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Katie had no doubts at all. ‘That sounds awesome. Great idea.’
Victoria glanced at the clock on the dashboard. It was almost six o’clock. ‘What time are you picking your friend up?’ Once she had heard that Katie and Jenny were planning on staying overnight in a hotel in Exeter, Victoria had insisted that Katie bring her friend to Iddlescombe. Katie had accepted eagerly as she really wanted Jenny to meet Victoria and to experience the lap of luxury in which she now found herself.
‘Just before seven. I should have bags of time.’
When they got home, Victoria decided to carry on playing with her laptop, now that the broadband connection had been installed. She told Katie to drive safely and headed for her study, humming a tune. Katie was particularly impressed to recognise that what she was humming was Coldplay, not Mozart. Victoria’s introduction to the twenty-first century was moving along. BT had also supplied a clever bit of apparatus that now provided the house with a mobile phone signal. As a result, Victoria was now the proud owner of a smart phone. More importantly for Katie, she now had a private line to the outside world.
The drive down from Iddlescombe was uneventful, in spite of the persistent drizzle. She spent much of the journey thinking about Martin. She hadn’t phoned him yet, but she had been thinking about him. She got on very well with him, she found him very attractive and she sensed that he was very fond of her. In so many ways he was an ideal choice, for somebody who wanted a new man. The question she kept turning over in her head was, Do I want a new man? The one thing she knew with certainty was that she wanted a career. She wanted a job that would challenge her and satisfy her. And, above all, she wanted a job that would give her financial independence. Martin, as a solicitor, would no doubt be able to provide for her, but she had no intention of becoming a trophy wife. When and if she decided to settle down, it would be on her terms.
She found a parking space opposite St David’s station and walked across to wait under cover. The rain was coming down harder now and she was glad of the huge BMW umbrella that had come with the car. To her surprise, Jenny was already there, even though it was only a quarter to seven.
‘Wow, Jen, how did that happen?’
‘The train before mine was running late so I managed to hop on. I got here five minutes ago.’ Katie led her out and across to the car, both of them sheltering under the umbrella. Jenny stopped and stared as they reached the car. ‘Bloody hell, Katie, what’s this you’re driving? It’s amazing!’ Even in a downpour, Katie had to agree that the silver sports car did look rather good. She gave her a broad smile.
‘Tip of the iceberg, Jen. Tip of the iceberg. Nothing but the best for Victoria.’ They climbed in and she threw the dripping umbrella onto the tiny rear seats. ‘You are now entering the proverbial lap of luxury. Enjoy it!’
As they drove back up the Exe valley towards Iddlescombe, they chatted. Katie recounted her experiences since arriving in Devon two weeks previously. Jenny was amazed as she heard more detail about Victoria.
‘Locked up for twenty-five years? That’s amazing.’ She glanced out of the car window as the rain continued to pour down. ‘With all the money she’s got, I’m surprised she stays in soggy old England.’
‘Ah, that’s being taken care of. We’re going off to their villa in Tuscany some time very soon.’
Jenny returned her attention to Katie. She knew full well just how hard things had been for her recently. Now she was delighted to see her looking and sounding much better, much more positive. ‘Tuscany, that’s where you said you wanted to go, isn’t it? I can see you now, basking in the Italian sunshine, a glass of Italian wine in your right hand and a handsome dark-haired Italian Adonis in your left.’
A sign appeared through the gloom, indicating they had reached Nymptonford. Katie slowed at a junction and then turned off onto a much narrower road. ‘Twenty minutes through the lanes and we’re there.’ She glanced across with a smile. ‘And Adonis was Greek, not Italian.’
‘My mistake. As long as they’ve got long black hair and dark brown eyes, I’m not fussy. And talking of men, you’ll never guess who I saw only yesterday.’
Katie was driving slowly, secretly rather awed at the volume of water streaming down both sides of the lane. She didn’t dare take her eyes off the road ahead. ‘I’m assuming it wasn’t Adonis. You would probably have told me already if you’d seen him.’
‘Martin.’
In spite of her good intentions, Katie glanced sideways. ‘Martin? How was he?’
There was a pause while Jenny looked for the right word. In the end she settled for, ‘Frustrated.’
‘You’re going to have to explain.’ Headlights appeared ahead of them and Katie squeezed halfway off the road to allow a huge milk tanker to come past. ‘What’s he got to feel frustrated about?’
