A Roll in the Hay Read online

  “I’ve memorized both of those by now.”

  “That’s right, Woman of the Year it is. Great choice. Can’t go wrong with a bit of Hepburn.”

  “Audrey?” Finn asked, more in hope than certainty.

  “Katharine,” Susannah corrected with a huff.

  The projector screen fired up with the press of a button, and Susannah sank into the huge leather sofa that dominated the space, set at a perfect viewing distance. The lighting was low and warm, and there was a small fridge stocked with white wine and a selection of beers. It was what less enlightened people would call a man cave, even though there were no men in evidence. She pulled a bag of popcorn from the cabinet beside the couch.

  “Is this the one where she’s a hot journalist? Or the one with the tiger?” Finn took their preferred spot, tucked into the opposite corner of the large couch.

  “You mean leopard, and yes she’s a hot journalist. Her husband can’t handle her workaholic ways, and they sort of accidentally adopt a kid and—”

  Finn groaned into a cushion. “Okay yeah, I know which one this is. Mercy, please. Let’s just watch it instead of you giving me the bullet points.”

  Susannah was lost to the world as soon as the opening credits rolled. She sighed in contentment and reached for the popcorn every so often as those signature Hepburn pantsuits dominated the screen.

  Finn might have protested, but they were equally enthralled as they sipped at a bottle of beer. The surround sound brought all the detail to life beautifully, chasing away Susannah’s remaining headache and the nagging thoughts about Robin and her schemes, or of Tess and how a flannel shirt really suited her.

  Wait, what?

  No, it was just because the Katharine Hepburn character shared a name with her. That had to be it. Damn that Tess Harding, bringing unbidden thoughts of Tess the vet right along with her.

  “Distracted?” Finn asked, startling Susannah from her internal argument. “That’s the first time you haven’t said the lines right along with her.”

  “I could do just as well without you, you know.” Susannah could say that because they both knew it wasn’t true.

  Before long, Finn’s phone rang, and Susannah knew the fun part of her evening was officially over. She grabbed Finn’s phone and answered for them. “I’m sending Finn home now, Dave! Sorry for working them so late.” She hung up. “Go on, you. Get home to your lovely partner. I’ve got dinner waiting for me upstairs.”

  “You’d better get up there and eat something,” Finn said, not for the first time. “Don’t just stay down here all night telling yourself popcorn and wine is enough of a dinner.”

  “I’ll be fine. There are plates made up in the fridge. I haven’t starved yet.” Susannah led Finn up to the front door.

  “Maybe you could invite some friends up from the village sometimes. Host some movie nights,” Finn suggested. “Shut up some of the gossip, and then I wouldn’t break out into a cold sweat at the thought of watching Bette Davis in Dark Victory for the twentieth time.”

  “It’s always going to be this way, Finn. As long as I’m in a mansion and people are worrying about having enough money for their winter fuel, they’d rather stay away and gossip about me. That’s okay, it’s part of the job. A few movie screenings won’t do much to change that. Nor will going to yoga classes at the village rec centre, before you start nudging me about that again.”

  “It couldn’t hurt. Oh, don’t forget to fill out the retainer forms for the vet that I left on your desk. He was quite keen to get you all signed up so they can assign someone to cover the horses.”

  “Right. The man from the other day.”

  “Exactly. Unless you’ve changed your mind?”

  “Night, Finn. Drive safe.” Susannah closed the door and leaned back against it. She heaved out a sigh of something like relief, or maybe just frustration, and made her way to the kitchen. It wasn’t worth the telling-off from Finn in the morning not to fish something out of the fridge now, before getting back to the film.

  Her footsteps echoed a little despite the soft slippers, just quiet thuds that reminded Susannah how alone she was in this old pile of stone. Maybe it was time she looked for a dog of her own, not just ones she’d home in the sanctuary. A friendly fellow like Waffles could be just the trick.

