Page 45 of Summer At Willow Tree Farm

‘Why are we talking about Art?’ Ellie said. She so did not need to hear about Art’s orgasm-on-demand capabilities. She had a damn frisson to control. ‘This is supposed to be a girls’ night in, which means no man talk. It’s boring.’

‘What kind of tedious girls’ nights in do you go to?’ Annie said, pausing mid-brush to stare at Ellie as if she’d lost her mind. ‘Man talk is never boring – especially if it involves Aidan Turner and a scythe.’

‘Fine, we can talk about Poldark,’ Ellie conceded. ‘But let’s not talk about Art.’

‘I think the lady protesteth too much.’ Maddy misquoted Shakespeare.

‘I’m just not interested in talking about Art,’ Ellie said, protesting way too much. ‘Or his enormous scythe.’ But, as she said it, the memory of him lying by the millpond and chafing himself to orgasm blasted into her brain and made her cheeks go almost as scarlet as the glittery polish on her toes.

‘How exactly do you know his scythe is enormous? If you’ve never slept with him?’ Annie said, going all Hercule Poirot as she blew on Ellie’s toes. ‘Because that just happens to be something else Daisy mentioned. A lot.’

Ellie put down her glass. She needed to go easy on the booze, because all three of her friends were now watching her with rapt attention. ‘Um, I may possibly have seen it once. In a nonsexual…’ she cleared her throat ‘…an almost non-sexual context.’

‘Almost?’ Tess said. ‘We definitely need details.’ The other two nodded.

‘I’m not sure I know you well enough to tell you,’ Ellie hedged.

‘We will be very discreet,’ Tess said, then glanced at Annie.

‘Well, Annie won’t be, but me and Maddy can gag her.’

‘Hey!’ Annie said, pausing in the toe painting to look outraged.

Ellie laughed, and it occurred to her that she wanted to tell them. Maybe she’d only known the three of them for less than a month, but she really liked them, and it had been so long since she’d had real female friends. So long, in fact, she’d forgotten how good it felt to have women she could confide in. And, what the heck, she’d been holding on to this guilty secret for nineteen years, why not share?

‘OK, fine, I know all about Art’s scythe because I spied on him once by the millpond, when he was naked and very busy…’ she paused, to take a fortifying sip of bubbles ‘…doing what boys of fifteen tend to do a lot.’

Maddy gasped, Tess snorted and Annie purred.

‘Wow, that is even hotter than Aidan Turner doing the bare-chested scythe boogie. I think Mr Annie is going to be whistling when he gets up to milk those cows tomorrow.’

‘Does Art know? That you saw him?’ Tess probed, still rapt.

‘Are you joking?’ Ellie said, enjoying their interest maybe more than she should. ‘He would have eviscerated me. We had this love–hate relationship going all summer… Well, more hate–hate really.’ Not unlike now. ‘But I will admit that was probably the most erotic thing I’ve ever seen in my life.’ Because just thinking about it now was making all the saliva dry up in her mouth. She took a sip of her champagne. The others looked riveted. So was she really. ‘But we never got it together… I was only fourteen and he was a complete bastard.’ Most of the time.

‘So now’s your chance, why not go for it?’ Maddy said, clearly drunk. Or delusional. Or both. ‘Art’s hot for an older guy.’

Older guy? He wasn’t that old.

‘And a guaranteed orgasm with an enormous scythe,’ Maddy finished, proving she was definitely both drunk and delusional.

‘Eh, hello, he hates me, and I’m still married.’ Ellie danced her ring finger in front of the three of them Beyoncé style. Then she noticed the Hot Raspberry Wine polish, which clashed with the ring on said finger, and had a searing moment of clarity.

After spending twelve years honouring the band of 24-carat white gold Dan had slipped on her finger in the Orchard County courthouse, for the first time ever her ring didn’t feel relevant any more. Had they ever really been married? If she was the only one of them to take their vows seriously?

Maybe it was the wine talking, but still the realisation felt profound.

‘You’re getting a divorce,’ Annie said as if reading her mind. ‘Because Dan Jr was a cheating rat and is about to have a child by another woman. So I don’t think you should consider yourself that married.’

Ellie frowned. Was Annie right?

‘I guess we are separated,’ she heard herself say.

‘Precisely, so why should you let that stop you jumping Art? It didn’t stop your husband from jumping Josh’s teacher,’ Annie said, with barefaced Northern logic.

The others made sounds of approval.

Ellie didn’t comment. Why had she confided in Annie and the others when she hadn’t yet told Dee about the divorce? Or Josh? She stared into her champagne flute.

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