by Jenny Kane
Reaching for her phone, Thea braced herself to face the screen. She only wanted to know the time, but there was a high chance that there’d be text messages and emails flashing for her attention – and at least one would be from John.
It was a quarter to four in the afternoon.
Thea sat bolt upright. How the hell had she slept that long? The day was all but gone.
She rechecked the phone, to make sure she wasn’t imagining things, just as the digital display changed from 15:45 to 15:46.
Ignoring the envelope symbol that declared she did indeed have texts waiting, Thea swung her legs out of bed, ready to rush to the bathroom for a shower and crack on with what was left of the day.
She sat down as soon as she’d stood up. Where did she think she was going? Tina wouldn’t be here for another couple of hours, and she had no transport to get back to Upwich.
A grumble from her stomach urged Thea towards the kitchen. Hoping it would be obvious what food belonged to Tina, so she didn’t accidentally steal anyone else’s supplies, she went in search of food and coffee.
Thea needn’t have worried. On arrival she found a cake tin with a piece of paper placed on top, held down with a mug and a tin of coffee. Addressed to her, it instructed Thea to help herself to as much of the contents as she wanted, as well as to anything on the lowest shelf in the fridge and the third cupboard along above the oven.
Opening the tin, Thea inhaled deeply as the familiar waft of lemon cake assailed her nostrils. She hadn’t realised how hungry she was until the scent of Tina’s baking hit her.
Ten minutes later the entire cake and a knife sat on the coffee table. With a steaming mug of black coffee to hand, Thea curled up on the sofa in front of the television. It was so long since she’d watched television that she was momentarily thrown by the number of channels showing so little worth watching.
Trying not to feel guilty about her time away from the manor, she aimed the remote control at the screen, channel-hopping away from the third true crime show she’d found and onto the fifth reality makeover programme. The only good thing she could say about them was that however bad things got for her, at least she wasn’t the victim of humiliation on reality television.
Flicking onto the next channel, Thea froze as Shaun crossed the screen. A lump formed in her throat, but she couldn’t pull her eyes away. It was an old episode, one of his earliest appearances on Landscape Treasures. She’d seen them all, although she’d never told him that. His hair had been more foppish then, with a fringe hanging over his eyes, which he continually swept aside so he could see the cameras or the archaeological site in front of him. That was how he’d looked at the conference. When Becky had tricked him into bed. When at the same time, Shaun had claimed, he’d been getting up the courage to ask her out.
But you didn’t, Shaun. You didn’t ask me. Just as you haven’t been in touch for weeks.
Watching as he moved around an Iron Age hillfort, Thea tried to be glad that she hadn’t given in to her baser instincts and slept with Shaun before he’d left for Cornwall. But she couldn’t. She’d wanted to and couldn’t see how it would hurt more if she’d done what she wanted.
‘At least I’d have a nice memory. One better than saving me from a rough night with a lost nightjar.’
Even as she’d said it, Thea knew she was being unfair. Not many people would have helped her as much as Shaun had. And as she watched him walking around the excavation, she was reminded just how much he loved his job, and how good he was at it.
He’s as dedicated to Landscape Treasures as you are to Mill Grange.
Putting down her coffee, she picked up her mobile. ‘Maybe he’s been waiting for me to get in touch. Maybe he’s in Cornwall wondering why I haven’t called him?’ Thea sighed. ‘No. He knows how hard it is for me signal wise, and he said he’d be in touch. And he hasn’t been.’
Her eyes fell on the envelope symbols. There were four of them now. They could be from John, but equally, Tina could have been checking on her. Taking a deep breath, Thea pressed the receive button on her phone and forced herself to look at the small screen.
One text was from Tina saying she’d booked them a table at the Lamb and Flag for seven o’clock.
The other three were from an unknown number.
Thea sat on the edge of the sofa, her heart thudding almost as fast as when she’d been running away from the Stag and Hound.
She read the first text.
It’s Shaun – got new phone number. I’ve spoken to Sam. I’m on my way.
