Country Plot (20 page)

‘Kitty's very discreet,' he said – which wasn't saying yes and wasn't saying no. But if Kitty hadn't explained, it was no wonder he was wary of her for turning up out of nowhere.

‘Well, it worked out nicely for both of us. I was made redundant at the same time, so I needed a temporary live-in job, and Kitty wanted a temporary helper, so we dovetailed.'

‘Hmm,' he said, and she sensed reservations. He was frowning.

Discretion lapsed. ‘Now what have I said?'

‘I'm sorry?'

‘You've got that “she's probably a con artist” look again.' She stroked her chin, did a parody of his scowl, and said in a put-on gruff voice, ‘Something in her story doesn't add up.'

He laughed, perhaps a little uncomfortably. ‘You
are
a strange person! I wasn't thinking that at all. Just how unpleasant it must be not to have a place to live. My cottage is no great shakes, but at least it's mine.'

‘Well, my flat was Patrick's, and I ain't livin' there no more. But look on the bright side.'

‘There's a bright side?'

‘Yes!' she said with more enthusiasm than she really felt. ‘I have a whole fresh start. I can go anywhere, do anything, become anyone. How many people get to start all over at my age? Sweep away the mistakes of the past, reinvent yourself. The world is your oyster. Actually—' she short-circuited herself – ‘I've never really understood that expression. I mean, an oyster shell's a pretty tight fit, even for an oyster. It doesn't really represent boundless freedom, does it?'

‘It
is
strange, now you mention it,' he said, and thought a moment. She liked him for taking the mystery seriously. Patrick was always impatient of her ‘flights'. Then he dismissed it with a shake of the head. ‘I can't think what it really means. But what
are
you going to do with your life?'

‘Dunno,' she said. ‘Make myself open to offers, is all. Anyway, I don't need to think about it now, thanks to darling Kitty. Tell me, has your cottage got stables attached?'

‘No, sadly. It could hardly be more basic. I keep Victor at livery, at Grey's Farm.'

‘Ah, hence your intimate knowledge of Tabitha's situation.'

‘Well, everyone knows everyone else,' he said, ‘so I'd have known about Anne going to university anyway. Everyone knows everyone else's horses, too, in a small community like this.'

‘Don't you mind that?' she asked, really curious. ‘Living in a goldfish bowl?'

‘Sometimes,' he said. ‘Mostly it's a case of “if you have nothing to hide you have nothing to fear”. And it's nice to know people care about you.'

‘Do they?'

‘In a basic way – yes. One thing, you wouldn't lie dead in your flat for a month until the smell gave you away, like a town dweller.'

She threw back her head with laughter. ‘Oh, make room for me at once! That's been my overmastering fear ever since I left school!'

He smiled sheepishly. ‘I don't say I brood about it. But it must be much lonelier living alone in the town than it is living alone in the country.'

‘Well, probably,' she said, thinking suddenly that that would be her fate, when this country gig was over – living alone in town. ‘Although it must be tiresome having everyone feel sorry for you, and telling you so every time you meet them.'

He stiffened. ‘Why should you think anyone feels sorry for me?'

‘Oh, I didn't mean you specifically,' she said hastily. ‘I meant “one”. Or me, even. Having my family commiserate with me about Patrick was nice to begin with, but I wouldn't want to hang around when they got to that stage of inviting “awfully nice men” to dinner on my behalf.'

He didn't laugh, as she had meant him to. He said, ‘What does he do – Patrick?'

She didn't really want to talk about him, but she thought he might open up about his ex if she did about hers, so she said, ‘He's an architect. Very successful. And he traded me in for a newer model.'

‘I'm sorry,' he said. ‘I can't imagine why he'd want to. You seem to me—'

‘Yes?' she urged at last. ‘You do pause in the most perplexing places.'

‘Perplexing,' he said. ‘There's a word you don't hear very often.'

‘Prevarication is another,' she said, but he wouldn't be drawn. He didn't open up about Stephanie, but instead changed the subject rather clunkily to ask her what books she liked reading, ‘besides Evelyn Waugh'.

