Chapter Thirty-Eight
The One Where Kate Keeps on Movin’
When she returned to the fayre grounds after the visitors had all left, Kate threw herself into helping with the clean-up, carting sacks of rubbish to the large bins by the garages, wiping down tables and chairs, and ferrying boxes of artwork, books, jewellery, pottery, and so on from the backs of people’s cars so they could replenish their stock for the morning.
Throughout it all, Dev and his leaving Polkerran, going so far away, hovered menacingly in the back of her mind, and with piercing clarity, she realised why he’d wanted to talk to her.
Mollie knew something was wrong, but instead of sniping as she usually did when Kate was in a bad mood, she said nothing, volunteering to help with the clear-up.
Kate stretched her back as she walked into the grounds after dumping yet another bag in the bin, her eyes scanning the hive of activity. Anna had gone home, as had Nicki and her boys, but Matt was busy – with the help of Gemma and Bella – at the performance marquee, and Oliver, who had been carting stacks of chairs around as though they weighed no more than Heathcliff, could be seen at one of the bric-a-brac stalls, browsing through what looked like a very old book.
‘How did it go?’ Kate asked Jean, who was currently stacking cones in the holder by the van’s window.
‘Brilliant.’ Jean’s eyes shone. ‘So much fun, too. We’ve run out of three flavours, so Greg’s gone to the shop to check on stock for tomorrow.’
Walking on, Kate chatted with a few of the vendors from inside the stables, fiercely trying to prevent her mind travelling along the lane to Harbourwatch. She didn’t want to think about Leigh being there with three people who had become dear to her: not just Dev, but Theo and Ryther too.
‘Idiot,’ she scolded under her breath, as she fetched her bag again from the store. ‘You stupid, stupid idiot.’
Dev was beyond dear to her. He had become in danger of being her entire life, if fate had only let him.
How she got through the evening, Kate wasn’t sure, though the empty bottle of wine on the counter the next morning might have had something to do with it.
Mollie had even brought her a cup of tea in bed, but the unexpected gesture and the silent hug from her daughter had been enough for emotion to surface, and as she stepped into the shower, Kate could feel the hot tears streaming down her face.
It was quite the repair job, but eventually, she dug out her largest pair of sunglasses and was ready. The air already felt oppressive, a heat haze shimmering on the vast open sea, but there was talk of a storm later, and she tucked a brolly into her bag before heading out.
Hopefully, Leigh would ensure Dev didn’t come anywhere near the fayre today. There’d been no word from him, but why should there be?
There was nothing left to say.
Sunday was pretty much a repeat of Saturday, with throngs of people enjoying the traditional fayre, clapping to accompany the Morris dancers, tucking into popcorn or ice cream and singing along with the performers, from the fishermen’s choir to Old Patrick with his incredibly haunting ballads.
Children ran here and there, sporting painted faces and braids in their hair, some waving balloon animals, others their windmills or candy-striped bags stuffed with treats from the old-fashioned sweet cart, selling confectionary Kate recalled from her own childhood. People passed to and fro, carriers bulging with food and drink, knick-knacks from the bric-a-brac stall or prizes they’d won in the raffle.
If Kate’s heart hadn’t been torn to shreds overnight, it would have been full on perceiving the delight on everyone’s faces, the happy atmosphere and the constant requests from those attending and those manning the stalls to do it all again next year.
If only Dev had been here to share it with… but he wouldn’t be here next year, would he? He’d be thousands of miles away, living a life that had nothing to do with Kate. Living with Leigh.
An ominous rumble came from above and several people looked upwards, but aside from a couple of small white clouds bubbling up on the horizon, the sky remained a rich cerulean blue.
Kate kept herself busy, refusing to think about what might be happening up at Harbourwatch, willing her mind not to dwell on the emptiness of the upcoming months, and before long it was nearly four o’clock and time to wind things down.
Mollie had eschewed a second day at the fayre, saying she’d maxed out her inner child. Freya’s parents were heading to a water park up near Newquay and had invited Mollie along, with a view to her staying the night at her friend’s later.
Anna had been ordered by Oliver to rest because of the weather conditions, but Matt had still manned the equipment for the performances, and as the afternoon waned, he was beginning to dismantle the pergola now, with help from a couple of locals.
Nicki had continued her face-painting and hair-braiding, but Hamish – despite his aching back – had gone out early in his boat, keen to avoid the storm if it arrived and, looking upwards, Kate wondered if their luck was about to run out.