‘What? On your way to the manor, or did Sam tell you I was here?’
The second text answered her question.
I’ve been a fool. I believed the messages were from you. I’m on my way. Tina says she’s booked us a table at the Lamb and Flag.
‘Messages? What messages?’
Thea? Are you getting these messages? You should have a signal at Tina’s. Are you okay?
Thirty
May 19th
Thea had showered at top speed, dragged a borrowed hairbrush through her hair and dressed in the only clean clothes she’d taken to Tina’s. Her oversized jumpers and faded out jeans weren’t particularly smart, but as they were here and immensely comfy, they’d do.
‘I don’t want Shaun to think I’m dressing up for him anyway.’
Thea’s attempts to call Shaun had failed, but she’d hammered off a selection of texts telling him she was okay, that she’d be at the Lamb and Flag waiting for him, and that she was looking forward to seeing him.
She’d hesitated before sending the last message – but as she knew it to be true, and as Sam had said Shaun was concerned about her, she’d sent it anyway.
Now, sitting nervously by the pub’s front window, an unpleasant idea struck Thea.
What if it had been John on the end of those texts and not Shaun?
Cursing, she grabbed her coat from the vacant seat next to her, but didn’t move. Stuck in indecision, Thea didn’t know whether to flee, or stay where she was, in a public place and therefore be safer than if John cornered her alone. It would at least get the showdown over with.
If there was a showdown.
She took a deep breath and muttered, ‘Think logically.’
It must have been Shaun. But I don’t recognise the number.
‘Messages?’ Thea mumbled as she slipped her coat on and cuddled herself with her arms, cold despite the warmth of the room’s central heating. She hadn’t sent Shaun any messages, which must only mean… ‘Has John texted Shaun pretending he’s me?’
She sank back against her chair with a jolt. It was ridiculous. He couldn’t have… But she knew that, on a practical level at least, John was perfectly capable of such an act. But morally, would he do that?
Cursing herself once more for running out of the Stag and Hound before she’d had the guts to ask him what was really going on, she considered the possibility that his pointless persistence had more to do with his standing at work than Thea herself.
But how? Thea scanned the pub for signs of Shaun, aware she was either letting her imagination run away with her again, or was clutching at straws. Either way, enough was enough. She was not going to allow John to turn her into the sort of woman who ran out of pubs or hid behind locked doors on a regular basis. Mill Grange needed her, and whether the trustees sold or not, she was never going to put herself in a position where anyone could blame her for what had happened.
Gripping her arms through her thick coat, ignoring the glances she was getting from some of the diners at nearby tables, a renewed determination to succeed at Mill Grange took hold of Thea. A determination she was not going to let John Sommers ruin.
For now, she would stay put. Tina and Sam both knew where she was. So, if tonight was just John trying to trick her into a date again then, as long as she didn’t move from where she was sitting, on the settee in the window of the Lamb and Flag dining room, then she was safe, and she could ask him what his agenda was. And, if
it did turn out to be Shaun, then she’d find out what was going on and why he hadn’t been in touch.
Thea planted her feet harder against the dubiously patterned carpet. ‘Time to stop running.’
*
Her relief as she saw Shaun stride, head and shoulders above everyone else, into the busy pub, was only dwarfed by the desire to throw her arms around him. Somehow, she stayed where she was although the grin that spread across her face gave away how pleased she was to see him.
Shaun, however, had no such restraint. He’d engulfed Thea in his arms before they’d exchanged a single greeting. Her nostrils filled with the scent of his old Barbour jacket and indefinable deodorant, as overloud whispers of, ‘Isn’t that the man from Landscape Treasures,’ echoed around the room.
‘Thank God it’s you.’ Thea held him tighter.
‘You were worried my message was a trick and that John was going to show up.’
‘It crossed my mind.’ Thea’s heart sank as the reason for Shaun’s unexpected arrival crept between them.
Shaun searched her face, as if looking for minute signs of damage. ‘You didn’t send me those messages, did you?’
