by Helen Phifer
Chapter Forty-Five
M addy made it back to Lake House without getting lost. It was a struggle to climb over the wall, because her ankle was now painful and swollen after all the walking. Taking her time to mount it, she hoped no one was watching her, because right now she was doing a good impression of a fish out of water, and it wasn’t very ladylike.
As she limped along the lakeside, the sound of the water lapping against the pebbled edge soothed her troubled mind. She felt awful for Seth, but what would she do to fill her days now, if he was too busy mourning for his dad? Maddy, you selfish cow, she told herself. That’s despicable; the man is grieving and all you’re bothered about is being bored out of your head.
She looked across the grounds at the imposing house. It was beautiful, desolate, and quite scary from this angle, with its blacked-out windows and no lights burning inside. She realised just how crazy this idea had been; she was on her own in the middle of nowhere. Her shoulders were aching from carrying the backpack full of food and wine.
As she reached the jetty, she shrugged the bag off and let it fall onto the grass. Kicking off her shoes, she rolled up her leggings and decided to sit and paddle her feet in the icy, cold water. It might help the swelling on her ankle to go down, and perhaps she would be able to get a phone signal. She needed to speak to Stella; anyone, really. She didn’t think she’d ever experienced loneliness in her entire life but was pretty sure the way she felt now was pretty close.
Lowering herself onto the end of the wooden jetty, she dipped her toes into the water, letting out a small squeal as the cold water numbed them. Counting to three, she pushed her feet in all the way to her calves, screeching even louder. It didn’t matter how much noise she made; there was no one to hear her. The coldness enveloped her legs, but it felt so good against the burning sensation in her swollen ankle. She’d been hoping Seth would come to her rescue and strap it up for her, but this was almost as good as the thought of his hands touching her skin.
Despite her reluctance to get involved with another man so soon after Connor, there was something so nice and normal about Seth and the thought of his touch made her skin tingle. He was older than her, pretty laid back, a real hero who had rescued people from the mountains at all hours of the day and night, yet he didn’t think anything of it. She should have insisted on speaking to him today. How would she know if that strange woman would pass her message of condolence on to him? She needed him to know she was sorry and that she cared.
Kicking her legs back and forth in the water, she took her phone from her shirt pocket and searched for Stella’s number. It went straight to voicemail again, and Maddy didn’t know whether to be angry or worried. She was both, if she was honest. This wasn’t like Stella; they’d had minor disagreements in the past and not spoken for a couple of days. But this was different. They hadn’t fallen out, but Stella had been a bit odd on the phone the last time they’d spoken.
Maddy had no idea what to do. She supposed she could phone Aden, but she didn’t have his number; she normally spoke to him on the shop phone when Stella wasn’t around. She dialled the shop on the off-chance that either one of them might still be there, but the phone rang and rang, cutting off before she got the chance to leave a message. Fuck, Stella, what’s happening?
Her stomach let out a loud groan, and so did she as she tried to stand, a sharp pain shooting through her ankle. Picking up her trainers and her backpack, she hobbled barefoot across the grass to the entrance of the house.
There was quite a lot she could be doing; she should be writing, and now she had no excuse. Seth was out of the equation and she had no idea what Stella was up to, so she would make herself something to eat then hide away in the bedroom and write. After all, wasn’t that the whole point of this turn-your-entire-life-upside-down-and-finish-this-bloody-book upheaval of her lifestyle?
She opened the heavy front door and stepped into the shadow-filled hall. A faint smell of lavender and cinnamon lingered in the air. Inhaling, she wondered where it had come from. It didn’t smell anything like the Chanel Chance she’d spritzed herself with before leaving, and anyway, she’d left that in the bedroom upstairs.
Just to be sure it wasn’t her mind playing tricks on her, she tugged the collar of the T-shirt she’d put on, and sniffed it. Nope, it definitely wasn’t her. So where was the smell emanating from? She supposed she should be grateful it didn’t smell of rotting flesh or damp earth, like the cellar.
