He laughed. ‘That’s easy then.’
Cesca’s attention was drawn to the pub entrance as she folded her menu up and placed it back into the holder on the table. She watched as a man came in, greeted by some of the patrons lined up against the bar. Frowning, she tried to place him, but it clicked as the landlord said his name.
‘Alright there, Shay. What’re you having?’
Harper Woods’s fiancé. Far from the genial man she’d met at her first visit to Silver Hill Farm, however, this Shay looked drawn and troubled, his features contracted into a frown that looked as if it had been sewn in place.
‘Alright, Dave.’ He nodded curtly, his words friendly enough but not a trace of good humour in them. ‘I’ll have the usual.’
As the landlord pulled the drink, Shay turned his back to him and leaned against the bar, surveying the pub. His gaze came to rest on Cesca and she gave a hesitant smile, uncertain if he remembered her and wondering whether he’d thought she was staring at him in a way that was just a bit invasive. Which, she had to admit, she probably was. She’d expected perhaps a nod of acknowledgement, or that he might not recognise her at all, in which case she’d simply look away and pretend the moment never happened. But to her dismay, he was now striding towards their table.
‘Miss Logan,’ he said, plunging his hands into his pockets as he stood looking down at her.
‘Hello,’ she said. ‘It’s Shay, isn’t it?’
He nodded. Kristofer was suddenly watching him with interest.
‘We’ve just come from the farm, actually,’ Cesca added, more for something to fill the strained silence than anything else.
‘Harper said you were planning to.’
‘It was an interesting visit.’
Shay looked at her keenly now. ‘Oh? You’ve got some news?’
‘Oh, sorry, not really,’ she said. ‘We were just trying to get some more clues. But it’s an interesting mystery… that’s what I meant.’
‘So Will Frampton is out of the picture?’
‘Whatever gave you that idea?’ Cesca asked.
‘It just seemed obvious to me that as the stuff was on our land we’d be entitled to the reward.’
‘It doesn’t work quite like that,’ Cesca said, her tone hardening. She liked Harper and Pip, but she wasn’t quite sure where she stood on Harper’s fiancé.
‘I’ve been reading about it,’ he said stubbornly.
‘On the internet?’ she asked.
He nodded.
‘You do know that anyone can put information out on the internet,’ she said, ‘and not all of it is true. Rest assured that when I know more about the situation, I’ll let Harper and Pip know.’
‘They need the money,’ he said.
‘Many people could benefit from the money,’ Cesca returned primly. ‘But the law doesn’t always rule for those who need, only for those who are lawfully entitled. If it did, there would be no poor people.’
‘I’m just saying.’ His expression darkened, and Cesca glanced at Kristofer uncertainly. As far as she could tell, it was only his presence that was stopping Shay being far more antagonistic than he was right now. What had prompted this change, she had no idea. The last and only time they’d met before, he’d been the epitome of charm and good humour. She could never have seen this completely different man lurking inside. She wondered if Harper ever saw this version.
‘Would you like to join us for a meal?’ Kristofer asked, and Cesca stared at him.
But Shay shook his head. ‘No… I’ve eaten already. Thanks.’
‘We’re very hungry,’ Kristofer added. ‘We’ll be eating soon.’
‘That’s… good,’ Shay said, looking slightly puzzled.
Cesca smiled inwardly. Kristofer, in his own wonderfully charming and inoffensive way, was actually telling Shay to piss off because they were trying to have a meal and his dampening of the mood was not welcome. And it seemed that Shay finally worked it out too, because he shot a glance back towards the bar, where his pint sat waiting for him, and then back at them again.
‘We’ll wait to hear from you soon then,’ he said.
‘I’ll be in touch the moment I know anything,’ Cesca replied. She forced a bright smile. ‘It was lovely to bump into you.’
He nodded in acknowledgement and then turned to go back to the bar. Kristofer raised his eyebrows at Cesca.
‘I think he’s rather keen on the reward,’ she said.
‘He’s a troubled man,’ Kristofer said, his gaze following the direction Shay had taken.