Kate popped down into the village with Bella for some packs of water, as the water coolers had been drunk dry, but as they walked back along the front, hopping on and off the crowded pavements, a car sped by, taking the turn for the hill out of the village: Dev’s.
The ache in Kate’s chest intensified and her pace stalled.
‘You okay? Give it to me, I can carry both packs.’
Kate shook her head at Bella.
‘I’m fine,’ she reassured her. ‘Just having a breather.’
They set off again, but Kate’s mind spun relentlessly. Leigh had been in the passenger seat. Where were they going? Surely they weren’t leaving immediately? It had been impossible to see if Theo was in the back seat.
Kate left her pack of water with Bella, who began handing them out to drooping stall holders.
The skies had darkened, a strange greyness overlying the blue, which had softened almost to lilac, and another rumble rolled in across the top of the cliffs. An eerie silence followed, as though all the birds had been sucked from the sky.
Before long, the big clean-up was over, and with all the volunteers and stall holders chipping in, along with the Tremayne Manor staff, the grounds were soon empty, the equipment all stored in the garages again, ready for collection, and Jean was easing the ice cream van through the gates.
Functioning on some sort of auto-pilot, Kate had a quick word with Mrs Tremayne, expressing copious thanks and a promise to stay in touch, and she was free to go. She headed down the lane into the village, knowing full well her bereft feelings were nothing to do with the event being over.
What was it Ryther had said? ‘A love the like of which I’d never known, or ever did again…’
Was that to be her fate? Would this gut-wrenching pain stay with her for ever, an ache that could never be assuaged?
Pressure built in Kate’s chest as she strode on, with no idea where she was going, other than she had no desire to go home alone.
Menacing, swollen clouds covered the sun now, but the stickiness seemed more intense. Kate’s skin felt clammy, and she lifted the hair off her shoulders, but no comforting breeze stroked her neck.
There was a long queue outside the ice cream shop. The tables outside Harbourmasters, the bistro and the Three Fishes were spilling over with people, and the sound of voices and laughter pounded Kate’s senses.
Her throat felt dry and she shot into the Spar, but as she emerged into the street with a bottle of water, a furious growl emanated from the leaden skies followed by a loud clap, and the heavens opened.
People dived for cover, shuffling inside the pub and restaurants, huddling under the awnings, pulling clothes over their heads, some finding it hilarious, such was the relief from the unprecedented week of extreme heat.
Rain pounded the ground, quickly forming pools of water and soaking a group of young people who refused to take cover and were holding out their arms to embrace the outdoor shower, splashing in the puddles in a way they probably hadn’t done since they were kids.
Kate walked out into the downpour, uncaring of the soaking, letting the droplets mingle with the tears running down her cheeks. Who cared, anyway?
She would go home. Run a hot bath. Open some wine, and pretend this wasn’t happening to her. Kate turned her steps in the direction of the bridge, but as she passed Jean’s ice cream van, neatly parked opposite the shop again, a hand shot out and grabbed her arm.
Kate stared up at Dev as the rain continued to pour. How he came to be there, she couldn’t fathom, but wasn’t it irrelevant? He was lost to her. Emotion gripped her so fiercely, she let out a murmur of pain and spun away, oblivious to how slippery the cobbles now were and, in her haste, her foot slipped from under her.
Two arms caught her, wrapped firmly around her waist and – heart pounding fiercely – Kate allowed herself to be drawn upright.
Dev didn’t release her for a moment, his voice close to her ear. ‘We must stop meeting like this.’
A laugh rose unbidden, morphing into a sob, and Kate tried to wrench herself from his grasp, but Dev merely turned her around.
‘We need to talk.’
Kate’s breath was coming in shallow bursts.
No, we don’t, Dev! It will make things even harder…
Dev scanned the sheltering crowds. Jean, as it happened, had unfurled the ice cream van’s canopy, and stood chatting with some passersby who’d taken advantage of her offer of shelter, and he suddenly grasped Kate’s hand and urged her up the steps at the back of the van.
‘Stay there a minute. Please.’
Brushing damp tendrils of hair off her forehead, Kate ran a finger under each eye, certain her mascara had long been washed away, her heart pounding madly in her breast. Where on earth had her sunglasses gone?
She wasn’t ready to hear Dev tell her he was doing what he’d always intimated he would: giving the marriage another try for Theo’s sake, going away. Far, far away… making his own fresh start.
The rain was pounding so hard on the roof, at least it would prevent Dev hearing her heart doing the same. Then, Kate puffed out a breath. This was ridiculous. Whatever he had to say, she couldn’t handle it right now. It would have to wait.