by Jenny Frame
“You fancy me, don’t you?” Evan grinned like a Cheshire cat.
Clementine clearly wasn’t expecting that response and so couldn’t hide her natural reaction of a sweet smile forming on her face.
“I do not.”
Evan took her hand and chuckled. “Why are you smiling, then?”
Clementine was trying to do her best at hiding her smile, but clearly failing. “I am not smiling.”
Evan kissed her hand. “I care about you, Clem, and there’s no reason why we can’t explore what we feel.”
“I can’t.”
Evan cupped her cheek. “You can. You’re just frightened. I’m not Isadora.”
Before Clementine could respond, Evan leaned in and kissed Clementine deeply. Clementine didn’t resist and in fact moaned as Evan traced the inside of her lips with her tongue.
When she eventually pulled away, she rested her forehead against Clementine’s. “While I’m away, think about us, and what we could be together. An unstoppable force. There’s nothing that we couldn’t face, and nothing that’s keeping us apart.”
With that she got out of the car and quickly ran inside before she was drenched with the rain.
Chapter Sixteen
The next day Kay called for Clementine and they decided to walk to the old church, now The Meeting Place, for the trust meeting. The meeting where she would have to sell the idea of the bloody wind turbines. Archie had emailed her the details—the costs, and the green power it would generate for the village—and she couldn’t really argue with them, but convincing the other villagers was another thing entirely.
“So? What got Evan Fox all ruffled up yesterday, as if I didn’t know?” Kay said.
Clementine sighed and Kay looped her arm through hers. “Come on. You can talk to me.”
“I’m not myself, Kay. I mean, I’m not behaving like myself,” Clementine said.
“How so? I know there’s some super-duper electricity between you.”
“That’s just it. I did that to her. At the office after everyone had gone, we kissed and ended up on my desk about to…Then Agatha called.”
Kay squeezed her. “That’s wonderful. You deserve some excitement in your life.”
“That’s the thing. What’s between us is so electric, so desperate, and I’ve never been like that with anyone before. My lovers, not that I’ve had many, have always been nice, pleasant, but this feeling that Evan stirs up in me is frightening.”
“Why not just go with it? Listen to your heart and your body?”
“What about my head? I need to be sensible. I’ve got my mother to look after, I can’t fill my life with distractions, but every time I look at her, I want to rip her clothes off. I’m too old for this, for her, not to mention the fact that everyone would say I’m with her to get my hands back on Rosebrook.”
“Who cares what people think. You know that’s not the case, and Evan knows that. Don’t listen to anyone else, and don’t let your head get in the way of finding happiness.”
“I care what people think. I do have some pride left in me, despite all the setbacks I’ve had to take on the chin,” Clementine said. “Besides, it would be like having a relationship with a jumping bean. She has so much energy, and she’s eight years younger than me.”
Kay waggled her eyebrows. “I see that as a good thing. Just think about it, okay? She’s a good person.”
As they got nearer to The Meeting Place, they saw Mr. Fergus and waved to him.
“Well met, ladies,” Fergus said.
“Hi, Fergus,” Clementine said, “at least the rains stopped for us for tonight.”
They’d had nearly nonstop rain for the last few weeks, torrential rain, a lot of the time.
“Yes, thank goodness. The river at the top of the village is quite high. We’ll need to keep an eye on it. Now, shall I escort you good ladies in?”
* * *
“Not bloody likely,” Mr. O’Rourke said.
“Dad, language,” Ash reprimanded him.
“I should say so, James,” Fergus said. “Remember, there are ladies present.”
“Sorry, Your Grace. But I’ve seen these things on the news, and they’re an eyesore.”
His reaction wasn’t dissimilar to the one she’d had, but in the cold light of day, turbines made sense.
Mr. Murdoch joined in, saying, “So much for the trust, so much for giving us control of our village.”
Clementine looked to Kay for support. “But if we don’t change our ways and use greener energy, villages like this on the south coast will be underwater when the polar region warms up.”
“Why do we have to be the vanguard, making all these changes?” Mr. Mason said. “Murdoch is right. Fox said we would have control of how our village changed.”
Clementine had to find a way of getting through to them. “It’s not a matter of control. This trust is a partnership with Fox Toys. We have to compromise—after all, we are going to reap the benefit of all the money Ms. Fox is putting into the village, and in turn we have to be flexible on the things that are important to her.”
Mr. Murdoch slammed his hand down on the table. “This is not her village, and I will not have one of those windmill things in my garden for anything.”
Time to bring out the big guns. “I’m sorry to hear that, because it would more than halve your power bill every month.”
“What?” Mr. Murdoch was quite caught off guard with that statement.
“Yes, but since that’s not important to you…”
“Hang on, hang on. Will it?”
“Oh yes. Easily,” Clementine said.
Mr. Murdoch grinned. “Now you’re appealing to my finer nature. Tell us more.”
Clementine looked at Kay and Fergus, who were grinning back at her. Not a bad negotiator, she told herself.
* * *
As Evan drove into Rosebrook, she sighed with relief. It had been a long and busy week launching The Woodlanders 2, but more than anything she’d missed Clementine. In fact being apart made her more convinced that Clementine was her love story.
