Chapter 26
‘Must have been something in the water,’ Roger mumbled. He grabbed his swim bag from the ground he’d defiled before excusing himself and heading off in a hurry.
As Nic waited outside the portable toilets for Giorgos to clean up his shoes, his head spun with questions about Aria’s U-turn and its potential impact on his planning application.
He stared after her as she headed to the exit where her stall was situated, deciding impulsivity was in the air today.
Licking mustard from a woman’s bare torso was not something he was in the habit of doing.
But when he’d whispered ‘hot,’ and looked into her alluring green eyes, his world seemed to tilt.
And that was before she announced their engagement!
He noticed everyone had moved over to a stage and he hurriedly joined them, running through the words he’d prepared last night.
***
When an announcer came forward to thank everyone, especially the sponsor, the crowd lapped it up.
As he walked to the stage for his pre-agreed promotional slot, Nic prayed it wasn’t a hostile audience.
Launching into a speech telling everyone how delighted he was to be associated with such a prestigious event in such a beautiful town, he felt that familiar pang of being an outsider trying to get in.
Imposter syndrome was an uninvited bitch.
As he wound up, a woman in an official t-shirt walked onto the stage, whispered in the presenter’s ear and handed him a clipboard.
‘We have our winner! I believe we had a tie for first place but, thanks to technology, we’ve managed to whittle it down to first and second.
’ The crowd cheered as the presenter ramped up the excitement before announcing that the winner of this year’s Spring into Summer Swim was a past benefactor.
Nic found himself scanning the audience for Aria as Justin made his way up the stairs to shake his hand and take his money.
He thanked the people beside him before leaning towards Nic.
‘There’s some more land coming up near your site I’m excited to bid for.
Perhaps I’ll spend today’s winnings.’ When he stepped back, a triumphant smile on his face, Nic noticed his pallor was a bit off, and a sheen of sweat glistened on his brow.
Undeterred, Justin grabbed the microphone, announcing he’d donate the money to Inglepets, but as he cynically grabbed their approval, his grin turned to a frown.
He pushed past Nic and made for the side of the stage.
The announcer took the helm again while the king of caravans barfed all over the steps.
There was definitely something in the water, Nic decided.
‘And now, I’d like to hand over to Aria Wilson who would like a quick word before you all head home,’ the announcer said, nodding at Nic to leave the stage. Aria walked up the steps with an old man and her dog, swerving to avoid stepping in her ex’s vomit.
‘This is Fred, who lives in the care home here in Inglemere,’ she announced when she reached the microphone.
‘The residential home should by rights be one of the charities we are supporting today, but it’s not, because sometimes people get a bit lost in this busy community.
Don’t get me wrong, I love animals, and I adopted this little mutt recently when my dad passed away.
’ Nic melted as he watched Aria bend down to stroke her pet, suspecting she was masking a wave of emotion.
Rising again, she pursed her lips before grabbing the old man’s hand.
‘But I’ve returned recently after eighteen months away and realised how great this town is.
That it’s the people who make it so great.
This gentleman matched me stroke for stroke today and put in a marvellous effort,’ she continued.
‘I think we should give him and those who care for him a round of applause.’
A wave of clapping went around the field, but Nic didn’t join in as he was studying Aria.
She was fully dressed now in blue and white flowery trousers and a navy-blue top that suited her.
With her flame hair, leather flip flops and face unadorned by make-up, she was an advert for the outdoors.
When the applause died down, Nic’s attention snapped back to her speech.
‘Sadly, our elders aren’t the only things we ignore in this community.
We often adopt a casual attitude to many of the things that give this town its beating heart.
Like our beautiful lake. Most of us take it for granted every single day, while others wilfully exploit it.
’ Nic anxiously glanced at the crowd. He’d just got them onside.
Was she about to lay into him and redraw the target that had been on his back for so long?
As a general rule, he thought he understood women.
But dealing with this one was like trying to grasp a palm full of mercury.
