‘Dylan… No!’
But he opened the door and Rowena looked him up and down with a sly smile.
‘What do you want?’ Dylan asked.
‘Aren’t you going to let me in?’ Rowena sidled past him. ‘Well, well…’ She looked theatrically between Dylan and Millie. ‘I had heard rumours but I had no idea how voracious your appetite was. Two of us in the space of two days… I thought Millie was a little pickier than that but… I don’t mind sharing if she doesn’t.’
‘You know that wasn’t his doing!’ Millie cried. ‘He would never have gone with you in a million years in his right mind!’
‘And how do you know he wasn’t in his right mind? He let me in, didn’t he? There was no wine involved at that point, and a couple of drinks isn’t really enough to make anyone do something they don’t want to…’
‘Bollocks!’ Dylan spat. ‘There’s an empty wine bottle in my house and I intend to find out what else was in it. I don’t believe for a minute that it was just alcohol; more like some kind of sedative or acid and when the police help me find out what it is, I’m going to have you prosecuted.’
‘For what? Giving you a good time?’
‘For GBH. Forcing me to do something against my will… Take your pick, I’m sure the police can come up with plenty more names for it.’
‘It didn’t seem as though it was against your will to me. As I recall you were rather… what’s the word I want? … Energetic.’
Millie glanced at Dylan, and in that instant she could see into his soul as clearly as if he had laid it open for her. Rowena wanted to wear him down until he became, once again, the hollow man she had met when she first arrived at Honeybourne. He had come so far since then that Millie couldn’t let that happen. She had saved one life already; it was time to save another.
‘I don’t care!’ she shouted.
Rowena stared at her, momentarily thrown off guard.
‘I don’t care,’ Millie repeated. ‘I don’t care how many women he slept with because they were before me. I only care about what happens from this moment on.’
Rowena folded her arms, her cockiness back. ‘And what makes you think he can be faithful from now on? A leopard doesn’t change its spots.’
‘Maybe this leopard could have a say in that?’ Dylan cut in. ‘I am actually in the room.’
‘Oh, I know that, big boy…’ Rowena grinned. ‘My, you’re feisty today, aren’t you?’
‘Stop it!’ Dylan advanced on her, his jaw set and his expression stony. ‘This is your last chance to get out and stay out.’
‘I could… but I don’t know what good it would do. Can’t you see I’m trying to save your life? You know what she did to my brother?’
‘Your brother did that to himself. She couldn’t force him to kill himself any more than you could ever make me come near you again.’
‘She broke his heart and she tore out his soul!’ Rowena screeched.
‘No, she didn’t!’ Dylan yelled back. ‘I really don’t give a shit if you think differently because I know her. You’re leaving now and you’re not coming back. And if you’re thinking of trying to poison any other villagers – minds, bodies, or otherwise – you can forget it because nobody is interested.’
Rowena scowled at him, and then at Millie. ‘We’ll see about that,’ she hissed. And then she was gone.
Millie stared at Dylan miserably. ‘I told you she wouldn’t give in.’
‘There are ways of making her. Do you have a contact address for her?’
‘Not where she’s staying at the moment, only her home address back in Millrise. Why?’
‘Because I’m going to call in one or two favours that should put the wind up her. Don’t worry,’ he added quickly, ‘I’m not going to get her beaten up or anything, just put some plans in place that should spook her into leaving us alone.’
Millie was quiet for a moment as she stared into space. ‘Do you really think that she could have spiked your wine?’
He nodded. ‘Hallucinogens could have fooled me into thinking I’d done what she says I did that night. Bits and pieces are starting to fall into place the more I think about it, and what I thought happened, what I thought I did… it doesn’t make sense anymore.’
‘You don’t have to say that to make me feel better, you know,’ Millie replied with a pained expression. ‘I understand and I’ve already forgiven you.’
‘But what if there was nothing to forgive? Wouldn’t that be so much better? If I can figure out what was in that bottle, then I might have the answer.’
‘But what if the answer is not what we hoped for?’
‘Then…’ He paused, running a hand through his hair. ‘Then I suppose we’ll have to hope we’re strong enough to deal with it.’
