by Marie Laval
She gasped. What about Barbara? Darren had fitted a new lock to her back door too. He must have slipped back into her house too, taken her ring and stolen her money.
And what about the stuff that had gone missing from the holiday lets? Did Darren steal them after making copies of the keys to the holiday cottages?
She glanced around the room. ‘Where is Stefan?’ That was probably what he had wanted to talk to her about before she stormed off to the toilets.
‘He went to the campsite to talk to Darren,’ Rachel replied.
Cassie got up and grabbed her handbag. ‘Then I’ll go too.’
Tim scrambled to his feet. ‘I’m coming with you. It could be dangerous.’
Cassie’s grandfather shook his head. ‘Sit down, Tim, and finish your pint. Lambert won’t let anything happen to Cassie. He cares far too much about her.’
‘No he doesn’t!’ Cassie retorted.
Rachel chuckled. ‘Don’t be daft. It’s obvious he does, from the way he looks at you, and the way he talks about you.’
Both her grandfather and Tim gave her a knowing smile, and Cassie’s chest tightened. If only they knew… Whatever Stefan might have once felt for her was gone, replaced with scorn and anger.
She slipped her coat on and grabbed hold of her handbag. ‘I wish you were right. I’ll be in touch as soon as there is news.’
As she drove to the campsite, fingers clamped on the steering wheel, she recalled her last meeting with Darren. He had been writing his CV, and said he was thinking of leaving Red Moss. Perhaps he was already on his way to a new place where he could con people and play havoc with their health by mixing up their medication.
To think that she had defended him when Stefan accused him of fiddling with her tyres! Now she was sure he wasn’t stalking her or interested in her personally. He certainly wasn’t in love with her. He only wanted information about her clients. And when he drove to Belthorn to bring the bottle of wine he claimed she’d forgotten, insisted he wanted to help, and asked for a tour of the manor house, he probably only wanted to locate items worth stealing…
There were only a few cars at the campsite, but Darren’s white Fiesta wasn’t among them. She parked next to Stefan’s four-wheel drive and dashed into the manager’s office, which was lit up.
Stefan and Patrick were riffling through a stash of papers on the desk and both turned round as she came in. Stefan put the papers down and arched his eyebrows. ‘Cassie? What are you doing here?’
He looked so different now he had shaved his beard and with his brown hair shorter that she felt shy and awkward. ‘My granddad told me about Darren. Where is he? Have you spoken to him yet?’
Patrick’s shoulders sagged and he shook his head. ‘He’s done a runner. I left him in charge today and when I returned, the office was a complete mess. He took all the cash he could find, here and in the clubhouse. He even took the office laptop and printer. Stefan told me what he’s done, not only in Red Moss but in other places too. I can’t believe I never suspected anything.’
‘I didn’t either,’ Cassie said, ‘and he was at my house several times a week, pretending to help my granddad with DIY. So what happens now?’
Patrick sighed. ‘I phoned the police. They’re looking for him.’
Stefan put his hand on Patrick’s shoulder. ‘They’ll catch up with him. In the meantime, I’ll help you sort things out in here.’
‘I’ll help too,’ Cassie decided, taking her coat off and draping it on the back of a chair.
Patrick smiled weakly. ‘That’s kind of you. Thanks. While you two sort things out here, I’ll make a start on the clubhouse.’
He closed the door behind him, and they were alone in the office.
Cassie picked up a stash of pens and pencils from the floor and stuck them into a drawer at random whilst Stefan arranged papers in neat piles on the desk. Neither of them seemed eager to talk, and for a minute or two the silence fizzed with tension and awkwardness.
Stefan cleared his throat. ‘Big Jim said the police questioned you about the burglaries. At least now they’ll know you had nothing to do with them.’
She looked at him. ‘That’s thanks to you. What made you suspect Darren?’
‘The fact it took me ten minutes to fix the radiator in the room where you keep all your papers; that your neighbour’s cat kept sneaking into your house even though you were adamant you hadn’t let him in; and the fact most of your clients were getting burgled.’
