Larkrigg Fell (17 page)

‘Are cows more important?’ Jonty jeered.

‘They are to me, and not to be taken on lightly.’

‘Ah. The know-it-all peasant farmer has spoken. There shalt be no cow at Larkrigg Hall because the commune idiots couldn’t cope with one.’

The fists clenched tighter, tensing his whole body. ‘I’m not a peasant farmer. My family has farmed Cathra Crag for generations.’

‘No doubt one day it’ll all be yours,’ Jonty continued, mocking his accent.

Hot colour fired the round cheeks. ‘Mebbe. Mebbe not. I don’t know.’

‘Oh dear, not trouble at t’farm, eh?’ Jonty put back his head and laughed, loud and harsh. Pietro and Sarah joined in. For all Andrew’s awkwardness and sad appearance, Beth’s heart went out to him.

‘Stop it,’ she said. ‘Stop that at once.’ Startled by her vehemence, for once they obeyed.

Andrew’s eyes were upon hers, hurt and angry. ‘Aye, well, it’s thy decision, not mine.’

Beth turned to Jonty, shame filling every part of her. ‘I think an apology is called for, don’t you? Andrew was only doing what we had asked, to give us the facts about a matter we know nothing about.’

Jonty met her challenging gaze and held it with an insolent lift to his brow. Or you’ll do what? it seemed to say. A threat which Beth struggled not to heed. She hated bullying of any kind and had no intention of standing by and saying nothing while this quiet young farmer was made to look a fool.

She turned to him with a smile. ‘Thank you for your advice, Andrew. We’ll give it our most careful consideration. By way of recompense you shall stay to supper.’ She was rewarded with a brightening of his expression and instinctively put out a hand to touch his. ‘We’re having a lovely broth tonight, and we could open a bottle of wine to cheer us all up.’ She hoped he wouldn’t notice that Jonty had not done as she’d asked and offered any sort of apology.

The evening began with a limited success. The food at least was delicious and Tessa made some garlic bread to go with Beth’s broth. Sarah opened some wine and they all dressed up in their brightest long skirts and danced to Stevie Wonder and Fleetwood Mac.

But Andrew studiously made no further effort to take part in the conversation which centred mainly on fashion and books, when Star Wars might come to the local cinema and whether the latest craze for skateboarding would last.

Only once, when Tessa made an idle remark about the increasing number of visitors who came to the Lake District did he for a moment, become quite animated.

‘Aye, and they’re all daft enough to leave every gate open, drop litter for t’cows to choke on and go up t’same hills and wear away the footpaths. You’d think they’d have sense to spread out a bit, wouldn’t you?’

Everyone looked at him in startled silence, astonished by this unexpected outburst.

‘I think they go up the most famous hills,’ Beth gently pointed out. ‘You can see their point. They want to prove they can do it, and of course enjoy the view.’

Pietro and Jonty spluttered with laughter and Andrew cast them a fierce glare. It was so sad, Beth thought, to see the contrast between them.

‘Aye, and they let their dogs run out of control. Proper nuisance they are.’

‘Farmers do nothing to spoil the countryside, I suppose?’ Sarah sweetly enquired, while lifting one perfect brow.

‘We make the countryside what it is. Our sheep keep the grass short and stop the bracken encroaching. It’d be a wilderness without us to tend it.’

Jonty gave out a loud crack of laughter as he opened another can of beer. ‘What about your friend, old Ellen and her junk yard? She’s a local and doesn’t do the countryside any favours with her mess, does she?’

‘She does no harm to it, and contributes in other ways.’

‘Like saving old badgers that’d be better off dead?’

Andrew’s jaw tightened. ‘Aye, summat of the sort. At least she protects what rightly belongs here.’

‘You mean we don’t.’

‘Not for me to say.’

‘Farmers have only themselves to blame for the tourists,’ Pietro put in. ‘They do the bed and breakfast, have the caravans on their farms. They are as greedy as everyone else, I think.’

Andrew appeared enraged by this attack. ‘We have to do summat to add to our income. There’s a limit to the improvements you can make on a hill farm. Geography, climate, the land itself puts limits on you. There are more choices, happen, in arable farming. Here, there’s only so much you can get out of a Swaledale ewe. Bad weather at the wrong time and your lambing season is ruined and so is your income for the year. Farmers have their livings to make, same as everyone else.’

