Country Pursuits

by Jo Carnegie

  ‘Yah, what’s her name again? I keep forgetting. She’s a right little mouse, no wonder he’s shagging the brains out of Sabrina Cox.’

  Caro felt numb, as if the blood was slowly freezing throughout her body. She was stone cold sober now.

  ‘Bit of a slut, isn’t she?’ said the first voice. ‘If you ask me, she looks like a prostitute in that awful pink dress.’

  ‘You’re probably not far wrong there, darling,’ remarked her friend, and they burst into laughter once more. The door swung open and shut, and they left a deafening silence in their wake.

  Sitting in her darkened cubicle, Caro felt her world collapse around her. A scream was going round and round in her head, growing louder and louder, but when she opened her mouth, nothing came out. She felt dazed and disorientated, but at the same time everything suddenly became clear as day – the blonde woman from earlier, Sebastian’s over-studied nonchalance. Bringing his infidelity here, to Churchminster? How could he do that to her?

  The taste of betrayal rose like bile in her throat. Those two witches had been talking about her life and marriage as casually as if they’d been discussing where they were going on holiday next year. And who else knew? Pain, shock, humiliation and hurt flowed over Caro, as she stood up slowly and leaned against the wall, trying to take it all in. But she felt an entirely new emotion, too, one that had been bubbling under the surface for so many months and was now forcing its way out.

  Anger.

  Caro stumbled out of the cubicle. The attendant looked at her white face and shaking hands curiously, but seemed too bored to care. On autopilot, Caro made her way back into the ballroom. A vaguely familiar face came up to her, drunk and happy, but she barely registered it.

  As she walked to her table, she could see Sebastian was still sitting there. To Caro’s horror, the blonde woman had slunk into the seat – Caro’s seat – beside him. The woman’s jaw was working furiously, and she seemed to be having a go at him, while Sebastian looked around with a bored expression on his face.

  He locked eyes with Caro, and a look of panic flittered across his face momentarily. Throwing down his napkin, he got up to waylay her. ‘Darling, where have you been?’ he asked in an over-solicitous voice. A voice that now made her skin crawl. ‘I was just talking to an, er, old work colleague.’

  Caro couldn’t even look at Sabrina.

  ‘Don’t you mean your mistress, Sebastian?’ she asked him, fighting to keep her voice steady.

  Their friends were watching them now. ‘Oh shit, Sebbo’s for it,’ muttered one of the men. He turned and gave Sabrina a dismissive look. ‘I’d fuck off if I were you.’ Sabrina opened her mouth to object, saw Sebastian and Caro standing nose to nose, and thought better of it. She stood up with as much dignity as she could muster (which wasn’t much), tossed her hair over her shoulders and sashayed away.

  In the meantime, Sebastian was trying his best ‘surprised yet hurt’ expression. It had worked wonders in the past with previous girlfriends who’d caught him red-handed. ‘Darling, what on earth are you talking about?’ he exclaimed, putting a placatory hand on her arm. ‘What a ridiculous thing to say.’

  Caro shook it off. ‘I know, Sebastian,’ she said quietly.

  He spread his hands out, trying again to placate her. ‘Know what?’ he asked brightly. ‘Come on, darling.’ He cast an eye at his friends, rolling his eyes theatrically at them. They sniggered like a pack of hyenas, waiting to watch the kill. ‘You’ve probably had a bit too much to drink, let’s get you a cab home, eh?’ He stepped forward and tried to put an arm around Caro’s shoulders.

  Caro had had enough. ‘Just stop it! STOP IT!’ she screamed at him. ‘I know about you and that blonde woman. Sabrina, isn’t it? She’s your lover!’

  By now, other people were starting to turn around. A few tables away her father stood up, concern etched across his face. Camilla and Calypso were also half-out of their seats, unsure of what was going on.

  ‘For God’s sake, keep your voice down, people are looking!’ Sebastian hissed, glancing around. ‘You’re making a total fool of yourself.’

  ‘Me, making a fool of myself?’ A strangled laugh came out of her. ‘And what about you, Sebastian?’ she asked him. ‘You’ve been making a fool out of me since the day we met. God knows how many women there were before this one.’

  Sebastian couldn’t help himself, and smirked, looking at his friends again.

