‘Just before seven. I should have bags of time.’
When they got home, Victoria decided to carry on playing with her laptop, now that the broadband connection had been installed. She told Katie to drive safely and headed for her study, humming a tune. Katie was particularly impressed to recognise that what she was humming was Coldplay, not Mozart. Victoria’s introduction to the twenty-first century was moving along. BT had also supplied a clever bit of apparatus that now provided the house with a mobile phone signal. As a result, Victoria was now the proud owner of a smart phone. More importantly for Katie, she now had a private line to the outside world.
The drive down from Iddlescombe was uneventful, in spite of the persistent drizzle. She spent much of the journey thinking about Martin. She hadn’t phoned him yet, but she had been thinking about him. She got on very well with him, she found him very attractive and she sensed that he was very fond of her. In so many ways he was an ideal choice, for somebody who wanted a new man. The question she kept turning over in her head was, Do I want a new man? The one thing she knew with certainty was that she wanted a career. She wanted a job that would challenge her and satisfy her. And, above all, she wanted a job that would give her financial independence. Martin, as a solicitor, would no doubt be able to provide for her, but she had no intention of becoming a trophy wife. When and if she decided to settle down, it would be on her terms.
She found a parking space opposite St David’s station and walked across to wait under cover. The rain was coming down harder now and she was glad of the huge BMW umbrella that had come with the car. To her surprise, Jenny was already there, even though it was only a quarter to seven.
‘Wow, Jen, how did that happen?’
‘The train before mine was running late so I managed to hop on. I got here five minutes ago.’ Katie led her out and across to the car, both of them sheltering under the umbrella. Jenny stopped and stared as they reached the car. ‘Bloody hell, Katie, what’s this you’re driving? It’s amazing!’ Even in a downpour, Katie had to agree that the silver sports car did look rather good. She gave her a broad smile.
‘Tip of the iceberg, Jen. Tip of the iceberg. Nothing but the best for Victoria.’ They climbed in and she threw the dripping umbrella onto the tiny rear seats. ‘You are now entering the proverbial lap of luxury. Enjoy it!’
As they drove back up the Exe valley towards Iddlescombe, they chatted. Katie recounted her experiences since arriving in Devon two weeks previously. Jenny was amazed as she heard more detail about Victoria.
‘Locked up for twenty-five years? That’s amazing.’ She glanced out of the car window as the rain continued to pour down. ‘With all the money she’s got, I’m surprised she stays in soggy old England.’
‘Ah, that’s being taken care of. We’re going off to their villa in Tuscany some time very soon.’
Jenny returned her attention to Katie. She knew full well just how hard things had been for her recently. Now she was delighted to see her looking and sounding much better, much more positive. ‘Tuscany, that’s where you said you wanted to go, isn’t it? I can see you now, basking in the Italian sunshine, a glass of Italian wine in your right hand and a handsome dark-haired Italian Adonis in your left.’
A sign appeared through the gloom, indicating they had reached Nymptonford. Katie slowed at a junction and then turned off onto a much narrower road. ‘Twenty minutes through the lanes and we’re there.’ She glanced across with a smile. ‘And Adonis was Greek, not Italian.’
‘My mistake. As long as they’ve got long black hair and dark brown eyes, I’m not fussy. And talking of men, you’ll never guess who I saw only yesterday.’
Katie was driving slowly, secretly rather awed at the volume of water streaming down both sides of the lane. She didn’t dare take her eyes off the road ahead. ‘I’m assuming it wasn’t Adonis. You would probably have told me already if you’d seen him.’
‘Martin.’
In spite of her good intentions, Katie glanced sideways. ‘Martin? How was he?’
There was a pause while Jenny looked for the right word. In the end she settled for, ‘Frustrated.’
‘You’re going to have to explain.’ Headlights appeared ahead of them and Katie squeezed halfway off the road to allow a huge milk tanker to come past. ‘What’s he got to feel frustrated about?’
‘You, I think.’ Jenny was smiling. ‘Or, rather, the lack of you. He’s been trying to contact you and your phone seems permanently off. Are you trying to avoid the poor boy?’
Katie explained about the poor reception at the manor and how the problem had only been resolved the previous afternoon. ‘I’ve been meaning to call him.’ The road now clear again, she shot a sideways look at Jenny. ‘So you think he’s interested, do you?’
‘Interested? Only in the same way that Romeo was interested in Juliet. If you want my honest opinion, I think all you’d have to do would be to snap your fingers and he’d be there like a little dog with his tail wagging.’
‘A dog? Now that’s a thought. We never had one at home and I’ve always wanted one.’
‘But they’re smelly and disobedient and you have to run around clearing up after them.’
Katie glanced at Jenny. ‘After seven years with Dean, I know all about that, thank you. No, a dog might well be the answer for me. I really don’t know if I fancy hooking up with anybody again for a while. Like I’ve been telling you, I’m looking for a new career and I’m prepared to do what you’ve done and bury myself in it. There’ll be time for men once I’ve got the work side of things sorted out. Although, I must admit that if I was thinking of it, Martin would be high on my list of potential conquests.’
‘Well, that’s up to you, but I did tell him I’d ask you to give him a call.’
‘And I will. Promise.’ At that moment they emerged from the trees into the wider part of the valley. The rain was still falling, but the visibility was better out here. Katie pointed across towards Iddlescombe Manor as it emerged from the murk. ‘We’re almost there. Not a bad little place, is it?’
‘Bloody hell.’ For once, Jenny was totally at a loss for words.
‘Welcome to Iddlescombe Manor, Jenny. I’m so glad you decided to come.’ Victoria was waiting for them in the sitting room, where a fire had been lit in the huge fireplace, even though they were in the month of July. She glanced at Katie. ‘Not the nicest of nights for driving.’
Katie shook her head. ‘Definitely not great. There was a moment on the way up here when it looked like we were driving up a river.’ She accepted a glass of champagne and grinned at the expression of awe on Jenny’s face as Rosie in her maid’s uniform went over to her with the silver tray.
‘Thank you so much for inviting me here, Victoria. It’s an amazing place.’ Jenny remembered her manners.
Victoria gave a shrug of her shoulders. ‘I suppose it is really, but for me it’s just the place I live. I don’t really have any standard of comparison.’
Katie wasn’t going to let her get too introspective. ‘Well, if it helps, the whole flat I lived in for seven years with Dean would fit into this room quite easily.’
‘But I don’t have a Dean.’ Victoria’s tone was still a bit melancholy. Katie wondered if she had been watching something gloomy on TV.
‘Well, you’re better off without one of those. We were just saying on the way up that a dog would be far less trouble.’
‘But you can’t have a conversation with a dog.’
Katie gave her a grin. ‘Try talking to a man when there’s football on the television.