The Knapthorne Conspiracy

by Malcolm Ballard

  “Oh, Kyle, it’s lovely! Look at those cottages! And the stream!” She sounded like an excited child at Disneyland. “I just adore thatched cottages.” He slowed down considerably so that she could take it all in. “I’d secretly hoped that Willow Cottage might be thatched. Not that I mind that it isn’t, of course!” They cruised through the village in silence and Bella finally let out a sigh as they passed the last of the cottages.

  “That was delightful. I’m so glad you thought to come this way.”

  “It’s something a little different. Not many people get a chance to see anything like that, these days.” Now she was confused. Thirty minutes earlier she could never have imagined him acting this way. From what little she knew of Kyle she felt there was an air of confidence about him, perhaps something more. The male ego was there too, his driving was evidence of that and she also knew he had a temper from his initial reaction to her accident. These factors had made an imprint on her mind of a strong, decisive character with the hint of a slightly aggressive personality. No doubt necessary to survive in the cut-throat world of television. Kyle Lucas certainly didn’t seem the type to want to take a detour through a pretty village. Obviously there was more to the man than she had been giving him credit for. What other surprises did he have up his sleeve? Kyle’s voice interrupted her thoughts.

  “It shouldn’t be more than about ten minutes from here. We won’t be coming in from the direction you recall, over the bridge, but we can go out that way later if you want.”

  “Whatever.” Bella replied. “At the moment I’m just looking forward to a drink and something to eat.”

  “And then you can tell me what’s made life so interesting since you’ve been down here…”

  “Only…” she began, emphasising the word, “…when I’ve found out a little more about Kyle Lucas. I’m sitting next to someone who’s virtually a complete stranger as far as I’m concerned and a girl likes to know something about a man when she’s going to buy him lunch.” She shifted in her seat to face him. “Curiosity is one of the female virtues don’t you know? It’s how we find so much to talk about all the time.”

  Twenty minutes later they were seated in the riverside patio area of The George enjoying the delights of its picturesque setting. To Bella’s right was the solid stone structure of the medieval bridge that she had remembered with its seven arches spanning the lazily flowing waters of the broad River Avon. It was a long, low construction describing a very slight arc across its span which was no more than six metres above the surface of the water at the apex of its central point. The solid piles between the bridge’s arches disturbed the flow of the river so that the water swirled and eddied as it swept past on its way to the sea less than twenty miles away. As always, when faced with a prospect of such natural beauty, Bella experienced a mix of awe and humility at the sheer grandeur of nature. They were seated at a glass-topped, circular table, their drinks in front of them having ordered meals from the menu at the bar. A scattering of people occupied some of the numerous other tables all enjoying the location plus the added advantage of a warm, balmy day. A light breeze ruffled Bella’s hair as she flicked a hand at a wasp trying to settle on the edge of her glass. Kyle was not of a mind to appreciate their surroundings as the aesthetics of such things rarely registered with him. His sole reason for driving through Rockbourne was in the slim hope that he might have caught a glimpse of his wife, Kay, who was temporarily living at her parents’ home there. It was why he had driven so slowly through the village. Now, all he could think about was Bella Foxton and how heads had turned to watch her as they had walked through the bar. It gave him great satisfaction to think he had something others coveted but she was only his in the very loosest of terms and he needed to do something about that. But this was no girl he’d picked up from the street. Bella Foxton was a successful writer, a woman with a best-selling book to her name. Yet however much greater the degree of her sophistication and elegance he couldn’t escape the aura of her sexuality. It hovered around her, between them, like something physical and he was drawn to it in the same way that a wild animal would be attracted to a mate. Underneath that veneer he was willing to bet she was no different on her back to any of the others. She caught him staring at her, the merest hint of a smile on his lips, as he tried to imagine what her body looked like under the expensive outfit she was wearing.

  “Like what you see?” She hadn’t said it to give offence, simply a light-hearted question in response to his look.

  “Sorry if I was staring. It’s a fault of mine. I was thinking back to how we met. You know, the accident and the drama of it all.” Bella pounced on his admission.

  “Ah! So at least I know you have faults, now. That’s a start!” It made

  him laugh and he put on a defeated look, for her benefit.

  “Ok, you win! What would you like to know about me?”

  “Whatever you care to tell me, Kyle,” she answered, expansively, taking a deep breath of fresh air. “Just so I can get to know you a bit better. You’re in an interesting line of business. You’re not bad looking. Still unattached…life can’t have been that dull for you. If I scratched your surface, what would I find underneath?” He leaned forward, his forearms on the table and clasped his hands together.

  “You’ve got an interesting way of putting things, if I may say so.” Bella put an elbow on the table, resting her chin in her hand. A matter of inches separated their faces and she could feel the heat from his body, see the line of small, glistening black curly hairs at his throat, escaping from the neck of his t-shirt. There was a compelling physical attraction to the man and she fought an urge to reach out and touch him.