For such a huge building, inside it was peaceful. Maddy had never really believed in ghosts, but she could imagine the owners who had died here loving the house so much that they might not want to leave. Was that where the smell had come from? Maybe the lady of the house was still here, wandering the halls. What if she didn’t know she was dead, and was still carrying on with her life, just like always?
A cold chill settled over Maddy. She was creeping herself out, but not in a Freddy-Krueger kind of way, because she didn’t imagine anyone who had lived or died here had been a violent serial killer. More in a was-someone-watching-her kind of way. She shuddered; there she was again, filling her head with stuff she shouldn’t be. At this rate, she’d leave here and go straight into a hospital for mental health patients to get her head back together.
Once she’d unpacked her backpack and put the shopping away, Maddy sat at the desk with a huge mug of coffee and half a packet of biscuits. All the walking and fresh air had given her a huge appetite.
She was definitely off alcohol for the time being – or at least until she could share a bottle with Seth. She didn’t trust herself. Her head was still a bit muggy despite the walk into the village and her paddle in the lake, and two painkillers had taken the edge off but not completely.
Opening up her laptop, she began to read the last few chapters of what she’d written last night to refresh her memory. She had no recollection of writing any of it, which disturbed her a little. Normally, she could remember the gist of how the story was going, so it wasn’t like her to have this complete blank.
Sipping the hot coffee, she dunked the biscuits in, she was nevertheless pleased with how the story was shaping up. Maybe this book was going to be even better than her first one? And she knew the next one was going to be fabulous, because she’d already decided it was going to be set here, among the shadows of Lake House.
Chapter Forty-Six
S tella hadn’t been able to concentrate. She’d tried phoning Maddy numerous times from the shop phone, and each time it had gone to voicemail. When Joe walked into the shop a couple of hours later, she’d been relieved to see him, and she felt a warmth spread through her insides, soothing her fears away.
‘How are you?’
‘Worried.’
‘About that idiot?’
She shook her head. ‘No, Maddy – the idiot’s ex, and my best friend. I can’t get hold of her and the police called earlier. They can’t get hold of him. What if he’s gone to find her, Joe? He was so angry about her walking out on him. I’d never live with myself if something happened to her because of me.’
She crossed to the shop door, closing it, then turning the key in the lock.
‘So, where is she?’
‘In a huge, bloody desolate mansion in the middle of the Lake District with little or no phone signal,’ she replied. ‘I can’t get hold of her. I’ve been trying all day.’
Joe crossed to where Stella was standing. He pulled her close, and she let him. She needed his warmth; she was freezing, and he was like a hot water bottle. He bent down, kissing her cheek.
‘Then there’s only one thing for it.’
‘What?’
‘We need to go and check she’s okay. Warn her about him.’
‘How? Plus, she’s going to be so disappointed in me when I tell her I let him take me out for a meal then I invited him into my flat.’
Stella didn’t know how Joe was going to react, but she needed to be straight with him. She owed him that much.
‘None of that matters,’ he
told her. ‘We need to check on her. If she’s angry with you, then that’s fine. At least you know she’s still alive to be angry with you. She won’t be angry for long anyway, how could she be? She’d left him, so it wasn’t like you went behind her back, and I think she’ll know how good he is at manipulating people. She’ll know he was only using you to get to her.’
‘Ouch.’
He held her tighter. ‘I don’t mean that in a horrible way, but it’s true. He took advantage of you because he’s a conniving, slimy, dangerous creep. It wasn’t your fault, Stella. And besides, you deserve so much better than him…than me.’
Stella hugged him back. ‘No, I don’t deserve better than you, Joe. I don’t know how I’ve been so lucky enough to have your friendship and not realise before how amazing you are. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me.’
His lips bent, touching hers, and she pressed her mouth against his so tight she wondered if she’d sucked all the air out of his lungs. Pulling away, she felt her heart racing. She wanted him more than she’d ever wanted anyone in her entire life, but she knew that now was not the time. She’d let Maddy down once; it wouldn’t happen again. She could pick up where they’d just left off as soon as she knew her friend wasn’t in any danger.
