Chapter 17 #3
She tapped her temple, pretending to think about it.
Rolling his eyes, he opened the door and headed inside. ‘Anyway, it’s more complicated for Connor.’
She followed him inside and was hit by the strong scent of leather and manure.
‘Why’s it more complicated? Because of his depression?
’ She hadn’t expected so many horses, there must have been twenty lined along the walkway in individual boxes.
‘I think people are more open-minded these days, less likely to judge. I hope so, anyway.’ She stopped and petted a pale grey horse with mismatched eyes.
‘It’s the cause of Connor’s depression that’s the issue.
’ Danny rubbed his face, opening and closing his mouth a few times, as if debating whether to say something.
‘Please don’t tell anyone this,’ he said, glancing at the door to check they were alone.
‘But Connor’s depression is a result of being accused of assaulting a female student while he was at university. ’
Elena’s shock must have been obvious.
‘He didn’t do it,’ he added quickly. ‘But for a while we struggled to prove that.’ He sagged against the wall.
‘The police were adamant they’d got the right person and made an application to The Crown Prosecution Service to press charges.
It was only when another student came forward about an earlier assault that the police reviewed the evidence and realised it was a case of mistaken identity.
DNA traces from the first attack confirmed it was the same man and an arrest was made.
Charges against Connor were dropped, but only after months of stress and worry. ’
Elena went over and hugged him tightly. ‘No wonder you’ve both been so unhappy. What a nightmare.’
He hugged her back. ‘I honestly thought they were going to lock him up. I couldn’t bear it. I was supposed to protect him. I knew he was innocent, but I couldn’t prove it. I’ve never been so scared in my life.’
Elena pulled back to look at Danny, an understanding forming as to his control issues. ‘Is that why Connor did what he did, the night he … you know?’
Danny nodded. ‘He didn’t think he could cope with prison.’
‘I don’t think I could either,’ she said, quietly. Whatever she’d imagined had caused Connor such sadness, she’d never dreamed of anything so horrendous.
‘Even after the charges were dropped things weren’t great. There was no apology from the police, no compensation as the case hadn’t gone to trial, and even when we submitted a formal complaint, the police were found to have acted appropriately.’
‘That’s outrageous, the whole thing sounds totally unfair.’
‘Unfair doesn’t make it unlawful.’ He stepped away from the embrace and went over to one of the horses.
‘It didn’t stop there. We struggled to get newspaper articles revoked, and it’s almost impossible to get content removed from social media once it’s out there.
The information was correct at the time of publication, so it’s not libellous.
Everywhere Connor went people would either question him, make judgemental comments, or assume he was guilty of something. ’
She went over and rested her hand on his back. ‘Is that why he left uni?’
Danny nodded. ‘He needed a clean start. We both did. The whole thing was exhausting.’
‘Has it helped, moving to London?’
‘I think it has. I hope so, anyway.’ He looked at her. ‘Meeting you has certainly helped me.’
Breaking eye-contact, she went to the next stable. Inside was a smaller, scruffy-looking pony. ‘No wonder you worry about Connor so much. Your concern for him makes more sense now.’ She reached over and stroked the pony’s soft nose.
‘It’s not as bad as it was. He’s less fragile now, less angry, and the volunteering has definitely helped, but when it comes to relationships, I think it’s damaged his confidence.’
Elena turned to him. ‘How so?’
‘He’s afraid of being accused of something.
It’s made him nervous about getting close to anyone.
’ He joined her by the stable door. ‘And then there’s the whole no-smoke-without-fire issue.
There’s stuff about him all over social media, and he worries someone finding out what happened before he’s had the chance to explain will prejudice them against him. ’
Elena felt sad for them. ‘It’s not a conversation anyone wants to have, but if a person understands what really happened, surely they’d believe him? I don’t know Connor that well, but even I know he’d never hurt anyone.’
Danny stilled. ‘You do?’
‘Absolutely. But I also know life isn’t always fair like that.
Part of the reason Luisa avoids relationships is for similar reasons.
Either she hides her illness, which never works, as the moment anyone gets close it becomes blatantly obvious she has health issues.
Or she tells the guy the truth, and even if they say they’re okay with it, they inevitably ghost her.
’ She leaned against the stable door, resting her head on her folded arms. ‘She’s stopped bothering now, sticking to flings instead.
It’s sad, but I can’t blame her. So I kind of get Connor’s reluctance to put himself in that position. ’
‘Me too, which is why trying to convince him to date is so hard. I probably wouldn’t date either if I was in his situation.’
She turned and placed her hands on Danny’s chest. ‘Even more reason why you need to support him and encourage him to be open to the idea of dating. What’s the saying?
Better to have tried and failed than never to have tried at all.
Not every woman will judge him, they’ll be someone out there who’ll see the real him and never doubt the truth, I’m sure of it. ’
‘I hope you’re right.’
A car horn sounded.
Virginia appeared in the stable doorway, dogs in tow, all barking and unsettling the horses. ‘Ah, here you are! Engines running, lovely gal! Let’s go!’
Elena reached up and kissed Danny. ‘I’ve had a great time this weekend. Thank you for inviting me. It’s been fun.’ And then she remembered the muddy lake. ‘Mostly.’
His voice softened. ‘Will I see you again?’
‘Of course. It’s back to work tomorrow, I’ll see you in the office.’ With a smile, she jogged off to join Virginia.
‘That’s not what I meant!’ he called after her.
Waving him goodbye, she climbed into the Land Rover and buckled up, anticipating another speedy driving adventure with Virginia.
As they sped away, she turned back in time to see Danny exiting the stables, looking troubled.
After all he’d been through, it wouldn’t be fair to mess him around. She needed to make a decision about whether she was ready to start dating again, and soon. Both their hearts were at stake.