by Pamela Pope
She couldn't sit still any longer in the silent room. The walls were closing in on her and shadows moved across the carpet eerily as the sun got lower. Feeling the need for air to clear her head, she decided to go down to the stables for a while. A sure way to rid herself of Joss's influence would be to make a real start on her notes about Piers, and she felt immediately cheered by the prospect.
The rain had left enormous puddles across the path and she jumped over them, her hair bouncing in a youthful ponytail behind her as it had done when she was a little girl, and as always she began to feel her troubles were being left behind in the house. Wet bushes trailed against the sleeves of her blue sweat shirt and the white pants she had changed into quickly became mud-spattered, but she sang to herself, letting the tranquillity of the June evening dispel her problems until tomorrow.
Had she known more trouble awaited her in the stables, she might not have been so light-hearted.
The door was ajar. Meredith paused, lifting her head suspiciously, because she never came away without locking it, and as far as she knew she had the only key. She opened it another inch, cautiously so that the hinges didn't creak, and listened. For a moment she heard nothing; then a bird flew up into the rafters, making her nerves tighten, and she looked up to try and see what had frightened it. The ladder up to the hay loft was in place and there was no other movement, so she crept stealthily inside, her heart beating like a steam hammer. If it was a vagrant sleeping rough she would have to inform the police.
Wet weather had made the old timbers smell strongly of wood rot and resin, and as she took a deep breath it filled her nostrils. But there was another smell she couldn't identify, convincing her that someone was there, and she had the choice of either going back to the house to phone the police, or to challenge the intruder and find out who it was first. Surely in Edencombe there couldn't be any great danger. She went to the foot of the ladder and called, her foot on the first rung ready to tip it away and cut off the only means of retreat if necessary.
'I know there's someone there. You're trespassing. Will you please leave before I have to get the police?'
Not a sound. Then just as she was about to climb up and investigate there was a scuffle behind her, and two small figures darted so swiftly to the door she scarcely had time to look round. But she recognised them. Oh, yes, she had seen them do a disappearing act before after making mischief.
She ran to the door and hauled it open wide. 'Gary! Shaun! Come back here this minute!' she shouted.
It would have been amazing if they had taken any notice of her. They merged into the twilight shadows with hardly any noise, and the only thing she caught sight of was Gary's fair bullet head before they hid themselves completely. Guessing they would wait until she had gone back inside the stables, she stayed by the door for several seconds, conscious of their wary eyes on her somewhere out there, like foxes peering out of a lair. And she smiled to herself. So the mighty Joss Hamblyn was not infallible after all. His charges had escaped into the night rather than go to bed, fooling him the moment his back was turned.
She knew she would have to go after them. Two small London boys shouldn't be out alone after dark, wandering the countryside. Apart from perhaps coming to harm themselves, she had the distinct feeling they wouldn't have too much respect for other local property. She could already see that the stable lock had been picked.
She waited about a minute before making a show of going back, drawing the door to as she went, but she only stood to one side and could still see the place where they had hidden. She wished she had worn something dark and hoped the white pants weren't visible in the dimness, because the boys were cute as monkeys and knew every trick. Even now they could have slipped away through the bushes, though it wouldn't be easy to get through the garden undetected. No, she felt sure they would bide their time and then make a getaway along the path which led up to the moors. Sure enough, a few minutes later she heard the branches rustle and the two youngsters made a dash for the gate.
They were much quicker than Meredith. She gave chase immediately, calling their names, but they were nimble as goats and had climbed over the gate and away before she could get near them. The path was rough and steep, too muddy for her to gain any speed, and she had to run up the side of it, scratching her feet on the heather roots. She could see them ahead of her, running full pelt on to the open moor with no thought as to where they were heading. How far would they go? She daren't let them out of her sight because the light was fading and the moors were dangerous to anyone not familiar with them, the waterlogged ground treacherous underfoot.
