34. Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Four
W e staggered through the forest, the effects of all the alcohol we’d consumed only hitting us once we were out in the fresh air. It was pitch black, and we relied on the torchlight from our phones to help us on our way.
‘Ow!’ My foot caught on a tree root, and I went sprawling flat on my face on the forest floor.
‘Oh, God, Liv, are you hurt?’ Maggie rushed towards me. I felt something on my face and reached up and pulled a leaf from my cheek. Maggie giggled.
‘It’s not funny,’ I said.
Harry shone her torch light on my face, spluttering into her hand. I felt my face again. My fingers came away brown. I sniffed the brown substance, relieved as the smell of earth and rotting leaves reached my nose.
‘Help me up.’
Maggie’s giggles were infectious, laughter leaving our muscles weak. Zoe heaved me to my feet, only for me to fall into her, pushing us both to the ground once again. We all collapsed in a drunken huddle on the earth, lying on our backs, trying to stop laughing. As soon as one of us gained composure, someone else would giggle, setting us all off again.
‘I’m too old for this,’ said Mel, flinging her arms above her head before attempting to make snow angels in the dirt of the forest floor.
A flash of light pierced the darkness. ‘What was that?’ I said, sitting up and looking around.
‘Dunno,’ said Harry, ‘probably one of our phones.’
‘It couldn’t have been,’ I said. ‘We were all lying down. No one had their phones out.’
‘Don’t worry, Liv,’ said Mel. ‘It was probably a flash of lightning or something. Come on, ladies, let’s get to that lake. We can’t stay here all night.’
We pulled ourselves to standing, but my laughter had left me. The night was clear and still, not a cloud in the sky. I felt certain the flash wasn’t lightning and couldn’t shake the feeling we weren’t alone.
By the time we reached the lake, my fears were forgotten. Harry’s enthusiasm was infectious, and we stood on the jetty, peeling off our clothes. The phone ban Mel had implemented meant that despite being naked, the whole experience was a very modest affair. We could barely see each other’s faces, never mind anything else.
‘Right,’ said Harry. ‘On the count of three, we go for it. Ready?’ We all nodded. ‘OK, one, two, three, GO!’
We stepped off the jetty, holding our noses, screaming. Just before we hit the water, the surrounding air lit up. I emerged spluttering, brushing water from my face.
‘There was the light again,’ I said, as the others bobbed around me, squealing from the cold.
‘It’s probably just climate change,’ said Maggie. ‘It’s doing strange things to the weather.’
‘It couldn’t be Pat or Seb taking photos, could it?’ asked Zoe.
‘No, definitely not,’ said Harry. ‘They wouldn’t do something like that.’
‘Besides,' I said, ‘they’re both still up at the farmhouse.’
‘Come on,’ said Harry, ‘let’s have a race to the pontoon.’
We began splashing our way through the lake. I tried to enjoy the experience but couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched. What if one of Beryl’s much discussed peevs had followed us down to the lake?
At the pontoon, the others climbed up, lying on their backs panting after all their exertions.
‘If you don’t mind, I’m going to head back now,’ I said, treading water.
‘Are you sure?’
‘Yes, I’m working in the shop in the morning so need to get some sleep, and I want to get back for Bertie.’
‘All right, see you in the morning.’
‘Night.’
I turned and swam back to the jetty. Before I’d even put on my clothes, I crouched down and pulled my phone from my pocket and called Seb.
‘Liv? Is everything all right? I wasn’t expecting to hear from you tonight.’
‘Everything’s fine. I was wondering if you’re at home?’
‘No, I’m on my way back, though. I’ll be there in about five minutes.’
‘OK. Look, I know this is a pain in the arse, but would you mind taking me back to the farmhouse?’
‘Of course not. But has something happened?’
‘No, I don’t think so. I’ve just got a weird feeling, like someone’s watching me. I’ve probably just had too much to drink.’
‘I’ll be there as soon as I can. Do you want me to stay on the line till I get there?’
‘No, I’ll be fine. I’ll see you soon.’
I heard Seb rev the engine and smiled at the thought of my knight in shining armour racing to my rescue. While I waited for Seb, I pulled clothes onto my damp body and walked up the path to wait outside his cabin.
Three minutes after I’d spoken to him, Seb arrived at the cabin, the quad bike spewing up dirt as he skidded to a stop. He jumped off and rushed over to me.
‘Are you all right? I was so worried.’
I laughed and put my arms around his neck. ‘Honestly, I’m fine. I was just being silly.’
‘As long as you’re OK.’
I answered him with a deep kiss, revelling in his warmth as he held me tight, his hands running up and down my back. Suddenly a bright flash filled the air, accompanied by a click that sounded like the shutter of a camera.
‘What the hell?’ Seb spun round, trying to work out the direction the light had come from. ‘Wait here.’
He jumped down from the deck and began searching the nearby woodland by the light of his torch. Five minutes later, he came back to where I stood, shivering from both cold and fear.
‘I couldn’t see anyone, but there was definitely someone there.’
‘Well, I suppose at least I now know I wasn’t going mad. I feel awful leaving the girls down here, but could you take me back to the farmhouse? I hate thinking of Bertie being there without me if there’s some dodgy guy prowling around. Then maybe you could come back and give the others a lift home?’
‘Yes, of course. I’ll drop you home, then come back for the others. By the shrieks and giggles, I’d say there’ll be fine here for a while. It wasn’t the most sensible idea, you know, going swimming after you’ve all been drinking.’
‘I know, sorry.’
‘Don’t say sorry, Liv. You’re a grown woman who can do what she wants, I just don’t want anything bad to happen to you.’ Seb leaned forward, kissed me, then took my hand and led me to the quad bike. Unlike our first trip, this time I relished the feeling of my arms around his waist, feeling safe so long as he was with me.
Seb dropped me at the farmhouse, swapped the quad bike for the Land Rover, and turned straight back to find the others. I crept into our bedroom to check on Bertie, then went downstairs to wait for the others to return. I’d agreed with Seb that we wouldn’t say anything to the others about the intruder tonight. It would be a shame to spoil Harry’s birthday, and given how much they’d had to drink, goodness knows how Harry and Maggie would react. But first thing in the morning, Seb would have a good look around the grounds, and promised to get to the bottom of things.