She

by HC Warner

  ‘And remind me how far it is from your mum’s house?’

  Bella tutted and rolled her eyes. ‘Oh, for Christ’s sake! We’ll need my mum’s help with Elodie so it’s a good thing that she’ll be so close.’

  Ben thought about letting it drop and just doing what he always did, which was to let her have her own way. But after such a stressful, upsetting day, he didn’t want to. ‘My mum would be just as much help, especially now that she’s on her own. It would give her a focus.’

  ‘She’s not as good with Elodie as my mum. I wouldn’t feel happy leaving her. Your mum seemed completely disinterested in her today …’

  ‘Well, I expect burying her husband might have meant her mind wasn’t fully on Elodie.’

  ‘There’s no need to be sarcastic, Ben.’

  Ben gritted his teeth. ‘Of course my mum isn’t as good with Elodie as yours, because she hasn’t had a chance. If she’d spent as much time with her as your mum, she would be just as capable. It’s not her fault that she was banned from seeing her for the first months of Elodie’s life.’

  As he finished speaking, Ben thought about how hurt his dad had been by being prevented from seeing his first grandchild. Had the stress of that contributed to his death? He swatted the thought away, unable to bear the thought that he and Bella might have been somehow responsible.

  ‘That was her own fault for the way she attacked me at Christmas. And she hasn’t exactly tried to make it up to me since. No, considering how strained our relationship is now, I definitely think Surrey is the best option.’

  Bella’s words were clipped and precise, as they always were when she was refusing to budge. Not for the first time, Ben felt hemmed in and trapped. Yes, Bella was stunning and could be utterly charming and funny when she wanted. He loved her and when she was in a good mood, he enjoyed being with her. But more and more often, she scared him with the darker side of her personality.

  As they arrived home at the flat in London, Bella put Elodie straight to bed, then returned to the kitchen where Ben was sitting at the kitchen table, nursing a glass of red wine. He had been desperate for a drink all day but Bella had insisted that he should drive home, so he had had to stay sober, while she decided to have a glass of wine for the first time since he’d met her. She was smiling broadly as she took a glass out of the cupboard and helped herself to some iced water from the fridge. ‘Well, cheers!’ she said, tapping her glass against Ben’s and taking a long drink.

  Ben did the same, feeling lonelier than he had ever felt before.

  ‘Oh come on, Ben. Please stop sulking.’ A deep frown of annoyance crumpled Bella’s forehead.

  ‘I’m not,’ he protested wearily. ‘I’m just upset. I still can’t believe that Dad has really gone. That I’ll never, ever see him again. That Elodie won’t know him growing up. It all just makes me feel unbearably sad.’

  Bella rolled her eyes. ‘Well, she won’t know mine either, so we’re sort of even, aren’t we?’

  ‘Good God, Bella, it’s not a competition!’

  Bella fixed him with a steely glare. ‘I never said it was. Stop putting words into my mouth.’

  Ben tutted and shook his head.

  ‘Don’t you dare tut at me!’ Bella hissed, her eyes suddenly blazing. ‘I’ve had just about enough of this!’

  ‘Well, that makes two of us!’ The words were out before Ben could stop them and they seemed to hang, suspended in the air between them for a long moment, before they landed. Bella’s grip on her glass tightened momentarily, causing her knuckles to turn white, before she raised her arm and threw it towards him. Instinctively, Ben ducked and it smashed against the wall behind him with a strangely musical tinkling sound. ‘Bella!’ he yelled in shock, turning to look at the wall, which was dripping with water. ‘What did you do that for?’

  But before he knew what was happening. Bella was on him, pulling his hair and pummelling him with her fists. As he was sitting down, she had the advantage of both surprise and height and he was all but helpless to fend off her blows, which were landing with painful accuracy. ‘Stop it, Bella!’ he shouted, as loudly as he could, trying to get through to her. But she was like a wild animal, clawing and slapping him with such ferocity that she was almost grunting with the effort.

  Finally, panting with exhaustion, she stopped as suddenly as she had started. Throwing Ben one last cold stare, she turned on her heel and walked out of the kitchen to the bathroom. She slammed the door and locked it behind her. Moments later he heard the water running as she filled the bath.

