Everyone’s attention was now completely focused on Rosa and Danny.
“Go on, Danny – ask her out!” yelled one of the boys.
“Yeah, go on – she fancies you big-time!” shouted one of the girls.
“She’s gagging for it!” sniggered another boy.
Rosa’s cheeks were now bright red, and Ivy, watching from beneath the sycamore, felt deeply sorry for her. It was one thing to fancy someone, but another altogether to have your feelings publicly paraded in front of all your peers.
Danny glanced across to where Ivy was sitting and gave her a regretful smile. He felt cornered by Rosa’s passion for him. It was Ivy he wanted, but she never showed any interest in him, no matter how often he tried to get her attention. She was always deep in conversation with dull old Joe, and seemed positively animated by boring homework!
Danny dug his hands into his pockets. Joe had sworn he wasn’t interested in Ivy, so at least he didn’t have to worry about that. Maybe he should go out with Rosa for a while, and hope it made Ivy jealous. He’d play a long game if necessary. He was going to have Ivy one day, so he could afford to bide his time for the present.
“Rosa and I have already arranged to go to the cinema on Friday night,” he told the group nonchalantly. “So we don’t need your help. We arranged it ages ago, didn’t we, Rosa?”
Astonished, and grateful for the lifeline she was being offered, Rosa nodded vigorously. She guessed that Danny was simply salvaging his own position. Nevertheless, she was overwhelmed with gratitude.
“Yes, we’re going to see that new thriller,” she confirmed, gathering up her coat and schoolbag, and linking her arm through Danny’s.
With a backward glance at Ivy, Danny turned to Rosa and gave her a winning smile. He wasn’t letting the others think they could tease him into going out with Rosa, but he’d give her a good time until Ivy was ready for him.
As if by tacit agreement, all the other students began gathering up their possessions as well. There was no longer any fun to be gained from teasing Rosa, and it was time to go home for their evening meal and to do their homework for the following day. In twos and threes they began walking through the trees and out onto the road that led back into the village.
Ivy and Joe were the last to follow. As they gathered up their schoolbags, both were still basking in the glow of their new relationship, and kept darting glances at each other. Before they stepped out onto the road, Joe pulled Ivy into the bushes and kissed her passionately.
“Careful, Joe – someone will see us!”
Joe smiled between kisses. “They’ve all gone on ahead. Besides, none of them think of us that way – they just think we’re a pair of swots!”
Ivy bridled. “What you mean is, they don’t think you’d ever fancy me!”
Joe gazed adoringly at her. “You daft thing, they’d never expect you to fancy me! You’re amazing, Ivy – all I want to do is kiss you.”
“Come on,” said Ivy, disentangling herself from Joe’s embrace. “We’d better catch up with the others, or someone will figure out there’s something going on.”
Reluctantly, Joe nodded. “I guess you’re right. Danny watches me like a hawk – he’d be furious if he knew about us!”
“Well, now that he’s going out with Rosa, he’s hardly in a position to tell us how to live our lives, is he, Joe?” She looked directly at him. “You can’t let your younger brother rule your life, you know.”
Joe grimaced. “It’s not that – I couldn’t care less what Danny thinks. But if he found out about us, he’d tell Dad – then Dad would say that if I’ve time to spare for a girlfriend, I should be helping him in the shop instead. Then I’d never get to see you!”
“Well, I suppose your dad needs your help sometimes. Besides, Danny helps in the shop too, doesn’t he?”
Joe grimaced. “The difference is, Danny actually enjoys it. He doesn’t see it as a chore, whereas I hate it! He should be the eldest son, then the shop could be his when Dad retires.”
At the corner of the lane, Ivy and Joe waved goodbye to each other as casually as they could manage.
“See you tomorrow,” Joe whispered, and Ivy nodded.
Then waving a general goodbye to the others, she set off home too. She was smiling as she walked along. She still couldn’t believe that Joe Heartley was her boyfriend!
Ivy was also pleased that everything was working out for Rosa, and relieved that Danny would now be fully occupied, and wouldn’t waste any more time trying to attract her attention.