  “Don’t try and avoid the issue. Come on!” Their eyes locked, transmitting unspoken messages, each of them seeking a response from the other. For an instant in time the rest of the world was excluded as a powerful emotion gripped them, divorcing them from the reality of their surroundings and Kyle reached across to take Bella’s hand. The sensation of his touch triggered something deep within her and suddenly she wanted him to take her in his arms and hold her and her doe-like eyes mirrored her longing. An overwhelming desire to be loved, to be needed, and to give love in return. Unknowingly he had touched the raw nerve of her loneliness that echoed his own feelings but something much more basic, more intense, had passed between them seconds earlier. More than anything else, Kyle wished that they were somewhere private where he could take advantage of the situation, say the words she wanted to hear as her body responded to his touch and he brought her, breathless and pleading, to the point of no return.

  “Bella…” He said her name so quietly it was almost lost on the breeze but her senses were so acute, so finely tuned to the situation that she heard it clearly. “I’m not very good with words at a time like this but I’ve got to say something.” He pressed on, lest she should interrupt. “I don’t think I’m wrong when I say that I saw something in your eyes just now…something that said you feel as I do…” She squeezed his hand, a gentle smile compressing her lips. “I hardly know you, it’s true but, in some inexplicable way, I feel that our meeting was no accident…”

  “Not for you, maybe,” she interjected with a grin, trying to put a little humour into the situation, feeling that things were perhaps moving a little too fast. Not long ago she would have ridden the emotional tidal wave, happy to go where the current took her but now she was more reticent. An image of a bug-sized Jane standing on her shoulder saying ‘Go on, darling, let him get his hands on you. A good bonk is what you need!’ almost made her laugh and she had to fight for self-control. The moment had passed and he took her hand in both of his now, a look of frustration and disappointment on his face. Bella couldn’t ignore what she had felt either and it unsettled her. It was altogether different from what she had experienced with Ben. There was no denying the sexual attraction but whereas Ben was open and up front about his situation there was a brooding, mysterious aura to Kyle that both excited and worried her.
One half of her, lonely and deprived, cried out to get involved, no matter what. The other half, enjoying her current freedom and the emotional vacuum in which she lived, advised non-involvement or, at the barest minimum, extreme caution. Abruptly, Kyle stood up, feeling the need to get away before frustration turned to anger.

  “I’ll go and see what’s happened to the food.” There was a note of exasperation in his voice.

  “There’s no rush,” Bella commented. “Sit down and relax. We’ve got all afternoon.” Was it her imagination, or had he briefly looked annoyed?

  “No, I need another drink. How about you?”

  “Oh, alright, if you’re going anyway.” She drank up and handed him her glass. “I’ll just sit here and enjoy the view ‘til you get back.” A cheerful smile accompanied the remark but it masked her true feelings. Thoughtfully, she watched Kyle walk away then closed her eyes, leaned back in the chair, and gave herself up to the sun. It was too nice a day altogether to try and understand the complexities of human nature. All the same, she couldn’t help wondering exactly what the real Kyle Lucas was like, if and when she got to know him.

  “I’d always been excited by the medium of television but it wasn’t until I began working in London that I seriously considered it as a career.” If she had seen or imagined him to be put out in some way when he had gone off, there was no sign of it on his return. Kyle had come back with their drinks and lunch, together on a tray, and Bella had to admit she was pleased to see the food. As he had sat down, he commented that someone in the bar reminded him of one of his old tutors from university in Bristol. From that point on the conversation had flowed along the water-course of his life from his early days in Yeovil, where he was born, to the point where he had moved to London, after working as a journalist in the provinces.

  “It wasn’t difficult making the switch from print to an electronic medium. A deadline’s a deadline whichever way you look at it. I got a job as part of a current affairs team but it wasn’t long before I became interested in production.”

  “Bit unusual for a journalist, isn’t it?”

  “Maybe. But you’re more closely involved with the production in television, especially as a presenter. I’ve always been fascinated with technical things and I’m a good organiser. I work well with a team.” A change had come over him, Bella had noticed. An intensity had crept into his conversation indicating his passion for the subject and his eyes had come alive. If she were any judge of the man it would be difficult to stop him talking now. This was the Kyle Lucas she had wanted to see.

  “I was still young and wanted to channel my creativity and imagination into an area that I had some control over. After spending three years in production I’d got a bit of capital behind me and set up my own company before I was thirty. God, when I look back now I realise how naïve I was!”

  “But surely you couldn’t have got involved with television straight away? From the little I know about it, I’d imagine you wouldn’t have had the facilities or the money.”

  “You’re not wrong, there! It wasn’t easy for the first couple of years but then I secured some good corporate clients…” Bella interrupted him.

  “Corporate? In what way?”

  “Promotional videos, tv advertisements, that sort of thing. Then we secured a contract as ‘stringers’ for an independent channel, providing their regional news coverage for them. That was the first break.” With a quick, broad smile he broke off to take a drink and attack his ham salad which, so far, had remained untouched on the table in front of him. She let him eat in peace and when he sat back, dabbing at his lips with a serviette, she put her question to him.

  “You say that was the first break. By the sound of it then there were others?”

