Un-Break my Heart: Book 2 (The Heart Trilogy) (54 page)

“Yes, Mistress” he declared, as her paddle worked harder and the pink started to turn red and burn.

“Are you ready to please me?”

“Yes, Mistress”

“When I tell you too, you will” Felicity purred, drawing the paddle back for her final few hits.

As Daniel gasped at the pain Felicity smiled even more. Soon she would have Mitchell in her power, directing his business and hopefully his social life too. She had already started ringing her many friends with suitable daughters. Her life was going just the way she planned it. Dropping the paddle she ordered Daniel to kneel at the bottom of the bed and removing her knickers she lay down on the bed in front of him.

“If you please me now then I might repay the favour” she said, staring at his mighty erection.

“Of course, Mistress” Daniel said, as his fingers and tongue delved her creamy depths. Ever time he looked up she asked for more until he felt his tongue was going to spasm from the effort.

He enjoyed these sessions but ever since the night at the club and Zack’s comments he had started to wonder if this was enough for him. Yes he didn’t have to work and always had money for the best designer outfits, but really if you broke it down he was just her slave. Housework and errands, keeping fit at her demand for his body to be perfect. The occasional treat of sex and although she always told him she loved him, he had his doubts. His mind flicked t
o
Charlott
e
and he wondered how she was now that Mitchell had left her. Plunging in and out of the mainly inert Felicity his mind wandered t
o
Charlotte’s gorgeous young body, slim and immensely sexy. That was all it took for him to explode within her as he opened his eyes and took in her same bland expression.

Chapter 65

Charlie remained absent from our lives for the next couple of days, only venturing out for the few meagre scraps of food that she was eating. I noticed the weight dropping off her and headed into her room the morning of my interview with the police.

“Charlotte, do you want to come over to Hereford with us? Perhaps Julia might be around for you to catch up with and we’ve been invited to supper at Aunt Sarah’s” I cajoled.

“Don’t think I’ll be very good company” she mumbled, her form still bundled under the duvet cover.

“Come on, you can’t mope around here for the rest of your life”

“Ok, Mum, you’re probably right.” She managed a weak smile as I watched her draw back the duvet cover.

“We’re leaving in an hour so come down when you’re ready”

She nodded as I left her room. James looked up as I entered the kitchen.

“Yes, she’s going to come with us” I said “I hope that Julia will be able to cheer her up, after all Christmas Eve is less than a fortnight away”

“One day at a time for both of them” James replied, I saw the hurt in his eyes that Mitchell’s absence had left. Charlie appeared just before ten and hurried past James to the backseat of the car.

“I’m meeting Julia by the statue of the Bull i
n
Herefor
d
and we’ll come back to Ross in her car as she just passed her driving test” Charlie said.

“That’s great. I’m sure she’ll cheer you up”

Charlott
e
spent the rest of the drive in silence, her headphones in and her face fixed to her phone as if constantly waiting for a message.

The cityscape soon dispersed into a patchwork of fields lit by the brief flashes of sun between the grey clouds. We parked by the football ground and then lef
t
Charlott
e
near the Black and White House Museum so that she could meet Julia. We continued across to the Police Station to meet Chief Inspector Aaron Blackster. He greeted us both and showed us through to the waiting room and I immediately felt at ease seeing Chris and Sarah had arrived.

“Hi Hon, are you ok” Sarah asked, taking in both mine and James’ grim faces.

“As well as expected when Charlie and Mitchell have split up”

Sarah turned her shocked face towards James and realised that this was not a joke.

“We can talk about it later, for now we have to concentrate on remembering back to that night” Chris said, handing me a coffee.

One by one we each entered the interview room and tried to recollect everything from that fateful night when my husband Mark had been stabbed. I went last, although I knew that Jack was heading over after his show.

“So Stephanie, we’ve been through your memories from that evening but can you cast your mind back and see if you saw, heard or felt you were being followed at all during the weeks leading up to this” Aaron asked.

“Not really, I was kind of wrapped up looking after my baby daughter for most of that time” I hesitated and watched as he leaned forward.

