Death at Rainbow Cottage by Jo Allen (book club books txt) 📗

‘Yes, and I always do.’

Becca made a face at Mikey, and had the satisfaction of seeing him give a little shrug of acknowledgement. In fairness, no-one could reasonably accuse Jude of letting his brother down, and what he’d done for him was more than anyone should consider he was obliged to. It wasn’t enough, because it didn’t fill the gap left by an absent father, but why should it? Jude had his own life to live, and it was obvious he was living it to the full. ‘It’ll be good if you can come along.’

‘Yeah,’ Mikey said, to Ashleigh rather than Jude, ‘it’ll be great to see you. We can have a proper chat.’

‘If we can hear anything above the music.’ Linda steamrollered her way through yet another silence. ‘The only thing Mikey’s doing for his own party is putting together the playlist. And as I don't recognise anything on it, I’m going to hazard a guess that it’ll be far too loud and us oldies will have to congregate in the kitchen if we want to hear one another speak.’

‘That’s the plan, anyway.’ Mikey presented an impudent face to his mother.

‘Is there anything we can do to help?’ Jude slid an arm along the back of the sofa behind Ashleigh, in a way that included her in the family.

‘No, it’s okay. We have the hall booked and we’ll set it up on Saturday afternoon. Becca’s doing the food and I’m going down to Sainsbury’s tomorrow to load up with everything else. We’ll be fine. All we need is your good selves.’

Another silence. ‘If you want us to fetch and carry—’

‘It’s okay. We’re under control.’

Becca looked down at her notepad. Mac cheese x3 she’d written. Sausage rolls x 100. Crisps x lots.

‘We should go, Jude.’ Ashleigh nudged him, and gave Linda an apologetic look. ‘We have a table booked for half seven.’

‘Yes.’ He heaved himself out of the low sofa and gave her a hand up that Becca was sure she didn’t need. ‘We were late away from work, or we’d have been able to stop longer. But I thought I ought to make an effort of introducing Ashleigh before Saturday. Don't bother to see us out. We know the way.’

‘Look,’ they heard Ashleigh saying as the two of them made their way to the door. ‘there’s that beautiful grey cat.’ And then the door closed behind them and Jude and the new woman — the official new woman — in his life had gone.

*

‘I’m glad I finally met your mum.’ Ashleigh unwound a thin silk scarf from round her neck and dropped it on the sofa.

‘Yes. So am I.’ Jude had been rerunning the day’s work in a way he shouldn't be doing when an attractive woman was beginning the process of taking off her clothes in front of him. As they’d left the pub Chris had called. It was far too soon for fingerprints, but the CCTV had been easily and quickly available and had confirmed just what he’d expected — Giles, getting into Gracie’s car. He’d get him in for questioning first thing next morning. That would make for an interesting session.

‘And Mikey.’

Mikey, the little brat. Jude chuckled, turning up his phone to see the message his brother had sent him. Cool girl. Punching above your weight there, m8. ‘I think you impressed him.’

‘Do you think so? In a good way, I hope.’

‘Almost certainly. And it was better to catch them informally. Much less pressure on everybody.’ He watched her as she shed her coat, draping it over the back of the chair. ‘I hope it wasn’t too awkward for you, with Becca there. I wasn’t expecting her.’

‘Awkward? No, not at all. I only worried that it might be a bit difficult for you.’ She fluttered her fingers across the front of her blouse, teasing him.

Sometimes he thought Ashleigh could read minds and if he should ask her to tell him what he thought, because sometimes he didn’t know himself. He was learning that getting over Becca wasn’t happening the way he’d thought it would. She wouldn’t go away. She meant less and less to him every time he saw her, and her obvious irritation with him translated naturally into his irritation with her. Still she persisted, in his mother's life and his brother’s and so, by default in his own. At last he was getting used to it. ‘Are you having trouble with those buttons? Here. Let me help you.’

Becca wasn’t where she once was, in his heart and in his bed. Ashleigh had taken over. And he was getting used to that, too.

‘Jude.’ She held him off, but not as if she was resisting. ‘Just a minute.’

‘I’ll take as long as you like.’

‘There’s something I want to tell you.’

His lips touched the top of her hair, an offer he knew she wouldn’t refuse. ‘Go ahead.’

‘It’s about Faye Scanlon.’

‘Okay.’

‘She’s the woman I had a fling with.’

At an early stage she’d told him about the affair she’d had, the kicking over of all traces as her marriage disintegrated, and he hadn’t turned a hair, but she’d never named names. In his silence, she slid a hand over his heart as if she could trace a change in its beat, or a variation in his breathing, but all she would feel was the quivering of a chuckle. It didn’t surprise him, an elegant explanation for every aspect of Faye’s behaviour — the defensiveness, the coolness to Ashleigh, the hostility to him. And he hadn’t missed the way she’d changed the subject that first day back from her holiday when he’d asked if she and Faye had met. ‘That must have been a shock for her when she saw you. Didn’t she recognise you? Or was she cutting you dead?’

Ashleigh relaxed. ‘The second. She