‘Until tonight I didn’t know about any messages. I’ve sent nothing.’ Thea picked up a fork from the table and fiddled it between her fingers. ‘You said you’d be in touch within a week. You weren’t. I assumed you either didn’t have a signal or you’d changed your mind about me. As the days stretched on, the lack of signal seemed less viable, so I assumed you’d changed your mind about me.’
‘Are you insane!?’ Shaun realised he’d raised his voice, and instantly lowered it to a whisper, ignoring every set of eyes in the dining room that had swivelled their way. ‘I’ve fancied you since… well, you know all that. Then I had to go to Cornwall. I must have driven Richard mad on the way south. I hardly shut up about you. I was a man who couldn’t believe his luck! The girl I’d been too nervous to ask out all those years ago was right in front of me. And, miraculously, she seemed to like me too. A kindred spirit. Someone kind and capable and clever and funny and who’s interested in the same things as me. And who gets that I don’t like the fame thing and… well…’ Shaun paused as he reached forward to take Thea’s hands in his. ‘Who’s damn hot if I may say so.’
Thea couldn’t help but smile. ‘So why—’
‘I hadn’t been in Cornwall for more than a few hours when I had a text saying you’d dropped your mobile in the sink and that you’d got a pay as you go phone.’
‘I did no such thing!’ Thea pointed to her mobile on the table. ‘Same phone I’ve had for the past two years.’
‘But I didn’t know it wasn’t true. I sent texts to the new number, thinking I was reaching you.’ Shaun held her hands tighter. ‘I was all for getting back in the car and driving to Mill Grange as soon as I’d seen the site in Cornwall was suitable, but the production team were waiting and the appointments to see the owners of the house in Cornwall were booked. Coming back at that point would have meant walking out on my job. If I’d done that I wouldn’t have been the celebrity draw you need for your Open Day, would I?’
‘You stayed so you wouldn’t get booted off Landscape Treasures to keep your promise to open Mill Grange.’ Thea’s forehead creased.
‘I’d promised.’ Shaun gestured to the phone he’d laid on the table. ‘I sent texts to the new number explaining the situation, but no one answered. I even tried calling, but no one answered.’
‘And you didn’t call the landline because?’
‘Because you didn’t answer my texts. I know the signal is bad, but there are some hotspots around Mill Grange, so you’d have got my messages eventually. I thought you’d lost interest in me.’
Thea couldn’t help but smile. ‘We’re as bad as each other.’
‘That has to be a good thing.’ Shaun’s eyes crinkled at the edges as he returned her grin. ‘I think we need a drink. Pinot or lager?’
*
Ten minutes later, just at the point when she was on the verge of joining Shaun at the packed bar and begging him to put her out of suspense, he returned with two bottles of lager. Thea immediately dived back into the conversation. ‘I was beginning to wonder if John had lost the plot completely and hacked my email as well, hence not hearing from you that way.’
‘No, the dead mobile phone story was much simpler.’
‘And effective. Gave us both time to start doubting ourselves and each other.’ Thea sighed. ‘Assuming it was John.’
‘Of course it was.’
‘Can we prove it though?’
‘Only if we catch him in possession of the phone he contacted me with, pretending to be you.’
Taking a swig from her lager, Thea said, ‘I wonder how he got your number in the first place?’
‘Wouldn’t have been difficult. As the signal’s so bad at Mill Grange, I often left my phone in my room or the scullery.’
‘Or I suppose he could have searched the file of health and safety forms on my desk. Everyone’s personal details are recorded there.’ Thea swallowed hard. ‘I assume you changed your number so John couldn’t contact you again?’
‘I went into Taunton and got it switched this morning.’
‘I hesitate to ask, but what did the texts you sent me say?’
Shaun shifted uncomfortably in his chair. ‘Umm… I sent a couple saying how glad I was to have found you, and how much I was looking forward to returning to Mill Grange. Although not using those actual words.’ He took a long swig of his drink. ‘It’s embarrassing to think that John read them and not you.’