‘The cat!’ she exclaimed suddenly. ‘Of course, Darren has been sporting nasty scratches on his hand for the past few days – the same as Doris. Perhaps Fluffy scratched him one day when he sneaked into Bluebell Cottage with him.’
She hesitated. ‘Actually, there’s something else I need to thank you for. I’m sorry I didn’t help you tidy up the clubhouse last Sunday. I did come but you had already left by the time I arrived.’
His eyes turned cold. ‘I suppose you were too busy finalising your job description with Hardman.’
Her breath caught in her throat. ‘Is that what you believe? That I was with Nathan and couldn’t be bothered to come here?’
He arched his eyebrows. ‘Isn’t that what happened?’
‘You really have a poor opinion of me, don’t you?’ Hurt made her voice tremble and clenched a cruel fist around her heart.
She swallowed hard and tilted her face. ‘If you must know, I stayed at Salomé’s with Cecilia. We cursed men, drank too much wine and ate cake all night… well, until I collapsed. I couldn’t get up in the morning, and by the time I made it here, it was too late and you had already packed everything up.’
He closed his eyes, let out a deep, long breath.
‘And for the record,’ she carried on, ‘I won’t be accepting Nathan’s job offer. If I’m ever to become a designer, I will do it on my own terms and not with someone who stole my ideas and blackmailed me into keeping quiet, and who insulted me by saying nobody would ever look at designs made by a lowly cleaner. Besides, it annoys me the way he thinks he’s irresistible and I’m stupid, and he can get me to agree to anything he wants… I may have had a crush on him years ago, but it’s over now.’
‘Are you saying that you won’t be leaving Red Moss to be with him, to work for him?’
‘That’s exactly what I’m saying.’ She tilted her head up defiantly. ‘I suppose you weren’t expecting that, were you? After all, you thought I would do anything for money.’
He shook his head. ‘No, I never believed that of you, and I regretted my stupid, nasty words the second I spoke them. It’s just that… Hardy got to me, played on all my insecurities – not that it makes it right, of course. And when I saw you with Hardman…’
He let out a long, shaky breath. ‘I suppose I was jealous. I’m sorry I hurt you, and sorry I messed things up between us. I was an idiot, and I wouldn’t blame you if you wanted nothing to do with me but…’
His face softened as he took a step towards her, and a deep, golden fire glowed in his eyes. ‘Whatever you decide, whatever happens now, I want you to know that I’m sorry I caused you pain. I hope you can forgive me one day… and I love you.’ He paused and repeated, ‘I love you, Cassie Bell.’
She held her breath. ‘You do?’
He nodded, extended his hand and stroked the tips of her fingers in a timid and heart-warming caress. Happiness bubbled inside her. With a shriek of delight, she closed the gap between them, and linked her arms around his neck. ‘Of course, I forgive you!’
He wrapped his arms around her waist. ‘Just like that?’
She laughed. ‘Just like that! I was never able to hold a grudge, even if that makes me a complete pushover.’
His eyes softened and a slow, tender smile formed on his lips. ‘It doesn’t make you a pushover at all. It makes you a beautiful person – and the most wonderful woman I’ve ever met.’
This time she had nothing to say. She could only look at him. Her eyes filled with tears, and her heart felt al
most too full of love, hope and joy as she took in the intense heat in his eyes, the line of his lips, the broken nose and fine scars lining his now clean-shaven face. How could this strong, brave and selfless man believe he was inferior to the likes of Piers or Nathan?
He pulled her closer. ‘I want to kiss you.’
‘Then why don’t you?’ she asked.
Holding her tightly she could hardly breathe, and covered her mouth with his.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
How he had missed her! Missed holding her, kissing her. Missed the feel of her body in his arms, the taste of her lips, and her scent surrounding him and warming him like sunshine. More than anything else, he had missed the joy, the fun, and the kindness she radiated onto everyone she touched. When she said she hadn’t spent the night with Hardman and had no intention of leaving Red Moss with him, something in his chest had loosened and expanded – like a window opening onto glorious blue sky.