She wondered whether Joss had missed them yet, and if so what he was doing about it. He wouldn't be able to go far from the house and leave the other children alone there. He would be absolutely furious! Well, it served him right for being so beastly; and for being too proud to accept any help.
The boys had disappeared. She was on top of the ridge and she couldn't see them anywhere. Moorland stretched away as far as the eye could see, the remnants of sunset colours staining the sky burnt orange and amber on the horizon, but the deep folds of gorse-covered land were being shrouded in shadow now, and she began to get nervous. She had known the moors all her life', but once it got dark it was very easy to lose all sense of direction, and she had heard of people walking round in circles all night. Whatever happened she couldn't let those children get lost. They didn't have warm clothing on for one thing, and even in June the night air could get pretty cold. She kept on calling them until her voice was hoarse.
Suddenly there was a scream way ahead of her, followed by several more, and she heard Gary shouting. The bracken and gorse impeded her, but she stumbled towards the cries as fast as she could, guessing already what she would find. There were bogs on this part of the moor, and the heavy rain would increase the danger of getting caught in one. There was a pain in her chest from rushing, but she didn't stop until she came to the two terrified boys.
'It's Shaun, miss!' Gary cried, his voice rising hysterically. 'He's sinking in the mud and I can't get him out!'
'Stay perfectly still, Shaun. Don't move at all!' Meredith shouted. The boy was up to his thighs in mud, and the more he struggled the worse it became. She grabbed Gary's arm and pointed to a stunted tree over to the right. 'Help me get the thickest branch we can carry.'
Shaun was crying pitifully when they got back, but he had obeyed her and was no deeper in the bog.
'It was sensible of you not to try and get near him, Gary, or you would have been in there as well,' she said, making her voice light to reassure them. 'Hang on, Shaun, we'll have you out of there any minute now.'
The branch they had got was strong enough for the purpose and not too heavy to sink. With Gary's help she managed to slide it over the mud until Shaun was able to reach out and catch hold, then she called instructions to him calmly, and with a bit of hard pulling his little legs gradually came clear. Only when he was safe on firm ground again did she realise how much she was trembling. Still on her knees in the mud, she clasped both boys to her, hugging them thankfully.
'Good job you came, miss,' said Gary gruffly, and she knew it was his awkward way of saying thanks. But Shaun put his thin little arms round her neck and she felt his tear-stained face against her cheek as another squall of heavy rain descended upon them.
It was dark when they got back to Eden Farm. The bedraggled trio went round to the back of the house and Meredith opened the kitchen door, calling for Joss. He came through from the lounge, his hair dishevelled as if he'd been raking his fingers through it, and when he saw her his face was a mixture of fury and relief.
'I knew damned well you'd be at the bottom of this!' he raged. She might have guessed anger would be foremost. 'I don't know what your motive was in taking the boys off with you, but it was irresponsible to say the least, and I'm bloody mad! I was on the point of ringing the police.'
'We were having a game and rather lost ourselves,' said Meredith, biting back a more
cutting retort.
'And what sort of state do you call this to come back in? I've never seen anything so disgraceful! It's a good job Ellen isn't here. You'd better get those clothes off and cleaned up quickly.'
'Just who do you think you're talking to?' she demanded.
'A girl old enough to know better. You've not got as much sense as Kirsty! Even she knows she'd be in real trouble if she came in soaking wet and filthy dirty.'
He was eyeing her incredulously and she realised just what a mess she must look. The white pants were saturated and covered in mud, clinging uncomfortably to her thighs; her sweat shirt, equally wet and clinging, had moulded itself to her body, and her hair hung round her face and shoulders like strands of seaweed. Both she and the boys were already making puddles on the floor where they stood.
'Shaun, Gary, go on up to the bathroom and get in a hot bath straight away,' she said, giving each a reassuring squeeze. 'Everything'll be all right.'
'Like hell it will!' stormed Joss. His shirt had come open to the waist and beads of perspiration clung to the mass of black hair on his chest. He obviously hadn't been having too easy a time of it, and she rejoiced at the evidence. His eyes bored into her, hooded and unreadable. 'Okay, you boys, do as she says. But you, Meredith, are going to give me an explanation and an apology.'