  Caro stared at the stranger in front of her. It was like she was seeing him properly for the first time. The eyes that had once captivated her looked hard and selfish; the face she had thought so handsome for all those years was now a cruel mask. How could I ever have loved him and found him attractive? she wondered. How could I have let him hurt me so much?

  Sebastian was rapidly losing his temper. ‘Sit down, woman, for Christ’s sake.’ She didn’t move an inch. ‘What the fuck is wrong with you?’ he spat.

  When Caro spoke again, her voice was calm and steady. ‘I want a divorce.’

  Sebastian stared at her for a moment, uncomprehending. ‘What are you talking about? Don’t be so bloody ridiculous.’

  ‘I mean it. Go home and get your bags packed. I want you out of the house tonight.’

  As her words sunk in, Sebastian’s mouth twisted into a sneer. ‘You’re divorcing me, darling? Well, that’s a fucking joke. I think I deserve a medal, not a divorce, for putting up with you. Not exactly Lay of the Year, are you?’

  ‘That’s enough, you bastard.’ Johnnie had stepped in-between them, white with rage. ‘You’ve been walking a fine line for too long. If you ever come near my daughter again, I’ll knock your head off.’

  Sebastian stared at his father-in-law contemptuously. ‘You’re fucking welcome to her, old boy,’ he said, and he turned on his heel and stalked off. Johnnie looked after him and shook his head in disgust. Then he turned back to comfort his daughter.

  But Caro was nowhere to be seen.

  Chapter 57

  CARO RAN BLINDLY down the huge sweeping drive of Clanfield Hall. She had fallen out of the front door, tears streaming down her face, the valets and security men watching open-mouthed as she took off into the darkness. She’d been holding it together so well until then, but Sebastian’s last comment had hurt and humiliated her beyond belief. And the fact that it had all taken place in front of her father was almost more than she could bear.

  She was stumbling more than running now, great sobs racking her body. The moon suddenly went behind a cloud. Barely able to see in the pitch black, Caro tripped over a bit of uneven ground and went flying. The adrenalin from confronting Sebastian for the first time in her life was being swiftly replaced by a realization of where it had left her. She was getting divorced. A sick feeling of fear took hold, and she sobbed even more loudly.

  She thought she could hear footsteps behind her somewhere, getting closer and closer. Oh no, her dad hadn’t come all the way out here, had he? The footsteps were nearly upon her now, and she turned round. ‘Oh, Daddy . . .’ she started to say tearfully, and stopped. It wasn’t her father.

  It was Benedict Towey.

  She stared at him for a second. He was slightly out of breath, bow tie undone and hanging round his neck. ‘What are you doing here?’ she said shakily. I must look such a fright, she thought. The bottom of her dress was ripped, her Emma Hope heels were covered in mud, and her mascara had to be halfway down her face by now.

  Awkwardly Benedict reached out to touch her cheek but something stopped him and his hand fell away. ‘Caro, are you all right?’

  Benedict had never used her name before, and it felt ridiculously intimate. Her eyes welled up at the surprising tenderness in his voice, and she looked down at her feet, not wanting to blub like a fool. But Benedict walked over and put his strong, powerful arms around her. It was such a gentle, comforting gesture that Caro found herself melting into his chest, the tears coming freely.

  Benedict stroked her hair. He smelt of woody aftershave, and a
delicious warmth radiated from his perfect body. ‘Ssh, ssh, my darling,’ he told her softly. For the first time in so long, Caro felt secure and wanted in a man’s arms. This thought made her cry even harder.

  ‘I’m d-d-divorcing Sebastian,’ she stuttered. Benedict looked down into her eyes. ‘I know, I overheard,’ he said with a wry smile. ‘I think the rest of the village did, too.’

  ‘I can never show my face around here again,’ Caro sobbed.

  ‘Bullshit,’ he told her fiercely. ‘Sebastian’s the one who needs to disappear.’ He smiled again. ‘Everyone had a go at him after you ran out. Your sister Calypso even emptied a bottle of Delaforce vintage port over his head.’

  In spite of herself, Caro smiled back. ‘It’s like a bloody episode out of Jerry Springer,’ she sniffed, drawing away from Benedict. He handed her a handkerchief from his pocket, and she blew into it loudly. ‘I’m getting a divorce,’ she said again, sadly. ‘I’m going to be someone’s ex-wife, can you believe it?’