Jonty gave an exaggerated yawn. ‘We seem to be managing very well without,’ and all three of them collapsed into gales of laughter while Andrew’s face suffused in red from his neck to the roots of his hair.

Beth put up a hand. She’d been quite impressed by the strength of Andrew’s argument and his ability to put it so effectively. She’d learned a good deal about him today, most of it surprisingly likeable, and felt again the shame of her friends’ treatment of him. ‘No more arguments. Not tonight. Let’s just have fun, shall we?’

Gradually the giggles subsided, more beer was opened, wine glasses were refilled and a silence sank upon them all. After a moment, Sarah said, ‘So what do we do then? We can’t talk about music or films as Andrew knows nothing about either, nor dare we discuss the apparently controversial subject of the countryside or tourists as he gets upset, so what do we do?’

‘Play monopoly?’ Tessa suggested with a grin.

It was then that Jonty made his most outrageous suggestion yet. Perhaps it was the excessive amount of wine they’d drunk which accounted for it but he suddenly got up and came over to sit by Beth on the small sofa. ‘I enjoy games and you said we should have fun, so why not a game of the more adult variety? Why don’t we do a bit of partner swopping? That’d be good for a giggle, eh?’

‘What?’ Sarah sat up straight in her seat, all amused calm gone, bristling defensively. ‘What are you talking about?’

His arm had somehow crept around Beth’s waist and he was pulling her against him. ‘You are so beautiful,’ he said in mock dramatic tones. ‘How about it?’

He winked outrageously at her, making her giggle though half aware of a frozen expression on Pietro’s face. ‘Don’t be silly. We don’t even have partners.’ She realised at once what a dangerous defence that was.

‘We can soon solve that,’ he said, nuzzling into her warm throat. ‘Fight a duel or something.’

Beth couldn’t help but laugh more than ever. ‘We could draw lots,’ she suggested, playing along with his wicked teasing as she revelled in the burning jealousy in Pietro’s eyes.

Jonty wagged a wobbly forger. ‘Tessa can have Pietro. See how she gets on with him and Sarah can have Andrew. That should liven the peasant farmer up a bit.’

Andrew got to his feet, ears pink and almost seeming to stand out from the side of his head, hands clenching and unclenching by his side as he struggled to contain himself. ‘I’ve told you before, I’m no peasant farmer, and you shouldn’t talk about women in that cheap way.’

‘It’s a joke,’ Jonty said, airily waving a hand. ‘Calm down, Sir Galahad.’

Andrew drew in a deep breath. ‘Happen Tessa would rather have Pietro. Beth can come with me. I’ll see she’s kept safe if you lot want to play that sort of daft lark.’

‘Heavens, Beth, you’ve found a protector.’ Sarah chortled with glee and fell back into the arm chair, legs waving in an apoplexy of delight while Beth simply stared at Andrew, astonished.

Jonty took this momentary lack of attention on her part to nestle Beth closer. ‘She doesn’t need nurse-maiding, do you love? I’ll take good care of you. And Sarah can give you just the education you need, farmer boy.’

Pietro was glowering furiously, and something inside of Beth sang with joy to see it. Could he fancy her after all? Tension crackled in the room, the joke threatening to turn ugly. But trouble was the last thing she wanted.

‘Don’t I get a say?’ Tessa quietly protested. ‘I’m not against a bit of fun but I’ll make my own choices, thanks very much, if a choice there is to be.’ She cast Andrew such a fierce warning glance that Beth thought he should rightly have been burned to a crisp. Poor Tessa. How dreadful to feel so neglected and jealous.

‘Let’s stop this now,’ she said, managing at last to prise herself free of Jonty’s several hands and sit on the arm of the sofa. ‘Andrew’s right, this joke has gone far enough.’

Suddenly Sarah went over and plonked herself on Pietro’s knee. ‘Personally, I’m all for it. Why not? I’ll have Pietro.’

Eyes glittering with anger, furious that Jonty should embarrass and betray her in this way, Sarah meant to show him that she too could play games. Scarlet lips curved into a sensual smile as she stroked his smooth cheek with a lingering fingertip, then lowering her mouth she kissed him, with a smooth sensuality that held everyone in thrall.