  Which was absolutely no excuse for Tess’s face to swim unbidden across her thoughts again. Picking out some cold cuts and cheese, Susannah made an impromptu picnic to take back downstairs. She’d finish the movie and then go back to work, despite telling Finn she wouldn’t. It all had to get done sometime.

  She was woken by a gentle shake at her shoulder, opening her eyes to see grey light filtering in through half-opened curtains. Susannah was face down on her desk, some form or other stuck to her cheek, thanks to the charming fact of her having drooled a little in her sleep.

  “Ow! Jesus!” Sitting up was her first mistake. Her bones and muscles had settled into the reality of her sleeping at a ninety-degree angle in her desk chair, and realigning them to a more human posture was painful indeed.

  The hand on her shoulder was swiftly removed as Susannah stretched out her aches and pains, yawning heavily throughout. “You fell asleep at your desk,” Finn said as though it wasn’t obvious. “So much for it being wise for me to leave you alone.”

  Their voice was soothing, as always, the Scottish burr tempered by a faint rasp. There was just a slight tone of talking the crazy person down from the ledge that Susannah didn’t entirely appreciate.

  “You go and freshen up,” Finn continued, urging Susannah with a light touch at her elbow. “You have one of the solicitors coming over this morning to talk about your defamation options, and you should probably look a little better than this.”

  Susannah looked down at her crumpled blouse, and swept a hand across her cheek only to find smudged mascara and what appeared to be cracker crumbs from her little feast. Her tongue felt like someone had carpeted it overnight, and the dull timpani beat across her forehead and both temples suggested that she hadn’t stopped at a glass of wine with dinner. Drinking alone wasn’t exactly a great habit to develop.

  “I’ll be in the shower,” Susannah replied. “If you could summon up some breakfast with a massive pot of tea, there’s a bonus in it for you.”

  “Getting ready to be your stand-in chef. Bacon sandwiches and a vat of Yorkshire’s finest blend will be ready for you downstairs in twenty.”

  “Lifesaver.”

  Showering and getting dressed in record time, Susannah decided to leave make-up for after the restorative food and drink. With some paracetamol stashed in the pocket of her trousers, she jogged down to the smell of sizzling bacon and the sounds of a kitchen being properly used.

  “Finn!” Susannah made sure her greeting was warm even though her head was still pounding. “Damn, that bacon smells good.”

  “You know, I do love cooking,” Finn said. “Maybe I could do some of the catering instead of getting Joan to do it.”

  “Like I don’t overwork you as it is. You do more than enough. I’d be lost without you.”

  “Well, I have some candidates for the personal chef position that I’ll vet so you can interview the best of them.”

  “Thank you, Finn.” Susannah poured herself tea from the pot that was steaming at the centre of the table. “I know there haven’t been as many challenging events since it’s been just me. It’s taken a while to get everything back on track, but you’re doing great. Did we try reaching out to Francine to see if she’ll come back?”

  “Hmm.” Finn was definitely hiding something.

  “Oh, go on, tell me.”

  “Francine may have had another offer,” Finn said, fussing with the bacon and removing it from the heat. “One that she accepted, I believe. She started work already.”

  “Oh? If this is about money…” Susannah wou
ld prefer a familiar face, someone who already knew how she liked things. Breaking in a new person just sounded exhausting. “I know Jimmy was the one to hire her and that we entertained more when he was here, but that’s all going to change now. She could run a little café for the holiday cabin guests.”

  “I’m not so sure that would work.” Finn served up two perfect bacon sandwiches, and Susannah’s stomach growled. “Since her loyalties seem to have shifted quite a bit.”

  “Oh, you’re not telling me…”

  “I’m afraid Robin is her new employer. Even if you offered more money, she seems to have bought into this fantasy that Robin is the rightful heir to Midsummer. God, this is all starting to sound like Shakespeare again.”