  Numb with shock, Ben was unable to move from his chair. He swallowed back the tears that threatened to erupt, like a dam about to burst. His head hurt where she had pulled his hair and he knew that there would be livid scratches and bruises all over his arms and back. He just couldn’t make sense of it and the shame and humiliation of it was already enveloping him like a blanket.

  After a while, he felt able to get to his feet, his heart still pounding and his legs still shaking. He heard the sound of the plug being pulled out of the bath and fear crawled at his insides. Too scared to move, he stood rooted to the spot, his ears straining to hear where she was.

  Finally, the lock turned with what sounded to him like a sickening crack, causing him to jump, even though he knew it was coming. Bella emerged, her hair wrapped, turban-like, in a white towel, with another tied around her body. She was about to walk into the bedroom, when her head spun around and she locked eyes with him. ‘What are you doing standing there like that?’ she said, with a half-laugh. ‘You look like you’ve seen a ghost!’

  Ben frowned. ‘Bella, we really need to talk about what just happened,’ he began, mustering his courage. He was aware that his voice was trembling, giving him away.

  Bella looked perplexed. ‘What are you on about? Nothing happened.’

  ‘You attacked me!’ Ben shook his head, unable to believe what he was hearing.

  ‘No, I didn’t. Don’t be so ridiculous! As if someone the size of me could attack anyone, let alone a six-foot-two hulk like you. You must be having some kind of hallucination. Listen,’ she said, adopting a softer, more sympathetic tone of voice. ‘It’s been a long, stressful day – for both of us.’

  Ben was aware that his mouth had dropped open slightly, as he listened in disbelief.

  ‘So …’ She came over to him and put her hand on his arm, causing him to wince slightly. He wasn’t wrong about the number of bruises there would be when he finally looked. ‘Why don’t we get an early night and try to put everything else to the back of our minds? Let’s remind ourselves why it’s just you and me that matters. We don’t need anyone else. It’s better when it’s just us.’

  Ben gazed into her deep, dark eyes, now swimming with love and serenity. And that’s when he got really scared.

  Part Two

  Chapter Sixteen

  I had prepared my answer, ready for a question that, surprisingly, never came. I had also done my research. I knew that this particular bar was the perfect place to find him. I clocked the two of them almost immediately and took up my position at a nearby table, pretending to wait for someone. There was no one, of course.

  He was handsome, in a preppy sort of way and he was tall, which was always a plus. But there was also a sense of vulnerability about him that I liked. He had a sadness in his eyes that told me he was in need of someone like me to lift him out of himself.

  I had never struggled to attract men. I know it sounds arrogant but it’s also true. Usually, all it took was a certain look from under my eyelashes and a flick of the hair and they appeared at my side as if by magic, offering champagne, dinner and, in one case, an immediate proposal of marriage.

  But this one took his time. I liked that. His friend had noticed me almost immediately. But he was obviously happily married because it was with amusement, rather than interest, that he observed me staring over at their table.

  The other one was more engrossed in both his conversation and his drink. It w
as clear that they were more than just work colleagues meeting for an after-hours beer, as there was a closeness and familiarity about them. I wondered briefly if they might be brothers but then I remembered that he didn’t have a brother.

  Eventually, the fairer-haired one said something to him and he finally looked up in my direction. I prepared myself, ready for the moment when our eyes met and I knew the second they did that it was a bulls-eye. Without saying a word to his friend, he picked up his drink and moved over to join me at my table, with a slightly goofy grin and a glimmer of excitement in his eyes. He was better looking close up, with dark, soulful brown eyes, of course. He needed to have those brown eyes.

  ‘Hello.’ He put his drink on the table and sat down.

  I adopted my most sensual pout. ‘Hello.’

  There was a long pause, as he looked at me, drinking me in, before he seemed to realize that he needed to say something. ‘I’m Ben.’

  ‘Bella.’ I made sure I held his gaze, hoping for a hypnotic effect.

  ‘Bella,’ he repeated, with a slightly dazed expression. ‘Can I buy you a drink, Bella?’

  ‘Thank you, yes.’ I hoped he’d say something original, but he didn’t.