‘Will you ever forgive me for doubting you, for believing even for one second Hardy’s slimy lies?’ His throat tightened. ‘The thing is that I couldn’t see how you could ever fancy someone like me.’
She looked up. ‘I don’t just fancy you, Stefan. I love you.’
His hands stilled. ‘But I let everybody down. People died because of me.’
Her fingers stroked the back of his neck in a soft, feathery caress. ‘It wasn’t you who trapped these poor people in the dispensary. It wasn’t you who launched the rocket attack on the helicopter. You did your best, and it’s about time you forgave yourself.’
She rose on her tiptoes, and looked into his eyes. ‘I love you, Stefan, and nothing you can say will change how I feel. When you left I felt like I was dying inside, and I never, ever, want to feel like that again.’
He looked into her eyes, and his heart felt too big for his chest. He was about to kiss her again when the door to the office slammed open, and Patrick walked in, holding three glasses.
He froze in the doorway. ‘Ah. Sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt anything.’
Cassie blushed and pulled away from Stefan’s embrace, but still held on to his hand.
‘I got us a tipple to keep us going,’ Patrick said, putting three glasses on the desk. ‘By the way, the police just phoned. They haven’t located Darren yet but got a search warrant for his father’s house in Manchester and found pieces of jewellery that match the description of several stolen items. It looks like Morse senior was helping sell off the stuff his son had stolen.’
‘What I don’t understand is why he made such a mess of this place,’ Stefan remarked. ‘He must have known you would alert the police straight away… Why didn’t he just hand in his notice and slip away quietly? He didn’t know I was about to expose him, so why attract attention on himself like this?’
He gestured to the mess in the room. ‘This looks like the action of somebody irrational and in a panic – someone who’s lost their grip on things.’
‘He was a little odd yesterday, now that you mention it,’ Patrick said. ‘His hand was swollen and seemed to be causing him pain, and he looked feverish. I even asked him if he needed to see the doctor.’
Cassie gasped. ‘He said he’d been scratched by a cat… Doris had to have antibiotics when Fluffy scratched her hand the other day. Fluffy must have scratched him too. He does have a bit of a temper.’
‘Like its owner,’ Stefan remarked. He sighed. ‘Right, we’d better make a move or we’ll never get this place tidied up.’
An hour later, the office was almost back to normal.
‘You two should go home now,’ Patrick said. ‘I can manage on my own.’
‘Are you sure?’ Stefan asked.
‘Positive. Off you go.’
As soon as they were outside and Patrick closed the door, Stefan took Cassie in his arms. ‘It’s late. Do you want to go back to the pub? It may still be open. Or would you rather go home, to Bluebell Cottage?’
She put her hands on his shoulders and looked into his eyes.
‘I’d rather go back to Belthorn with you,’ she replied.
He tightened his grip around her waist and bent down to kiss her again, and again. ‘That’s the answer I was hoping for.’
She drove ahead and Stefan followed, and it wasn’t long before they arrived at Belthorn.
‘Shall I make a fire?’ he asked as they walked into the drawing room.
She switched on the fairy lights along the mantelpiece. ‘Good idea. I’ll get us a hot drink and warm up some stew for you. I made a batch last week and froze it and—’
He grabbed hold of her, and pulled her to him. ‘Will you stop this?’
‘Stop what?’
A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. ‘Stop your Bluebell Cleaning Fairy antics. I don’t need food, or drink. I only need you.’
He cupped her face between his hands, and bent down, teasing her mouth until her lips parted, and kissed her. She let out a muffled whimper, and curled her fingers in the lapels of his parka.
‘I missed you,’ he said, in a hoarse whisper before raking his fingers in her hair, and taking a deep breath. ‘God, I missed you.’
It was very late when she snuggled in his arms with a contented sigh. They had made it to bed eventually, feasted on toast dripping with jam and a mug of tea for her and a couple of ham and cheese sandwiches and black coffee for him.
‘I didn’t even ask you if your granddad retained his Comedy King title at the pub,’ he asked.
‘He didn’t, but he seemed all right about it. I think he was relieved to find out that the reason why he was so drowsy and confused all the time these past few weeks was that Darren mixed his medicine with sleeping tablets.’