‘How are we going to get to the Lake District?’
Joe grinned. ‘I’ll borrow my grandad’s car. He can’t drive now his eyes are too bad, but he’s too stubborn to admit defeat, so it’s in his lock-up, gathering dust. I’ll go and get it. You get some things together and arrange for Aden to take care of the shop.’ He winked at her. ‘I’ve always wanted to spend a romantic weekend in the English Lake District with a beautiful woman. I’ll be back in an hour. Will you be ready to go?’
She nodded, blinking back tears of gratitude. She had no idea what she’d done to deserve this man standing in front of her, but one thing was for sure, he wasn’t getting away.
‘Thank you.’ She didn’t know if he’d heard her because he’d unlocked the door and was already striding down the street.
Closing the door behind him, she let out a huge sigh of relief. Thank you, God, Universe, whoever. I promise not to mess this up now. Please, just let Maddy be okay and that arsehole Connor to have driven his car off the side of a mountain, and everything will be back to normal.
****
Stella had stuffed some things in her Cath Kidston weekend bag that Maddy had bought her for her birthday, along with some basic make-up essentials. She didn’t need a lot; Joe made her feel as if she could be herself.
Glancing in her bedroom mirrors, she did a double-take; her face was horrific. The swelling had gone down slightly, but the bruising had darkened. It was a good job Joe had seen her this way, because things could only ever improve.
A car horn beeped from the street below and she rushed to the bedroom window, lifting the blinds. Down below was a burnt orange, Ford car of some kind. It wasn’t the prettiest or the poshest of cars, but it didn’t matter. It would do, as long as it got them to Lake House. Slinging the bag over her shoulder, she rushed out of the flat, locking it behind her, and ran towards the car.
Joe jumped out of the driver’s side and opened the rear door for her to put her bag in.
‘Sorry, the boot doesn’t open unless it feels like it. You might put your bag in, and it gets stuck in there.’
Stella smiled at him, then rushed around to the passenger side and climbed inside. The car smelt of lemon and pipe smoke. Joe got in and looked at her with a worried expression.
‘Do you hate the smell? I’m used to it, but it’s not that nice to a non-smoker. My gran won’t let him smoke his pipe in the flat, so he sits in the car with the engine running to have a smoke. Then he sprays it with lemon air freshener to get rid of the smell. Only it doesn’t. And they both linger on the upholstery like a bad dream.’
She laughed. ‘It’s fine. It reminds me of my grandad, actually. I like it.’
Joe kept his eyes on her, clearly unsure if she was lying or not.
‘Honestly,’ she assured him, still grinning. ‘Even if it smelt of crap, it would still be okay. It’s very good of him to let you use it.’
‘Right.’ He put the car into gear. ‘I’m hopeless at directions, should we use your phone’s Google Maps?’
Stella laughed again. ‘Have you seen this phone? I don’t know if it will even load a map.’
Joe pulled his mobile from his trouser pocket and handed it to her. ‘There’s a car charger in the glove compartment. If you plug that in, we should be good to go.’
Stella opened it and rooted among the receipts until she found the charger, plugged it in, and waited for Google to load, then typed in the address. The voice began to tell Joe to go north-west then turn right. Stella didn’t have a clue what direction that was, so she was glad Joe was driving.
She felt the butterflies in her stomach subside a little. Everything was good; it was going to be okay. They would get to Lake House with no problems, Maddy would be pleased to see them and ask them to stay for a couple of nights. They would sink a couple of bottles of wine, she would tell her all about Connor, and then they could all get on with their lives. No guilt hanging over her shoulders, and no worry that he’d found Maddy and hurt her.