Shaun and Gary took the opportunity of escape the second it was offered, but it was Gary who pulled up abruptly just as he was about to skid round the door after the younger boy. He turned and came back, hanging his head and clasping his pudgy hands behind him.
'Mr Hamblyn, it wasn't Meredith's fault,' he said sheepishly. 'Me and Shaun, we thought it would be a lark to stay out late with Aunt Ellen away, and we were in that old barn place of Mr Paxton's when she saw us. We thought she'd be mad, so we ran off up the hill, and then Shaun got stuck in the mud and she came and hauled him out. Please don't be mad at her.'
Joss frowned, and there was a significant pause. Then: 'Is this true?' he asked Meredith.
A smile flickered across her lips. 'It was you who taught them it's simpler to tell the truth,' she said. 'You should be proud they took notice of you.'
He looked round at the boy and a gradual thaw took place, not so as to be dazzlingly noticeable, but at least the atmosphere became less cold.
'Thank you, Gary,' he said. 'We'll talk about it in the morning, but you did the right thing. Now run off upstairs.' He started to follow him, saying to Meredith: 'Stay there while I get a skirt and top of Ellen's for you.'
Standing near the Aga where it was warm, Meredith found a towel and began rubbing her hair. With her head bent and her back to the door, she didn't hear Joss return a few minutes later, so when he touched her shoulder she jerked upright and almost overbalanced. He caught her arms and she felt herself drawn back against him, his chin resting lightly on the top of her head.
'I'm the one who must apologise,' he said, the low, rich voice full of contrition. 'As usual you had great presence of mind and I ought to have known better than to blow my top. With everyone else I think first and speak afterwards, but for some reason with you it's always the other way round. I'm sorry.'
It must have made her dizzy hanging her head down. Her heart was beating crazily and where her back rested against his chest it seemed as if there was a patch of fire. A warmth spread through her, pounding in her ears as it surged upwards, and she twisted away from him in alarm.
'It doesn't matter,' she said, facing him. She made herself take a long, slow breath and hoped the dirt would disguise the colour that flooded her cheeks.
Joss held out a cotton wrap-round skirt and a cheesecloth blouse. 'Take off those wet things before you get chilled. And as soon as the boys have finished in the bathroom I suggest you take a shower.'
'It offends you to see me untidy, doesn't it?'
She took the clothes, remembering how a previous argument had stemmed from much the same source. But this time amusement crept into his eyes and a half smile lifted the corners of his mouth.
'On the contrary, I find the sight of you in a dishevelled state so much more disturbing than the prim image you present daily at the office, I can't trust myself to keep my hands off you.'
Meredith gasped and moved swiftly across the kitchen, peeled off the wet sweat-shirt and slipped her arms into Ellen's blouse as quickly as she could. But before she could button it he was near her again.
'Stay away from me, Joss,' she warned. A constriction in her throat made her voice sound hoarse, and the air around them was charged with an emotional current so strong she crouched back, finding herself against the wall. He said nothing, but the magnetism of his green eyes attracted her forcefully and she found herself staring into them with unblinking fascination as she flattened her back against the tiled wall. He towered over her, unnerving in his very nearness, and she was more sexually aware of him than she had been of any man. As he took hold of her, her body arched towards him. His mouth hovered above hers just long enough to bring an attempted protest, but every heartbeat increased her response to him and her cries were lost in a kiss that left her weak and aching.
His hands caressed her back beneath the flimsy cotton blouse, and rivers of ecstasy flowed through her. She had never known that such exquisite sensation existed, and for a few moments she abandoned herself to it, forgetting even whose arms and lips were creating this havoc within her. She responded to the increasing pressure of his lips, but when his hand slipped round to touch her breast she was suddenly awakened to the madness in which they indulged, and she dragged herself away from him, hardly able to breathe.
