Natural Born Readers (The Book Lovers 3)

by Victoria Connelly

  But it had all been lies. Aria had manipulated him for her own end. Well, never again would he be fooled like that, Ben told himself. Never.

  Chapter Seventeen

  ‘Are you looking forward to the dance?’ Colin asked Bryony. They were in her bookshop on Friday and she’d just closed for the night.

  ‘Yes, of course I am,’ she told him.

  ‘Yeah?’

  She gave him a smile which she hoped was convincing.

  ‘I can’t believe it’s tomorrow,’ he went on.

  ‘No, neither can I,’ Bryony said honestly. It had come round far too quickly for her liking and she didn’t feel ready. As she straightened a book display, which an over-zealous toddler had recently been rifling through, she couldn’t help acknowledging how anxious she was. If only it was all over. If only it could be this time next week, with the dance long over and life back to normal again. But life would never be normal again, she thought, because she was going to do something that would set her on a course she could never come back from.

  She’d been swapping more messages with Ben via the Country Catches website. It was mostly silly stuff, remembering times gone by like the day they’d sneaked out of school together. They’d been thirteen and it had seemed like the most rebellious thing to do in the world.

  Who’s idea was that? Bryony had written to Ben.

  Yours! he’d written back.

  No, no! I’d never have initiated something like that!

  Think again! We had that Science test, remember? The one you hadn’t revised for.

  Oh, right! I’d forgotten about that.

  So we caught a bus into town and went to that cafe. Is that still there? Ben asked.

  No, it closed years ago.

  That’s a shame. I really liked that old place.

  Bryony smiled as she recalled that day. The messages they’d been swapping had brought a lot of memories back to her and it was easy to slip into that happy past when she and Ben had been the centre of each other’s worlds. But she mustn’t let that influence her now, she told herself. They might well have been happy once, but that was a long time ago and Ben had been the one to destroy that.

  ‘I was thinking,’ Colin said, breaking into her thoughts, ‘I’d love you to meet my parents.’

  Bryony’s head snapped up, but Colin’s eyes were firmly fixed on the pages of the dragon book.

  ‘Oh, Colin, I don’t think that’s a good –’

  ‘I mean, we’ve been seeing each other for a while, haven’t we? It’s been a few months now.’

  ‘Yes, but –’

  ‘And maybe I could see your family,’ he suggested. ‘At one of these huge Sunday lunches you’ve told me about.’

  Bryony cursed herself for having casually mentioned the great Nightingale tradition of Sunday lunch. Big mistake.

  ‘Let’s see, shall we?’ she said, knowing full well that it wouldn’t be on the agenda – not after Saturday night.

  When Saturday night arrived, Bryony found herself looking at her reflection in the mirror, ready to leave for the dance. Colin said he liked her bright colours, but she wasn’t totally convinced that he did. He was so conservative in his choice of colour, which was fine, but she always felt so out of place standing next to him. They didn’t make a natural couple, she thought. She’d known that from the beginning, though.

  Since the first time he’d asked her out, she’d known that it was all wrong and yet she’d gone along with it. Part of her had wondered if she could, perhaps, make it work with Colin. After all, he was a nice guy – sweet, kind and generous. He was certainly handsome too. But she knew that the all-important spark just wasn’t there – no matter how hard she might look for it. She’d simply gone out with him because he was nice and because she was a bit lonely, and that was an awful thing to do to him and now she was planning something even worse.

  Colin picked her up at quarter past seven, opening the car door for her and complimenting her on her hair which she’d spent some time arranging with clips and flowers. He really was sweet, she thought, once again battling with herself at what she was going to do that night.

  Parking was in a field and Colin made a fuss of taking Bryony’s arm and guiding her over the bumpy ground.

  ‘I have walked across a field before,’ she told him, straightening her shawl which was wrapped around her shoulders.

  ‘Yes, but you’ve got pretty shoes on tonight,’ he said.

