Spring Blossoms at Mill Grange by Jenny Kane (fiction books to read .txt) 📕

He was looking across the garden towards the fortlet. His body language was closed off and the gap between them on the bench was marked.

Thea tried not to feel bad about not helping Tina and Mabel in the kitchen; telling herself her friends would understand when she explained the reason for her delay. Feeling the shake in her fingers that always happened when she was stressed, Thea plunged her hands into her pockets as she broke the silence.

‘I was waiting until we got back to the Cotswolds to talk to you about Julian’s proposition. Stupid as it sounds now, I thought that, as we were having a holiday, work could wait.’ She peeped up at him through her fringe, but Shaun was still staring away from her. ‘The other archaeologists are on holiday too, so I assumed nothing would change while we had a nice time together. Here. With our friends.’

Shaun kept up his vigil across the landscape. ‘Do you honestly think that Julian hasn’t been working? That he hasn’t been trying to wheedle his way up the next rung of the career ladder while we’ve been here?’

‘But—’

‘Men like Julian don’t have holidays. They are too afraid to take one in case some other high flyer sneaks above them in the race to the top.’

Thea didn’t say anything. She didn’t need to. She knew Shaun was right.

After another painfully long silence, Shaun asked, ‘His email, did you reply to it?’

‘No. I told you I wanted to talk to you first.’ Thea exhaled. ‘I’m sorry I didn’t tell you straightaway. I thought I was doing the right thing. I was wrong. I just wanted us to have a nice time together without Julian ruining it.’ She turned to look at him. ‘I’m not sure how many more times I can apologise for that.’

Shaun shuffled up on the bench closer to Thea. ‘The question is, what do we do about this?’

Thea stiffened. Does he mean us or Julian?

She licked her lips, her words coming out as a frightened squeak. ‘About us?’

Shaun turned to look at her. ‘I meant Julian, but yes, the question of us is there too.’

The warmth from Shaun’s leg buffering against her own seeped through her suddenly cold flesh. It gave her a tiny edge of hope. She longed to fling her arms around him, but pride stopped her. You didn’t do anything other than what you thought was best. You were wrong but you admitted that and you said sorry.

Not knowing what to say, afraid that whatever came out of her mouth would be the wrong thing, Thea looked across the garden. She could see Tina and Sam walking from the kitchen to the walled garden. They had an arm around each other’s waist, as they chatted. We were like that. Thea battled the urge to cry as she averted her eyes from her friends.

‘They look happy, don’t they?’ Shaun’s words took Thea by surprise.

‘They are happy.’

‘Funny how happiness can be so easily broken.’

‘It isn’t funny at all.’ Thea’s shoulders clenched at the implication.

‘No, it isn’t.’ Shaun sighed. ‘And to think, if Julian hadn’t fancied you, none of this would have happened.’

‘What?’ The tear on Thea’s cheek froze as she turned to face him, anger overtaking her grief. ‘You think Julian only wants me to be a presenter because he fancies me, not because I’m any good at it.’

‘I didn’t say you weren’t good at it, but if you didn’t press his buttons so much, and always do what he bloody well asks.’ Shaun knew he was being unfair, but his bruised ego and sore heart had taken control of his tongue. ‘Yes, Julian, certainly Julian… You’re like a lovestruck groupie!’

 Thea’s mouth opened and closed in shock. Clenching her hands into fists, she spoke slowly and deliberately. ‘Look, Shaun, my intentions were good but went wrong – it really is that simple. If you truly believe what you just said, then I’d like you to leave me alone – permanently. But if you’re prepared to admit you were just talking bollocks and still love me, you know where to find me. Now,’ Thea stood up with as much dignity as she could muster, ‘if you’ll excuse me, I promised Tina I’d help clean the house.’

Thirty-nine

Wednesday April 8th

Tom smiled as he read the text message. Sue had found his dress uniform in a box in her attic. He was contemplating whether Helen might have a thing about uniforms, when he reached the store room door.

‘Helen, I—’ Tom stopped talking. She wasn’t there. Somehow the space felt emptier than normal. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up as he looked around him. Nothing was missing.

Telling himself she’d just popped to the bathroom, Tom was about to leave when he saw a sealed white envelope addressed to Sam and Tina on the desk.

Lifting the envelope, Tom was aware of his heart beating faster. ‘Why has she left a letter for…?’ His sentence trailed off as a horrible suspicion trickled down his spine.

She hasn’t gone. She hasn’t.

He ran from the office to the back of the house. There was an empty space where Helen’s Land Rover should have been. Tom’s pulse accelerated as he spun on the balls of his boots and hurtled around the outside of the house, keeping going until he crashed through the gate of the walled garden.

‘Tom?’ At the sound of running footsteps, Sam was immediately on the alert. ‘What’s happened?’

‘Helen.’ He said nothing else as he thrust the letter in Sam’s direction.

Picking up on Tom’s unspoken fear, Sam ripped the envelope open, holding the letter so all three of them could see it.

Dear Sam and Tina,

Thank you for allowing me to work in your beautiful home and offering me the chance to stay.

I’m sorry I have messed you around. I promise that was never my intention.

The decision to leave was not an easy one, but it’s best for everyone I love that I return to Bath.

Please accept my apologises for missing