Falling for you

‘Hey.’ Wrenching the newspaper from his grasp, Estelle pushed him back onto the bed.

‘Consequences don’t scare me.’

‘God, I love you,’ Will sighed as she straddled him, her peacock-blue robe falling open almost to the waist. Estelle’s heart began to race. He loves me!

‘Bet you say that to all the girls.’

Will ran his fingers lightly down from her throat to her cleavage.

‘I’ve never said it before in my life. And you’re trying to make me late for work.’

‘Sorry, I’ll stop.’

‘Don’t stop.’

‘No, no.’ Moving her hips, Estelle said seriously, ‘You can’t possibly be late for work, I’ll just let you gel dressed—’

‘Don’t stop.’

Estelle shook her head. ‘I don’t want to be responsible for getting you into trouble, I’d never forgive myself if —’

‘Sshh,’ murmured Will, a broad smile on his face as he settled back against the pillows. ‘Don’t stop ...’

Afterwards, when Will had headed -off to the edit suite he rented from Carousel Productions, Estelle picked up the phone and called Kate.

Was she only a hundred miles away from Ashcombe? It felt more like a million. Cleverly she remembered to block her own number first.

‘Mum?’ Kate sounded relieved to hear her voice. ‘Mum, where are you? Are you OK?’

I’m fine, darling.’ Estelle was careful not to sound too fine; she was aiming for coping bravely in the face of adversity rather than having the time of her life with an adoring younger man.

‘Are you coming home?’

‘No.’ Sitting cross-legged on the unmade bed, Estelle gazed out of the window at the rows of higgledy- piggledy Mary Poppins-style rooftops.

‘Where are you?’

‘In a hotel. How’s Tiff?’

She had to ask.

She couldn’t not ask.

‘Still really bad.’

‘And Marcella?’

Kate brightened up. ‘Oh, Marcella’s OK. She’s got a thing for Twiglets now.’

‘Well, that’s not so terrible.’

‘She dips them in custard.’

Estelle still thought this was an improvement on the pickled walnuts. ‘How’s Norris?’

‘Fat, greedy, slobbers a lot. Pretty much the same as Dexter.’ Kate paused. ‘Are you going to ask about Dad?’

‘Go on then.’ Estelle was wary.

‘I haven’t seen him. He’s still at the hospital. But if he was here, I wouldn’t speak to him. He’s been a complete idiot. Speaking of idiots,’ Kate said abruptly, ‘Will Gifford was down here yesterday. Honestly, what a pillock, I swear he thinks he’s Hugh Grant. He was wearing that awful green jumper with the moth holes down the front.’

Estelle’s gaze slid guiltily to the offending jumper, now flung across the chair in the corner of the bedroom. She’d personally removed it, moth holes and all, from Will’s more than willing body last night.

OK, concentrate.

‘What did he have to say?’

‘Oh, he pretended to be shocked,’ Kate sounded scornful, ‘but he was over the moon, you could tell.

Interviewed me in the pub then raced off to the hospital to see Dad. You can’t blame him, I suppose, he’s a journalist. All this business has brightened up his boring documentary no end.’

Estelle bit her lip. This was probably true. You couldn’t blame Will if he were secretly delighted with the way things had turned out, for the sake of the documentary if nothing else.

‘Mum? Norris really misses you.’

‘Does he?’ Estelle managed a wobbly smile. How completely ridiculous, Norris wasn’t even their dog.

‘I miss you too,’ said Kate.

‘Oh, darling ...’ Overwhelmed, Estelle’s hand flew to her throat.

Sounding embarrassed, Kate said, ‘Bet you never thought you’d hear me say that.’

Chapter 43

Estelle put the phone down and had a little cry. Her