‘It’s not just me who thinks so, then? It’s funny, because he was completely different when I first met him at the farm – he seemed so lovely then.’
‘Because he thought you were going to make him rich, perhaps?’
‘I feel quite stupid for not seeing it before, really. I hate to admit it but I think you might be right.’
‘Perhaps he has a good reason for wanting money. He has problems that only money can fix?’
‘Perhaps. But Lord Frampton has problems too.’
‘I am looking forward to meeting him and investigating his family’s past,’ Kristofer said warmly.
‘I think you’ll like him,’ Cesca said. ‘He’s a dour sod, but at least you know that what you see is what you get. He wants the reward too, or even the treasure itself, and he’s straight up about it. He doesn’t pretend to be nice when he’s not; he’s just not all that nice at all.’
Kristofer grinned. ‘I like him already!’
* * *
Pip pushed away her plate.
‘You’ve hardly touched it,’ Harper said, looking at the remaining pile of salad, half a quiche smudged over it. Pip had made a good show of pretending to eat something, but Harper wasn’t going to be fooled that easily.
Sometimes, when the sunset was particularly glorious, or when downy snow fell in fat flakes around the farm, or when the sky was pricked by lightning and rocked by thunder that made it feel as if the earth would shake to bits, they’d eat dinner in the glass-walled room of their closed-up café and watch the show, both content and happy in the wonders of their rural home. In a year, the novelty had never worn off for Harper, no matter how many sunsets they watched, how much snow or how the lightning cracked and flashed. But today, as the sky turned from blue to rose, their attention was barely on the setting of the sun beyond the burnished gold of the hills. Even though they’d waved goodbye to Kristofer and his Scandinavian charms, and Cesca, the woman with their future practically in her hands, only a matter of hours before, their conversation that evening had been dominated by one subject. Or rather, one person – Esther.
‘What do you think she’s after?’ Pip said, ignoring Harper’s chastisement.
‘It sounds like she’s missed you.’
‘She’s got no right to miss me; she’s the one who decided to take a job halfway across the world, knowing that it would end us.’
‘People are allowed to realise they’ve made a mistake. So, she’s in London for how long?’
‘She didn’t say. I don’t think even she knows.’
‘But you were the first person she phoned after she landed.’ Harper gave an encouraging smile. ‘That’s got to be a good sign, hasn’t it?’
‘I don’t know if I’m the first person she called. And it would have been nice to have that phone call before she took off, even when she’d made the decision to book the flight, not have this bombshell dropped on me after she’d already decided to come back to England.’
‘Would it have made any difference if you’d known before?’
‘I don’t know. I’d have had time to process it.’
‘But you’re going to see her.’
‘Just because she’s asked me to? Is that how it works? Would you drop everything if Ricky called you and said he was sorry and wanted to see you?’
‘It’s not the same and you know it,’ Harper said. ‘He was a bastard and I’ve moved on.’ Her mind flitted back to Sh
ay. She’d moved on, but right now she had no idea whether she was better off. ‘You and Esther… well, you were amazing together. She made you happier than I’ve ever seen you. That’s got to be worth something.’
‘She also made me unhappier than I ever thought possible when she left. I don’t know if I can survive that pain again.’
‘I’m sure she wouldn’t put you through it again.’
‘She wouldn’t mean to, but that doesn’t mean she wouldn’t. She didn’t mean to last time, but she has incurable wanderlust and that won’t change, whoever she’s with. She can’t keep still – you know that as well as I do. She’s home from New Zealand, but where next? It won’t be long before her feet are itching again and I’m left in the dust.’ Pip shook her head. ‘I couldn’t do it, Harper. I couldn’t go through it again.’
‘You know how important you are to me here,’ Harper began slowly. ‘And I can’t pretend that it wouldn’t make things awkward to lose you, even for a few days. But I know how much you miss her. I think you should go and hear her out.’
‘There’s no point.’
‘You don’t know that. You don’t know how you’ll feel until you see her.’