  “Why is that woman so obsessed with taking everything I have?” Susannah groaned the question more than she asked it. “It was bad enough she took Jonathan under her wing after he quit here. What next? Am I going to go down to the stables and find her riding Billie Jean?” She looked at her sandwiches, willing the fresh betrayal not to wilt her appetite. Nope, she still wanted to devour them. “No, we won’t try to win her back. We’ll find someone even better. Tell Jonathan next time you speak that this had better be the last I hear about Robin poaching my staff. My lawyers are already working on obliterating her, so she should really stop adding to that list.”

  “If you say so.” Finn did their best to look upbeat about the prospect.

  Handling all of Susannah’s calls and vindictive relatives couldn’t be an easy job. Maybe it was already time to look at raises again. “I do say so.” Susannah took a hearty bite, just to show she wouldn’t be disheartened in her own house. “Now, don’t let me hold you up. I’m sure you have plenty to do that isn’t running after me. I really appreciate the cooked breakfast, though.”

  Finn scurried off to tackle their to-do list.

  Susannah sipped at her tea. How could good old loyal Francine seriously go to Robin? Why didn’t any of the staff see Susannah as the rightful successor? Robin hadn’t lived at Midsummer in twenty years, although most of the original staff would have been there then. Had the staff really known and disapproved of Susannah and Jimmy’s arrangement for seeing other people of their preferred genders? Surely in that case they’d have been more likely to leave while Jimmy was still alive?

  Which left two equally unappealing options: They’d all been promised something by Robin. Or they just didn’t like Susannah and found her so unpleasant or unfair to work for that even leaving their jobs was worth it. That one was definitely worse but at least it felt a bit less likely than the first option. Who knew what lies had been spun, especially now that the veiled aspersions had made it even into the newspapers.

  At the next opportunity, Susannah was going to let her have it with both barrels. That article had crossed the line, so nothing was off-limits now when it came to hitting back.

  She just hoped that she wouldn’t have to.

  Chapter 9

  “You!” Margo called out as she came into the pub to join Tess at a corner table. “Why are you hiding out in here?”

  “I’m done for the day. My last appointment finished thirty minutes ago. Are you keeping track or something?”

  “No, I wanted to give you a bloody big kiss!” And Margo did exactly that, laying a smacker right on Tess’s cheek. “I don’t know what you did the other day with that horse, but a certain someone has gone and changed her mind!”

  “Sorry, what?” Tess set her half-empty pint back on the table, careful to place it right on the beer mat. “Who did what now?”

  “Karlson. Midsummer Estate. She called about ten minutes ago and asked us to send over paperwork. She wants us as her main vet after all.”

  Tess rocked back against the cushioned bench, exhaling loudly in surprise. “Did she really?”

  “Look at my face!” Margo pointed to her beaming smile. “Really! I thought her horse just had a sprain.”

  “Well, yeah. I just handled it, really. You know I started out as an equine specialist before the big city sucked me into domestic animals. I guess I’m not the incompetent numpty she took me for on my first day.”

  “Or maybe you flirted your way round her?” Margo waved to Adam, who was bringing over their soft drinks. “Wouldn’t be the first time, Tess. You do have form when it comes to charming the ladies.”

  Tess took a smug little sip from her glass. “I’d hardly say that. And I’m sure there’s nobody less interested in me than Lady Karlson. I’d be making a right fool of myself.”

  Babs shot them a suspicious glare from behind the bar at mention of her boss’s name.

  Tess realized their conversation had been getting a bit raucous, and it seemed people were loyal around these parts. All the more surprising when most people tended towards an “off with their heads” approach to the landed gentry. Tess smiled and steered the conversation back to details, making good progress on her pint. “So are we getting all her business?”

  “Looks like it.” Adam loosened his tie, then sipped at his bottled beer. “Bloody good job, T. You’ll want the nod for her on-demand position, we’re assuming?”

  “Say what? Position?” Tess willed her brain not to wander down inappropriate paths. “Oh, you mean the go-to person up on the estate?”

  “You won’t have to work up there all the time—she doesn’t have enough work for that yet,” Margo replied. “But you’ll be expected to put in an appearance most weeks for now. Think you can handle her?”