Chapter 9
Ivy thought long and hard about what she was going to do. As a well-known actor, she couldn’t hope to go creeping around the lake without being spotted. It was one of the disadvantages of being famous. The paparazzi were forever following her and her colleagues, in the hopes of finding them in a compromising situation, or discovering a juicy bit of gossip that could be turned into a big story. Since Ivy led an exemplary life, the photographers got nothing. But all that could change now, she thought fearfully. It would be quite a scoop if they discovered her lurking around Harper’s Lake!
She had a tight schedule for the next week, but then she was due a week off, when the soap storyline was concentrating on the infidelity of Emily’s character. That was when she’d drive to Willow Haven. Even though the Council had approved the draining of the lake, Ivy was reasonably confident that it wouldn’t happen immediately, and that she’d have time to carry out her mission.
Since her mother and father still lived there, as did Peggy and her family and Danny’s father Fred, Ivy was looking forward to seeing them all. They’d be surprised that she wasn’t accompanied by Danny, but that couldn’t be helped. And if she was spotted by the lake, she’d claim that she’d suddenly decided to visit one of the places she remembered from her childhood. None of the locals could consider anything unusual about that, could they?
At breakfast, Ivy made her announcement.
“Darling, I think I’ll drive down to Willow Haven during my week off,” she told Danny, hoping against hope that he wouldn’t suggest coming with her. That would be an unmitigated disaster!
“Hmm, that’s a good idea. I’m sure everyone would love to see you.”
“I presume you’re not free to come with me?” asked Ivy, holding her breath.
“Sorry, love – too many meetings on the agenda next week.”
“What a pity,” she said, trying not to look relieved. But this was a journey she needed to make alone.
A week later, Ivy set off for Willow Haven.
“Give my love to everyone, and tell Dad to go easy on the coffee,” Danny said, indirectly referring to his father’s high blood pressure, and kissing her as she set off.
“Will do,” said Ivy, kissing him back. Then she clung to him tightly, suddenly filled with an urge never to let him go. If she achieved her goal, next time she saw him she’d have no further worries. But if things didn’t go according to plan … Ivy shivered. Things had to go to plan. She’d just have to play things by ear, and hope she got the opportunity she needed.
Danny stood on the doorstep. “Bye, darling – and safe journey. Love you so much!”
“And I love you, too,” she told him, smiling as she crossed the driveway to her sleek black BMW, but inside she wanted to cry. If Danny only knew what she had to go through before she saw him again! “See you next week – hopefully, I’ll be rested and raring to go again!” she said brightly.
Now that she was actually setting off on this venture, she was filled with terror. The advance planning had enabled her to forget what she actually had to do when she got to Harper’s Lake. But now the reality was hitting home, and what she was planning to do was outrageous.
Blowing kisses to Danny as he waved her off, Ivy smiled at his enthusiasm for her, even twenty years after they’d married. Not many women of her age could claim such devotion. Of course, to Joseph she was just ‘Mum’, and that suited her perfectly. She just hoped he’d never have
occasion to discover that his mother wasn’t the woman he thought her to be.
Glancing into the back of the car, Ivy quickly checked to see that her travel bag was there. Among her clothes and toiletries were several items that were essential for her trip to the lake. But they certainly weren’t items a woman would normally bring on a break to visit her family.
Ivy was aware that she wouldn’t be able to rest when she got there – she’d need to study the movements of the locals around Harper’s Lake, in order to ascertain the best time for her own secret visit there. She’d need the area to be quiet, but not too dark or she’d be unable to see anything in the already murky waters. Ivy took a deep breath. She had no choice but to dive into the depths of the lake.
Briefly, she’d considered bringing a wet suit to keep in body heat, but she dismissed that notion just as quickly. If anyone spotted her, it would be impossible to claim she’d just decided on a spur-of-the-moment dip.