“Just recently before I moved away from Ross my daughter was startled one night as she got a glass of water from our kitchen. She thought she saw a man in our garden and there was a car parked outside the house for a little while that same evening. I don’t know if that will help at all as the murder is so far in the past” I said.

Aaron thought about this information and then probed one final time

“Is there anyone at all who you believe may hold a grudge against you or anyone in your family?”

I closed my eyes and the image of Felicity appeared there, could I dare to mention my fear that she was completely behind the whole thing, despite how absurd it seemed.

“Well?” Aaron pushed.

“This is going to sound really mad but James’ ex-wife Felicity is not a big fan of mine” I started. Then for the next hour I filled him in on everything that had happened back when I was seventeen and finishing at my suspicion that Felicity had somehow got the footage from the nightclub and given it to Mitchell. All the time Aaron recorded it all and made the odd note for follow up.

“Thanks Stephanie, there are a few things I will follow up on from that, including Zachariah King and Felicity Carmichael-Astaire.

“Would you mind not saying anything to James about this to start with?”

“Not problem, we may only need to involve him depending on what we find out from these new lines of enquiry” Aaron said, concluding the interview.

Emerging into the waiting room area James rushed across and gave me a hug.

“Shall we find somewhere for lunch” he suggested.

“Sounds good to us” Chris agreed as he looped his arm around Sarah and we left the Police Station.

Charlie was early so she grabbed a couple of take-away coffee’s and waited for Julia to appear. All the while her phone lay next to her heart in the inside pocket of her jacket, just in case Mitchell happened to make contact.

“Hey babe” a familiar voice shouted, knockin
g
Charlott
e
from her thoughts.

“Julia” she gasped, managing a hug without spilling the coffee.

“Christ Charlie, how much weight have you lost?” was Julia’s first concern, as they linked arms and headed for shelter in the Maylord Orchards to finish their drinks and plan their day.

“I’m so lost without him” Charlie sobbed, the wind whipping the tears away from her cheeks.

Julia le
t
Charlott
e
spill everything out as they huddled together on the most private bench they could find.

“The worse thing is that I don’t know where he is at the moment and I’m dreading thinking that he could be staying with his Mum”

“I can help you, he’s staying with Simon” Julia said “He’s in a bad way too if that’s any consolation”

Wiping the tears away Charlie managed a small smile at that piece of news. At least she knew where he was and she could plan to head over and speak to him.

“Come on then, let’s go and shop as I need your help with what I can get for Simon for Christmas” Julia’s words trailed away.

“It’s ok, I’m hoping that I can change his mind before Christmas so I’m still buying him presents anyway” Charlie said, trying to inject some optimism into her voice.

All shopped out later Charlie admired Julia’s new car and driving skills as they headed back to Ross.

“So what are you doing this evening” Julia asked.

“Dinner with Mum, James, Aunt Sarah and Uncle Chris before we head back. They’ve been talking to the police as the case has been re-opened into my Dad’s murder” Charlie responded.

“After all this time do you think they will find out?”
“I really don’t know but I think it’s James’ way of helping Mum get over her guilt about not loving him when they were together. I’m just so happy that she’s back with James now. They’re hoping to get married in February next year”

“Cool, get me an invite if you can. It’s always nice when you have an excuse to buy a new dress”

I was pleased to spot the small smile on Charlie’s face as she headed into the cosy lounge at Chris and Sarah’s place.

“I walked past our old house on the way here from Julia's. It felt strange” Charlie said, finding a gap on the floor next to the wood burner.

“Yes, I called in to see the tenants and they are looking after it well”

Over food we planned Christmas as for once Chris was not going to be away anywhere so they both agreed to head over on Christmas Day and then stay until the New Year. I noticed the distant look on Charlie’s face and wondered how she was going to cope if Mitchell decided to join the family dinner planned for Christmas Eve?

Once home Charlie disappeared back to her room and left James and I to have a chat before bed.

“Was everything alright today, you were in that interview room a long time” James asked.

