Chapter 16
It was Friday afternoon and she’d been here for two weeks now. Lying on her back in the pool on a fluorescent pink lilo, Lizzie idly swished the fingers of her left hand through the water to send herself round in a semicircle. The sun was warm, the sky was clear of clouds and from this angle you could imagine yourself back at home in LA.
Except she wasn’t, she was still here in Starbourne. And it was beginning to feel more and more like a poor decision.
Or, to put it another way, a massive mistake.
Not that she would admit as much to her agent, or her mother. They thought she was having the time of her life, relaxing and de-stressing. Whereas in reality she was increasingly lonely and stuck feeling like an outsider. Everyone was taking exemplary care of her, but they were all busy working and living their own lives. Nella had driven her on several separate occasions into Cheltenham, Cirencester and Stroud, leaving her to explore the achingly picturesque towns and collecting her hours later, but it had only brought home the fact that exploring and shopping were a lot more fun when you did them with friends.
And none of her LA-based friends were free to fly over and keep her company.
Each morning, over Zoom, she chatted about her life with Cami for a couple of hours, answering endless questions and dredging up long-forgotten incidents from the various decades of her past. But Cami was in London, only visible on a computer screen, and travelling down here to interview her in person would be hugely impractical. She had her own life, her own happy little family set-up, and was currently spending all her time either working on the book or turning the spare room in the flat in Chiswick into a yellow and white candy-striped nursery.
Lizzie swirled herself in the other direction, listening to the busy buzzing of the bees in the shrubbery behind her and the distant chatter and laughter of the new arrivals over in the Cedars as they explored the grounds surrounding their impressive temporary home. What would they do if she paid them a surprise visit, brazenly introduced herself and asked if she could please join in their celebrations?
But no, that wouldn’t be the done thing at all, not here where the whole point of renting a secluded property was to be assured of luxury and absolute privacy.
Yesterday, out of sheer desperation, she’d called one of the numbers in her information booklet and paid for a house visit from a master of ashtanga yoga. Except instead of being friendly and chatty, he’d been serious and intense, only interested in barking complicated instructions at her, despite her body’s horrified inability to bend itself in the ways he seemed to think it should.
That had been two exhausting hours of her life she’d never get back.
No more ashtanga yoga, ever.
She had to find something else to do. But what?
Filling her lungs with air, Lizzie slowly rolled sideways off the bright pink lilo and swam to the far end of the pool. Lifting herself out of the warm water and wrapping herself in her white towelling robe like a burrito, she took her phone out of the top pocket and prepared to humiliate herself completely.
‘Hi,’ Nella said warmly. ‘How’s everything with you?’
‘Good, thanks. I wondered if you’d be able to drive me into Cheltenham at half seven this evening. Would that be possible, do you think?’
‘No problem at all! Of course I can do that.’ The thing was, Nella always sounded cheerful but it was her job to be cheerful. What if she was at the other end of the phone right now rolling her eyes and silently cursing the needy woman who’d just wrecked her plans for the night?
‘And could you bring me back at nine?’
‘Absolutely.’
Almost losing her nerve, Lizzie said, ‘Am I being a pain? Because if it’s your evening off, I can always—’
‘Hey, it isn’t my evening off. And it’s fine ,’ Nella reassured her. ‘If you want to go to Cheltenham, I’ll take you and I’ll bring you back. It’s no trouble at all. This is what I’m here for! I’ll pick you up at seven thirty on the dot.’
It was a sunny evening, warm enough for people to be sitting at the wooden tables outside the Angel Inn. Leaving her cottage at twenty past seven, Nella was greeted by Hugo and Nick as she made her way past the pub.
‘Come and join us. Sit by me.’ Delighted to see her, Hugo patted the bench next to him. ‘What can I get you to drink? Remember when we used to sneak bottles of rum out of Pa’s drinks cabinet and mix it with blackcurrant squash?’
‘So gross.’ Nella shook her head at the memory of their teenage antics.
