Chapter 16
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Juliette was on the way back from the village.
She’d been to stock up for Danny’s return that evening, although she’d booked them into The Valley Arms for a meal as well.
She wanted to introduce him to a few people she’d met over the last week.
It would be good for him to have some friends to go out with once he moved here permanently.
It was almost the end of her first few weeks in Mapleton. It amazed her how easily she was adapting to her new life. But she still had an ache in her heart that Emily had never got the chance to spend time here too.
Passing her neighbour’s home, she saw Linda in the garden and stopped to chat.
‘I couldn’t believe that storm last night,’ she said. ‘The wind made my window rattle. Did it wake you up too?’
‘No, I slept right through it.’ Juliette laughed. ‘I suppose it’s being used to living with the noise of a busy city that I tune out up here. Mind, I do wake up occasionally and then find it too quiet to get back to sleep. So swings and roundabouts.’
Linda smiled at her. ‘Are you settling in now? It was lovely to see you at the book club.’
‘Yes, I’ve surprised myself by getting out and about. I thought I might not without Danny, but everyone has been so welcoming.’
‘How are you getting on with Richard and Sarah?’
‘They seem okay.’
‘Hmm. You know he’s a lot older than her?’
‘Yes, but I don’t see a problem with—’
‘She used to be the nanny.’
‘Oh! I had no idea.’
‘They had a little girl. She left with Louisa.’
Juliette frowned. ‘Does he see his daughter?’ Maybe that was the child she’d seen in their garden.
‘Not that I know of. When I asked after them, Richard said they’d been having problems for a while, but it’s obvious it was more than that.’
‘I don’t follow.’
‘Well, Sarah was the nanny and she’s still there.’
‘Ah.’ Juliette nodded her understanding. ‘They never said.’
‘I suppose it’s not the thing one can bring up in conversation.’
‘I suppose not.’ Juliette checked her watch with gusto. ‘I have to get a move on. I need to collect Danny from the station soon.’
‘Ah, love’s young dream.’ Linda sighed. ‘The look on your face when you say his name. I was like that with my Brian. He’s been gone three years now, God rest his soul.’
‘Oh, sorry to hear that.’
Linda waved away her comment. ‘Don’t be. He was a cheeky blighter.’
Juliette smiled, seeing the same look in Linda’s eyes that she suspected would be in her own. She hoped she felt the same way about Danny when they were old and grey.
She said her goodbyes and let herself into her own house. In the kitchen, she looked out of the window. Next door’s garden was empty. She couldn’t see Richard or Sarah. And there was certainly no child. But there was some secrecy, she was sure.
On her way to pick Danny up from the station later that afternoon, Juliette spotted Richard next door. ‘Richard, hi!’ She waved to get his attention.
She was glad to see he came walking towards her.
‘Everything all right?’ he asked.
‘Oh, yes, fine, thanks. I hope I’m not making too much noise.’ It was the first thing she thought of to say. ‘You must be used to the house being empty.’
‘It’s taking a while to adjust to you being in it. Not that we mind, I hasten to add.’ He smiled. ‘It’s been lovely to hear voices coming from the garden.’
‘So you don’t have many visitors?’ she probed, unable to help herself.
‘We don’t have any at all.’
‘That’s strange. I saw a little girl in your garden the other day. She was about Emily’s age and so she startled me.’ She stopped when she saw his face was like thunder. ‘Sorry, again. I didn’t mean to imply it was your fault.’
‘I don’t understand what you’re talking about.’
‘The child. It was a little girl. She wore a red dress, had blonde hair and was skipping around the garden.’
‘When was this?’
‘Monday. I saw her from my kitchen window.’
‘There was no child in our garden on Monday.’
‘Oh, I—’
‘You’re mistaken.’ Richard made a point of checking his watch. ‘I’d better be off. Lots to do. Catch you later.’
‘Yes, okay. See you.’
Juliette stood for a while, watching him until he was out of sight. She frowned. What had that been about? She had seen a child in their garden. There was no need for him to deny it.
Once at the station, as she waited for Danny’s train to arrive, she thought more about what Linda had said. It was interesting how neither Richard nor Sarah had corrected them when they assumed they were married.
‘I have some gossip for you,’ she said, almost as soon as she and Danny had got in the car to drive home. ‘It’s about Richard and Sarah. You know we said there was a big age gap between them? Well, Sarah was the nanny.’