Millie nodded. ‘Alright. So what’s the plan?’
He gave her a lopsided grin. ‘Well, that all depends on Spencer really. But I think he’ll be more than happy to help.’
‘You know you can ask me anything at all.’ Spencer handed Millie a glass of cola. He looked exhausted, the gash in his forehead now an angry red line tacked together with thin strips of tape, the bruises around his face ripening nicely. But he had given Millie and Dylan a warm smile as he opened the front door and had not stopped smiling since. Millie couldn’t help but feel that it might be the smile of a heartbroken clown, but despite this, he was obviously glad to be back home and pleased to see them.
‘Your mate who was on the chemistry course when you were at uni…’
‘Darren? Who shared digs with me?’
‘Him, yeah. Does he have access to a lab?’
‘I should think so. He’s a leading drug researcher for a big German company. Why?’
‘I need something analysing; do you think he can do that?’
‘As long as you don’t want him cooking up crystal meth, I can ask.’
‘Not today, no!’ Dylan laughed before producing the wine bottle Rowena had given him. Spencer leaned forwards and peered at it.
‘That’s weird,’ he said. ‘Is that the legendary bottle? I forgot to mention, in all the excitement, that I had a bottle just like that left on my doorstep a few nights ago. It was probably around the same time this was left with you.’
Millie exchanged a look of alarm with Dylan.
‘You didn’t drink it, did you?’
Spencer shook his head. ‘I’m not that stupid. Why would I drink a bottle of wine that just appears on my step?’
‘I was that stupid,’ Dylan said.
Spencer gave him a sympathetic smile. ‘Put it down to experience, mate. What do you think was in it?’
‘I don’t know. Acid maybe?’
Spencer took the bottle from him. ‘I’ll ask. And I’ll give him the other bottle while I’m at it so he can check that for anything weird too. What do we do if we find something illegal? Do we report her to the police?’
Dylan glanced at Millie. ‘Not unless we have to. Life has been difficult enough for Millie without new complications. But I’ve got a mate who’s drawing up a fake injunction and with a bit of luck, that’s all we’ll need to get her off our backs for good.’
‘Wow… cool. So what do you need the wine analysis for?’
Dylan grabbed Millie’s free hand and gave it a squeeze. ‘For peace of mind,’ he said. ‘So we can finally leave all our ghosts in the past where they belong.’
The shadows on the bedroom walls told Jasmine that it was late morning. It was unusual for the kids to sleep in this late, but the silence of the house meant that they must be. She frowned, and turned over to see that the other half of the bed was empty. A note lay on the pillow.
I’ve taken the kids out on a bear hunt over the fields. We’ll be back for lunch. Wear something nice when you get dressed, because I’m taking you out and you’d better not argue that we’re skint.
Rich x
Jasmine smiled as she nuzzled into the pillow again. Rich had been trying so hard since the night at the r
ope swing. He had taken more responsibility for the kids, he had taken more interest in her business and he had been friendly and gracious towards Millie. She wanted to give him the recognition he deserved for all that, but she couldn’t help but wonder if any of it was real. How long would it take for him to forget that he was supposed to be a better dad, husband and neighbour and fall back into his old ways? He had told her, over and over, that he loved her and didn’t want to lose her, but how could she really believe that, how could she feel safe and secure in her marriage after all he had said and done only a few short days before?
Spencer had been in her thoughts daily too, and often in a context that just wasn’t right. Increasingly, she had found herself dwelling on what he’d said that night – words of passion that had become inked onto her memory. They were worming their way into her heart, taking root, making her doubt her feelings for Rich and wonder about what could have been. When Spencer had declared his feelings for her all those years before, she had laughed it off, convinced that it was a silly crush on the part of her brother’s nerdy friend. But if he had harboured that love for her all this time… what did that mean? Jasmine believed in destiny, and right now, all the signs seemed to be telling her that maybe her destiny lay with Spencer and not Rich. But she loved Rich, didn’t she? Rich was the father of her children; she had always believed him to be her soulmate, someone who had been through her lows and highs with her, a constant in her life. How could this be right? She had tried to shake off thoughts of Spencer, but they just wouldn’t budge. With a deep sigh, she flipped herself out of bed. There was something she needed to do.