  It was lovely that he’d noticed. Bryony wasn’t used to wearing something quite so dainty and she felt as if her feet were naked without her big biker boots. But even she had to admit that they wouldn’t look right with her midnight-blue dress swirled with large red roses.

  The medieval barn at Torrington was large with a lofty roof. Lanterns hung from the ancient beams and straw bales, with woollen blankets on, had been placed around the perimeter for people to sit on. A large table full of food and drink stood at one end of the barn and the band were setting up at the other end. It was busy but, as she scanned the place, she couldn’t see Ben. He’d offered to pick her up in his sister’s car, but she’d told him that she’d meet him there. For one dreadful moment, she wondered if he might not show up. What if he’d got wind of her plan? No, that wasn’t possible.

  ‘Here,’ Colin said a moment later, ‘I’ve got you a wine.’

  ‘Thanks,’ she said, ‘that’s just what I need.’

  Ben straightened the collar of his checked shirt. Checks were alright for a barn dance, weren’t they? He didn’t want to turn up looking too overdressed, but neither did he want to look as if he hadn’t made an effort for their big night.

  He still couldn’t believe he was going to see Bryony. The date had sneaked up upon him whilst he’d been juggling an overpacked timetable of teaching commitments, translation work and the whole Aria business.

  Predictably, Ben hadn’t heard from Aria. He’d wondered if she’d ring up and apologise, offering an explanation, but of course she didn’t. People like her didn’t feel the need to explain. They could just use you for their own purposes and then move on.

  He remembered the look on her face when she’d spun him the lies about her appalling family life. What an idiot he’d been to believe her. He hadn’t even questioned her. You didn’t usually question people about such things, did you? You took it for granted that somebody was telling you the truth. Well, Ben had anyway. He’d gone over and over everything in his mind like the time that guy in the restaurant had recognised Aria and she’d run away. Who had he been? Another of Aria’s exes? Or maybe he’d just known the truth about her.

  But now wasn’t the time to dwell on Aria. He had to place her very much in his past because he had more important things to think about in the present and, with any luck, what happened tonight would also influence the future.

  Georgia had said he could borrow her car seeing as it was such a special occasion, but she’d made him promise to wash it for her in return. He’d happily agreed and now, driving to Torrington, he couldn’t help imagining Bryony sitting in the car beside him. What would they have talked about, he wondered? And would they get much of a chance to talk at the dance? He hoped the music wasn’t too loud.

  At that thought, he laughed out loud. He sounded old before his time, hoping the music wouldn’t be so loud that they couldn’t have polite conversation, but he so desperately wanted to talk to Bryony. Their messages to one another had been so open, so easy, it truly felt as if they were becoming close again and finding their way back to the people they’d once been; the young couple who had been madly in love and who’d wanted to spend their lives together.

  Parking in the field, Ben made his way to the dance, marvelling at the ancient building and the simple but charming decorations that had been put up. The music was already playing and couples were swinging one another across the floor. Ben watched, captivated for a moment by it all, but there was only one person he was interested in finding that evening.

  As the music
stopped and everybody clapped, he saw her. There was his Bryony, beautiful in a blue dress smothered in red roses, her hair pinned up with pretty clips and flowers. He didn’t think he’d ever seen her looking lovelier than at that moment. She was standing opposite a fair-haired man. Wasn’t that the baker from Castle Clare? Well, Ben guessed he’d probably made a pretty good dance partner whilst Bryony was waiting for him, but it was time for him to step aside now.

  Ben’s mouth suddenly felt very dry and the palm of his hands very hot. This was ridiculous, he thought. He was actually nervous. He wanted to get this right. The baker guy had moved away and Bryony was now standing by herself. It was perfect timing, he thought, as he crossed the floor towards her.

  Bryony saw Ben immediately. She’d done nothing but think about this moment ever since the idea had popped into her head. The more she’d thought about it, the more the hurts from the past had surfaced. Just the night before, she’d dreamed of that last time she’d seen Ben before he’d left Castle Clare. He’d been wearing sunglasses when he’d come into the shop and he hadn’t taken them off. She’d thought it was so he could avoid eye contact with her, which had been horribly cowardly. When she’d woken up, her face had been wet with tears and the mood of that day all those years before had clouded her present one.

