Chapter 22
‘Kingsford Wold?’ I frowned in utter bewilderment as Rory tapped the leaflet on the bed between us. ‘You want to go to Kingsford Wold?’
‘Look what it says,’ he said, picking up the leaflet and reading it with an enthusiasm that seemed out of all proportion to me.
‘It’s a picturesque, chocolate box little village, with the most amazing gift shops, teashops, restaurants and inns.
It’s won awards for the best kept village, and it featured in The Cotswolds Courier only last summer as their number one choice for the Blossoming Cotswolds prize. ’
‘Kingsford Wold has a huge bookshop,’ Rory said quickly.
Ooh, sneaky!
‘How huge?’ I asked suspiciously.
‘Double-fronted shop and the sales area extends to the upstairs,’ he said hopefully. ‘We could spend ages in there browsing for books. Take as long as you like. I’ll pay for whatever you want. My treat.’
I narrowed my eyes. ‘Why?’
‘Because I want to, and it’s our anniversary tomorrow, and let’s call it an extra anniversary gift.’
I blushed, remembering I hadn’t even got Rory a gift yet.
‘Gift shops you said?’ I asked, trying to sound nonchalant.
‘Yes. Lots of them. And plenty of other shops, too. And after we’ve shopped a bit, I thought we could have lunch at a riverside cafe and then do some more shopping before we go out for dinner at The Royal Oak. Apparently, it’s won awards for its cuisine.’
I raised an eyebrow. ‘An award-winning village all round then.’
‘Exactly.’
‘But we’re here in Rowan Vale for a reason,’ I reminded him. ‘How is any of what you’ve suggested helping to bring us closure?’
Rory examined his fingernails. ‘We could do that tomorrow. Visit the site of Danny’s accident, I mean. Lay some flowers as you suggested. And then we could go for a drive, maybe to Cheltenham?’
‘For shopping?’
‘Yes! And lunch, obviously.’
‘Rory,’ I said cautiously, ‘don’t you like Rowan Vale?’
He looked up sharply. ‘Why on earth would you say that? It’s a beautiful village. I love it.’
‘Then why are you doing everything you can to stay away from it?’ I reached for his hand and squeezed it. ‘Tell me honestly. Is this proving too much for you?’
‘Too – too much for me?’
‘I should have realised,’ I said sadly. ‘While we were busy obsessing about how I’d react to being here, we never thought about how it might affect you. Danny was your brother! You loved him, too. I think we’ve underestimated how much it might upset you being here where he died.’
Rory’s thumb stroked the base of my palm. ‘I suppose you’re right. This place has been full of surprises.’
‘Then why don’t we go home?’ I suggested eagerly. ‘We don’t need to be here. It’s way too emotional for both of us. We can go back and celebrate our anniversary in our own house, just the two of us.’
He seemed to hesitate as I mentally crossed my fingers and hoped for the best, but then he shook his head.
‘We can’t. We haven’t done what we came to do.
’ He kissed my hand then let it go. ‘Tomorrow we’ll go to the site of the accident and we’ll talk.
We’ll really talk. It’s time to be honest with each other.
But not today. Please. Let’s just get out of here and enjoy ourselves in Kingsford Wold. ’
I could see he really meant it and there was no chance of heading back home any time soon, so I shrugged and forced a smile.
‘Of course. If that’s what you want.’
I’d just have to hope I didn’t bump into Brooke while we were out and about. She wasn’t the most discreet of people, and how would I explain to Rory that I was being harassed by my dead cousin if she decided she wanted to talk? He would never believe me.
We’d had breakfast in bed, courtesy of room service, and now we hurriedly dressed, changing out of the pyjamas Rory had insisted we wear, despite the warm April weather.
I’d spent most of the night restlessly kicking off the duvet and wondering if this was all I had to look forward to.
A husband who had suddenly developed a pathological fear of skin-to-skin contact with his wife.
I’d had quite a shock upon waking when I’d spotted that he had his socks on. How had he got away with that? Ugh! Thinking about it, it was probably a good job that he hadn’t been in the mood for sex. By the time we’d peeled all our clothes off it would have been time to get up anyway.
