Escape to the Country (19 page)

She looked up to see Duncan too was enjoying his food. Leah was glad
he had an appetite at least as healthy as her own. She always felt so
greedy around people who just picked at their food.

"Talking of family, how's Jayne doing? By the look of her this
afternoon she's recovering well."

"Yes, she's absolutely fine. She dosed herself up with some of
her herbal remedies, but she's followed all the medical advice too.
She goes to bed a bit earlier than she used to, but I think she only
stayed up late before because she was worried. She's almost
completely back to normal now."

"Really?" He gave a mock shocked look.

"Normal for Jayne, I meant."

"That's OK then." He grinned.

When they'd finished their food he said, "Did you find out what
that herbal tea she made us drink was for?"

"Er, yes."

"What?"

"It was a love potion, apparently."

"Ah."

Leah concentrated on pouring wine in order to avoid meeting his gaze.

"And she goes to bed early, you say?"

"Yes, if you come in for coffee we'll just have Tarragon for a
chaperone." She could feel herself blush so it probably didn't
matter much that she was finding it hard to sound casual.

The second course arrived right on cue. It was just as artistically
presented and just as delicious as the starter. They didn't talk
much, but his expression whenever she glanced at him told her all she
needed to know.

"Would you care to see the dessert menu?" the waiter asked.

For the first time in her life, Leah wanted to say 'no'. The food was
wonderful, but no competition for what she hoped would happen after
Duncan drove her home.

"Please," Duncan said. He gave her a teasing smile. "You
weren't in a hurry to get away, were you, Leah?"

"Well, I..."

"If I take you back too soon Jayne might be worried you haven't
eaten enough and get up to make you a snack."

"In that case, I'm not in a hurry, no."

The creme brulee was worth savouring, so the delay wasn't too
agonising.

Duncan declined the waiter's offer of coffee. "I think we'd
rather have violet tea."

"I'm sorry, sir I don't think we serve that."

"Not to worry, I know a place that does."

The waiter smiled to show he knew a joke had been made even if he had
no idea what had made Leah blush and dissolve into giggles.

Duncan opened the car door for her, but he pulled her close before
she could get in. "What am I going to do with you, Leah?"

She was sure it was a rhetorical question, but kissed him anyway as a
clue to the answer. He held her tight as he kissed her back. Leah
moaned and felt herself go limp in his arms.

"Get in the car, woman," he muttered huskily as he released
her.

He drove carefully, but gave the impression of being frustrated by
the slow speed made necessary by the narrow lanes and tight corners.
Duncan braked sharply outside Primrose Cottage to avoid the car
parked right by the turning into the yard.

Leah guessed he said something uncomplimentary about the lack of
consideration shown by the driver, but she wasn't really listening.
She was concentrating on the car, willing it not to be one she
recognised.

By the time Duncan had parked, the driver of the other vehicle had
followed them, on foot, into the yard. Before Duncan had switched off
the engine, Leah wrenched open the door and jumped out. Her legs felt
weak and her high heeled sandals were hardly appropriate for the
farmyard, but she forced herself to stride with apparent confidence
towards the visitor.

"What are you doing here?" she hissed. How many times had
she asked him to bring her to visit Jayne and been fobbed off with
feeble excuses? Then, after she'd fled to the comfort of Primrose
Cottage after her troubles at work she'd practically begged him to
come and he'd cut her off with a reminder they were finished. Now,
just when she least wanted to see him, he turned up.

"Leah, I need to talk to you," Adam said.

"I don't have anything to say to you." She did, but none of
it was polite and it no longer seemed important.

"Leah, what's happening?" Duncan asked.

"Nothing. He's just going."

Both men glared at each other. If either had ever shown any violent
tendencies, she'd have been sure they were about to fight. As it was,
it seemed possible they might.

Leah stepped between them and turned to Duncan. "He was the
someone in London, but it's all over now."

"No it isn't," Adam insisted. "Leah, I made a terrible
mistake. I must talk to you, please let me explain."