‘I do, and that’s just the problem. I’ll see her and I’ll crumble, and all that time I spent trying to get over her, to get strong again, will be wasted.’
‘You make that sound like a bad thing. She was good for you.’
‘Was she?’
‘I think so. Everyone thought so. But she wanted to further her career, and there’s nothing wrong in that. You could have gone with her.’
‘I couldn’t. I wasn’t going to wait tables or clean toilets while she went to glamorous parties and I didn’t have anything else to offer. We’re equal or we’re not at all.’
‘You were always equal in her eyes. That uncertainty was with you.’
Pip forced a tight smile. ‘I don’t deserve you,’ she said. ‘Why couldn’t you be gay? All my problems would be over if you were.’
‘You’re assuming I’d fancy you,’ Harper said with mock offence. ‘That’s just rude.’
‘But you always see things clearly, and you always know just the right thing to say.’
‘I think we can agree that’s not true, seeing as I ran away from Weymouth to escape a screwed-up relationship.’
‘He was a bastard and if you hadn’t left I’d have kidnapped you and taken you away. But it was a good decision in the end anyway. You like it here.’
Harper glanced around the tearoom, the sky darkening beyond the panes of glass, chairs stacked on gleaming tables, the slate floor newly mopped and ready for another day.
‘I love it here,’ she said. ‘It feels like home.’ She shook herself. ‘But we’re not talking about me; we’re talking about you.’
‘You’d never manage without me.’
‘I could ask Shay to help me out. His work’s a bit thin on the ground at the moment.’
‘He won’t like grafting in here. He’d find it impossible to be nice to customers for a start.’
‘He’d have to. I could talk him round. Besides, it’s going to be his home soon too and the tearoom is, after all, what keeps the roof over our heads. I’d streamline the menu, just serve what could be made before we open and he could see to the animals. It would only be temporary until you came back. And if I ask around in the village, there might be someone who could do with a bit of casual work and he wouldn’t have to worry then. Either way we’d manage.’
‘Is this your way of telling me that you think I should go?’
‘You already know what I think.’
Pip reached across and pulled Harper into a hug. ‘I bloody love you.’
‘I know. I also know you still love Esther, so go and get her back, you soppy cow.’
Chapter 17
‘It’s lucky you’ve caught me on a quiet week,’ Shay said as he and Harper walked the sheds behind the animal pens.
‘As it’s in between school holidays, I’m hoping I’ll have a quiet week too and I might not need you so much.’
‘Are you saying I can’t do the job?’ he asked with a sideways look.
‘I’m saying you have your own business to look after,’ she replied, laughing. ‘But I appreciate your pitching in for a few days here. I should manage if you can see to the animals for me and perhaps just do a bit of fetching and carrying from time to time.’
‘You don’t want my tea-making services then?’
‘I’ve tasted your tea, so no.’
‘Rude.’ Shay grinned, and despite her misgivings, Harper couldn’t help but give him one in return. ‘There is one advantage of us having the place to ourselves for the next few days…’ He moved closer and planted a passionate kiss on her lips. ‘That’s if you’re not too tired at the end of the day.’
‘If you help out, I’m sure I can manage to stay awake for an hour or so after bedtime.’ Harper smiled up at him. He kissed her again, and she felt him stiffen against her. ‘Not now, naughty boy,’ she said, her voice a teasing lilt that had him groaning with frustration.
‘In that case, I’ll be a whirlwind of activity today so you’ll be nice and relaxed later.’
‘Is that all you think about?’
‘When I’m around you, yes.’
Harper reached up to kiss him lightly, and then tapped her palm against his cheek. ‘Come on then, Casanova, we’d better get on with this briefing or we’ll never get Pip away for her trip.’
‘She might not stay away that long,’ he said as Harper opened a steel box to show him where the pellets of chicken feed were kept. ‘How do you think it will play out?’
