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

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“Where do you want this?” she said, indicating the coffee.

“Just on the table, there, will be fine.” Bella turned to her friend.

“Why is life never straightforward?” A degree of mild exasperation coloured her words.

“What’s up?”

“That was Ben Hollingsworth on the phone. He wants to come down next weekend.”

“So, what’s the problem?” In contrast with her fashion sense, Jane liked life in black and white. No half-measures, make a decision one way or the other then forget about it and move on. Good corporate strategy.

“Kyle Lucas, for one and my sister, for another.” Jane took a seat in one of the armchairs and Bella sat on the sofa, tucking her feet beneath her. The cat, meanwhile, jumped up on a widow ledge and sat looking out at the birds on the lawn in the back garden. “I was really hoping that Kyle would ring this week and maybe call in on the weekend…”

“He still might!” Jane suggested, happy to play devil’s advocate.

“Thanks for reminding me, I’m well aware of that!”

“And how does your sister come into the picture?” Bella’s face fell, at the thought.

“I’ve told you often enough, in the past, what Laura’s like. I don’t want to dwell on it but she was at the reading of the will, when I inherited the house. She had always been suspicious of my relationship with Rupert but that wasn’t unusual. Laura is just suspicious by nature, especially where I’m concerned.” Pausing to sip at her coffee, she regarded her friend, thinking there was something different about her but unable to identify it. “Anyway,” Bella continued, “my inheriting the cottage has really put her nose out of joint, for some reason, and she’s unbelievably jealous. I mean, I don’t see her for months and now we’ve had two pretty acrimonious confrontations in just a matter of weeks.”

“Did Rupert leave her anything?” It seemed the obvious question to ask.

“Oh, not much!” Bella answered, with an air of understatement. “Just an eighty-thousand pound necklace that she’d been begging him for, for years!” Jane exhaled noisily, at the news, thinking that she could have made do with that.

“Ha! A mere bauble, darling!” she replied, dismissively. “No wonder she was jealous.” Bella gave her an old-fashioned look.

“I can’t understand why she’s being like this. What’s more, she’s desperate to come down and see the place. It’s beyond me, it really is!” It was very unlike Bella to be so upset and Jane sympathised with her.

“That’d piss me off, too, sweetie,” Jane agreed, idly tugging at an ear lobe, “but what’s it got to do with your solicitor friend, I don’t understand?”

“I’m certain it was next weekend that Laura was planning to come down. With her partner, no less.”

“Oh.” It was a very small sound that came from Jane, confirming that she now understood. Without warning, Bella extracted her legs from beneath her and stood up.

“But that’s next weekend, Bentley, and not your concern. Let’s have some breakfast and get ourselves organised, eh?”

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With her curiosity spurred by Bella’s description of The Lamb and its regulars, Jane had made the surprising suggestion of walking to the pub for lunch. Surprising because Jane normally viewed exercise in the same light as visiting the dentist. Something to be done only when absolutely necessary. During breakfast, Bella had described her walk across the fields and the fact that the track extended right to the village and Jane had seized on the idea immediately much to Bella’s amazement. Now, here she was, clad in a pink nylon tracksuit and crimson trainers, looking like a tubby flamingo with bloody feet, struggling for breath as they reached the top of the incline that looked down on the copse and the church beyond.

“Do you want to rest up for a bit?” Jane stood, hands on hips, taking in the rolling landscape, under a clear blue sky dotted with small, white clouds. Slowly catching her breath, she shook her head in answer to Bella’s question.

“Soaking up the atmosphere, old thing, that’s all,” she replied. “We’re a bit short of this sort of thing in Pimlico.” They both stood there for a moment, happy to be at one with their environment, before starting on the sloping track down to the copse.

“Alright then, who is he?” As they set off at a leisurely pace, Bella had finally recognised the signs that had been staring her in the face.

“What d’you mean?” The thin cloak of innocence in her voice couldn’t disguise the sparkle in Jane’s eyes as Bella turned to look at her.

“There’s only one reason that I know of that Jane Symington-Bentley would attempt to give up smoking and start getting some exercise. What’s his name?” The question carried an air of resignation as though it was all too obvious.

“Rod Fletcher. And he’s a hunk.” Bella couldn’t help but laugh. Jane’s men were never ordinary. Only superlatives could ever adequately describe either them or their abilities.  The day was turning out to be rather pleasant, with the sun having chased off the early chill air and its warmth now making itself felt. This was why I came down here, Bella was thinking to herself, revelling in the tranquillity of her surroundings, the fresh air and her sense of well-being.

“And where did you meet this hunk, then?”

“Well, I wasn’t so desperate that I had to run him off the road, darling, like some people I know!” Bella gave her a hefty dig, nearly pushing Jane off the track. “We met at a conference in Sheffield and hit it off straight away. You’d like him, Bell, I know you would.” It never ceased to amaze Bella that her friend had such a Jekyll and Hyde personality. For someone who prowled the publishing jungle like a tiger, happy to get her claws stuck into male egos and personal vanities, she was such a pussy cat when it came to her men.

“If he makes you happy, that’s good. But why do you have to try and be someone different? Why can’t