Ivy decided that in order to look casual and unprepared, she’d just wear her bra and panties when she jumped in. Then she could claim she hadn’t been able to resist the lure of the lake because swimming was part of her daily keep-fit routine. In truth, Ivy rarely had time to swim these days, but since receiving Peggy’s last email she’d started going during her lunch break to a local swimming pool near the studios in London to get in some practice. Obviously, there was a huge difference between a heated indoor pool and a cold lake, but it was Ivy’s only chance of honing her swimming skills. The dive to the bottom of the lake had been difficult enough as a teenager. Today, she was twenty years older and far less fit.
When she reached her parents’ house in Willow Haven, her mother and father rushed out to greet her.
“Hello, love, it’s great to see you!” said her father, crushing her in a bear’s hug.
“You look the picture of health!” said her mother approvingly.
Eleanor and Peter Morton were justifiably proud of their daughter who had reached the dizzy heights of wealth and fame, and their son-in-law, who ran one of the country’s largest supermarket chains. In fact, the whole village was proud of its two successful protégés – their fame had put the Lincolnshire village on the map, and Ivy and Danny regularly ploughed some of their wealth back into the village. They’d paid for the building of a community centre, provided financial support to young start-up businesses in the locality and paid for staffing and veterinary care at the local animal rescue centre.
Ivy loved being with her family. It was like slipping back into her childhood and being a normal human being again, rather than a TV star who was expected to look perfect all the time. At her parents’ home, she could slum around in her old jeans and not wear any make-up. Or relax in the conservatory she and Danny had had built for her parents, or watch TV on the wall-mounted large-screen television set that Danny had given them the previous Christmas.
“We had a phone call from Owen yesterday,” Ivy’s mother said. “He seems very happy in South Africa. I just wish he wasn’t so far away …”
“Why don’t you and Dad go and visit him, Mum? Now that Dad’s retired, there’s no reason why you can’t. I’ll pay your fares.”
Ivy’s older brother Owen was a vet in South Africa’s Eastern Cape, where he and a colleague ran a nature reserve, wildlife-breeding programme and centre for injured animals. He’d been there for five years now, and was constantly urging his family to visit.
“Thanks, love – maybe we will,” said her mother, and Ivy knew Eleanor had no intention of making the eleven-hour plane journey. Eleanor was a home bird, and travelling abroad would take her too far out of her comfort zone.
Neither had Ivy been to South Africa, mainly because of her gruelling schedule, but now she made a silent vow to visit her brother soon. Maybe she, Danny and Joseph could make the trip together …
Upstairs in her old room again, surrounded by the books and trinkets she’d left behind a lifetime ago, Ivy expected to feel comforted. But this time, it only served to bring back frightening memories of that fateful day during her teens, and heighten her fear and uncertainty about what she was proposing to do. Memories seemed all the more vivid in this room. She could almost feel the power of the lake as she unpacked, and she jumped when she thought she saw a shadow beside the window …
Later that night, she dreamt of the man she’d once loved, watching horrified and helpless as his golden hair turned to grey and he called out to her, begging her to help him …
Screaming, she awoke to find her mother and father rushing into her room to comfort her, just as they’d done back when she was a teenager.
“Are you okay, love?” said her mother.
“My God, you look like you’ve seen a ghost,” her father added.
“I’m fine – it was just a nightmare,” said Ivy, looking into their earnest, worried faces.
“Are you sure you’re okay? Would you like a cup of tea?” Eleanor asked anxiously. “You had terrible nightmares in this very same room when you were sixteen …”
“I’m okay now, Mum,” Ivy assured her, feeling guilty for waking them up.
“Well, if you’re sure …”
After hugging her and assuring her of their devotion, her parents reluctantly left the room, and Ivy settled down in her bed again.
Alone in her room, she shivered. It was all this unfinished business that had her so stressed out. The sooner she did what she’d come to do, the better it would be for all of them.
Chapter 10
As the girls packed away their schoolbooks after Friday afternoon classes, everyone was looking forward to the weekend. Rosa Dalton was, as usual, the centre of attention. The other girls liked hanging around with her after school, because even though she was now dating Danny, she still drew the boys towards her, and she always had something outrageous to say. As they left the school together, she was already waxing eloquent on the subject of sex.