Jasmine glanced up and down the quiet row of cottages as she waited for Spencer to answer the door. She wasn’t doing anything wrong… at least, she didn’t think she was… but somehow the feeling of guilt stuck in her throat.
When at last he opened it with a tired smile, she couldn’t get inside quick enough.
‘How are you?’ she asked as he led her into the conservatory where he had a makeshift daybed set up, exercise books and pens strewn over the duvet.
‘I’ve been marking. I may be on sick leave but this stuff won’t red-pen itself,’ he smiled.
‘That’s good,’ Jasmine said vaguely. ‘At least you feel well enough to do that.’
‘I’m fine, honestly. I’m taking advantage of the fact that I can pretend to be an invalid for a while and have a legitimate excuse to lounge around in my pyjamas all day.’
‘At least the weather’s cooled down a little now.’
Spencer raised his eyebrows slightly as he shoved a pile of books off a seat and gestured for her to sit. ‘Yes. Although something tells me that you haven’t called round to discuss the weather.’
‘That obvious, eh?’
He nodded. ‘You’re not usually that dull.’
Jasmine perched on the edge of the seat as he made himself comfy on the duvet. ‘We need to talk about the other night. About the night of your accident when…’
Spencer gave her a wry smile. ‘When I made a dick of myself?’
‘No. When you said things that I didn’t know. I mean, I knew, I suppose, a little, but the strength of your—’
‘Love?’ he cut in. ‘You might as well say it, because it doesn’t hurt so much now.’
‘It doesn’t?’
‘I saw you and Rich together and something clicked, I suppose. I knew that you were devoted, of course, but the fear in your eyes when you thought you’d lost him… I can’t imagine any other man making you feel like that.’
‘I was scared for you too.’
‘It wasn’t the same, you know it wasn’t.’
‘That’s just it…’ Jasmine took a deep breath. ‘I don’t know what I feel anymore. I’m so confused.’
‘Don’t…’ Spencer grimaced. ‘Please don’t do this to me.’
Jasmine gave a jerky nod. ‘I know. I’m sorry. And I wouldn’t have come today if I wasn’t serious about this.’
‘Don’t you see you’re making this worse? You have to stop it. It doesn’t matter now and you have to get it out of your head.’ He paused. ‘I might as well tell you that I’m leaving Honeybourne.’
‘What!’
‘I’ve filled in an application to take part in an exchange programme. A teacher from Colorado will come over here and I’ll teach in their school for a year.’
‘But why? Why this suddenly?’
He frowned. ‘You really have to ask?’
‘You can’t leave because of that. You belong in Honeybourne; it’s your home.’
‘Yes, and it always will be. But I need to be away from it right now, clear my head and mend my heart. I left before but I don’t think I went far enough. This time, thousands of miles away, I’ll have no choice but to throw myself into a new life. It’ll be good for me.’
‘You really think so?’
He nodded.
‘The kids will miss you terribly.’
‘I’ll miss them. But we have Skype. I’ll check in for regular updates.’
Jasmine was silent as she gazed out of the window.
‘It’s for the best,’ Spencer said gently.
‘I know. But I will miss you.’
‘I’ll miss you too.’
They lapsed into a brief silence again.
‘How about a sandwich?’ Spencer said with forced brightness. ‘It’s nearly lunchtime and I’m a bit peckish.’
Jasmine glanced at her watch. She had an hour to kill before Rich got back but somehow, there didn’t seem anything left to say. ‘I should get back. Rich has taken the kids out but they’ll be in and wanting their lunch soon.’
‘Of course.’
Jasmine stood up. ‘Don’t worry about seeing me out.’ Then, at the doorway, she turned back. ‘There’s no way you’ll change your mind about this?’
‘No. Just be happy for me about it.’
‘I’ll try, I promise.’
As Millie opened the front door, Dylan waved a piece of paper at her like an over-excited schoolboy with a good report. ‘It came!’
