‘I think that was it. A village somewhere.’
‘Hovden?’ Leanne whispered, her face suddenly deathly pale. ‘It’s a small fishing village in Northern Norway.’ She turned and stared at Maddy. ‘That’s where my dad was born.’
Chapter Sixteen
They decided to start for Paris early the next morning.
‘It’s a five-hour drive,’ Leanne announced at breakfast in the hotel dining room. ‘And we’ll stop for lunch in Brussels.’
Horace beamed at her. ‘Sounds exciting. I’ve never been there. A town much vilified by my countrymen. All bad things start in Brussels, it seems.’
Maddy tore herself away from the view of the canal. ‘I wouldn’t say that. But I know people in Britain view Europe differently.’ She smiled at Horace, who looked like an excited schoolboy embarking on a new adventure. His sparse grey hair was neatly brushed and his kind eyes behind the gold-rimmed glasses sparkled with excitement. There was an innocence about him that was endearing. You just couldn’t be annoyed at him for longer than five seconds. He had proven to be a useful companion, taking photos on their walk through the red-light district on the way back to the hotel the night before. He had a good eye for intriguing backdrops that gave a naughty edge to the photos that Leanne proceeded to post before she went to bed.
‘Our brush with Amsterdam’s dark side,’ she called it, hinting at sex clubs and erotic movies, neither of which they had attended, but the photos told a different story. ‘No need to be two goody two-shoes,’ she said with a cheeky grin as she posted the piece. ‘We have to play to the fantasies of our followers.’
‘Not sure I like it,’ Maddy said, hoping no one she knew followed the blog. Leanne got a bit carried away sometimes. But as the blog had gained a massive amount of followers, the editors were happy, as more sponsors asked to buy space on the website. The latest caper in Amsterdam would add a little spice.
Leanne leant across the table and looked Horace in the eye. ‘I hope you realise you’ll be travelling in the back seat with Bridget? You might even have to have her in your lap. She loves her cuddles, you know.’
Horace blanched and gulped. ‘Yes. Very well.’
‘But she is such a sweetie,’ Maddy exclaimed. ‘Why does she misbehave with you and not with us?’
Leanne shot him a dark look. ‘I bet you’ve given her a kick now and then.’
Horace squirmed. ‘Well… I might have aimed my slipper in her direction but she deserved it, believe me.’
‘Some female dogs just don’t like men,’ Maddy stated. ‘I read that somewhere. Could be the reason.’
Leanne nodded. ‘Maybe. But you have to be nice to her, Horace, or you’ll end up dumped at the side of the road.’
Horace gave her a sheepish look. ‘I’ll do my best, I swear. I know this is the price I have to pay to see Paris.’
Leanne looked confused. ‘But you’ve been there before, you said.’
He nodded. ‘Yes, but the last time was over five years ago. I’ve had to tighten my belt since then. The house had to be restored, as some of it was in danger of falling down. So, I’ve been a little stretched financially, so to speak.’
Maddy finished her tea. ‘But I thought – I mean that lavish party and Edwina’s designer clothes…’
Horace sighed. ‘That’s her money, not mine. She has a considerable personal fortune, none of which she wants to spend on the house. So, it all comes out of my earnings and what the estate produces. We used to be better off, but we’ve lost on the farm income lately. I’ve had to dip into the egg money for this trip.’
‘Oh.’ Maddy patted Horace on the arm. ‘Must be hard.’
He shrugged. ‘I manage.’
‘So that visit to the perfume shop was a long time ago?’ Leanne cut in. ‘I looked them up on the web, but all I got was an address. No website or anything.’
‘I wouldn’t know,’ Horace said. ‘I usually put in my order by phone. The last one was a year ago when Edwina ordered some for me as a Christmas present.’
Leanne looked deflated. ‘So, I have to call in to the shop if I’m to find out anything about them?’
‘I presume you do,’ Horace replied.
Leanne nodded and got up. ‘Okay. Right, gang, let’s check out and get going. Next stop Brussels.’
‘And the dratted European Union,’ Horace filled in.
* * *
They reached Brussels after a tedious drive on the motorway through Holland where the flat landscape and industrial developments did nothing to lift their spirits.
‘If this is Europe, give me England any day,’ Horace muttered from the back sea
t, where Bridget had crawled onto his lap, decorating his beige twill trousers with black curly hairs, much to his annoyance. ‘Could we skip lunch and go on to Paris? I’m not sure Brussels will make my heart sing.’
Leanne shot him a withering glance over her shoulder. ‘We have to eat. And I’ve heard the Grand Place is wonderful.’
‘And I’ve heard Brussels is a dump,’ Horace retorted. ‘But, look,’ he said, pointing at a road sign. ‘There’s the exit to Bruges. Can we go there instead?’
‘No,’ Leanne snapped. ‘We can’t. Too much of a hassle. We’ll have to park outside town, and then it’s a long walk. I looked it up in my European guide book. In any case, Bruges is always crammed with tourists and it’s impossible to get into any restaurant.’
‘But Brussels will be crammed with those horrible EU people,’ Horace said with a shudder, trying to shift Bridget off his lap, making her growl.
‘What are you doing to her?’ Maddy asked. ‘Please be gentle. She doesn’t like rough handling.’
‘I was just trying to get her off me. But okay, she’s the boss.’ Horace looked morosely out of the window, admitting defeat. ‘Bloody Brussels,’ he muttered under his breath.
* * *
The town proved to be a lot better than they expected. The Grand Place, with its amazing seventeenth-century buildings, was impressive, especially the guildhalls with their carvings, beautiful windows, balconies and crenulations.
‘A true architectural jewel,’ Maddy mumbled, reading aloud from her pocket guide. ‘That’s no exaggeration.’
They craned their necks to look at it all and nearly broke their ankles on the uneven cobblestones. They were spoilt for choice when it came to places to eat but finally settled on one in the cellar of a mediaeval house.
‘Moules frites,’ Leanne announced. ‘That’s the best thing to have here. Mussels and fries to you and me.’
‘Not for me. There isn’t an “r” in this month,’ Horace protested.
The Road Trip_A feel-good romantic comedy that will make you laugh out loud! Page 11