They had texted back and forth, and although stiff at the start because of the way they’d parted, Clementine’s warmth soon came back. Evan’s parents were in the car behind, and she couldn’t wait for them to meet Clem, and hopefully they would get on.
Evan slowed as the first cottages came into view at the start of the village, with scaffolding all around them. These were the uninhabited cottages that needed the most work. She pulled the car onto the side of the road. She looked in the mirror and confirmed her dad had pulled over as well.
“I feel nervous. I wish Clem was here.” She was nervous because her parents’ good opinion meant so much. She got out of the car. Thankfully it had stopped raining—for a time, it had been thundering down on the journey from London. The forecasters had even warned that this might be the wettest summer on record. That was all they needed. Construction would be held up even more.
Her parents got out of the car. Her dad stretched out his arms and said, “This is amazing, kiddo.”
Like her, her dad could find positivity in any situation. Her mother, on the other hand, was more down to earth. Lucky someone in the family had their feet on the ground.
Her mother got out and put on her sunglasses. “Show us around, Evan. There’s still a lot to do, I see.”
“Yeah, the rains really held us up.” Her parents joined her at the side of the first cottage.
“Who would have thought,” her dad said, “that our little Evan would own Rosebrook one day, eh, Cass?”
“Hmm, we spent some wonderful day trips here.” Her mother reached out and touched the wall of the cottage.
“We’re working on revised plans now.” Evan pointed to various places around the house—the windowsills, the door frame—all were trimmed with seashells embedded in the cement. “This was Clem’s idea, making every cottage a little different, rather than having them all uniform, because they were originally bu
ilt at different times and they are all a bit different stylistically.”
“What’s the power source?” her mother asked.
“A battery powered by wind turbine. Clem wasn’t too happy about it at first, but I convinced her of the benefits. She’s been breaking it to the residents this week, while I’m away.”
“Fantastic,” her dad said. “Isn’t it wonderful?”
“I’ve heard you talking about this duchess nonstop. Do you think it wise to allow the former family owner to act as chair of your trust?” her mother said.
“I knew I needed her onside to get things done. She may not have the land, but she’s still the duchess to these people, their leader, and it turned out she really is the perfect person for the job. It’s in her blood.”
“Are you attracted to her, munchkin?” her mother said softly. “Because that could make things tricky on this project.”
Evan couldn’t conceal the truth from her parents. She nodded. “When I looked in her eyes the first time I saw her, fate smacked me about the head with a banjo. She’s my love story—I’m sure of it.”
Her father pulled her into a hug. “Didn’t I tell you? Fate always finds the right one for you.”
“Donny, we haven’t even met her yet. She could be a gold-digger or just after getting her ancestral home back.”
“She’s not like that, Mum. I had to strong-arm her into working for the trust. She didn’t want anything to do with the project at first. Clem blames her grandmother Isadora for blowing the family fortune and losing their home. When I first met her, she had an old broken-down car and worked as a freelance architect. Her mother is in a nursing home, and all her money goes to that. The last thing Clem wanted was to get on board with another dreamer like her grandmother.”
“Hmm. I’ll meet her before I pass judgement. Is she coming to dinner tonight?”
“I think so. She said she would the last time we talked on the phone,” Evan said.
Her dad put his arm around her. “Don’t listen to your mum. If I had listened to her, I would have never gotten a first date at the fiftieth time of asking.”
Evan laughed. She loved the story of her mum and dad getting together.
Her mother rolled her eyes. “I’ll withhold my judgement till tonight.”
Evan took her mum’s hand and kissed it. “I know you’ll like her. She’s not the typical duchess. She doesn’t think she wants to be one, but her presence in this village is the only glue that kept them together. I want tonight to be special. The new housekeeper started work while I was away, so I’ve asked her to make us a fancy dinner. I know we’re not fancy people, but I want Clem to experience a night like her parents and grandparents used to have. Black tie, champagne, eating in the dining room with lots of different wines, laughter, and genteel conversation. The full Downton Abbey type thing.”
Her dad snapped his fingers. “That’s why you wanted me to bring my dinner suit?”
“Yeah, but you didn’t need much persuasion, Dad,” Evan said.
“You two are like peas in a pod. I think your father would wear a tie on the beach if he could,” her mother said. “You’re making a lot of effort to woo this woman. What age is she?”
“She’s eight years older, Mum.”
“Ooh, toy boy,” her dad said immediately.
“Come on, toy boy,” her mother said. “Show me more. Onward.”
* * *
Clementine was both nervous and excited. Evan was calling for her any minute to take her to meet her parents and have dinner. She had hoped that her week away from Evan would cool her attraction and feelings, but the opposite had been the case.
She had missed Evan’s positivity, her fervour for life, and Clementine’s usual glass-half-empty attitude started to creep back in. The office had felt empty without Evan, and she was checking her phone constantly to see if there were any texts from her, something she had never done with anyone.
Clementine heard the door knocker and her heart jumped. She was going to see Evan again. She checked her hair, which was pulled up into a chignon, one last time and smoothed down her green cocktail dress.