‘Your gas bill?’ Millie asked with a wry smile as she moved aside to let him in.
Dylan closed the door behind him and grabbed her, pulling her into a passionate kiss.
‘Wow!’ Millie said as he let go. ‘You should get your gas bill more often.’ She looked a little dazed as Dylan laughed and kissed her again for good measure. ‘So, what is this mystical letter with aphrodisiac properties?’
‘The lab result!’ Dylan said, waving it again with a flourish.
‘And?’
Two weeks had passed since the fateful night of the storm when the full extent of Rowena’s plotting had become apparent. Dylan had persuaded his friend to draft the fake injunction and, not knowing where Rowena was, they had sent it to a mutual friend, one who Millie knew would not be able to resist opening it and phoning Rowena immediately to warn her. Whatever she had thought about the validity of the injunction, Rowena had not shown her face in Honeybourne since. And, true to his word, Dylan had made sure that if she did come back the villagers would side with Millie before they listened to a stranger. That had been the most satisfying outcome of all for Millie – that she was no longer an outsider in Honeybourne, but now, most definitely, accepted as one of them.
But the incident that she and Dylan carefully avoided mentioning when they were together, for fear that it would somehow sully their moments of intimacy, still hung over them. The answer he gave now would change all that. She already knew what it was; she just needed to hear it to make it real.
‘I was right. Some magic mushroom derivative. There’s no way I could even have got the old fella up in that state, let alone do what she said I did…’
‘So you didn’t have sex at all?’
Dylan gave a sheepish grin. ‘I’ve picked enough mushrooms in the fields around here as a teenager and I’ve been slipped enough acid in clubs to know that me and LSD don’t work well together when it comes to getting the
old private to stand to attention.’
‘But she could have made you believe that you did?’ Millie asked doubtfully.
‘No question about it. That’s the funny thing about acid – you can be convinced of pretty much anything with very little suggestion, even though the evidence is right there in front of you. Once, I was in a graveyard with some mates. There was a hedgehog on the path and they all told me it was a skull from one of the graves. I could see it was a hedgehog but that didn’t matter, I started freaking out about the skull. The same here. All Rowena had to do was jiggle about on top of me and make the appropriate noises…’ Millie’s shudder stopped him in his tracks. ‘Hey… are you alright?’ He folded her in his arms. ‘Don’t cry.’
‘It’s just… How can you be ok with all this? She messed with your brain and you’re talking about it as if it’s nothing. And it’s all my fault; I brought her here because of what I did.’
‘We’ve talked about this,’ he replied softly. ‘Whatever you did, Michael’s death wasn’t your fault. If you’re ever going to move on… if we’re ever going to move forward together, you need to accept that. Michael took his own life and nobody, in the end, could have made that decision but Michael.’ He pulled away and held her in a steady gaze. ‘Deep down, you must know that?’
Millie sniffed and nodded. ‘I suppose a bit of me does. I spent so long beating myself up over it, with Rowena reinforcing my guilt, that it’s almost impossible to shake it now.’
‘But you must. Because I’m so happy about this result that, aside from the obvious, it must mean something very important.’
‘What’s that?’
‘It must mean that I love you, Millicent Hopkin.’
20
A crowd of familiar and some not so familiar faces was gathered outside the Old Bakery. After much discussion of names, in the end, the Old Bakery was how she had always thought of her home, and it seemed like as good a name as any to christen it. Not so old anymore, though, Millie reflected as she gazed up at its beautifully restored façade. Things had been tough since she had arrived here last summer with big dreams and a rather smaller bank balance, and there’d been times when she thought she would never see this day. Now, with the generous spring sun warming her back, she felt her heart would burst with pride. She had built this, along with Dylan, a testament to the love that grew stronger with every passing day. She had always had a good feeling about the bakery and about Honeybourne, right from the moment she had seen it for sale online, she just hadn’t realised that she was destined to get more than a business out of it.
The Little Village Bakery: A feel good romantic comedy with plenty of cake (Honeybourne Book 1) Page 23