‘ So gross,’ Hugo agreed. ‘The great thing about being grown-ups is we never have to drink that stuff again as long as we live. How about a nice Sauv Blanc instead?’
‘Thanks, but I can’t. I’m working, taking Lizzie into Cheltenham.’ She held up her car keys and jangled them. ‘Another time. You two have fun.’
When she arrived at Pine Lodge, Lizzie was waiting for her, looking oddly ill at ease.
‘All ready to go?’ Nella wondered if she’d arranged an online date with a stranger. Was this wise?
‘OK, this is really embarrassing. I kind of lied.’
‘Oh. You don’t want to go out after all?’
‘I do. God, I feel so stupid saying it. The thing is, I want to go out, but not on my own. Because when I do, people just stare at me. And also, it’s not so much fun when there’s no one to chat to, and I don’t know anyone around here. All my friends are back in LA and I didn’t realise I was going to feel a bit lonely. Well, quite a lot lonely if I’m honest. I wondered, seeing as it takes half an hour to drive me into Cheltenham and another half an hour to drive me back, if maybe we could give it a miss and just spend an hour together in one of the local pubs here in Starbourne instead.’
The words had come tumbling out in a rush and Lizzie had been twirling strands of her long hair around her fingers as she’d said them. Now, she blurted out, ‘You wouldn’t have to buy any drinks, I promise. I’d pay for everything.’
‘Just for an hour?’ said Nella.
Lizzie nodded vigorously. ‘Just for an hour.’
‘Couldn’t make it two hours, could you? Or three? The Angel’s open till eleven.’
‘Are you serious? Do you really mean it? You’re sure you don’t mind?’
‘Hey, no problem. Get your coat,’ Nella told her. ‘You’ve pulled.’
Lizzie laughed with relief. ‘I haven’t heard anyone say that in years.’
‘We’re doing this on one condition, though.’
‘What’s the condition?’
Nella said firmly, ‘You’re not buying all the drinks. We take turns.’
As they approached the Angel, Lizzie let out a bat-squeak of excitement. ‘Is that Nick sitting outside?’
‘It is. He’s with his friend Hugo.’
‘Oh no!’
‘What?’
‘He’s gay? I didn’t know that.’
‘He’s not gay. Neither’s Hugo, they’re just friend-friends.’ For the last couple of weeks, Nella had been keeping a firm lid on her feelings for Nick, but the chemistry between them was undeniably still there. She wasn’t imagining it, she knew that.
‘Phew. And he’s definitely single?’
‘Uh, yes.’
‘He’s so attractive. I mean, like, properly gorgeous.’
Nella knew that all too well. Like a true professional, though, she gave a non-committal half-nod, half-shrug, because what else could she do?
‘He was so nice to me on the phone when I first called to book Pine Lodge. Then I saw his photos online and wow. I fancied him right away. And last night I had a dream about him too. Is that fate, do you think?’ Lizzie stopped dead in her tracks and clutched Nella’s arm. ‘Can we talk to them? How old is he? I mean, I know he’s younger than me, but does he go for older women?’
Whoa, this was out of the blue. Nella said, ‘I have no idea. You’ve been here longer than I have.’
‘You work together, though.’
‘I haven’t asked him what kind of women he goes for. We don’t really discuss personal things.’
‘I’m forty-three. How old is he?’
‘Hugo’s thirty-three and they were in the same year at school . . .’
‘Is a ten-year gap OK? It is, isn’t it? Or will he think I’m an old crone? Oh God, why is life so complicated?’ Lizzie was combing her fingers through her long wavy blond hair now, and adjusting the ruffled neckline of her crimson dress.
‘You look stunning, and nobody thinks you’re an old crone,’ Nella reassured her. ‘Because you aren’t. Come on, they’ve seen us. Let’s go.’
When they reached the pub, Nick said, ‘I hate to break it to you, but this isn’t Cheltenham.’
‘We changed our minds, decided to stay local instead. I’m introducing Lizzie to all the wildest hot spots. And all the best people, of course. Lizzie, this is Hugo Peverell. Hugo, Lizzie Rafferty.’