  ‘Champagne?’ he guessed, predictably.

  ‘Sparkling water.’

  Ben raised his eyebrows. It worked every time. It immediately reassured them that I wasn’t a gold-digger.

  He stood up and as he did so, he seemed to suddenly remember his friend sitting alone nearby.

  ‘Oh! Matt … I’m just getting some more drinks in. You’re welcome to join us?’

  I felt a momentary wave of panic. That wasn’t part of the plan. It might even ruin it altogether.

  Thankfully, his friend responded with a knowing smirk and a shake of the head. ‘Nah, I’m going to call it a night.’ He finished his beer and got to his feet. ‘Have fun,’ he said, patting Ben on the back as he left the bar.

  ‘So, Ben,’ I asked, as he returned with our drinks. ‘Are you single?’

  Ben coughed through his mouthful of beer. ‘Um, yes. I am. Definitely. Single.’

  I could feel myself smiling. ‘Good.’

  ‘Are you?’ he countered nervously.

  I dropped my gaze, feigning shyness. ‘I am.’

  ‘Good. And do you get hit on by lots of men who aren’t single?’

  I looked back up at him with a knowing smile. ‘All the time. That’s why it was my first question.’

  ‘Ah. Well, it looks like you got lucky with me then!’ He seemed to relax and leaned back slightly, a cute grin spreading across his face.

  ‘It looks like I did.’ I couldn’t believe quite how easy it had been.

  ‘Another drink?’ he asked eagerly, after we had chatted for a while.

  ‘I’d prefer dinner.’ It was bold but there was no time to waste.

  Ben smiled. ‘So would I.’

  Bingo.

  Chapter Seventeen

  ‘I’d like you to meet my parents.’

  My heart gave a little leap. We were lying in bed together at his flat a month or so after that first meeting. I had gone home with him that night and never left, knowing it was the only way for my plan to work within my timeframe. Things had progressed faster than I had dared imagine. He was well and truly hooked. Yes, he was obviously a little damaged by his ex dumping him but he seemed to have got over her surprisingly quickly.

  ‘Really?’ I pushed myself up onto one elbow bunching the white cotton duvet under my stomach and looked down at him. ‘And what do you think they’ll make of me?’

  Ben grinned up at me with his slightly lopsided smile, his brown eyes dancing with excitement. Since meeting me, he had visibly blossomed, like a plant bursting into bloom at the onset of summer. The downbeat, hesitant manner that he had shown that first night had been replaced by a relaxed confidence. He reached up and ran his hands through my hair. ‘They will absolutely love you. Just like I do.’

  I allowed my eyes to widen in surprise. ‘Wow. That’s the first time anyone’s said that to me.’ The lie tripped off my tongue with a practised ease and I dropped my gaze demurely.

  A shadow of concern passed over his face, causing a deep, vertical line between his eyebrows. ‘Well, I’m saying it now. And I’ll keep saying it until you believe it. I love you, Bella.’

  I smiled uncertainly. ‘I … I think I love you, too.’

  His look of unbridled joy at my words tugged at my insides. I didn’t love him but it was impossible not to be moved by his reaction. He wasn’t a bad person and actually I was even quite fond of him. I could tell myself that I was doing him a great service by helping him to recover from the heartbreak of his bitch of an ex-girlfriend dumping him. I had seen a few photos of her and he had definitely traded up with me – she was so average-looking. ‘I would love to meet your parents,’ I prompted, keen to return the conversation to his invitation.

  Again, Ben’s face softened with tender adoration. ‘I’ll call them tomorrow to sort it. I can’t wait for them to meet you.’

  I smiled to myself as I settled down to sleep. This was proving so much easier than I ever expected.

  We went the following weekend. I had worked hard on my appearance. I was aiming for wife material, rather than stunning girlfriend, so I pulled my hair back into a pretty but unthreatening ponytail, toned down my make-up and opted for tight-fitting Capri pants with strappy nude sandals and a simple white T-shirt that clung in all the right places and was slightly transparent. Ben whistled as I emerged from the bedroom. ‘Oh my God, how do you manage to look so sexy without even trying?’

  I almost laughed. If only he knew.