We made our way down to reception and then Rory clapped his hand to his forehead and said, ‘Bloody hell, I’ve forgotten the car keys! Won’t be a minute.’
He turned and headed back up the stairs, and I made my way outside to breathe in the fresh air and the scent of the pink roses round the porch.
‘Kirsty!’
I started in dismay as I saw Brooke heading towards me.
‘What are you doing here?’ I asked, looking around nervously in case anyone was watching.
The last thing I wanted was for someone to have a quiet word with Rory, warning him that his wife had completely lost the plot and was talking to thin air.
Given everything that had happened recently he wouldn’t take much convincing.
‘I need to talk to you.’
‘Well, it will have to wait. I’m going out with Rory and you need to go now! He’ll be down at any moment.’
‘So what? He can’t see or hear me,’ she said.
Annoyingly, she had a point.
‘Yes, but I can, and how can I act normally around him if you’re tagging along distracting me? Can we meet up later? This evening. We’re going out for the day and we won’t be home until around eight thirty, but I can try to get away then if you can meet me—’
‘No, that’s no good.’ Brooke bit her lip and gazed around, looking worried. ‘I need to talk to you now. It really can’t wait. It’s important.’
‘Ready?’
I jumped as Rory strolled out of the inn and put his arm around me. ‘Got them. Let’s get going to Kingsford Wold, shall we?’
I glared at Brooke who folded her arms in response. She stared at an oblivious Rory quite insolently, and I bristled with annoyance.
‘He’s not as good-looking as Danny, is he?’ she said, giving me a sweet smile.
Count to ten, count to ten.
‘Come on, Kirsty. You know I wouldn’t ask if this wasn’t vitally important,’ she pleaded suddenly. ‘Just ten minutes. That’s all I’m asking.’
I heaved a heavy sigh of exasperation and stopped dead. Rory removed his arm from my shoulders and turned to me.
‘What’s wrong?’
‘It’s these shoes,’ I said. ‘I really don’t feel comfortable in them. I’ll just nip upstairs and change.’
‘Okay, well I’ll come with you.’
‘No need,’ I said brightly. ‘Go and start the car and I’ll be with you in a jiffy.’
He nodded. ‘Okay, if you’re sure.’
I gave him a peck on the cheek and hurried back into the inn, taking the stairs two at a time and muttering under my breath as Brooke galloped up behind me.
‘This had better be good,’ I said as we finally entered the room and I carefully shut and locked the door behind me, just in case. ‘What was so important that it couldn’t wait until tonight?’
She sat down on the squashy sofa and it crossed my mind again: how could she walk through walls but sit on a sofa? Baffling.
‘Danny’s here.’
I dropped onto the sofa beside her, my mouth open. ‘What did you say?’
‘I said, Danny’s here.’ She tilted her head, watching me. ‘You okay?’
‘But – but you said…’
‘I know. I didn’t know how to tell you. I didn’t know how to tell him.
But the thing is that for various reasons you’re going to find out sooner or later.
And more importantly, he’s going to bump into you.
When he does, I need him to be prepared – and since I couldn’t speak directly to Rory I need you to do it for me. ’
I shook my head, dazed. ‘What does Rory have to do with this? What are you talking about?’
She crossed her legs, revealing bare legs above the black Doc Marten boots. ‘I’m guessing he still hasn’t told you then.’
‘Who hasn’t told me what?’ I said. ‘Brooke, what the heck are you going on about?’
‘Rory. He’s met up with Danny. Twice. They’ve had a long chat.’
Of everything she could possibly have said to me, that would have been the last thing I’d have guessed.
‘What?’
‘Rory and Danny. They bumped into each other. Well, not literally because – ghosts and stuff. But they could see each other. And hear each other. And they talked.’
‘When?’ I asked weakly. ‘When did this happen?’
‘Wednesday night,’ Brooke explained. ‘And then Danny said they arranged to meet again the following afternoon in the churchyard. When you and I were having our little chat in our flat yesterday, Danny was with his brother. Your husband.’
I swallowed feeling nauseated with fear. ‘And you knew?’ Hell, what had Danny told him? Was that why Rory didn’t want to touch me any longer? Was that why there was this sudden emotional distance between us? If Danny had told Rory the truth our marriage was dead in the water.