"It's too late," Leah said. She didn't know if the tears
forming in her eyes were from frustration, anger or regret.

"It doesn't have to be. I love you."

Leah gasped. Never before had he said he loved her without being
prompted. Never before had he said it in front of anyone else. Could
he really mean it?

"Yeah and proved it by abandoning her when she needed you most?"
Duncan asked.

"I don't have to prove myself to you,"Adam said.

"No, only to Leah and I think you've already done that."

Duncan stepped close. "I don't want to leave you with him, Leah,
but I think I'd better let you listen to what he's got to say. You
might regret it if you don't and I want you to be completely sure how
you feel. Call me later, eh?" He squeezed her tight, kissed her
gently on the mouth, then walked away.

Chapter 12

"Well, go on then. Explain," Leah hissed at Adam. She
didn't really want to hear his answer any more than she wanted to
hear the sounds telling her Duncan was turning his car and driving
away from her, but it was clear she was going to have to.

Adam approached as though he wanted to kiss her.

She took a step back. "You made a terrible mistake, you said?"

"Leah, it's so good to see you."

"If you're so pleased to see me now, why didn't you come here
with me, or visit when I asked you to? Why did you call me or reply
to my messages and texts?"

"I should have. I'm sorry. Things have been very difficult for
me at work and I've missed you."

He tried again to reach out for her her. Again she moved away.

"Things were rather difficult for me at work if you remember,
but you weren't there to support me."

"I know, I know. I should have been. I'm so sorry." He
stepped closer. When Leah stepped back again he looked surprised. Had
she always been so easy for him to talk round, she wondered.

"Could we possibly go inside? I've had a long drive up here and
when I got here your aunt didn't seem very pleased to see me."

"Any reason why she should?" It wasn't nice of her, but she
was pleased he'd had to wait for nothing and enjoyed seeing him
squirm. So often in the past he'd made her feel small in front of his
friends or made her afraid to say what she thought for fear of
causing an argument. She thought it might do him good to know how it
felt to be nervous about what you said and unsure of how the other
person would react.

"No, no of course not but well, I need the toilet."

"And Jayne wouldn't let you in?" Leah was suspicious. It
didn't seem likely that Jayne would be so inhospitable. Maybe Adam
was trying to make it seem someone other than he was in the wrong. He
was good at that.

"When she explained you were out, I said I'd wait in the car.
The lights went off soon after, so I didn't like to disturb her."

Adam uncomfortable and at a disadvantage was such a novelty for Leah
she almost felt sorry for him.

"You can use the toilet, but then you've got a long drive back.
I've got nothing to say to you."

When Adam emerged from the bathroom he said he had something for her
in the car. "If I fetch it, will you let me back in?"

"All right."

She didn't want the flowers or whatever he had bought, but she was
curious to see what he thought might win her round.

He returned with a gorgeous bouquet of flowers. Leah didn't accept
them from him but she allowed him to follow her into the living room.

"Does that dog bite?" he asked when he spotted Tarragon
sprawled in front of the dying fire.

"No, of course not."

Tarragon greeted Leah in rather a half-hearted way. She wasn't
surprised; he wasn't used to being awake at this time of night. She
was surprised though when the dog completely ignored Adam.

Adam tried again to present the flowers. When she still didn't take
them he put them on the coffee table and launched into a long,
complicated apology for his terrible behaviour. Watching him squirm
lost its novelty value and Leah felt genuinely sorry for him. She
didn't want to be on bad terms with anyone and as they still had to
sort out about the flat she'd have to speak to him again. It would be
so much better if they could be friendly.

"Thank you for the flowers, they're lovely."

"You're welcome. I should have bought you flowers more often in
the past. I rather took you for granted, didn't I?"

"Yes." Friendly was one thing, she wasn't prepared to lie
to save his feelings.

"Things will be different now, I promise."

"Adam, I..." She trailed off as he dropped to one knee.

"Leah, will you marry me?"