“Yes, Aaron asked me if I knew anyone who might hold a grudge against me and my family” I paused “I gave him Felicity’s name”

“I wondered if you would, after the last few months I am starting to see the other side of that woman. How many more secrets did she keep from me when we were together?”

Despite the warmth I shivered at the thought of all the pain she had caused me, James and now Mitchell and Charlotte. Did we really know what she was capable of?

After a long day of interviews Aaron sat at his computer and typed in the name Felicity Carmichael-Astaire and waited to see what would appear. The screen filled with various links to the chain of Health Spa resorts that bore the name. Slightly further down was the headline for Anthony Carmichael-Astaire’s unexpected death five years ago. Aaron scanned the article with interest, apparently Anthony had been locking up one of his spas and had slipped and fallen in the pool area. A nasty cracked skull had left him unconscious as he fell into the water and drowned. Felicity had found his body early the next morning after he had failed to return home. Reaching for his phone Aaron called Rob up in Warwickshire

“I need you to do a couple of checks on your system for Anthony Carmichael-Astaire and his wife Felicity”

“Am I hearing you correctly, that’s James’ ex-wife” Rob countered.

“Yes, and if you could keep it discreet for the moment I would appreciate it”

Rob was about to hang up when Aaron stopped him

“Could you also check out a Zachariah King, he owns a couple of nightclubs in your area, I need to know if footage is ever leaked or purchased from his club”

“Is this still in connection with the Mark Eden case?”

“I’m not sure yet but I have a hunch that it might, call it intuition” Aaron laughed, today was turning into a more interesting one that he originally thought.

“I’ll get right onto it” Rob replied, his hand hovered over his keyboard. He wanted to know what James’ ex could possibly have to do with Mark Eden’s murder twenty four years ago.

Chapter 66

After four sleepless nights in Simon’s spare room Mitchell had made up his mind. Packing his bag once more he made coffee and sat and contemplated his prospective actions for a final time. As he did this he looked at all the wonderful photos o
f
Charlott
e
that were still on his phone. Slowly he deleted each one, until he came to his favourite. It was a selfie of the two of them, the morning of his birthday, just after they had made love. He gazed at her glowing skin and bright eyes as his finger hovered. Just then Simon appeared in the doorway

“Are you going home then” he asked, taking in the bag by the door.

Mitchell quickly snapped shut his phone and swallowed his coffee.

“I’m going to grab my dream”

Simon watched as Mitchell strode gracefully out through the door and fired up his bike. Logging on to Facebook Simon realised he had two messages. The first was from Julia and he read it with a smile on his face, being in love was the best feeling in the world. Then he clicked onto the second and found it was fro
m
Charlotte.

“Hi Simon, Julia told me that Mitchell was staying with you. I’ll be round in the next half hour as I really need to talk to him”

Five minutes later the doorbell rang as he realised that the message had been sent half an hour ago. Opening the door he looked into the pale, wan face of Charlie.

“Can I come in?”

“Yes, but he’s not here; Mitch left about ten minutes ago” Simon said, still holding open the door. Charlie barged past him and raced around the flat to discover that Simon was telling the truth.

“You don’t know where he’s going?”

“All he said was that he was off to grab his dream” Simon replied, watching Charlie’s face fall instantly. He reached his arm around her shoulders as the first sobs broke the surface.

“That means he’s gone to hers” she moaned, feeling the pain keenly.

Reluctantly she pulled away and wiped her eyes.

“Thanks Simon” she mumbled. He watched her walk away; the defeat she felt was evident in her posture.

Mitchell entered the driveway and stopped his bike to the side of the house. He hoped his Mum would be there as in his haste to act upon his decision he hadn’t phoned to say he would be there. Knocking on the door Daniel pulled it open and looked surprised.

“Hi Mitchell, what can I do for you”

“Is Mum around, I’ve come to accept her offer”

“I’ll go and wake her, so make yourself at home in the kitchen” Daniel said, gesturing him through. Finding the coffee pot on Mitchell hunted for a mug and settled at the kitchen table. All of a sudden he had a desperate urge to leave and almost got up until he heard the clip, clip noise of his Mother’s heels approaching.