‘In the places I visited, people told me how the elderly people Morse seemingly helped with DIY became suddenly ill and confused.’
‘Probably in order to make them easier to steal from.’
He nodded. ‘I hope the police catch him soon. He has done a lot of harm, and not only to your granddad.’ He pulled her on top of him, his arms tense like steel bands around her, his heartbeat reverberating inside her, and his eyes dark with desire. ‘But enough about Darren Morse.’
‘You’re doing what?’ Cassie looked at Stefan, trying very hard not to burst out laughing.
He put his mobile back into his pocket and pulled a face. ‘Big Jim said his wife needed help behind the counter because one of their barmaids had called in sick and he couldn’t spend all afternoon dressed up as Santa in the grotto… What else could I do?’ A faint and endearing blush crept onto his cheeks, which made her want to knot her arms around his neck and give him a long, tender kiss.
‘Besides,’ he added, ‘it’s for a good cause. I’m pretty sure no one will guess I’m the one in the Father Christmas outfit, so it will be more money for the Mountain Rescue Service.’ He looked at her, and there was a trace of vulnerability in his eyes. ‘You don’t think I’m going to scare all the children away, do you?’
‘Of course not, but they’re going to wonder why Father Christmas speaks with a French accent this year.’
‘I could always say I have been holidaying on the Côte d’Azur.’
She smiled. ‘When I think that a few weeks ago you didn’t even want a Christmas tree, and today you’re dressing up as Father Christmas!’
She checked her watch. She’d better hurry if she didn’t want to miss Nathan at the holiday cottage. ‘I’ll see you later. Who knows, I may even pay you a visit in your grotto so I can sit on your knee and give you a cuddle.’
He grinned back. ‘I would like that very much.’ His face became serious again. ‘Are you sure you don’t want me to come with you? I’m not happy about you meeting Hardman on your own.’
‘I’m only going to tell him I don’t want his job.’ She planned to tell Nathan more, but Stefan didn’t need to know. He would only insist on coming with her, and this was something she wanted to do on her own. Her days of feeling inferior and insecure and of being scared
to speak out were over.
‘I still don’t like it,’ Stefan said.
‘Don’t worry. I’ll be fine.’
He sighed, and there was suddenly an air of mild panic on his face. ‘Then I’d better go. Big Jim said I could change in his flat above the pub, which means I’m going to have to walk down the streets dressed like Father Christmas and make a right fool out of myself.’
This time she didn’t hesitate. Never mind that they were in the main street and half of Red Moss would see them. She stepped closer to him, rose on her tiptoes and put her hands on either side of his face. ‘You’ll be great.’ And she gave him a long, leisurely kiss.
They agreed to meet at the Fair in the afternoon and Cassie drove to Nathan’s holiday cottage. Despite her earlier show of confidence, the knot of anxiety in her stomach was growing bigger and tighter by the second, and when she rang the bell, she felt sick.
Nathan opened the door and squinted against the bright sunlight. He was unshaven, his skin was pale and blotchy and his eyes red-rimmed. ‘It’s about time.’
He gestured for her to go in and she reluctantly followed him into the kitchen. ‘The others left for London an hour ago,’ he said, plonking himself on a stool at the kitchen bar in front of a steaming mug of coffee.
There were dirty plates and glasses, takeaway boxes, and empty bottles of beer, vodka and whisky strewn everywhere.
‘I see nobody bothered to tidy up,’ she remarked.
He arched his eyebrows. ‘That’s what the cleaner gets paid for… And that would be you, unless you accept my offer, which frankly you would be stupid not to.’
‘Then you can call me stupid,’ she replied with a cold voice. ‘And for your information, holidaymakers are supposed to leave their cottage reasonably clean, so I will take photos of the mess you’ve made and you and your friends will be charged for the extra cleaning.’
To make her point, she took her phone out of her bag.
He stared at her in shock. ‘Hang on a minute. Did you just say that you don’t want the internship?’
She nodded. ‘That’s right.’