‘No. I only found out last night. Seems like we’ve all been keeping secrets.’
Our flat? As I suddenly realised what she’d said I frowned. ‘Wait, so Danny’s your flatmate?’
She shifted nervously on the sofa. ‘Er, yeah. Sorry about that.’
‘What did Rory tell him?’ I asked, even though I wasn’t sure I wanted to know. Not as much as I wanted to know what Danny had told Rory anyway.
‘That’s the thing,’ she said, sounding cross. ‘He told him he was married. Told him he was here as a break for work. Told him his wife wasn’t with him. That she had to work. What he didn’t tell him was who his wife was.’
So Danny didn’t know I was in the village? I straightened as everything started to make sense. That’s why Rory had wanted us to get out of Rowan Vale! He must have been terrified that Danny would see me and realise who it was that his brother had married.
‘Now you understand?’ Brooke asked. ‘I don’t think it’s fair that Danny might see you with Rory and put two and two together like that. He should be told the truth. And Rory should be the one to tell him. Unless…’
‘Unless?’ I asked hopefully.
‘Unless you and Rory leave today. Now. Go away and don’t come back. Then Danny need never know and we’ll all be happy.’
I shook my head in despair. ‘That won’t work.
We’re here to fix our marriage, I told you.
Put the ghosts of our past behind us.’ I gave a bitter laugh.
‘Well, that’s bloody ironic, isn’t it?’ If it was up to me, I’d jump in the car right now and get as far away from Rowan Vale as possible.
I could only pray that it wasn’t too late already.
But if Danny hadn’t told Rory what happened that night of the accident there was no way Rory would want to leave yet.
Was there? I massaged my temples feeling thoroughly confused.
‘I don’t see how your marriage is even worth fixing, since you’re both lying to each other,’ Brooke said. ‘You clearly didn’t tell Rory you’d met me, and he didn’t tell you he’d been talking to Danny. What kind of a marriage is that?’
‘You know nothing about it,’ I said hotly, while thinking that she had another point there.
What on earth did it say about us that we were both keeping secrets of such magnitude?
‘You should have told me Danny was here yesterday,’ I said, because I couldn’t have a go at Rory right now and Brooke was giving me such a smug look that I needed to lash out at someone. ‘I can’t imagine why you didn’t.’
‘To be honest, I didn’t think you’d be bothered,’ she said.
‘How can you say that? Danny was my husband!’
‘Yeah, and the entire marriage was on your terms.’
I didn’t understand why she was suddenly so hostile. ‘Where is this coming from?’ I asked. ‘You know how I felt about Danny.’
She leaned forward, her eyes flashing with anger and I reared away as it dawned on me that Danny might have told Brooke the truth, too. Hell, if they’d been together here for eighteen years it was almost inevitable. No wonder she looked so contemptuous of me.
‘Yeah,’ she snapped. ‘I do. You treated him like an idiot. Do you think I don’t know that you made all the decisions and made him dance to your tune?
You led him on and lied to him! I heard Mum and Auntie Sheryl talking one day.
I know what you’d told your mum when Danny was thinking you were both about to make an offer on that cottage.
You strung him along! And about much worse than that, too. ’
‘You don’t understand,’ I said weakly. ‘It wasn’t like that.’ That’s what she was mad about? Maybe Danny hadn’t confided in her after all.
‘Oh, I think it was exactly like that.’ Brooke got to her feet. ‘Anyway, I’ve delivered the message. Talk to Rory. He needs to break this to Danny as gently as possible, and then you two should get out of here fast. Let me pick up the pieces. Again.’
She headed for the door then glanced back. ‘Don’t forget to change your shoes.’
Then she was gone and I sat in stunned silence, thinking about what she’d said. I hadn’t strung Danny along!
Well… Maybe I had, but it wasn’t because I’d wanted to. I just hadn’t known what else to do. Like Brooke, I hadn’t wanted to see him hurt. But maybe by keeping the truth from him I’d made things ten times worse.
I buried my head in my hands as tears welled up.
Remembering.
Who was I kidding? There was no ‘maybe’ about it. I’d made things ten times worse, all right, and then some.