She walked downstairs, opened the door, and her breath caught. Evan looked gorgeous, sexy, all of the above. She was wearing a modern dinner suit complete with bow tie and impeccably styled hair.
Evan bowed then kissed her hand. “You look stunning, Your Grace.”
She got her title right for once. “You look very handsome, yourself.”
Evan looked down at her suit with a satisfied grin and brushed off her lapel. “Dad and I thought we’d go the whole hog and make it special. I wanted tonight to be like the dinner parties Rosebrook used to have.”
Clementine closed her door and took Evan’s offered arm. “I remember nights like that when I was a little girl. I used to sit on the stairs and watch them all coming in the front door.”
“Well, this will be fabulous. So, did you miss me? What am I saying? Of course you did.”
Clementine couldn’t help but laugh. From anyone else it would seem like arrogance, but Clementine knew Evan didn’t take herself too seriously. It was all banter—and wooing, she was sure.
“How did your app launch go? I downloaded it, by the way, but I’m not really sure how to play it. I’m not a game sort of person.”
“I’ll show you later. It was amazing. We are number one in the app store, and a percentage of each game goes to forestry conservation in the country it’s downloaded. A great business model, if I do say so myself.”
“And you usually do. Your family has found a great way of working in the corporate world, making money, but with a conscience.”
“We like to think so. My great-great-granddad, who started Fox Toys, was a religious man. A philanthropist a bit like Isadora. Our company was built with the attitude of helping make the world a better place, and then my mum came on board and really ramped it up. She’s an amazing woman. How’s your mother?”
“All right. The same as usual, although she’s been losing weight. She doesn’t like eating any more. The nurses give her build-up drinks to try to make up for it, but she won’t always take them.”
“I’m sorry. Is there anything I can do?” Evan asked.
Clementine sighed. “No, there’s nothing anyone can do. It’s part of the condition towards the end.”
Evan stopped in the middle of the driveway and took Clementine into her arms. “I find a hug always helps when other things can’t.”
“Your hugs can.” Clementine stepped back from the hug and said, “She’s still holding on to Mr. Fox. It’s given her a lot of comfort.”
“I’m glad.”
They reached the doorway and two torches were lit on either side of the entranceway. “The torches. Just like the old days,” Clementine said happily.
“I told you I made an effort, my lady.”
“The torches used to light the way for the carriages arriving.”
The front doors magically opened to reveal a man in butler’s uniform. “Where did he come from?”
“You got me the housekeeper, but I did some organizing myself. I asked the agency where you got the housekeeper, Sarah, from to send some extra staff for the night. Thank you, Winston.”
“You are adorable sometimes, you know that?” Clementine admitted.
Evan grinned. “It has been said. Come on, let’s meet Mum and Dad.”
* * *
Evan watched on with pride as Clementine chatted to her mother. It was nice to see this elaborate dining room being used as it was meant to.
Her father clapped her on the back and said, “What a smashing girl—sorry, woman, your mum will give me trouble. Smashing woman your Clem is.”
The waitstaff came into the room and cleared away the delicious vegan meal they had just enjoyed.
“She’s not mine yet, Dad. Clem’s intelligent and careful and has a lot to deal with in her life. She’s not about to jump into a relationship quickly.” Evan took a drink of her wine
.
“Kiddo, if she’s the one, then make it happen. Don’t just sit here on the sidelines hoping it’ll all turn out right. Remember what your mother called me when I first asked her out?”
Evan chuckled softly. “A capitalist bastard.”
“Exactly! But did I let that deter me?” he said. “No, I persisted, and here I am today with the most wonderful woman in the world.”
“Clementine threw me out of her house the first time I met her.”
“You see, she’s a passionate woman. Go for it.”
Her mother and Clementine looked right at them, and her mum said, “What are you two talking about in such hushed tones?”
Her father replied quickly, “How wonderful women are.”
“I’m sure,” her mother said. “Why don’t we go through to the drawing room for coffee.”
Her father jumped up quickly and said to Clementine, “Let me escort you, Your Grace.”
Clementine giggled and took Donny’s arm. Evan then offered her mother her arm and followed them through.
She heard her dad ask Clementine, “Have you tried the trampoline room? It’s simply marvellous.”
“What do you think, Mum?”
“She’s a lovely woman. A little serious, but she has a lot to be serious about, I suppose, but she seems genuinely dedicated to your cause, this village, and making the world a better place.”
“You approve, then?” Evan asked.
“If she’s the one you want, then yes,” her mother said.
“She’s worried that people will think she just wants the house back.”
“Then make her understand it doesn’t matter to you. People, including your grandmother, thought I was after your dad’s money. I won them over.”
“I’ll try. She’s my dream girl, Mum.”
“Woman, Evan,” her mum corrected her.
“Woman—sorry, Mum.”
Chapter Seventeen
Clementine was starting to relax and enjoy herself. She had been nervous at dinner, talking to Cassia. She was such a powerful personality, and such a beautiful older woman. Her short ash-blond hair suited her perfectly. It also felt so strange to be a guest here. The last time she and her parents had dinner in the dining room was her last birthday before her dad died.