Thea hated the idea of John reading private messages meant for her. ‘I’m sorry I didn’t get them.’
‘So am I, believe me.’ Shaun took a mouthful of beer, before adding, ‘I’m even sorrier that he’ll have seen the messages I sent after I got drunk with the team a few nights ago.’
Thea reached a hand out across the table, laying it over his. ‘Tell me.’
‘Like I say, I wasn’t worried about your lack of replies at first, because I know how hard it is to get a connection at the manor, but when my texts were completely ignored, I was hurt. In my alcohol-fuelled self-pity I assumed you’d been leading me on and sent a text accusing you of just that. Then two or three texts begging forgiveness for being an idiot.’
Thea shifted her hand from his palm to his thigh. She could imagine how much John would have enjoyed reading Shaun’s drunken texts.
‘I’m sorry.’ Shaun felt his body respond to the hand on his leg. ‘I don’t really think you led me on.’
‘I know. It’s okay.’
‘It isn’t though, is it?’ Shaun sighed, ‘because John has stepped over the mark from being a nuisance to being a liability.’
‘John hasn’t been at the manor much this month. He must have been staying in places with a good phone signal. You were gone, so it seemed logical he’d be around more. Making himself indispensable, trying to wear me down. But apart from popping in for an hour here and there to help in the grounds, he’s been very quiet. Until last night.’
‘When he pretended to be me and arranged a meeting in Moira’s backroom.’
‘Yes. Well, no. He didn’t pretend to be you. I just assumed it was you, and then, when it wasn’t, I ran away. Sam told you all about it?’
‘He did. I didn’t like leaving you at the manor with John about in the first place, so I asked Sam to keep his eyes open, although I didn’t tell him why. Last night he and Tina were worried, so he called me.’
Thea looked at Shaun properly for the first time since he’d sat down. ‘What do you think John’s motivation for all this is?’
‘It has to be hurt pride.’
‘Is that enough though? And why now? The only thing he cares about is his image at work. I can’t see how this is helping with that. He must have used nearly all his annual holiday up by being here.’
‘Maybe he has, and he’s running out of time. He’s getting desperate, hence the phone
con.’ Shaun raked a hand through his hair.
‘Although that still doesn’t answer the question – why all this in the first place.’
‘Jealousy is probably the immediate answer.’ Shaun stared into Thea’s eyes, ‘John came to Mill Grange, convinced of his abilities to win you back. Then I arrived, and suddenly he had a rival as well as a challenge on his hands.’
Thea exhaled with a drawn-out groan of incomprehension. ‘It’s so mad. He’s clever, handsome and, when he isn’t being an obsessive arse, a decent, if somewhat self-centred, person. He could have joined a dating site or something and met someone perfect for him. There are so many options, why this way? Why me?’
‘Why you? Well, that’s obvious,’ Shaun’s eyes spoke volumes on the subject, while no words left his lips. ‘Why like this? God alone knows. The real question is what do we do about him? And, even more important, can I still open the manor, have the trustees made a decision about selling yet and, most vital of all, can I have a kiss right now please?’
‘In public?’ Thea coloured.
‘Have you sold many tickets for the Open Day?’
Thrown by the question, Thea nodded. ‘Over fifty at the last count.’
‘We kept quiet to help the manor, but if we’ve already sold loads of Open Day tickets, then I don’t care. Actually, I didn’t care in the first place, but you did, and what you want matters to me, so…’
Thea placed a finger over Shaun’s lips and silenced him further with a long overdue kiss.
*
Having texted Tina to assure her that they were okay, Thea declared a John-free conversation zone over dinner. Instead she heard about Shaun’s adventures in Cornwall, while he caught up on news from Mill Grange.
‘Are you going back to Cornwall now?’
Thea hadn’t wanted to ask the question, but it loomed large in her mind as their pudding plates were cleared away and the question of her return to Mill Grange could no longer be ignored.