He pulled a tiny box from his jacket pocket and offered it to her.
She was so shocked she took it without a word and opened it. Inside
was a diamond ring.

Adam took it from her and placed it on her finger. She watched as
though it were someone else's hand.

"No pre-nup, Leah. We'll do things just the way you want them.
I've missed you so much. I didn't realise how much you meant to me
until you'd gone. I thought at first you'd come back, but when you
didn't I thought perhaps you'd misinterpreted what I said on the
phone and thought I didn't want you back, so I thought I'd come and
show you how much I do."

She could have misinterpreted his words, although she didn't think
she had. She certainly hadn't misinterpreted his lack of compassion
when she'd first been suspended from work nor the nearly two months
of silence from him since.

"You don't seem very excited," Adam complained.

So, after saying what he wanted and what he thought, he got around to
thinking about her feelings?

He rose to his feet and peered at her face as though checking for
signs of illness.

"It's late and I'm tired and this is all a bit of a shock,"
she mumbled, moving away from him yet again.

"Yes, of course. I'm sorry. I've done this all the wrong way
round, haven't I? I want you to come back to London with me. I'm
working hard to clear your name but it would be easier if you were
there to answer questions and, of course, I'd be happier if you were
back home."

"You've told Prophet Margin about us living together?"

"No, I wouldn't do that without checking with you first. I'll
tell them if you want me to."

She shrugged. It no longer mattered. "And you'll meet my family
and I'll meet yours?"

"Of course, of course."

She couldn't think straight. Adam was offering everything she'd once
thought she wanted. There had been times when she'd cried herself to
sleep because he didn't love her enough to want to marry her.

"Come back to London with me tomorrow, Leah. We'll go to the
theatre and have dinner at that Italian place you like."

She was tempted. There were things about London she missed and she'd
like to collect more clothes from the flat. Perhaps she should give
her old life another chance before deciding to make her escape to the
country permanent.

"Jim's coming to lunch tomorrow, I said I'd be here."

"Jim? He's not the man you were with tonight."

"No, a friend of Jayne's."

"If it's important to you then we'll stay until after lunch."

"I need to sleep. We get up early here and I'm really tired. I
can't think now."

"Of course. Where's the nearest hotel?"

"I've no idea. You'd better stay here tonight."

"But your aunt..."

"It'll be OK." She pointed him in the direction of a
bedroom, thankful for Jayne's policy of always keeping a bed made up
'just in case' and left him to it.

He asked if her aunt was old fashioned, but she ignored him. She
wasn't ready to let him back into her bed and doubted if she ever
would be. She took the ring off before going to bed and replaced it
in its box. An engagement ring was another thing she wasn't ready
for. She wanted one, but not that one. Not now.

Jayne and Leah put fresh straw in the pigsties ready for the new
arrivals on Monday.

Leah said, "I want you to measure them for me, so I know what
size they were when they arrived."

"Stay here and you'll see for yourself," Jayne said,
kicking at the straw to spread it.

"I can't, Jayne. You know I can't. I have to go back to London
and make sure that whatever decision I reach is the right one. I've
been with Adam over two years. I can't just throw all that away after
less than two months down here, not without seeing if it could work.
And if it doesn't, then I can finalise everything up there, sort out
the sale of the flat or get Adam to buy me out and pack up all my
stuff."

"I suppose. I just don't trust him."

"Be fair, you haven't spoken to him except to shut the door in
his face last night."

Jayne laughed. "True and I did enjoy that! Pompous creature
stood there with a bunch of flowers expecting to be welcomed with
open arms."

"Jayne, you're cruel."

"Never denied it. Look out, here he comes."

Adam picked his way across the yard as though getting a speck of mud
on his immaculate trousers would give him the plague.

"Good morning, ladies. Lovely day."

"Beautiful," Jayne agreed. "Hello, Adam. I'm sorry we
didn't get off to a very good start yesterday. I've not been well
lately and that makes me tired and when I'm tired I'm grumpy."
She set off towards the chicken run.