The moonlight streaming into her room alerted her to the fact that she had forgotten to close the curtains. She got up and padded quietly across to the window, halting tensely as she looked down into the yard and saw the solitary, motionless figure of Richard Field.
He was standing with his back to her, hands thrust deep in his pockets, something about his stance, its tension and remoteness making her pause instead of turning quickly away.
Alone in the moonlit yard, he seemed a different man from the one who had behaved so mercilessly to her earlier, less aggressive and antagonistic, the power and harshness she had sensed so strongly in him earlier muted.
As she watched, the cat she had fed earlier suddenly appeared, padding towards him, winding herself lovingly around his ankles. Livvy stiffened, half expecting him to push the cat away, but to her surprise instead he bent down and stroked her. He was talking to her, she recognised, and although she was too far away to hear what he was saying, she could still see the softly rueful smile which curved his mouth.
The sight of him exhibiting such a totally unexpected show of tenderness and humanity made her eyes sting suddenly with tears.
Fiercely blinking them away, she stepped back from the window.
‘Sentimental idiot,’ she derided herself as she hurried back to bed. Just because he had stroked the cat, that didn’t change anything. It didn’t change him, nor his attitude towards her. Just because for a second he had seemed human, and not just human but someone vulnerable and alone as well, that did not give her over-susceptible emotions an excuse to start reacting so treacherously.
He was still the same man who had uttered those dreadful insults, who had treated her so unforgivably…who was plotting with George to buy the farmhouse behind Gale’s back.
He had insulted her, humiliated her, made it all too plain what he thought of her, and yet, despite all that, some treacherous female part of her still remained very aware of him. Too aware.
She shivered as she got back into bed and pulled the bedclothes firmly over her head.
‘No dreams this time,’ she warned her subconscious. ‘It’s bad enough having to put up with him when I’m awake. I’d like my sleep to be relaxing and free of Richard Field, if you please…’
* * *
It must have worked, because when Livvy woke up in the morning and saw the clear blue sky outside, she rubbed her eyes in disbelief, grinning with pleasure as she remembered where she was. Six whole lovely, uninterrupted weeks in this peaceful, pastoral paradise. Bliss… And then abruptly she remembered that this particular paradise had its own very definite serpent in the large and unfriendly form of Richard Field.
Well, she wasn’t going to let him spoil her holiday, Livvy told herself firmly, and who knew, she decided optimistically, perhaps this morning he might have changed his mind, come to his senses and realised how unfair, how dishonest really his and George’s plans were, and decided to leave?
It was, after all, what any sane, responsible person would decide to do, wasn’t it?
Remembering what had happened the previous evening, Livvy was very careful to check the landing and to lock the bathroom door while she had showered and washed her hair.
Her optimistic mood continued when she went downstairs and found that she had the kitchen to herself.
Since she had not been able to shop properly yet, she would have to make do with cereal and coffee for her breakfast, but she could at least eat outside and enjoy the early morning warmth of the sunshine.
At present the yard wasn’t a particularly prepossessing place, but it didn’t take much imagination to transform it mentally with the addition of terracotta pots full of tumbling flowers, a wistaria perhaps framing the untidy collection of outbuildings, some weathered wooden seats padded with a collection of pretty cotton cushions in bright summer colours. Smiling to herself, Livvy let her imagination run riot.
A loud purring noise close at hand warned her that she was no longer alone. She laughed as she opened her eyes and bent down to greet her visitor.
Yes, Livvy decided as the cat jumped up on to her knee and settled happily there, purring, she had been silly yesterday to let Richard Field get to her; the best
thing, the most sensible thing for her to do was simply to ignore him, to pretend he just did not exist. Today for instance, instead of thinking about him, worrying about when he might appear and what he might say or do, she was simply going to concentrate on enjoying herself and carrying out all the happy plans she had made before she left England.
What she was not going to do was to allow him to bully or blackmail her into leaving, nor was she going to let him spoil her holiday.
‘No way,’ she told the cat firmly as she determinedly picked up the guidebook she had brought outside with her and opened it.
Since she needed to shop, today would be a good opportunity to drive into Beaulieu and seek out the bathroom fittings shop Gale had detailed on her list.
Once she had completed that task, she would then indulge herself with something a little more to her liking. Not the trip to the caves, which she wanted to save until she had a full day to savour it—exploring the town of Beaulieu itself and then perhaps a drive through some of the surrounding countryside where she could park and explore.
If she set off early enough, she could probably complete her shopping chores this morning, which would leave her the whole afternoon free to explore. She closed her eyes blissfully, imagining herself in some secluded spot enjoying a lunch of fresh, crusty bread, home-made pâté and perhaps some of the local cheese, while from her vantage point she watched the river.
‘Dreaming about your lover?’
Angrily, Livvy opened her eyes as Richard Field’s harsh voice destroyed her pastoral fantasy.
The cat, sensing her tension, jumped down off her knee, dislodging the guidebook as she did so.