‘You, I think.’ Jenny was smiling. ‘Or, rather, the lack of you. He’s been trying to contact you and your phone seems permanently off. Are you trying to avoid the poor boy?’
Katie explained about the poor reception at the manor and how the problem had only been resolved the previous afternoon. ‘I’ve been meaning to call him.’ The road now clear again, she shot a sideways look at Jenny. ‘So you think he’s interested, do you?’
‘Interested? Only in the same way that Romeo was interested in Juliet. If you want my honest opinion, I think all you’d have to do would be to snap your fingers and he’d be there like a little dog with his tail wagging.’
‘A dog? Now that’s a thought. We never had one at home and I’ve always wanted one.’
‘But they’re smelly and disobedient and you have to run around clearing up after them.’
Katie glanced at Jenny. ‘After seven years with Dean, I know all about that, thank you. No, a dog might well be the answer for me. I really don’t know if I fancy hooking up with anybody again for a while. Like I’ve been telling you, I’m looking for a new career and I’m prepared to do what you’ve done and bury myself in it. There’ll be time for men once I’ve got the work side of things sorted out. Although, I must admit that if I was thinking of it, Martin would be high on my list of potential conquests.’
‘Well, that’s up to you, but I did tell him I’d ask you to give him a call.’
‘And I will. Promise.’ At that moment they emerged from the trees into the wider part of the valley. The rain was still falling, but the visibility was better out here. Katie pointed across towards Iddlescombe Manor as it emerged from the murk. ‘We’re almost there. Not a bad little place, is it?’
‘Bloody hell.’ For once, Jenny was totally at a loss for words.
‘Welcome to Iddlescombe Manor, Jenny. I’m so glad you decided to come.’ Victoria was waiting for them in the sitting room, where a fire had been lit in the huge fireplace, even though they were in the month of July. She glanced at Katie. ‘Not the nicest of nights for driving.’
Katie shook her head. ‘Definitely not great. There was a moment on the way up here when it looked like we were driving up a river.’ She accepted a glass of champagne and grinned at the expression of awe on Jenny’s face as Rosie in her maid’s uniform went over to her with the silver tray.
‘Thank you so much for inviting me here, Victoria. It’s an amazing place.’ Jenny remembered her manners.
Victoria gave a shrug of her shoulders. ‘I suppose it is really, but for me it’s just the place I live. I don’t really have any standard of comparison.’
Katie wasn’t going to let her get too introspective. ‘Well, if it helps, the whole flat I lived in for seven years with Dean would fit into this room quite easily.’
‘But I don’t have a Dean.’ Victoria’s tone was still a bit melancholy. Katie wondered if she had been watching something gloomy on TV.
‘Well, you’re better off without one of those. We were just saying on the way up that a dog would be far less trouble.’
‘But you can’t have a conversation with a dog.’
Katie gave her a grin. ‘Try talking to a man when there’s football on the television. Trust me, you get much more in the way of communication from a dog.’ She turned to Jenny. ‘Isn’t it about time you got yourself a dog? Or a man?’
Jenny smiled. ‘I don’t think I’ve got time for either at the moment.’ She looked across at Victoria and explained. ‘I run my own business. It’s a six day a week job, but I love it. It doesn’t give me much in the way of free time, but that suits me fine for now. I’m a bit like Katie at the moment. Men; I can take them or leave them for now. There’ll come a time, but not yet.’
Victoria looked across at Katie. ‘So you’re not on the lookout for another man? I thought you told me there was one on the horizon.’
Katie glanced across at Jenny. ‘There’s Martin. He’s a nice man.’
Even Victoria realised that “nice” was a bit feeble. She caught Katie’s eye. ‘Is that all?’
‘Sorry, I didn’t mean to make it sound like he’s boring. I like him a lot.’ She addressed herself to Victoria and did her best to explain. ‘He’s tall, handsome and clever. He’s a solicitor and he plays rugby as a hobby. He would make a really good choice for a boyfriend; maybe more.’
‘So, why the hesitation?’ Victoria was having trouble working it out. Had she but realised, so was Katie, and she had been for the last week.
‘I don’t know. I thought I’d chosen a satisfying career in teaching, but it all went belly up’ Katie checked Victoria’s expression to see that she had understood the analogy. Reassured, she went on. ‘I’m thirty and I’m at a crossroads in my working life. Nice as Martin is, I get the feeling he’s looking for something serious; maybe thinking of settling down. I really don’t want to hitch myself up at this stage to a life as a housewife; dinner parties, driving the school run every day, taking the dog to the vet. I’m looking for more out of life.’ As she spoke, she could see from the expression on Victoria’s face that she would have welcomed the attentions of a tall, handsome man. But maybe she had just found one in Tom, the army officer. Katie was quick to reassure her.