‘To who?’ Danny asked.
Juliette laughed at the expression on his face as he tried to work out the logistics. ‘Apparently, Richard had a wife and a young daughter. They left about a year ago and Sarah stayed on.’
‘So they were having an affair?’
‘More than likely. Else why wouldn’t Sarah have left if the child had?’
‘Interesting.’
‘Even more so is that I saw a little girl in their garden the other day, but when I mentioned it to Richard, he denied it.’
Danny shook his head. ‘That’s weird.’
‘I know. I wonder if his daughter came for a quick visit and he didn’t want to tell me. I bet it’s a touchy subject.’
‘I can imagine.’
‘Should we invite them to the pub this evening? It’s going to be fun getting to know people.’
‘So you can interrogate them?’
‘No! Well, yes a little.’ She laughed.
Danny did too. ‘When we were in London, we didn’t know half the neighbours in the street and yet here you are content to get to know ours. I haven’t seen you so happy since… well, you know.’
‘There’s something different about a village. I’m really starting to love it here in Mapleton. It’s going to be our perfect home.’
Sarah was coming downstairs when Richard came into the kitchen. As she joined him, she could tell by the way he threw his keys on the table that something had annoyed him. She wasn’t going to ask what, knowing full well he’d tell her about it anyway.
‘I bumped into Juliette. She’s asking questions already. We need to be more careful.’
Sarah was intrigued then. ‘Asking questions about what?’
‘She claims she saw a child in the garden.’
‘Well, she’s wrong about that.’
‘She is.’ He paused for a moment. ‘I want you to invite yourself for that coffee next week. Get some cakes from the village and see what you can find out. Are they here permanently or just to see if they can settle out of London? Perhaps they intend to spend a lot of time in the city rather than here? Anything that will work in our favour.’
‘She seems nice to me. I’m sure she’ll be no trouble.’
‘Know that for certain, do you?’ Richard growled. ‘They’ve barely moved in and all of a sudden, you act as if Juliette is a long-lost friend that you share a history with.’
‘No, I was saying that—’
‘Well, don’t. Just mind your own business but find out what you can.’
He left her then and she made a coffee, taking it through to the living room.
Of all the rooms in the house, this was Sarah’s favourite.
Most of the back wall was made up of bi-folding doors that let the garden into the front room when they were open.
It was sheer bliss to sit with the breeze blowing on you on hot evenings, either watching the TV or reading a book.
An inglenook fireplace stood on the opposite wall.
Two brown, soft leather settees facing each other, a pile of cushions thrown on top of them in creams and oranges.
She’d had no hand in the decoration, it had been like this since before she’d arrived. And yet, she liked it all.
While Richard was out of the way, Sarah took the opportunity to relax.
She slipped off her shoes and rested her feet on the coffee table, gazing out onto the garden as she drank her drink.
She wasn’t sure she would ever tire of the view, the way it made her feel as she gazed out onto the greenery.
Yet she hoped it wasn’t all going to be for nothing.
Richard had some funny ways of keeping control and she didn’t want to push him too much.
She also knew better than to question his sudden interest in Juliette.
Was it because he thought she was getting too close?
Or did he like her? Juliette was a beautiful woman.
Sarah knew his feelings for her were waning, but she wasn’t sure she wanted to do anything about it.
Keeping the peace was what she was interested in, for as long as it took.
Still, if Richard had set his sights on Juliette, it was a little too close to home for her liking. But that wouldn’t stop him. He would see it as a challenge. Although she wasn’t sure Juliette would fall for his charms, no matter if he did throw himself at her.
Juliette and Danny seemed very much in love.
Sarah had been envious since meeting them, their close bond oozing from them.
They seemed content in each other’s company, not a couple who slobber over each other and make people feel uncomfortable.
Just a hand on an arm during conversation, a shared smile between the two of them.
It made her realise what she’d been missing.
Was that how it should be? she wondered. There hadn’t been many men in Sarah’s life to compare with really. She did tire of Richard’s constant attention and nit-picking though. After so long with him, she thought she knew his every move, but he would always surprise her, being one step ahead.
It could get lonely at White Oaks, but she was determined to stick it out. Living with Richard was now both a nightmare and a challenge.
But she was in this for however long it took.