“Are you doing it with Danny?” Clara asked her, and the other girls waited eagerly for Rosa’s reply.
“Of course!” said Rosa, smiling impishly. “I’m on the pill now, although I wasn’t when we did it the first time – but luckily I didn’t get pregnant.”
Ivy, who was silently listening, was relieved to hear that Danny and Rosa were ‘doing it’, which meant that Danny was now fully occupied with Rosa, so she didn’t need to worry about his attentions any longer.
She could also feel the excitement bubbling up inside her as she thought of doing it with Joe. They hadn’t gone the whole way yet, but that was about to change. They were careful to go to places where no one would see them, and the barn at Johnson’s farm had become their favourite spot. There they could lie together in the hay and go as far as they dared. But they both longed to consummate their relationship.
Ivy closed her eyes, vividly remembering every second of her last encounter with Joe.
“Oh God, Ivy – I can’t wait to make you mine!” Joe panted, as they both lay semi-naked in the barn as she caressed him, thrilled to think that she could make him feel this way. He, in turn, teased and tantalised her body as they lay in each other’s arms. How wonderful it would be when they could consummate their love!
Ivy had decided that losing her virginity to Joe would be his birthday present – she intended surprising him by making love to him uninhibitedly in the barn that very afternoon. Since Rosa hadn’t become pregnant the first time, Ivy felt it augured well for her own first experience. She’d been so lucky in love that surely nothing could go wrong? Anyway, she couldn’t possibly go to the local pharmacy since the owner was a friend of her mother’s and would undoubtedly feel obliged to let her know what her daughter was buying …
The girls’ laughter brought Ivy back to reality. Rosa had said something amusing, and they were all guffawing and poking each other in the ribs as they walked along. But Ivy didn’t mind missing the joke. She smiled to herself, hugging her own secret close. How she wished she could tell the others that she had a boyfriend of he
r own, and a senior to boot! They’d look at her differently; they’d see that Rosa wasn’t the only one who could snare a man.
The usual group of boys and girls were heading out of the village towards the lake, but this time, Ivy didn’t follow. Pleading a headache, she turned towards home, but as soon as her school friends were gone, she made her way up the hill to Johnson’s barn, where Joe was already waiting for her.
In an instant, they were in each other’s arms. “God, I can’t keep my hands off you!” Joe whispered, urgently opening her blouse as Ivy unbuttoned his shirt. Then they pulled off the rest of each other’s clothes, eager to press their naked bodies together. The atmosphere of the barn was warm and sweet smelling, and Ivy sighed with joy as she felt Joe caress her. Her whole body was on fire with desire for him, and she didn’t want to wait any longer.
“Come inside me, Joe – this is my birthday present to you,” she whispered. “I want my first time to be with you, and every other time for the rest of my life!”
Joe groaned as he tried to contain his longing for her. “It’ll be my first time too, but let’s wait – I’ll buy condoms tomorrow,” he said, reluctantly pulling Ivy’s hand away.
“Stop worrying, Joe,” said Ivy, her voice now husky with desire. “I want you, too – I want us to make love now!”
“No, Ivy – no, we can’t take the chance –”
But Ivy pulled him down into the hay again and lowered her body onto his. She gasped as he pushed into her, and she felt a dart of pain as her hymen broke. But the pain was quickly over, and Ivy felt like a real woman at last. She was filled with joy as she felt Joe climax inside her for the first time, and she finally knew the meaning of two people becoming one. His thrusting then brought Ivy to a shuddering release, and as they lay together in the afterglow, they whispered words of endearment to each other.
“I love you, Ivy,” Joe told her.
Ivy nodded, warm and sleepy in his embrace. “I love you too, Joe,” she replied. “Happy birthday – this is just the start of our lives together.” But now Joe was beginning to feel guilty, aware that he’d let his desires run away with his common sense. “Oh God, Ivy, I hope nothing happened –”
Still Waters Page 4