  “Mmm,” he replied, with a nod, as he put the serviette back down on the table. “Well, one other really. I’d set up my small studio in Bristol and, of course, there were others around doing the same thing. Although I must add that there was no-one with my kind of background. Some were more professional than others, with one or two just doing weddings and that sort of thing. Anyway, to cut to the chase, my major competitor had been established for over ten years and was experiencing some problems. I’d got to know him and his set-up, which was bloody good, far larger than mine by the way but he’d lost a couple of major clients and lacked the aggression to get out into the market place and drum up some business. Well, old Andy, that’s my competitor, rings me up out of the blue one day and asks me to meet him.” Bella was intrigued.

  “Were you surprised? Did you have any idea what he wanted?”

  “Was I surprised? Yes and no. It was a fairly incestuous industry in those days and I’d heard about his problems on the grapevine.”

  “So, what happened?”

  “Oh, he waffled on for a bit and talked about everything under the sun until I told him to get on with it and say what was on his mind. It turned out he could see the benefits of us getting together, some sort of amalgamation or partnership, and wanted to discuss it. A trade-off involving my business drive and extensive list of contacts against his extensive production facilities. I simply listened, my head buzzing. All sorts of ideas were going through my mind but I needed time to think!” Bella could see that he was reliving that meeting as he talked. Indeed, the talking had made him thirsty, and he paused for a moment to take a drink.

  “I told him that it was an interesting proposal,” he continued, “but I needed to think about it carefully. When I left him, I couldn’t believe my luck! I’d only dreamed of doing the things which now, if I played my cards right, were going to be achievable in the very near future.” The fire went out of his eyes for a moment as he recalled that time in his life. “But it was going to be risky if we were going up against the more well-known, longer-established outfits and I had to convince Andy to take that risk.”

  From what she had already observed about the man opposite her, it came as no surprise to Bella that he had a ruthless streak. In the pressure cooker of modern business it was survival of the fittest and the law of the jungle applied. It occurred to her that Kyle was ideally suited to that environment although the greed-motivated, winner-take-all and damn the human cost mentality of the corporate world appalled her.

  “Eventually, we formed a partnership and raised some more capital against our combined assets. I took out a second mortgage on my place and we never looked back.” A hollow laugh followed the statement. “It wasn’t quite that simple of course. Sadly, Andy died a couple of years back and I bought his share of the company.” Bella reflected on his story as Kyle finished off the remainder of his meal and her thoughts returned to when they had first met.

  “Presumably, then, you’ve still got family in Yeovil?” she asked him.

  “Parents, that’s all. They still live in the house where I was born.”

  “Any brothers or sisters?” While she had the opportunity she was determined to find out as much about him as she could.

  “One of each. Both married.”

  “And you’ve never even come close to tying the knot?” Disbelief permeated every word of her question and his expression remained impassive as he shook his head.

  “Strange as it may seem, no. I work in a very sociable industry but it also makes huge demands on my time. Over the past five years I’ve also set up two other companies and I’m very much a ‘hands-on’ person. I like to be in control and know what’s happening. If you’re not I’ve learned that you can find out you’ve got problems when it’s too late, just like poor old Andy. I enjoy my independence I guess. Perhaps I’d find it too difficult to adjust to a permanent partner, having been on my own for so long…”

  “Now, there’s a challenge for someone!” A mocking grin accompanied Bella’s words.

  “How about you?” The question wiped the grin off her face and she looked at him in shock.

  “Eh?” Caught off guard, Bella was momentarily lost for words.

  “Have you ever been married?” The fact
that she greeted his question with laughter took him by surprise. “What’s so funny?”

  “When you said…” she began, then thought better of it. “Never mind. Yes, I was married once,” she said, instead. “I was young. It was a mistake. That about sums it up.”

  “Any kids?”

  “Good god, no! The marriage hardly lasted long enough for conception to take place let alone a pregnancy!” There was shocked amusement in her voice and it was impossible for him not to be infected by her laughter.

  “What’s so bad about having kids? You sound as though the thought appals you.” Inadvertently he had stumbled across an anomaly in her life that she thought about more often than she would care to admit.

  “Funnily enough, I’ve never wanted kids.” Out of the blue she felt close to tears. Damn this time of the month she cursed to herself. A raucous noise, the sound of ducks having an altercation on the water, caught her attention and she looked away. Making the best of the opportunity she searched for a tissue in her bag then blew her nose, softly.

  “I’ve always enjoyed the company of other people’s children.” She sniffed, gently, a couple of times. “But I’ve never had a maternal twinge in my life. Weird, eh?” When she glanced at him there was a look of concern on his face.

  “You ok?”

  “Just a bit of sinus. I’m a martyr to it this time of the year.” Bella dabbed at her nose with another tissue. “I often wonder whether it’s got anything to do with my own childhood…” Kyle raised an eyebrow “…my sister and I were the best of enemies.”

  “Go on,” Kyle said, expectantly. It was obvious he wanted to know more. Over the next ten minutes Bella gave him an edited version of her life story.