Chapter 10
Arriving at the village hall for Pilates on Tuesday evening, Eliza had a little shudder of longing for the slick set-up she used to attend in London.
The reformer studio she went to in Balham was full of all the cool girls, arriving with their Stanley cups in their latest workout gear, not a hint of cellulite in the place.
She loved it – it had appealed to her competitive nature.
The teacher moved at a fast pace, and Eliza was good at it.
Plus, watching the snobby twig-like girls nearly falling off the reformer was worth every painful butt clench.
This however looked more like a throwback to the Seventies.
She’d not yet been to an evening class, and she saw people arriving she had never seen in the village, mainly over the age of sixty.
Then to her delight, Vivi arrived, followed not long after by Bella.
They didn’t seem to be chatting, so maybe they weren’t friends, thought Eliza.
Well, this would be interesting if nothing else.
So, she gathered her rolled-up mat in her arms, and headed towards the front door.
The freezing cold hit her as soon as she stepped inside the room, followed by the stale smell of every village hall she had ever been in.
It was colder inside than out, and it took her straight back to the horrors of her childhood when all the birthday parties she had attended had been in one of these, with slightly lecherous magicians trying to entertain uninterested, screaming children.
This village hall was a small one-storey room, and she could see it was already nearly full, with the wooden floors softly creaking underfoot as people trickled in.
There was very little natural light coming through the windows as it was still getting dark early, so not even that could give any extra warmth.
‘Over here, Eliza,’ Vivi called out to her. ‘Come and join me, I have a space right next to me you can squeeze into, so long as you don’t mind being pressed up against the wall.’
Eliza felt a sense of intense relief, similar to when you were picked for a team in P.E. It made her feel popular – and it astounded her that even in her late thirties these feelings never left.
‘Brilliant, thank you. I’m still getting to grips with mat Pilates. The morning class on Tuesdays seems a bit intense, but I thought I’d try the evening class to see how it differs. Honestly, I used to only do reformer in London and I still can’t work out if this is easier or harder?’
Vivi, who looked even hotter in her sports gear than she did normally, laughed.
‘Well, I’m not sure this is the pinnacle of Pilates, but at least it’s fun.
I like the evening class; it’s more chilled than the morning ones.
And as an aside,’ Vivi beckoned her closer and whispered in Eliza’s ear, ‘if you do fancy some reformer Pilates, don’t tell anyone, but I have a full studio at home where I have a private teacher who comes to see me once a week.
’ Leaning back she fixed Eliza was a steely eye and a snarky expression.
‘I don’t share that information with just anyone, as I’m sure they already think I’m very high maintenance! ’
‘Of course you have a studio, Vivi,’ joked Eliza, feeling exceptionally special and chosen. ‘I wouldn’t expect anything less! And what’s wrong with being a bit high maintenance? If I was rich enough, I would be, too! Does Jean Pierre do Pilates with you?’
Vivi sighed. ‘I’ve tried to get him interested, but he’s very much a cyclist. To my horror, he walks around in those tight shorts showing his gear off to everyone.
Such a vain Frenchman. I’ve asked him so many times to put a looser pair over his skintight ones, but he seems very proud of what he has, and men will be men . . .’
Eliza laughed, the image too vivid. ‘I think they refer to those men in cycling shorts as MAMILs, don’t they? Or road hogs!’
‘That’s them!’ laughed Vivi. ‘Also quickly, before Dan arrives, how funny was that message! Jean Pierre and I laughed till we cried. And your reply was so brave on the local WhatsApp group. I bet if you knew more of the people on it you wouldn’t have sent it!
’ she exclaimed gleefully. ‘Eliza, you are going to spice this place up! Anyway, I bet, knowing Dan, he was trying to send a selfie to one of his ladies.’
‘No, I was not,’ came a voice behind them. ‘As I said, I was trying to send a message to a friend, and I must have accidentally taken a picture of myself at the same time. And as for you, Eliza . . .’
‘Hi, Dan,’ they said in unison, as they turned to face him.
Vivi continued, ‘Please, tell us how it’s possible to take a picture of yourself when you’re trying to type? Aren’t those very different buttons?’
Dan fixed them with a steely gaze. ‘It’s actually very simple, ladies, when your eyesight isn’t as good as it used to be!
Also, everything tends to be slippery in the bath.
Imagine my horror when I saw a picture of myself with my wrinkled, half-submerged face staring back at me, and an eyebrow raised in confusion. ’
That did it, they couldn’t hold it in anymore and burst into laughter.
‘I bet that was quite a shock!’ Eliza said, grinning at him. ‘I’m impressed with how quickly you managed to jump in the bath after I saw you, though, Dan.’