  Now, she tried to keep those memories fresh before her, remembering how much this man had hurt her. There was no point in feeling guilty about what she was going to do to him. He deserved this, didn’t he?

  ‘Hey,’ Ben said to her, a big smile on his face as he reached her. He still had that awful travelling beard, she thought.

  ‘Hello,’ she said.

  ‘You look beautiful,’ he told her and she could feel her face flushing at his attention. ‘But you always do.’

  ‘Ben, I –’

  ‘I can’t believe I’m here – we’re here. This was such a good idea of yours.’ He took a step closer to her and reached a hand out to take hers. The touch of his skin on hers almost undid her. She’d forgotten how big and strong his hands were and how neatly her own small hands fit inside them.

  ‘So,’ he began. He looked nervous. ‘When do we dance?’

  She swallowed hard. She had to do this. Right now.

  ‘Dance?’ she said, feigning surprise.

  ‘Yeah, we came here to dance, didn’t we? That’s why you invited me here, isn’t it?’

  ‘Well, yes, I’m planning on dancing, but I’m here with Colin,’ she nodded towards the table at the far end of the barn.

  Ben looked confused. ‘What do you mean?’ He turned to face the table. ‘The baker? Colin the baker?’

  ‘Yes. He’s my date, Ben. We’ve been seeing each other for months now.’

  ‘But you invited me here tonight. Didn’t you? Or have I got something wrong?’ He seemed to be struggling now, as if mentally sifting through their messages to each other.

  ‘No, you haven’t got anything wrong,’ she told him.

  ‘I haven’t got anything wrong,’ he repeated her words slowly and then nodded. ‘Oh!’ His face darkened and he dropped her hand. ‘I see. I see what this is now.’

  Bryony watched, transfixed as he kept nodding. She couldn’t move and she certainly couldn’t stop what was happening. This was all her doing. This was exactly what she’d been planning. She’d wanted to hurt Ben. She’d wanted to see him crushed but, now that the moment had arrived, she realised that it wasn’t what she wanted at all. The look on his face was one of agony and she felt something inside her cracking at the pain she recognised in his eyes.

  It was at that moment that Colin came back, a glass of wine in each hand.

  ‘Here,’ he said, handing one to Bryony and then turning to Ben.

  ‘Hello,’ Colin said. ‘Are you a friend of Bryony’s?’

  ‘You might say that,’ Ben said.

  ‘Colin, this is Ben,’ Bryony said. ‘We used to… date.’

  ‘Oh, used to,’ Ben said. ‘That’s funny, see, because I thought that’s what this was tonight – a date.’

  ‘I explained,’ Bryony said, desperately trying to keep calm, ‘I’m here with Colin.’

  Ben stared at Colin then. ‘He’s the father of your son, I suppose?’ he said.

  Bryony frowned. ‘What?’

  ‘Your son.’

  ‘Ben, I don’t have a son.’

  ‘But that boy in the shop –’

  ‘That was Flo’s great-nephew, Sonny. He’s not mine. Ben…’

  Ben took a moment to absorb this and then he gave a strange, half-strangled laugh. ‘Wow. I see. You just let me believe he was your son. You didn’t go out of your way to set me straight.’

  ‘No – I never told you he was mine. Ben – you don’t understand.’

  But it was too late to explain. Maybe, for just a while, she hadn’t gone out of her way to deny Sonny was hers but, the truth was, she’d forgotten all about Ben in the shop that day with Sonny.

  ‘Forget it,’ he said. ‘Let’s forget everything, shall we? We seem to do nothing but cause each other pain.’

  Bryony watched, distraught, as Ben left the barn and then she turned to face Colin. He was just standing there watching her and she knew what he must have seen in her face – her love for Ben.