  ‘If you were my wife, I’d never let you go,’ Benedict said softly. ‘Sebastian’s not good enough for you, I knew it from the start.’ As if embarrassed by what he had just said, his face went blank, and he quickly stared off into the distance.

  Caro studied his profile. ‘Why are you out here, Benedict?’ she asked again. ‘I thought you couldn’t stand the sight of me.’

  His strong, handsome face suddenly looked sad and vulnerable. ‘Is that what you really think?’

  ‘Well, yes I do,’ she sighed. ‘We’ve got off to such a bad start as neighbours, every time I see you I seem to say or do something wrong . . .’

  Benedict gave her the ghost of a smile. ‘I can be an awkward sod, Amelia is always telling me that.’ He looked into her eyes. ‘I’m sorry I gave you that impression. The truth is nothing like that.’

  Despite all that had happened that night, Caro felt an unexpected lurch of happiness in her stomach.

  Benedict looked up into the starry night, searching for the right words. ‘I don’t know how to explain myself, really. I’d promised myself I’d never fall for . . .’ He stopped, took a breath and tried again. ‘After Caitlin . . .’ Caro looked at him in confusion. Who was he talking about? ‘She was my wife,’ Benedict explained. ‘Well, ex-wife now, actually.’

  The memory of the conversation Caro had overheard in the church came back and stung her, and the hurt she’d felt made her anger flare up again. ‘The one you left for another woman?’ she asked coldly.

  Now it was Benedict’s turn to look angry. ‘I don’t know who you’ve been gossiping with, but you’ve got your facts all wrong,’ he snapped.

  There was an awkward silence for a few moments, before Caro spoke. ‘I’m sorry. It’s just that I heard . . .’ She stopped and waved her hand feebly. ‘Village gossip.’

  Under his tan, Benedict had gone pale. ‘Someone did run off in our marriage,’ he said quietly. ‘But it was Caitlin, not me. With my twin brother, Harry.’

  Caro’s jaw dropped in horror. ‘Oh, my God!’

  Benedict shook his head. ‘It’s all right. It’s in the past now. She probably did us both a favour, the marriage was never going to last.’ A bitter note entered his voice. ‘I just wish it hadn’t been with my own brother.’

  Caro tried to imagine how she would feel if Camilla or Calypso ever betrayed her in such a way. It was too awful to contemplate, even though she knew they never would.

  ‘It tore our family apart. Mum and Dad were killed in a car crash when Harry and I were both in our twenties, so it was up to us to keep things going and look after Amelia. Then I met Caitlin, and a few years later she went off with Harry.’ He laughed humourlessly. ‘And for all that, it didn’t even last six months. Caitlin met someone else at their local tennis club. The last I heard she was still shacked up with him in some palace in Dubai.’

  ‘And Harry, do you speak to him now?’ Caro asked. Benedict gave an almost imperceptible shake of his head.

  ‘Oh Benedict, you should forgive him,’ she said. ‘Family is so important—’ Benedict’s next words cut across her like a knife.

  ‘Harry’s dead. He died a year after Caitlin left me. Bacterial meningitis.’

  Caro clapped a hand to her mouth. ‘The charity you were running for at the fun run! Oh, I should have realized.’

  Benedict didn’t appear to have heard. ‘One minute he was fine, the next thing I was in hospital watching the life drain out of him,’ he said tonelessly. ‘He’d been phoning me every week since Caitlin had left, trying to make amends. I wouldn’t take his calls, wouldn’t see him. Amelia was more forgiving; she’d been trying to talk me round for months. The day before he died, I’d decided to call him and make it up. But I never got the chance.’ A funny noise sounded in his throat. ‘Life’s a bitch, and then you marry one.’

  His grief was palpable. Caro thought her heart would break. ‘Oh Benedict, I am so sorry.’ This time it was she who enveloped him in a comforting embrace. His tall, muscular frame leaned into her and they stood as if they were one, entwined by sorrow and understanding.

  Finally Benedict drew away. ‘It’s destroyed me for long enough,’ he said shakily. ‘I should think about the future now.’