“Morning, Mitchell” she said, floating across to him and offering her cheek. Despite the flowing dressing gown and fluffy pink mules her face was already expertly masked in make-up.

“Hi Mum, I’ve had time to think about your offer and I’d like to accept most of it”

“Most of it” she queried, settling down on the chair opposite as Daniel passed her a glass of orange juice.

“I’ve split up wit
h
Charlott
e
and I know that it’s her that you have a problem with, but I still want to stay in touch with James and my brother Darren”

“We’ll see” she murmured.

Felicity noticed his bag in the hallway and smiled.

“I think you still have the key if you want to go and make yourself at home in your new place. I’ll get the security guys to bring over a bed and some other furniture from one of my spare rooms, but in time we can shop for whatever you would prefer”

Mitch nodded, pulled the key from his back pocket and headed through the back door and across the yard to the barn. He was amazed that within an hour two security guys had appeared with a bed frame, mattress, bedding, television, music system and various other furniture that he would need. The time passed as Mitch arranged the furniture to suit his taste, deliberately not putting the bed beneath one of the roof windows.

With the music system fully set up and wired into the speakers that already hung downstairs Mitchell plugged in his iPod and cranked it up. The music filled the loneliness that he felt standing in the huge space that he would now call home. For once he stood inert, his body completely lifeless despite the beat that echoed through the boards and into his feet. The rest of the day stretched ahead of him, like looking into the distance but only seeing fog. He’d forgotten to ask his Mum about internet access but he pulled out his laptop and found her system was open and logged in.

He logged into his email and the top one was fro
m
Charlotte. He couldn’t just delete it so he opened it.

              “Dear Mitchell,

I hope that you still have internet access at your Mother’s so that you can hopefully read this message. I just missed seeing you this morning as Julia spilled the beans yesterday and told me that you were staying at Simon’s. His reply could only mean that you are there as you haven’t come home yet.

I just want to say that since we split up the seconds have felt like hours and I can’t get the image of your heartbroken face from my mind. I am so sorry for the pain I caused you, I am horrible to have cheated on you with Shelley but you know as well as I do how your libido is heightened after every dance session. She just kept making odd comments, touching me until my body betrayed me and I couldn’t resist her advances as I was missing you. Your Dad can hardly bear to look at me since we split up and it will be awful to tell him where you are, but I must unless you already have.

If you want any other things from your room then let me know and I can be out of the house when you call, if that will make it easier for you. I would happily torture myself to see your face for one last time, looking at me like you used too but I guess that’s never going to happen unless you are able to forgive my betrayal?

My dancing is heavy and leaden without you holding me, as I said on the back on your watch “I have the time of my life with you” and I meant it. Your watch is waiting for you and I am too if you should change your mind.

Your Charlie xxx”

He blinked the tears from his eyelashes and shut down his emails. He didn’t know how to reply, how he felt even? apart from lonely. Justin Timberlake’s “What goes around comes around” was playing downstairs and he listened to the words as he pulled out his dance clothes.

             
“Is this the way it’s really going down?

              Is this how we say goodbye?”

His body moved around the vast wooden dance floor, the music tried it’s best to fill the ache in his heart as Justin sang about the way that he was feeling. Was this how his life would feel now, emptiness that he needed to fill with music just to survive?

Everything reminded him of a time wit
h
Charlotte, taking a shower after his dancing he thought of the feel of her skin, slick between his fingers, sliding against his body. Pulling on his dressing gown he thought he could smell her scent on it from all the times that she had wrapped it around her frame. A knock at the door startled him from his thoughts and he hurried down to find his Mum outside

“Thought we should go out and celebrate this evening so I have booked a table. Can you be ready at seven and do you have suitable clothes with you?” she asked, wandering in and surveying the furniture arrangement.

“I’m not sure I’m in the right mood, Mum”

“You will be, I think you’re about the same build as Dan so I’ll send him over with something”

Inwardly groaning Mitchell nodded and smiled. When Daniel arrived later Mitch took the offered suit bags and kept the conversation to a minimum.