  Nevertheless, my heart was pounding as we pulled up on the gravel driveway of his parents’ house in Suffolk. The house was pretty much as I expected – a handsome, Georgian sandstone, standing in vast, manicured grounds, with lakes and trees surrounding it. Ben looked at me shyly as we walked towards the front door, clearly trying to gauge my reaction. ‘Wow!’ I breathed dutifully. ‘It’s beautiful.’ Ben nodded, apparently satisfied with my level of awe.

  His mum pulled open the heavy, grey painted front door. I was slightly taken aback by how attractive she was. Slim yet curvy, with shoulder-length blonde hair, expensively highlighted with caramel tones and her skin was tanned yet surprisingly unlined. Probably thanks to Botox, I thought meanly. Immediately, my eye was drawn to her bare feet, which were tiny with perfectly manicured toenails. My large, slightly mis-shapen feet were my Achilles heel and I felt a spike of jealousy at her good fortune. ‘Hello!’ she beamed, revealing straight, white teeth.

  She was so much better looking than I had imagined that it threw me momentarily. ‘Hi!’ I managed, proffering the lilies I had bought, not from a supermarket as I would normally, but from a small independent florist near Ben’s flat. ‘I’m Bella.’

  Jo took them delightedly and I knew instantly I’d made the right call. ‘Lovely to meet you, Bella, and thank you for these. They’re absolutely beautiful!’

  There was a short pause while Jo admired the flowers, before seemingly remembering that we were there. ‘Come in! Come in!’ she trilled, making a sweeping gesture with her arm. We squeezed past her into the wide, flag-stoned hallway, with Ben leading the way through to the back of the house. Jo gabbled on, although I was oblivious to what she was saying, as we made our way towards the kitchen, my heart pounding furiously.

  Peter appeared in the doorway, momentarily blocking out the light, so his face was in silhouette, but even so, I could picture his stunned expression. Ben embraced Peter with a hug, before turning towards me with shining eyes. ‘Dad, I’d like you to meet Bella.’

  I stepped forward, giving Peter the benefit of my most dazzling yet coy smile. ‘Hello, Peter, lovely to meet you.’

  Peter turned slightly, so that his face was in the light. He blinked quickly, as if to snap himself out of his trance, before reaching out to shake my hand. ‘Lovely to meet you, too, Bella.’ His voice trembled sli
ghtly and his hand felt clammy to the touch. I smiled to myself, pleased that I was clearly having such an effect on him. It wasn’t surprising. It was just satisfying.

  ‘Well, let’s go through into the garden!’ Jo’s voice was high and ever so slightly annoying. I resisted the temptation to roll my eyes and nodded instead, following Ben and Peter through the French doors and out onto a terrace that overlooked sprawling pea-green lawns, with a grass tennis court and a pristine swimming pool, glinting in the sunshine.

  On the terrace was a large table that had been set for lunch and was already laden with exquisite-looking platters of antipasti. It looked so much like a magazine shoot that I half expected the food to be fake when touched.

  Ben pulled out a chair and I sat down, gazing surreptitiously around me at the sumptuous surroundings. They had undeniably good taste, with every feature finished to perfection. But it was also a bit of a cliché and, I thought, not very creative to have everything just so. It was almost as if they had a long list of items that had to be ticked off in the home of a stereotypical rich person.

  Peter reached into a giant silver ice bucket and retrieved a bottle of vintage champagne. Without asking, he filled my glass.

  ‘Oh! Thank you, Peter, but I don’t drink.’ I accompanied my words with a smile, to avoid any perceived slight.

  Peter looked at me for a long moment, his eyes narrowing very slightly. ‘Really?’

  I nodded apologetically at Jo. ‘Sorry, I should have said sooner.’

  Jo batted away my apology and shook her head furiously. ‘No, no! Not at all! Peter, swap Bella’s glass with mine and pour her some sparkling water.’

  God, she was bossy. But to my amazement, Peter didn’t seem to notice and did as she told him without complaint. ‘Thank you,’ I breathed gratefully, smiling at Jo until I felt like my jaw might lock.

  ‘I’m not drinking either – I’m driving.’ Ben told his dad, as Peter went to fill his glass too.