  He hesitated and looked at her intently. ‘Caro, I know this is probably totally the wrong thing to say at the moment, but do you think we might have some kind of future together?’ Caro was silent for a few moments and Benedict looked embarrassed. ‘Of course not. You’ve got all this shit going on with Sebastian. How bloody stupid of me.’

  Shaking slightly, Caro took his hands in hers. They were firm and dry, with long, capable fingers that were surprisingly elegant. Momentarily she imagined what they could do to her, and shivered. She looked deep into his eyes and smiled. ‘It’s not stupid at all, believe me.’ In the background, as if by magic, fireworks started to go off, illuminating the black sky.

  Long after the party had finished and the drama died down, Jed and Camilla consummated their relationship back at No. 5 The Green. The passion was certainly there, but it was also so tender and loving that it felt like Jed’s first time with a woman. The detached, self-fulfilling need he’d had with Stacey, and all the girls before her, had gone. As he lay there afterwards and kissed every inch of Camilla’s body, he told her he loved her.

  Looking at his naked, muscular body, Camilla couldn’t quite believe how sexy he was. Her body was still trembling from the blissful orgasm Jed had brought her to five minutes ago. They were so different, yet so in tune with each other. ‘I think I love you, too,’ she whispered back, her hand edging down to find his perfect cock again.

  Chapter 58

  THE NEXT DAY there were some extremely sore heads round the village. Freddie woke up in bed next to Angie, naked apart from a diamond tiara on his head, and spent all day ringing round frantically trying to track down the owner. Angie, who felt nearly as hungover, managed to stagger out of bed at a reasonable hour to get over to Fairoaks. The previous night, in her euphoric drunkenness, she had promised Clementine she would help her add up the money they had raised overall.

  As she walked up the path, Angie realized she was feeling rather sick, and it wasn’t just to do with her hangover. What if last night had just been a wonderful dream? What if they didn’t reach the target?

  But as soon as Clementine flung the front door open, Angie knew it was good news. When the older woman took her into her study, showed her all the sums and finally told her the amount, Angie went weak at the knees and had to sit down. Her hands only stopped shaking when she took the first glug of an extra strong G and T, hastily mixed for her by Brenda.

  The final amount was a staggering £16.6 million.

  ‘Enough to buy the Meadows and have change in our pockets!’ cried Angie. She leapt up and did a little jig of joy around the room. ‘Sid Sykes is never going to match it. Hurrah!’

  For the first time, Clementine felt confident she was right. She had just finished a phone call with Humphrey from t
he county council office. ‘You know I would never say something I didn’t mean, old bean,’ he had told her. ‘But I really do think you’ve got it in the bag. Fifteen mill really is top whack for that place. No one else has that kind of money to throw at it, not even Sykes.’

  Clementine smiled at Angie. ‘My dear. As one would say, I do believe we have got it in the bag.’

  Over at Bedlington police station, Detective Inspector Kevin Rance was about to have one of the most extraordinary days of his career.

  He was alone in the office, having just finished an extremely boring traffic-accident report. Sighing, Rance pushed his chair back and gazed up at the ceiling. For someone who lived, worked and breathed the job, he couldn’t remember a time when he had felt more disillusioned. The Revd Goody murder inquiry had ground to a complete halt. Most of the team had been pulled off the case to work on other, more pressing matters, and only Rance and PC Penny were left to go over old ground and wait in vain for new lines of inquiry to materialize.

  Not that they were going to at this rate. Earlier that morning, Rance had got an astonishing phone call from Sir Ambrose Fraser to inform him his daughter Harriet had turned up safe and well. As much as Rance could understand Ambrose’s delight, the other half of him wanted to go down to Gate Cottage and give Harriet Fraser a piece of his mind. Surely one bloody phone call home to tell everyone she was alive and well wouldn’t have been too hard? Rance didn’t pause to consider why the considerate and home-loving Harriet might have acted in the way she did, or the complexities and traumas that Fraser family life entailed. Facts, figures and results were all that mattered to Rance. Some stupid Hooray Henrietta buggering off to find herself – probably on daddy’s credit card, he thought savagely – did not.

  Penny came rushing into the room, eyes more bulbous than ever, face red with excitement.

  ‘There’s someone outside I think you should see, Guv!’ he gasped.

  ‘Cheryl from Girls Aloud?’ asked Rance grumpily. Then he realized he’d never seen the young constable quite so het up, and sat up straight.