“I’ll bring what I don’t need back up to the house just before seven”

“Don’t worry, plenty more fish in the sea, especially if you want someone with money and not just looks” Dan quipped.

“You mean like you” Mitchell retorted, as Daniel retreated through the door.

In a pair of borrowed trousers but one of his own shirts Mitchell realised that he didn’t have a single mirror. Not that it mattered as he was purely going through the motions to keep his Mum happy. Up at the house Felicity produced a jacket for him.

“Now that’s much better. I think we need to hit the shops tomorrow and get you some more things for the house and some clothes” she murmured, standing back to survey the sight.

“The car’s waiting” Daniel said. Felicity linked her arm through Daniel’s and Mitchell’s

“Aren’t I the lucky one with two handsome men on my arm” she trilled.

Mitchell looked down at his wrist and remembered he no longer had a watch. Arriving at La Faison D’or restaurant he watched his Mum wave across at an already occupied table. He groaned silently as he realised it was Olivia and her Mum Madeleine and they were obviously waiting for them. Felicity chose the chair nearest her friend and motioned Daniel to the one at her side, which left Mitchell with the chair next to Olivia.

“Mitchell, how wonderful to see you again” she gushed.

“And you”

“So where’s your girlfriend then?”

“Oh Mitchell is single now, aren’t you” Felicity butted in “Perhaps he can show you some of the local sights while you are over here”

“That would be fantastic, we will be around for the next week, doing some Christmas shopping and catching up with family and of course good friends” Madeleine said, before the waiter interrupted them with menu’s.

The evening dragged and Mitchell tried to join in the conversation but it was difficult, especially when Olivia’s hand started to caress his leg beneath the table. It was one thing breaking up wit
h
Charlott
e
but he was not ready for anything else, despite Olivia’s obvious flirting and his mother’s encouraging smiles.

“You must come over to the house and stay”

“We’re going t
o
Londo
n
tomorrow for a few days but will be back on Saturday so yes thank you for the invitation” Madeleine replied. Olivia’s face filled with rapture as Mitchell’s fell in dismay.

In the car home Felicity turned to her son

“Come on now, Olivia’s a stunner and really hooked on you”

“I’m not ready Mum”

“Well, just call it a consolation fuck then you’ll be even”

Her comment left a sour taste in Mitchell’s mouth and he was glad to climb out of the car and back into his own place. Perhaps his Mum was right and as Olivia would not be staying he could just have some fun and then say goodbye. The massive king size bed dominated the room as once more a night time of memories and longing lay ahead of him. The next few days developed a pattern of working out in the gym, breakfast, dancing and waiting for the dreaded weekend to arrive. True to her word Felicity took him shopping and filled the wardrobe with new clothes for him, most unfortunately to her taste and not his. She had promised that once Christmas was over they could sort out the money promised in the will and get started on converting the barns.

Saturday arrived and Mitchell nearly died of shock to hear a car engine pulling up the driveway at just gone 9am. He stopped dancing and watched as a guy stepped out and headed towards the house, then realising that Felicity and Daniel had not returned from their evening out he sprinted through the door and headed into the main house.

“Morning, can I help you” Mitch enquired, opening the door. A brief flash of shock flickered in the guy’s eyes before he looked down.

“Is Felicity around?”

“No, but she’s due back shortly if you want to come in I can make you a coffee”

“That’s great, I’m Keith by the way, Keith Madison” he extended his hand.

“Mitch, I’m Felicity’s son”

Sitting in the kitchen together Mitchell couldn’t help but think this guy looked somehow familiar.

“Were you at my brother’s engagement party?” Mitch asked.

“No, I’m your Mum’s accountant” Keith replied, smoothly

“Oh, she must have called you about the Will and the money that I have just inherited”

“Something like that” Keith blustered, already worried about what Felicity would say at his un-arranged arrival.

Just then the door opened and Felicity and Daniel appeared and also looked shocked.

“Hi Mum, do you want a coffee?”

“That would be lovely and then I guess some privacy”