‘I don’t know. I’m not even sure it’s the right thing for her to do, actually. I mean, I know I told her to go and see Esther, and I want it to work out but… I don’t know if they can ever get back to how they were before. The way I see it, though, Pip will always regret not giving it a shot. That’s why I told her to go. I hope, in the nicest possible way, that she’s gone for ages, because that will mean things are working out for them.’
‘In the end, it would be the best eventuality for everyone.’
Harper turned to him, wiping a hand down her overalls. ‘Meaning?’
‘Well, you’ve been stressing about where she’s going to live once we’re married. You’ve said it before, you can’t kick her out—’
‘I would never kick her out.’
‘I know; that’s what I meant. But we need privacy as man and wife.’
‘Husband and wife,’ Harper corrected.
‘Yeah, sure. But if she gets back together with her girlfriend then I guess she’ll want to live near her.’
Harper was silent for a moment. ‘Stay in London you mean?’ She opened the shed door for him and they emerged out into the farmyard, the morning’s drizzle kissing their faces.
‘Is that where Esther is planning to stay?’
‘I don’t know. It’s where she is now and she’s looking for work there.’
‘Would you be OK with that?’
‘I suppose I’d have to be. It’d be weird not having her here. I’d have to take on someone else too. A trainee might be pricey for a while and I might even need two people to do the work she does.’
‘All the more reason to keep an eye on that claim,’ he said, rubbing the nose of Terence the goat, who’d come to sniff at him.
‘I’m not pinning my hopes on something that might not happen.’
‘Frampton doesn’t have a leg to stand on and he knows it. That’s why he came to see you, hoping to appeal to your better nature. But it’s as good as ours.’
‘Cesca seems to be pretty thorough about these things. She’s investigating every possibility that the stuff might belong to Will after all.’
‘So you have good reason to feel confident, then. If she says we’re entitled you don’t need to feel guilty about that because she’ll have done her homework.’ He paused. ‘No ideas about sharing it or anything,’ he added
.
‘We should get back inside,’ Harper said, feeling the need to change the subject. Every time Shay mentioned the gold she felt an urge to talk about something else. It was getting to the point where it was all they talked about, and for her, life held far more pressing issues – like the future happiness of her best friend.
As they closed the gates of the farmyard behind them and walked around to the driveway of the house itself, Pip was loading her suitcase into the back of her car.
‘Nearly ready?’ Shay asked cheerfully.
‘Nearly,’ Pip replied. She looked pale and tired. Harper had heard her get up and move around downstairs in the kitchen at least three times the previous night, and that was just the times she’d made enough noise to wake her. She guessed that the true extent of Pip’s restlessness might have been much worse.
‘Are you sure you’re going to be OK driving?’ Harper asked.
‘Yes, yes… stop worrying,’ Pip said. ‘If I feel tired, I’ll stop off somewhere – promise.’
‘You’d better,’ Harper said. ‘And you need to phone me when you get there.’
‘Maybe not straight away,’ Pip said with a small smile.
‘When you get a minute,’ Harper said, returning it. ‘I know your mind will be elsewhere but I just want to know you’re OK.’
‘I know. Thanks.’ Pip reached to hug her. Harper held on tight, tears stinging her eyes. But she couldn’t let Pip see them, and she sniffed them back as hard as she could, trying desperately to think of anything other than the chasm that was about to open up between them. They’d been best friends for at least ten years (though she’d lost count), had weathered everything life had thrown at them together: when Pip had come out, when Esther had left, when Harper’s parents had died within six months of each other, when she’d needed all her courage to leave a psychologically abusive relationship, when they’d both decided to take a chance and start new lives on a farm out in the country. It was going to be strange and lonely without her. Pip said she’d be back, but there was a small voice in Harper’s head that warned her she might not. She might be back to collect belongings, to help arrange a replacement for her to work at the farm, but back as they once were? Things had already been changing faster than they could keep up with – Harper’s marriage to Shay would cement that. Harper couldn’t deny that perhaps it was time to let Pip go whatever happened with Esther. She just didn’t know that she was ready yet.
The Summer of Secrets: A feel-good romance novel perfect for holiday reading Page 14