So she shrugged inwardly and talked about favourite books, and then favourite old movies, since he didn't seem to have seen any new ones – ‘Not since the Regent in Belminster closed down, and that must be – oh – five years ago.'

‘Haven't you heard of Love Film?' she demanded, and it turned out that he didn't even have a DVD player.

‘When would I get time to watch one?' he said. ‘I'm hardly ever at home, except to bathe and sleep.'

And it occurred to her that he was leading a much more fulfilling life than anyone she knew in London, and she had nothing to feel sorry for him about. But he did have a list of old movies he liked from his younger days, and the subject kept them occupied until their pints were drained.

‘I'd love to buy you another,' she said, ‘but I didn't bring any money with me.'

‘Thanks, but one's enough anyway. And I ought to get you back to supper. I expect Kitty's waiting it until you get home.'

‘I expect she is. Well, it'll be my treat next time, then,' Jenna said, standing up. ‘I haven't forgotten you said you'd show me the hills.'

He stood too, and looked down at her, his dark head bent a little under the ceiling beams, too tall and big for this cramped space, his face half hidden in the shadow. ‘I'll do that with pleasure,' he said quietly, and a strange little thrill ran through her like a shiver as she looked up at him.
Pleasure
. Yes, it had been a pleasure, this time with him – most of it. When she wasn't treading eggshells. Perhaps when he knew her better he wouldn't be so reserved and difficult on certain subjects. He would learn that he could trust her.

Ha! And when was he going to get the chance to know her better? she demanded of herself derisively. In the remaining three weeks of her visit? And, naturally, it would have to be before he married Lady Caroline, Ice Queen extraordinaire.
Married
, remember that word? She had to break the moment. ‘I've heard there are a lot of Roman remains around these parts too,' she said, pretty much at random. ‘I ought to try and see some of them before I leave.'

He seemed to cool as well, on the word ‘leave'. ‘Not suitable for visiting on horseback,' he said. ‘Talking of which, we'd better get back to our nags before they throw a leg over the rope.'

She led the way out, calling a cheery goodbye to the landlord, who returned it with, she thought, a speculative look. It cheered her up. In a place where everyone knew everything, it would surely not be long before someone told Caroline about how chummy her fiancé had been with the Scarlet Woman in The Hart In Hand at Chidding.
Eat my dust, sucker!

She had underestimated the determination of the Russells. They hadn't long got back on to the track from the village road, and were walking side by side again, when there was a sound of trotting hoof-beats behind them. Xander looked round and said, ‘Oh, it's Midnight.'

‘Not by my watch,' Jenna said.

‘Midnight's Caroline's horse,' he said, faintly impatient, as if she should have known.

She thought it was interesting that he had identified the horse first, rather than the rider, but forbore to say so. Instead she said, ‘What a coincidence.'

He frowned. ‘I'm sure it isn't,' he said shortly. ‘She's joining us on our ride, I expect.'

They halted, and Jenna turned to look. Caroline posted towards them, looking to-a-hair perfect as though she'd been painted on the horse. Midnight was rather over-curbed and was spilling foam down his gorgeous back chest. He was a true black, with a white star so perfect Jenna would have bet Caroline had scoured the country for him; whether his performance would match his looks, she couldn't say. ‘He dishes with his off fore,' she commented. She probably shouldn't have said it aloud, because it sounded like a criticism – which it was, of course.

Xander was silent a beat, and then said, ‘A little, perhaps,' in a tone of voice that said,
that's enough from you, thank you very much
.

Caroline pulled down to a walk and joined them. Midnight smelled hot, and threw his head up and down, spattering the other horses with foam. She looked annoyed, and darted glances from Jenna's face to Xander's and back again, but with a visible effort composed her expression into a rather brittle smile. ‘Fancy meeting you here,' she said.

‘I told you I was taking Jenna out to show her some of the country,' Xander said, sounding annoyed-but-controlled in his turn.

‘Yes, but I didn't realize you'd be riding over to Chidding,' she said. ‘If I'd known I might have asked to join you.'

‘I thought you were busy this evening,' he said, revealing far more than he was probably aware of.

Jenna could imagine the scene.

Why do you have to take this girl out?

It's only polite. And she likes riding.