Chapter Forty-Seven
C onnor hammered on the pub door. The place was in darkness, and he wished he’d come straight here instead of wasting most of the day in Kendal. It seemed odd for a pub to be shut at this time of evening; it wasn’t past closing time. He pulled out his phone to see where the nearest guest house or hotel was, but there was no signal. It was a shame his map wouldn’t load or he could have gone straight to the place Maddy was staying, then he could have charmed his way in and spent some quality time with her.
‘Can I help you?’
He turned to look at the guy who’d almost made him jump. He looked like a local, with his fleecy jacket and walking boots.
‘I don’t know if you can,’ Connor replied politely. ‘I’m looking for somewhere to stop for the night. Does everywhere close this early in the summer? I’d have thought it was open for people like me. You know, tourists?’
The man shrugged. ‘There’s been a bit of bad news at the pub. It’s normally open. The nearest place which might have rooms available is Keswick.’
‘Is it far? I’ve been driving for the last couple of days, and I’m tired. I only wanted somewhere to crash for the night.’
‘I live behind the pub. You can stop at mine for the night, if you want. My wife’s on a shopping trip with her sister. We’ve got one of those sofa beds. Never used it, to be honest. But as long as it’s just the one night, you’re welcome to christen it.’
Connor stared at the guy, wondering why he would offer a stranger a bed for the night. Did these people not worry about killers or thieves taking advantage of them? Obviously not, if he thought it was acceptable. He didn’t look like a nutter. Well, no crazier than he was himself. And he could do with a rest, some time to plan out what his next move was. He wasn’t used to driving for long spells and the need for total concentration had given him a terrible headache.
‘Do you not mind?’ he asked. ‘Obviously, I’ll pay you the going rate for a B&B. But I’d really appreciate it.’
The guy shrugged. ‘Wife is always telling me to be kinder to strangers, so I guess this is a good start.’
Connor guessed the man’s wife would go fucking mental with him when she found out, but by that time he’d be long gone. He only needed a few hours’ sleep, time to figure out the best route to get to Lake House, and he’d be gone before the Good Samaritan woke up for his early morning piss.
The guy turned and began to walk off. Connor followed him; he had nothing to lose.
‘You might want to move your car to the small car park behind the pub,’ the man advised. ‘You don’t want it to get towed. The police only turn up once in a while, but they’re strict about cars on double yellows on this narrow road. I wouldn’t take
a chance.’
Connor nodded, and the guy walked around the side of the pub to wait for him. The car park wasn’t very big, but he managed to squeeze his car into the last gap between a skip and an overgrown bush. His Good Samaritan was waiting for him.
‘Have you eaten?’
‘I had a sandwich and a couple of chocolate bars earlier, so I’m okay, thanks.’
‘Rubbish, I can make you a fry up. I was going to make one for myself anyway, so you might as well join me. Got plenty of bacon, sausages, and eggs, it’s all the wife buys.’
Connor felt his stomach groan at the thought of a plate of bacon and eggs.
The guy began to walk along the small, cobbled streets, and Connor had to walk fast to keep up with him.
‘I don’t want to be cheeky but is it far?’ he asked. ‘We could take my car if it is?’
The man shook his head. ‘It’s not far, just in a bit of an awkward place. Your car won’t make it along the track. It’s only another five minutes up the fell.’
Out of breath, Connor realised they’d been climbing for some time up the side of a steep hill. Looking behind him, the lights of the village were some distance behind them.
A ramshackle building loomed in the distance, and for the first time in his life a feeling of uneasiness fell over him. There were no lights burning in the building, and it looked as if it hadn’t been lived in for years.
‘Are we nearly there, mate?’ he puffed. ‘I’m knackered.’
‘Just behind the old summerhouse. There’s a bit of a dip on the hillside, so you can’t see the house from here. It’s literally just five minutes.’
Connor stared down the hillside. He could make out the outline of a huge building down below them. It looked a bit like the house Maddy was staying in, when he’d googled it.
‘What’s that building down there?’
‘Which one?’
Connor frowned; it was the only building he could see for miles. Surely there weren’t two huge houses which looked the same in this area?