  “Of course!” Tess said. “I mean, the horses. I can handle the horses. She’s going to have rescue dogs too. I, uh, got a quick tour when I was up there seeing to Billie Jean.”

  Margo leaned across to smack Tess on the arm. “You kept that bit quiet! Well, whatever you did, it’s amazing. Puts us on another level completely and means I can take a few months off to have this baby without worrying about us paying the bills. I knew you’d come through for me one way or another, mate.”

  “I was sort of coming through for myself as well,” Tess said. “I have sunk everything I have into the practice. I’m just glad it’s all working out, but she’s a tricky one. I don’t think we should treat it as a done deal yet, I mean. She could fire us next week for not putting ribbons in the horses’ manes.”

  “Speak of the Devil.” Adam nodded towards the bar.

  Sure enough, Susannah had just appeared. She was in conversation with Babs and the young lanky lad who helped tend bar most evenings. Susannah looked a lot less stressed than the last time Tess had seen her, and the riding gear had been traded for a sharp black skirt suit that wouldn’t look out of place on a lawyer or a banker.

  “I’m sure she’s not here for us if she just called you.” Tess debated whether to go up and get another drink. She didn’t want it to look like Susannah’s presence had drawn her over there. Though would that be the worst thing?

  There was something interesting about the woman, no denying that. Something about her kept tugging on Tess’s imagination, but she couldn’t be sure whether it was the glimpses of a regular person she saw behind the fancy title or the way Susannah had seemed transformed while worrying over her beloved horse. Whatever it was, Tess knew that there was more going on in there than her superficial first impressions had allowed for.

  Besides, it wasn’t as if they were likely to become friends. This was an honest-to-god lady, a landowner and firmly a social class or two above Tess. Susannah Karlson was not going to be in the market for working-class veterinarians who probably thought the aristocracy should be abolished, other than to medicate her horses and neuter her rescue dogs.

  Dave suddenly wandered into the pub, smiling at someone Tess assumed was Finn. They both made a beeline for Tess’s table.

  “Finn,” Adam said with a welcoming smile, confirming Tess’s theory. “Haven’t seen you for ages, not since I came out to Dave’s ewes last time. Have you
met our new colleague, Tess?”

  “I’ve heard of her.” Finn shot a sympathetic smile at Tess that said it was probably not all that positive. “Well, that you’re a fan of my kitchen, anyway.”

  “It’s amazing,” Tess replied. “Is that the paperwork you need from us?”

  “Yup, here’s the new contract.” Finn slid it across the table.

  “Thanks for that. How are the sheep, Dave?” Adam asked. “You had Tess out the other day, didn’t you?”

  “Yes, all good,” Dave replied and glanced at Tess. “Thank you for that. I heard the horse is doing better. Lucky you were there.”

  Tess shrugged. “I just go where I’m needed. Thanks for the assist with Billie Jean. It’s nice to meet you, Finn. I’m glad you haven’t had to call me back out for the horse. She responded well to my treatment.”

  “Susannah seems happy,” Finn replied. “Which is a bit of a miracle this week. Guess that’s why you got the gig. You all okay for drinks?”

  Adam and Margo nodded, having barely started on theirs.

  Tess didn’t know if she was supposed to accept the offer. Why were all these social things so bloody fraught? She lifted her almost empty glass. “Well, I’m on the bitter so…”

  “I’ll get that,” Susannah said, moving from the front of the bar to come and join them. “I see the whole practice is up to speed on new developments, then?”

  “We are, yes,” Margo answered. “And thank you for reconsidering. We won’t let you down.”

  “So, who do I get as my go-to, then?”

  “Is that what you’re calling it?” Tess couldn’t help but respond.

  “Well, the deal is I have a point person. A specialist who puts me and my animals first, day or night. Who’s the lucky winner? Elliot, Elliot, or Robertson?” Susannah turned and motioned to Babs, who handed her a freshly poured pint of best.

  She set it down in front of Tess, who was treated to an unavoidable glimpse down Susannah’s blood-red silk blouse, which seemed barely buttoned from this angle.