Well, let her organize it for herself. You don't have to be involved.

Kitty asked me. I can't say no.

You'd say no fast enough if she was a man.

It's not like that. I'm just doing it for Kitty. Why don't you come with us, then you'll see for yourself?

No thank you very much! Anyway, I'm busy.

You didn't tell me.

I'm telling you now.

And so on. And Xander, the poor male fish, couldn't understand why, having resolutely refused to come on the outing, Caroline had now turned up, looking as if she'd been bashing about the country searching for them for the past two hours.

Caroline made the best of it. ‘Oh, my engagement was cancelled at the last moment,' she said airily, ‘so I thought I'd have a ride, as it's such a lovely evening. How are you liking Tabitha?' she addressed Jenna. ‘I hope she's not too much for you? She hasn't been having much exercise recently. She's quite a handful, and I don't expect you've ridden much.'

Jenna could see Xander was on the verge of defending her, suicidally, as a good rider, and out of the kindness of her heart she stepped in and saved him. ‘Oh, I'm just about managing,' she said humbly. ‘Of course, I don't ride as well as you, but she's a forgiving horse, and she's taking care of me.'

Caroline was mollified. ‘She's not a horse, she's a mare,' she informed kindly. ‘But I wouldn't expect you to ride as well as me. I expect you'd ride quite nicely if you had the opportunity. Pity you won't be here long enough to get into practice. But as long as you're having a nice time tonight, that's all that matters. You haven't fallen off?'

‘Not yet,' Jenna said, with a rueful laugh to suggest it was only a matter of time. Xander might be a man, but he wasn't completely daft, and he looked at her with a surprise that could have given the game away, had Caroline been looking at him just then. So she went on quickly, ‘We were thinking we ought to be getting home – Kitty will probably be keeping supper till I get there.'

‘I'll ride with you,' Caroline said magnanimously, ‘and then Xander and I can ride home together when we've dropped you off.'

‘Oh, do you live in Chidding too?' Jenna asked.

‘No, but I keep Midnight at Grey's as well.' She smiled at Xander. ‘I've left the car there, of course. We could go on somewhere for supper, if you like. There's that seafood place in Wenham St Stephen we were thinking of trying.'

If you could slip your arm through someone else's while on horseback she would have done it.

‘Ah, the world is your oyster,' Jenna murmured wickedly, and was gratified to see Xander's ears go pink.

‘We're not dressed for it,' he said tersely. ‘Another time, perhaps.'

‘All right. Toasted cheese at your place is fine by me,' Caroline said with a gay laugh.

They started for home. The path wasn't wide enough for three horses abreast, and Caroline got Midnight next to Victor before anyone else had time even to wonder what the order would be. She occupied Xander's attention ruthlessly, though she did turn back to address the occasional comment to Jenna, pointing out landmarks to her, giving her helpful hints about her riding, and telling her encouragingly that she was ‘doing really very well – I'm pleasantly surprised'.

Then after a time she asked kindly if Jenna ‘felt up to' a canter, and before she could answer, jabbed Midnight straight into a full gallop, presumably in the hope that Tabitha would dash after her and Jenna would be sufficiently taken by surprise to fall off. Victor and Tabitha both flung their heads up and pulled and jostled, but neither got away from their riders. Xander gave Jenna a glance to see if she was all right, and with a face like thunder put Victor into a canter. Jenna followed slowly, letting him get ahead in case he wanted to remonstrate with his beloved at the other end. Caroline was already out of sight, so there would be plenty of time. Once Victor was well ahead, Tabitha stopped worrying and was content to canter along and enjoy the evening – she had a nice way of looking around her all the time, as if she was admiring the scenery, that made her a very pleasant ride – and Jenna took her off the main path to jump the ‘jumpable' logs again, which the mare cleared each time with extravagant ease.

By the time the other two came in sight, waiting for her in the middle of the path, any words they might have had were over, and they were both determinedly social. Caroline perhaps looked slightly disappointed that Jenna was still aboard and showing no signs of mud about her person, and Xander was wearing his most impenetrable look, but they both greeted her lightly and chatted about neutral subjects for the rest of the ride.