Beth saw him jerk, startled but jubilant no doubt, and her heart sank with misery. So now he had Sarah, as he’d no doubt wanted all along.

The kiss seemed to go on for ever and Beth could do nothing but watch helplessly. Swamped by hot humiliation, she wanted, in that moment, to curl up and die. How could Sarah do this to her? How dare she? Was she entirely blind? Hadn’t she even noticed how she felt about Pietro? Then she heard Jonty’s soft voice in her ear. ‘Take no notice.’ Then out loud, ‘We could toss a coin,’ as if it were all of no consequence. ‘How about that?’

‘No thanks,’ Sarah said. ‘Pietro?’

It was Andrew who settled the matter. ‘Let Beth decide.’

Jonty grinned. ‘OK, why not? Go on, Beth, you choose. Who do you fancy? The clod-hopping country yokel, beautiful but fickle Pietro, or myself, all male and satisfaction guaranteed.’

Beth felt started to giggle, unable to help herself for Jonty could really be very funny. Then catching sight of Andrew’s stricken face was instantly ashamed. She’d really rather liked him on first acquaintance at the wrestling. But that was before she’d met Pietro. ‘I think I’d need notice of that question,’ she said, cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

‘Pity.’ Dark eyes teased. ‘I can’t persuade you to choose me then?’ She shook her head and Jonty put one hand to his heart in exaggerated self-pity. ‘I’ve been spurned. How will I survive?’

A spurt of laughter bubbled up in her throat. ‘Stop it, Jonty. You’re incorrigible.’

‘Incorrigible?’ he shouted. ‘What a wonderful word. What does it mean? Does it mean this?’ Then before Beth had time to anticipate his next move, he snatched her from the arm of the sofa and pulled her into his lap, kissing her long and hard. It was some moments before she managed to extricate herself, all rumpled and flustered, while Jonty teasingly begged for more. But no one else seemed in the least amused. The atmosphere had changed instantly.

‘Leave Beth alone.’ Andrew burst out, even as Pietro moved first. With Sarah still in his arms the Italian strode over to the sofa and dropped her unceremoniously upon Jonty’s lap. ‘You stick with this one, OK? You want her, you got her. I will make my own choices from now on.’

The two men glared at each other with such open antagonism the very air became suddenly charged with a dangerous undercurrent, while Sarah slid to the floor in an undignified heap of squealing fury.

Pietro was the one to break the challenging stance to turn away and put his arm protectively about Beth. Leaving Sarah to her own devices, she willingly leaned into his shoulder. Enchanted that he should prove so caring, her eyes shone with gratitude, failing to notice the flicker of pain that passed across Andrew’s face.

‘Come on,’ Tessa said, tugging at Andrew’s arm. ‘Let’s disappear. We’re not wanted here. Let them sort it out between them.’

Beth didn’t even see them go.

Jonty and Sarah likewise drifted away while Beth lay content in the warm circle of Pietro’s arms. She could feel the steady beat of his heart and in that moment, she felt filled with happiness.

Chapter Ten

Beth sat on the edge of the sofa, her hands clasped in her lap and gazed at him. He was so beautiful. She longed for him to love her and could hardly take in what was happening. Was he disappointed that he hadn’t got Sarah? Did he really like her? Did he want to talk or have sex? Would he mind that she had no experience and was still a virgin, that she was unused to the kind of grown-up games Sarah took for granted? And how did she feel about that? How should she handle it?

‘More wine, or a beer?’ he asked, holding up her glass, and she shook her head.

Beth dropped her gaze, not watching as he went to refill his own, feeling suddenly very shy and awkward, and oddly reluctant to take this any further. Where were Tessa and Andrew? Were they in another room? Were they making love? The thought somehow made her feel oddly uncomfortable but then they were meant for each other, weren’t they? And Tess had been married before, had the kind of attitude to life which Beth could only envy.

In her mind she saw herself lounging back enticingly upon the sofa cushions, beckoning the beautiful Pietro to come to her. He would tremble as he took her in his arms and place his soft lips to hers. He would breathe words of love in her ear and she would cradle him against her breast. Then he would gently peel away each layer of her clothing, kissing every part of her and she would give herself to him with joy while he told her she was the only woman he had ever loved, ever could love.