Chapter 15
NOW
Late August
Tuesday
The road stretched out ahead of me, still quiet before the rush-hour traffic, as I headed back towards Swanage. But all I could see was the image of Charlotte slipping her hand in Ryan’s.
I snorted softly. Charlotte was occupying my thoughts too much recently. I missed the days before we’d moved down here. When I hadn’t known she existed. When my life hadn’t been shaped by her.
Corfe Castle rose into view in the distance. The stone ruins had always been dark and mysterious, but now they held something else. A secret. Charlotte’s.
Why had she met David Harcourt there?
Was it the first time?
What had been in that envelope?
Questions circled, looping endlessly.
I slowed as I approached the curve, my fingers flicking the right indicator on before my brain had caught up. I turned off the road and pulled into the small car park. It was emptier today.
I cut the engine and stepped out. I followed the path past the bakery, rounded the corner and then stopped, my gaze drifting up to the castle ruins.
The red gate was shut. It was too early for visitors today. Not that I needed to enter. The answers I needed weren’t up there; I knew that.
But then, where were they?
Ryan had been a dead end. Maybe if Charlotte hadn’t arrived when she did… Maybe if we’d had more time to talk… Maybe.
I let out a sigh. I could try again. Find a way to get him alone. Somewhere she couldn’t interrupt us. But—
The image of Charlotte handing David the envelope flashed into my mind.
Did Ryan even know the answers, though?
Vets didn’t meet clients in places like this. Away from the yard. In secret. With envelopes passed between them because it was something that needed to stay hidden.
Ryan and his father, Martin, handled all the veterinary care. I’d never seen Charlotte involved. Not once. Had things changed in my absence?
I scrunched my nose. Martin wasn’t one for making changes. His reluctance to update the admin system was proof of that. The office was the one place my skills could have been of use to them. I could have improved efficiency. Made their lives easier. But he’d resisted.
I frowned. Not just him, Charlotte too. In fact, she’d been the one most determined to keep me out. The way she’d hovered. Objected. Criticised.
Ben was the only one who’d actually helped me at the stables and then… my thoughts raced even faster. He’d suddenly quit. I’d never really understood why. One minute he was a valued member of the team, a friend, and the next he was gone. Just like that.
Why had Charlotte been so resistant?
I’d told myself it was because she wanted to make me feel uncomfortable. Unwelcome. The last thing she wanted was for Ryan to think I might actually find a way to belong there.
But what if it was more than that?
I stilled.
Ryan. Charlotte. The vet.
Everything led back to the same place. The stables.
They’d never wanted me there. That much had been clear from the start.
A slow, unfamiliar calm settled over me. Perhaps it was time I went back. This time, without them looking over my shoulder.