The Knapthorne Conspiracy by Malcolm Ballard (best english novels for beginners txt) 📕

the sofa, Ubix tucked in securely beside her. Although she felt a good deal better, all her senses were tuned to react to any indication that her visitor might have chosen to return.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Ben was at the wheel of Barbara’s car as they headed north towards Suffolk trying to keep his attention on the road as his mind was in turmoil. Distracted by the fact that Barbara had unbuttoned her skirt and sat next to him virtually naked from the waist down, he was also trying to cope with the enormity of what he planned to do. From the moment she had threatened him on Friday, the day after she had first proposed the picnic, there was an inevitability about the whole thing. Her hold over him was complete and, faced with his criminal activities or his infidelity being exposed, he had no alternative but to comply with her wishes. In respect of the relationship between him and Tina, they were now leading more separate lives than ever with Tina talking in serious terms about a divorce. Ben’s eyes darted to his left as Barbara began to rub moisturiser into the lightly-tanned flesh of her taut stomach, her well-manicured nails tantalisingly flicking the elastic of her briefs. Although she was dreamily staring straight ahead, enjoying the sensation of the cool, silky smooth lotion on her flesh, she was well aware of the effect it was having on the driver.

“Best keep your eyes on the road, don’t you think, lover, for both our sakes?” Right at that moment he hated her as he had never hated anybody in his life.

Barbara had been studying the map for a few minutes before giving Ben directions. They were heading for Bury St. Edmunds, somewhere Ben had never been before in his life but, once they were there, Barbara seemed to know her way around quite well.

“Where are we going?” She had given him absolutely no idea of their final destination.

“You’ll see shortly, it won’t be long now. Take a left at this roundabout and it’s along here, on the left.” They were not far out of the centre of the city but heading away from it, in a north-westerly direction. The two-lane road they were on was now lined with tall trees on either side, blocking out the warmth of the sun and diffusing its light so that it glittered and spangled through the trees and branches as they passed. As she saw a familiar sign up ahead, Barbara began to button up her skirt.

“Turn left here,” she instructed him. “Just after the sign.” The sign read ‘Nowton Park’ and Ben did as he was told, flicking on the indicator before turning into a spacious, open parking area that led onto the park. A huge recreational area, Nowton Park covered many thousands of acres of open grassy spaces and woodland and was a popular spot with people from many miles around. It was probable that many hundreds of people were already enjoying its amenities at the time of their arrival but such was the size of the place that rarely would large numbers be seen together. For anyone wanting to find somewhere off the beaten track, to secure absolute privacy, it was not a difficult task. In fact it was possible to be totally hidden from people passing in fairly close proximity and it was the thrill of that prospect that appealed to Barbara. Despite himself, Ben was beginning to get excited knowing what lay ahead as he stepped from the parked car and went around to the boot to take out the picnic basket that Barbara had prepared. He felt her beside him and turned to her as she slipped an arm through his as he lifted out the basket and shut the boot lid.

“Well, you’re in charge. Which way do we go?” She raised herself on tiptoe and gave him a quick kiss.

“Over to the left there,” she said, pointing. “We’ll get well into the park before we find ourselves a nice little spot. Come on!”

With a soft mohair blanket tucked under one arm she took his hand and pulled him in the direction she had indicated. Ben knew her ways well enough by now that she was infecting him with her mood and there was nothing he could do about it. There was only one thing on her mind as she stepped out toward the distant trees and the light breeze carried the musky scent of her too him, spurring Ben on as well. From the fact that she’d set off with no hesitation it was obvious to him that she knew where she was going. Whereas most of the people they came across were either jogging or strolling in a leisurely manner, befitting the atmosphere of a warm summer’s day, Barbara was setting a cracking pace and Ben found himself having difficuly keeping up, especially carrying the basket.

“Is there some sort of competition, going on?” he asked, a little breathlessly.

“Competition?” she replied, leering at him hungrily. “Not that I’m aware of. It’s not much further from here. See where the path splits in two up ahead?” He nodded. “Most people take the right hand fork but we’re going left. Then we’ll leave the path and head into the trees.” There was no-one in sight when they left the track and Barbara led the way until they were about fifty yards into the thick woodland. Having pushed their way through some bush and low scrub they found themselves in a small, secluded grassy area well-hidden from prying eyes. Barbara opened the blanket and, shaking it out, laid it down on the grass. Glad to be free of his burden, Ben put the basket down and went to open the lid. The firm’s Financial Controller looked at him in amazement.

“What are you doing?” Even as she spoke, Barbara was unbuttoning her skirt then threw it aside. “Bollocks to the food, Ben Hollingsworth!” He watched, transfixed, as she stepped