'For God's sake, Joss, leave me alone!' she gasped, clutching the blouse across the front of her. 'I don't want you near me!'
His hands fell to his sides. 'You could have fooled me,' he drawled. 'If that's the way you reacted to Piers Loring he was a very lucky guy.'
'Piers would never have taken advantage of a situation like this. He was far too considerate. You had no business touching me!'
'Maybe not. But you can't deny you enjoyed it.' There was a fire in his eyes, smouldering green fire that held mystic enchantment, urging her to return to his arms. She needed all her strength to resist him.
'I hated it! I don't want you near me again!' she cried, regardless of whether it was the truth.
'We'll see,' said Joss.
He shrugged his shoulders as if it was a joke, and a smile broadened his mouth. He raised one eyebrow questioningly and if there had been anything handy Meredith would have thrown it at him. As it was she picked up her sweat-shirt and flounced away from him, determined to maintain a semblance of decent behaviour. A show of temper would only provoke him more.
'I hope you have a quiet night with the children,' she said. 'Goodnight!'
The phone rang just as she was leaving. She had reached the kitchen door when it shrilled into life, and thinking it might be news of Ellen she paused while Joss answered it. He went into the lounge and she couldn't hear what he was saying, but she could tell by the tone of his voice it was nothing personal, so she started off down the hall, only to be called back.
'Meredith, wait!' A minute later he came out to her, all sign of his previous mood gone. 'That was the police,' he said, and seeing her startled expression, hastened to reassure her. 'It's all right, nothing's wrong. At least not for us, except that I've got to go out and I don't know how long I shall have to be. It appears Sid Frank's son has killed his wife and they've taken him into custody, but he. refuses to say anything without his solicitor present. The police would rather it was now.'
'Oh, Joss, how awful!' She knew there had been a lot of correspondence about the Frank boy's matrimonial problems, but she hadn't realised they had reached such terrible proportions.
'I know it's an imposition,' he went on, 'especially after what happened, but do you think you could possibly stay here after all? I can't leave the children alone.'
What choice did she have? She hesitated long enough for him to know she was not jumpin
g at the idea, then she inclined her head slowly.
'As there's no alternative it seems I'll have to,' she said. 'I take it I can use Ellen's bedroom.'
The worried frown he had worn since coming back from the phone eased away. 'Thanks, Meredith. I promise I'll be as quick as I can.'
She stood very straight. 'You don't need to hurry. I don't want to see anything more of you tonight!'
CHAPTER FIVE
The house was eerily quiet. Meredith had come upstairs to check that the children were all asleep, and now she was wondering which was Ellen's bedroom. She had thought Joss might not be long and she would be able to go home, but the time was getting off for midnight and he hadn't returned.
She stood on the apple-green carpeted landing and looked at the white doors with their enamelled finger plates, trying to decide which to open first. She had been into the nursery where Oliver and Kirsty were sleeping soundly, and knew which room Gary and Shaun occupied, so it left a choice of four more doors. She tried the one nearest her, and found it was Joss's. She was about to close it again hurriedly, but an overpowering curiosity consumed her and she went inside.
It was a very masculine room, the oak beams left their natural colour, giving a sombre effect which was relieved by cream walls and a cream quilted bedcover. Wood panelling behind the bed gleamed darkly and an arrangement of country prints hung above an antique wash-stand which was purely decorative as there was an adjoining bathroom to the master suite, the door to it ajar over to the left.
It wasn't a particularly tidy room. Joss's love of books was evident in the number scattered around, and the suit he had worn at the office all day was carelessly draped over a chair. Meredith went over to it, picked up the jacket and straightened the sleeves. The feel of it beneath her fingers was peculiarly stirring, as if his vibrant personality had imparted separate life * into the fine cloth, and she could imagine it was still warm from contact with him. Her heart, which had taken such a time to quieten after he left, jerked back to the irregular thumping, hammering against her ribs, and the strength sapped from her legs. She flung the jacket down.