When she moved on to access issues, he braced himself for criticism.
Her eyes filled with tears as she continued talking.
‘Enjoyment of the lake and fells should be for all not just the few. I know from personal experience how a wild swim can empty your head of anxiety, or even grief. We can’t let farmers or profit-making organisations fence off our beach or let their carelessness with our precious water put our health at risk. ’
A few weeks ago, Nic would have been incensed by Aria using the swim he’d funded as a platform to slag off developers, but as he listened to the rest of her passionate appeal about the lack of regulation and the importance of this natural landmark, he found himself being swayed.
And when she went on to talk about the rich parachuting in and blasting across the lake in their speed boats, causing noise as well as environmental pollution, his heart skipped a beat.
He had done just this without thinking on so many occasions.
His stomach churned like he too might need to empty its contents.
‘Dad always said I swim like a fish. With your help, I hope to keep on swimming,’ she concluded, as the sun disappeared behind a cloud.
***
His father caught up with him soon after. ‘She’s a pocket rocket,’ Giorgos said. ‘But I’m surprised she has the gall to lecture about developers destroying the landscape when she’s agreed to marry you.’
As Nic swung around, he formulated a reply.
Part of him wanted to tell his father about the fake engagement.
Giorgos would totally see this as an acceptable way to go forward.
But another part of him didn’t trust his dad as far as he could throw him.
He was already on a downer about Aria, and, in Nic’s experience, any secret was an opportunity for mischief or blackmail.
‘She truly believes in access for all,’ he defended her.
‘Then persuade her to sell you that cabin. It’ll be much easier for people to reach the lake if their car takes them directly to it.’
‘I told you the hut is in hand. And congratulations wouldn’t go amiss. Maybe we could celebrate tonight?’
‘Oh, I’m going back to London this evening, Nicolas. I’m done here.’
Nic’s heart sank. Had he decided to give the investment a miss? Classic Dad – throughout their childhood he’d regularly made his sons promises he couldn’t keep and set expectations he didn’t plan to deliver on.
‘Done in a good way?’ he asked, with a casualness he wasn’t feeling.
Aria walked up to them, unaware she was interrupting an important conversation. ‘Did it sound like I was shouting at everyone, up there? I hope not.’ Pushing her hair back from her face, she searched on her wrist for the elastic she often kept there. ‘Have you enjoyed the event, Mr Castle?’
‘Our surname is Castellanos,’ Giorgos corrected her with a sniff.
Aria looked confused. ‘But Nic—’
‘Sold out. Anglified our identity. Which name will you take, I wonder?’ he said to Aria in a tone Nic didn’t like.
There was no selling out as far as he was concerned – he and Theo had changed their names to make a stand against their father’s behaviour.
But Giorgos continued, oblivious. ‘I’m sure Aria here will completely understand the need to be flexible with her identity and principles. For example, a more authentic environmental campaigner might find it impossible to make a stand against developers while hitching herself to one, no?’
Aria’s expression changed. ‘I believe I have just demonstrated my passion for—’
Giorgos ploughed straight on. ‘You picked the best team to be on. Congratulations on your long-term thinking, Aria. We will win this bid. And then, once you have some security, you’ll be able to stand on whatever soapbox you desire.
You could be head of the local Green Party in five years. Imagine that!’
Aria opened her mouth to object as an ambulance drove through the gate.
Belinda flew over to them, panting as though she’d run up a hill.
‘Your friend Fred is sick. Along with about five other people. I think the water might have given participants some kind of gastroenteritis bug. They tested it for blue–green algae this morning but obviously missed something else.’
A worried Aria turned to Nic. ‘I need to go.’
His father nodded. ‘I second that. Please bring the car round, Nicolas.’
***
Nic left his father at the gate and went to retrieve his four-by-four from the overflow field. Everything had happened so fast today, he was glad of a moment alone. But as he unlocked the door a woman approached him.
‘Excuse me, are you—’
‘Yes, I’m about to move, if you want my space.’