‘Now if, on the other hand, I was an attractive twenty-five-year-old on the pull, that would be a very different matter.’ Although this expression hadn’t cropped up before, she could see from Victoria’s blush that she had understood its significance. Katie couldn’t resist a little dig. ‘Like a certain handsome army officer for example.’
They chatted until Mrs Milliner came to tell them that dinner was served. Over roast lamb with all the trimmings Katie and Jenny reminisced about Bournemouth, from the time they were schoolgirls together right up to the present day. Katie couldn’t help noticing Victoria’s interest as they discussed the series of boys and young men with whom they used to hang out. She found herself wondering yet again just how it might feel to have grown to adulthood without any of these experiences, not even school dances or sleepover parties.
After dinner they sat by the fire and Victoria insisted upon opening another bottle of champagne. As the level in the bottle dropped, Victoria began to loosen up. As she talked, Katie gradually began to realise why she had appeared a bit low earlier on that evening. It was because her brain had been working overtime.
‘We went to a party this afternoon,’ Victoria was explaining to Jenny, although Katie had already told her most of it. ‘Do you know something? I’m twenty-five years old and that was my very first party.’ She glanced at Katie. ‘Apart from a few kids’ parties while my mother was still alive.’ Turning back to Jenny, she continued. ‘It was the strangest thing. For a while this afternoon, I felt almost like an alien. You know, somebody from another planet just looking on, studying the behaviour of these strange beings.’
‘One of whom was a very handsome being.’ Katie was determined to keep the mood positive. She was, however, fascinated to hear Victoria talking about the way she felt. Up till then, apart from the admission that she had tried to run away as a teenager, she hadn’t given much away. Katie was pleased to see two spots of colour in Victoria’s cheeks appear at the mention of Tom.
‘Yes, one of whom was very handsome.’ She glanced at Katie. ‘Although I found it difficult to talk to him. After all, I couldn’t really just say, “Oh, Tom, you’re so handsome.” Or is that what girls do these days?’
‘Only after a lot more booze than we’ve had this evening.’ Jenny was smiling. ‘Anyway, it’s only natural to feel a bit strange the first few times you go out in public. You’ll get the hang of it soon enough.’
Katie joined in to help raise her spirits. ‘You may not realise it yet, but you’re going to be fighting the men off before long. And, if it helps, I found myself feeling pretty much like you at the party this afternoon. I didn’t know anybody there and I’ve never been to a garden party before. I haven’t had little sandwiches with the crusts cut off since I was a toddler and some of those hats wouldn’t have looked out of place on a witch doctor.’
Victoria giggled. ‘Even Tom was embarrassed by his mother’s hat.’ Katie was delighted to see her smile and vowed to do her best to keep her happy. As it turned out, she needn’t have worried. As they were talking, Victoria’s new phone whistled. She had received her first text message. And, if that weren’t exciting enough, she saw that it was from Tom. Victoria’s smile broadened.
‘How do I do it, Katie?’ The other girls smiled to see her hopping up and down like a youngster. Katie leant across and showed her how to open the message and then sat back as Victoria read it. Her cheeks reddened as she read it through two or three times.
‘So…? He didn’t waste much time, did he?’ Katie and Jenny exchanged glances.
‘He says he loved meeting me and he looks forward to seeing me in Tuscany.’ Victoria looked embarrassed. ‘And he signs it, “xx Tom”. That’s good, isn’t it?’
Katie nodded. ‘That’s good; xx is definitely good. Talking of Tuscany, when are you going to contact your man about our visit?’
Victoria looked up. ‘I’m sorry, I should have told you. I phoned him this evening before you two came back. There’s nothing special to keep us here, so, it that’s all right with you, we could travel over in a few days’ time. I was going to ask you, Katie; how would you feel about driving over, rather than taking the plane? You see,’ she turned to Jenny apologetically, ‘I’ve never been abroad and I’d love to see a bit of France on the way.’
‘That sounds like a great idea.’ Katie glanced across at Jenny. ‘We’ll think of you when we’re lying in the sun.’
‘With a glass of wine in your right hand and a…’
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