‘Eddie,’ she shook her head, utterly bewildered by the outburst, ‘what exactly am I supposed to be up to?’
‘Oh come on,’ he seethed, the words hissing out through clenched teeth. It sounded like a radiator being bled.
‘Tell me,’ said Pru, ‘because I don’t know.’
He couldn’t look at her.
‘You and Liam.’
‘Me and Liam what?’
This was not good grammar, but she was by this time too intrigued to notice.
‘You, having an affair with him.’
‘Oops.’ Pru almost drove into the back of the lorry from Andover. She braked in the nick of time. ‘Eddie, that isn’t true!’
‘I know you are,’ Eddie said wearily.
‘Well I know I’m not. If I was,’ Pru added steadily, ‘I think I’d have noticed.’
Eddie sat up. He gave her an odd look.
‘Liam gave you those earrings, didn’t he?’
Pru said, ‘Okay, yes, he did. But I didn’t have to earn them.’
Still suspicious — though more of Liam than of Pru — Eddie said, ‘Why, then? Why would he give you a pair of diamond earrings?’
She shrugged.
‘He doesn’t know anyone else whose name begins with a P.’
The relief was phenomenal. When he rubbed his stubbly jaw, Eddie realised he was shaking.
Pru, glancing sideways at him, saw it too.
She smiled, understanding why. As if by magic, her own fears melted away. Moments later she flicked the indicator, braked and turned left, completely forgetting to go through her Ready Steady Go ritual first.
‘Where are we going?’
Pru drove on, pretending not to have heard.
‘Pru, this isn’t a short cut.’
It was a narrow country lane bordered by hedgerows eight feet high. Pru swerved to avoid a squirrel darting across the road and drove on.
‘Pm? Are you okay?’
She pulled into a gateway overlooking an empty field and switched off the ignition.
Eddie looked worried.
‘Are you going to be sick?’
‘No,’ said Pru, ‘I’m going to seduce yon.’
I can’t have heard right, thought Eddie. I must be hallucinating.
Pru turned to look at him.
‘If you’d like me to, that is.’
Eddie felt as if he’d forgotten how to breathe. He took a huge gulp of air.
‘I’m sorry, could you say that again?’
‘Which bit?’
‘The whole bit.’
‘I’m not sure I can. Anyway, I think you heard.’ Pru’s courage began to fail her. What if she’d just made the most humiliating mistake of her life? ‘Look, if you don’t want to, just shake your head and we’ll go.’
Her fingers were creeping towards the key, still swinging merrily in the ignition. Eddie launched himself across the car, grabbing her hand before she could reach it.
‘Pru, are you serious?’
The look on his face told her all she needed to know.
‘I’ve never been more serious in my life,’ said Pru, touching the side of his face with trembling fingers. She leaned over and kissed him.
Eddie, still trapped by his seatbelt, fumbled to release it. He threw his arms around her and kissed her until they were both panting and out of breath.
‘Oh, Pru, I’ve dreamed of this happening.’ There was a catch in his voice. ‘I’ve wanted to do this for so long ...’
And then, incredibly, she was climbing across the gap between the seats. As he helped her, Eddie wondered if she could hear his heart pounding against his ribs. He kissed her neck and her chin, shifting slightly to accommodate her as she sat astride him.
‘I knew I’d find a use for this one day,’ said Pru, pressing the switch to recline the seat.