Hugo’s ears went pink as he half rose from his seat to shake Lizzie’s hand. He said earnestly, ‘How d’you do? Jolly nice to meet you. Oh dear, so sorry . . .’ Yanking his hand away, he wiped it on his chinos. ‘Bit damp. I’m such a klutz.’
‘Hugo and I were at school together,’ Nick explained while Hugo dragged a cotton handkerchief out of his pocket and mopped his forehead. ‘And now we’re business partners. He lives at Starbourne Manor, if you’ve come across it on your travels.’
‘I have! You actually own the place? Oh my word,’ Lizzie exclaimed. ‘Lucky you.’
Hugo turned pinker still. ‘It’s just our family home. Ma and Pa are the current custodians. I’m next in line after them, but I won’t be the owner for a long while yet, of course.’
‘And you two were at school together. That’s so cool. Somewhere fancy, I’m guessing.’
‘We were boarders,’ Hugo said happily. ‘Nick saved me from the bullies.’
‘Of course he did.’ Lizzie beamed and turned her attention to Nick. ‘How did I know you’d do something like that?’
Hugo nodded vigorously. ‘He was my rescuer. Once I had Nick on my side, the rest of them left me alone.’
‘You’re a total hero,’ Lizzie told Nick. ‘So did you grow up in a stately home too?’
Nick laughed. ‘A modern semi-detached in Swindon. It was fine, but you wouldn’t call it stately.’
‘He won a full scholarship.’ Hugo was like a proud father. ‘Super-smart and outstanding at sports. Everyone liked him.’
‘Why wouldn’t they?’ Lizzie cast another appreciative glance in Nick’s direction. ‘He’s got it all!’
At this rate, another five minutes and she’d be sitting on Nick’s lap. Nella, wondering if he was aware of Lizzie’s interest in him, said, ‘Come on, let’s get inside and introduce you to some people.’ Not that she knew everyone yet, but there was Marvyn, who owned the pub, and Jerry the bar manager, and Esme in the kitchen.
‘Great. Then can we come back outside?’ Lizzie looked eagerly from Nick to Hugo, then back to Nick. ‘OK to sit with you guys?’
Hugo was practically levitating with delight. He patted the section of bench next to him and said, ‘Absolutely.’
By ten o’clock, everyone visiting the pub had met the up-until-now-reclusive actress. Nick revealed that since she’d first told him on the phone that she was craving solitude and privacy, he’d spread word around the village that their VIP visitor wasn’t to be bothered; all she wanted was to be left in peace.
‘It’s not your fault,’ Lizzie reassured him. ‘I did say that, because I thought it was what I needed at the time. But then I changed my mind. Except when I went into any of the shops or the café or just came for a walk around the village, no one would even talk to me. They just looked the other way. I felt like I’d done something wrong.’
Nick shook his head. ‘I’m sorry.’
Hugo had returned to their table with a fresh round of drinks. ‘Well, from now on, you don’t have to worry about that. We’re here, and we’re friendly. Any time you fancy a bit of company, just say the word. In fact, here’s my number . . . My God, I can’t believe I’m exchanging numbers with the Lizzie Rafferty.’
‘And am I also allowed to give you a call?’ Lizzie’s eyes sparkled as she addressed Nick, having keyed Hugo’s number into her phone and let it ring once so he had hers.
‘Of course.’ He nodded. ‘Although I’m not always around. Now, who’s this?’
A car had come roaring into the village. As it reached the Angel, it braked hard and screeched to a halt next to their table, and Nella saw Hugo’s face fall.
‘It’s Tristan in his new car. I thought he was away this weekend.’
‘Who’s Tristan?’ Lizzie had perked up considerably and was making up for lost time. Having drunk several glasses of wine, she was evidently keen to get to know as many new people as possible.
Hugo, Nella noticed, didn’t look at the flashy green vehicle as the driver’s door was flung open; he’d had a lifetime of being put down by Tristan. Wearily he said, ‘My brother.’