  Chapter Eighteen

  There was one person in the bakery when Bryony went in on Monday morning and she waited her turn before approaching the counter. They hadn’t talked after Ben had left the barn dance. Colin had simply offered to take Bryony home and she’d accepted. The short journey had been in stony silence and she’d managed to hold her tears back until she had closed her front door. But she knew she had to talk to Colin and now it was Monday – the start of a new week – and she was desperate to make her apology to him. It was, she realised, long overdue.

  Colin looked up, the smile that had been in place for the previous customer vanishing.

  Bryony twisted her fingers into knots, waiting until the customer left the shop before she began.

  ‘I don’t know what to say,’ she told him, her voice sounding small.

  Colin stayed put, seeming to prefer to have the counter between him and her.

  ‘Colin? I won’t blame you if you never want to speak to me again. I should never have treated you like that.’

  ‘You used me, didn’t you?’

  She swallowed hard and then nodded.

  ‘How long for?’

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘I mean, was it from the very beginning?’

  She looked into his kind face and saw the pain there.

  ‘Yes,’ she said. ‘But I liked you, I really did. I even tried to fall in love with you, but I was a mess. You knew that. You knew I was struggling with…’

  ‘Ben,’ he finished for her. ‘You’ve never got over him, have you?’

  ‘Yes I have,’ she said defiantly.

  Colin shook his head. ‘You’re incredible, Bryony. You’re standing here in my shop, after everything you’ve done to me, and after what you’ve done to Ben, and you’re still denying you’re in love with him?’

  She opened her mouth to protest but the truth was that she didn’t know what to say.

  ‘It’s my own fault really,’ Colin suddenly said. ‘I kind of knew you could never be mine. There was always Ben in the background. Even though I knew he was thousands of miles away, I knew you still carried him in your heart.’

  Bryony could feel tears threatening to spill and quickly blinked them away.

  ‘I’m so sorry, Colin,’ she said. ‘I really am.’

  ‘Yeah, me too.’

  ‘You’re special. You deserve to find somebody wonderful and I’m not her.’

  ‘I kind of realise that now.’

  She nodded. She deserved that. She actually deserved a custard pie in the face, but Colin was much too much of a gentleman to do something like that.

  ‘You’ve every right to hate me,’ she said and turned to leave the shop.

  ‘Bryony!’ he ca
lled after her and she stopped and turned around. His face was full of panic and she watched, bemused, as he fiddled with something on the counter and then walked towards her. ‘I could never hate you.’

  She took the little paper bag he handed to her and looked inside. It was a perfect little tart filled with seedless raspberry jam.

  There was a light knocking on Ben’s bedroom door. Well, it had started as being light, but it was now becoming heavier.

  ‘Ben?’ It was Georgia. Of course it was Georgia. ‘Are you awake?’

  Before he could say anything, the door was open and his sister was inside his room, drawing back the curtains.

  ‘Oh, for pity’s sake!’ he cried, burying his face in the pillow.

  ‘Come on, big bro – it’s time you were up. Aren’t you teaching today?

  ‘I’m not going in.’

  ‘No?’

  ‘No. Now leave me alone.’

  Unbidden, she sat herself down on his bed. ‘You’ve got to stop this.’

  ‘Stop what.’

  ‘This moping. You’ve got to move on. She doesn’t want you in her life. You can’t blame her really.’

  ‘Oh, brilliant! My own sister isn’t even on my side.’

  ‘I’m just trying to be objective here. I think you really did break her heart when you left.’

  ‘But you know it was the only thing I could do.’

  ‘Yes, I know that, but she didn’t, did she? You never told her and she’s been carrying the weight of that around all these years.’

  ‘Yeah, well I know that now, okay? You don’t need to keep reminding me.’

  ‘I thought that might help you.’

  ‘How do you work that out?’ Ben asked.

  ‘Because you’re now equal; you’ve both broken each other’s hearts. I guess there’s some kind of resolution in that, isn’t?’

  ‘You’re weird.’

  ‘I’m just trying to help.’

  ‘If that’s true then you’ll get out of here and leave me in peace.’