Her laugh filled the air. ‘Not at all, I’ve been here a while. I was going to ask if you are Nic Castle.’
Nic nodded, with some trepidation. Was he now even more unpopular after Aria’s comments about developers spoiling the lake?
But the woman laughed again, sounding nervous rather than confrontational.
‘I just heard a rather bizarre rumour, and I haven’t been able to find my stepdaughter to confirm it.
I’m sure it’s Chinese whispers as everything always is round here…
only…I heard you and Aria got engaged. I am Felicity and I am…
or rather was…married to her dad, and obviously this would have been a very big thing for him, but maybe she doesn’t feel she needs to give me the news herself and, oh, I’m not sure why I’m crying but it is quite an emotional thing, isn’t it, even if they’re not actually your family?
You see, I really want her to be happy.’
This babbling brook of a woman was Aria’s stepmother?
She looked friendly enough, but then, the evil ones didn’t always come with a large collar, red lips and an apple laced with arsenic.
‘It sounds like you should talk to Aria,’ he said.
‘She’s with the ambulance, I think. A friend of hers is sick. ’
As he nodded towards the blue light, Felicity grabbed his arm.
‘Take care of her. She’s fragile.’ Felicity’s voice was so quiet he almost missed the warning.
‘Much less robust than she looks, and her father’s death threw her more than she admits.
’ Aria’s stepmother took a beat before blurting out a final statement. ‘She’s had to deal with a lot.’
Nic suspected Aria was struggling with her grief and wanted to understand her better.
But he envisaged his father getting annoyed at being kept waiting.
‘I promise you her happiness is a priority for me,’ he replied with a reassuring smile.
‘I’d love to chat some more but I’m afraid I must go.
I need to give my dad a lift to the station.
It’s been lovely to meet you. Perhaps you can come over sometime for a glass of wine. ’
‘That would be lovely. And of course I’m hoping for an invite to the big day!’
By the time Nic reached the entrance, the music had stopped, and people were packing up the stage. Meanwhile his father was looking thunderous, jabbing at his phone.
‘I believe up to ten people have gone down with this illness. It’ll be a news story – a disaster, if it’s fatal for the old man.
And it’s your disaster now your brand is associated with it.
Do we have a PR department?’ As he spoke, he gestured to the banners with the company logo splashed across them while Nic shuddered at his use of the word we.
‘You need to be more diligent about which events to sponsor and attend,’ Giorgos pressed on, climbing into the car.
‘As well as Castle Enterprises being all over the publicity, your future wife accused you of vandalising the environment shortly after you gave a prize to the head of a company grabbing land from under your nose.
In future, any tie-ins will need to be run past my marketing department if you are not properly set up for fighting fires.
‘Now can I suggest you follow me back to London and avoid any more emotional involvement with country folk than really necessary? I suspect from the secrecy around your so-called engagement that you’ve knocked her up?
She’s bonny, Nicolas, but you are anything but a “small-town” man.
’ Hands locked on the steering wheel, Nic began to argue but was shut down.
‘I trust you will put in place a solid NDA and an arrangement that’s agreeable to everyone involved, whatever the circumstances of this shotgun scenario.
But I reserve the right to pull funding if you make any more foolish decisions. ’
Keeping his eyes on the road, Nic told Giorgos he was wide of the mark, but stopped there.
He had nowhere to go with his defence, as he had indeed bought himself a wife.
Maybe Dad was right, and he was in over his head?
Although he’d proposed a commercial transaction, he had to admit he was starting to have genuine feelings for the girl.
He’d thought about her many times in London and had been proud of her grit today; while also wishing he could get his hands inside that wetsuit.
After dropping Giorgos at the station, he texted her to check she hadn’t come down with a bug herself, before suggesting a chat in the morning.
A professional chat about a business arrangement.
He needed to take his emotions out of this and focus.
The whole situation was starting to feel like a jigsaw puzzle where he didn’t have control of the pieces.