‘Oh, I do love a bath before I exercise, softens the muscles at my age, gets me ready for action! And Luke left not long after you, so I realised I had some extra time on my hands.’
‘Yes, I heard him heading off,’ responded Eliza.
Bella, who had been chatting to someone on the other side of the room, suddenly moved over to join them. A mention of Luke was all it took for her ears to prick up.
‘So, what were all you guys up to this week, then?’ asked Bella. ‘Did I miss out on something fun?’
‘Not unless you call taking the roof off Dan’s Land Rover fun,’ replied Eliza.
‘That was nice of Luke to come all the way over to help you do that,’ exclaimed Bella.
‘Well, he didn’t have to come far,’ laughed Dan. ‘He was only next door at Eliza’s, so I thought I’d grab him while I could.’
Bella’s mouth tightened at the corners. ‘My, my, the village Romeo doesn’t waste time, does he?’
‘It wasn’t . . . we weren’t—’ Eliza felt herself blush. She bent over to smooth her yoga mat, trying to avoid the eyes she felt on her from all directions. ‘He just helped with a leak in my bathroom, that’s all.’
‘Oh, I bet he did.’ Bella’s voice dripped like honey over glass.
‘He used to rush over whenever my pipes needed attention, too. Funny how he’s suddenly too occupied to do that these days.
’ She adjusted her ponytail with a sharp tug.
‘Just don’t expect him to stick around when the novelty wears off. ’
The air between them seemed to thicken until Vivi clapped her hands together. ‘Speaking of busy! Between recovering from Jean Pierre’s wine tasting, helping with Fenella’s wedding, and that WhatsApp disaster –’ she rolled her eyes dramatically – ‘I’m ready to stretch away the week, aren’t you?’
Eliza pressed her lips together, fighting the bubble of laughter rising in her throat.
Her eyes darted to Bella’s face, blank with confusion.
‘Nobody bothered adding me to any group chat,’ Bella said, her voice sharp.
She crossed her arms. ‘And since when are the Stanleys planning some extravagant wedding? Check you out, Eliza, you’ve certainly made yourself comfortable here.
Barely unpacked and already you’re playing event planner for the village elite. ’
Before Eliza could form a response, the Pilates instructor glided in, Mia from Stanley’s café, all lithe limbs and effortless grace as she directed everyone to their mats.
Watching her demonstrate a perfect backbend, Eliza couldn’t help wondering if she too had experienced Luke’s particular talents.
Just the thought of him sent a delicious shiver through her entire body.
This afternoon’s encounter replayed in her mind, his hands, his mouth.
She bit her lip, suddenly warm despite the draughty room.
With skills like his, no wonder every ovulating woman within a twenty-mile radius was desperate for him.
The man didn’t just look like a god, he fucked like one, too.
The evening Pilates session was so much better than Eliza had imagined and, of course, Vivi, Dan and Bella were all amazing at it. When they were asked to hold a plank, Eliza lasted about one minute. Dan lasted six, and didn’t even break a sweat.
Vivi whispered to her, ‘That’s nothing, he can actually hold a plank for nine minutes. Why do you think those widows are knocking his door down?’
‘I know, I saw him do it in morning Pilates last week! Honestly, it’s incredible, if only I was thirty years older.’ Eliza felt the giggles welling up in her again.
During the cool-down, Mia guided them through gentle stretches and relaxation poses.
They lay on their backs, legs extended, arms reaching wide in a final full-body stretch.
Eliza closed her eyes, letting her mind drift as tension eased from her muscles – and from her heart.
Softly, Mia’s voice urged, ‘Let go of anything that doesn’t serve you.
Breathe out the stress. Breathe in the calm. ’
She inhaled slowly, then released a long, cleansing exhale, imagining the breath sweeping away every trace of her old life.
Had she lost all the sting from her breakup?
She wasn’t sure. But aside from the near heart attack she’d suffered at the potential sight of Henry at Jean Pierre’s tasting, she realised she didn’t really miss him.
Oh, she’d definitely toyed with the idea of sending him a card, complete with a photo of Luke telling him that she was getting her pipes serviced in a way she had never experienced before, but the thought brought an unexpected sense of release, and almost made her laugh.
She was sure that counted as progress, and tears suddenly pricked at her eyes.
Not from the dust on the village hall, but from the reminder that life goes on. She’d feared that without Henry she’d be lost, yet here she was: making friends, discovering a new career path (or at least a way back into the black), and experiencing the best sex of her life.
As the teacher quietly told them to open their eyes, she realised that sometimes healing can happen in the most unexpected of places.