He was angry – she could hear it in what he didn’t say rather than what he did. She could hear it in the silence as he stepped back and observed the mess that Grizzle had left, which had become so much more than a patch of disturbed earth. He didn’t want to blame her, but he did.
‘I’m telling you now, though,’ she added, almost defiantly because whatever guilt or responsibility she might feel, she wasn’t going to accept that what they’d found there this morning was entirely how she’d left it, ‘it wasn’t like that when I pulled Grizzle away. I don’t know if this was how it got because theman was caught in it and they had to pull him out, or whether someone has been back to make it look worse for whatever reason, but it wasnotthis bad.’
‘I believe you,’ he said after a pause that was far too long for Zoe’s liking. ‘Maybe someone has been messing with it. I believe when you were last here it wasn’t this bad. I’m just not sure how much that helps us. We don’t have any proof.’
‘They don’t have any either,’ Zoe reminded him.
‘Well, they kinda do. They have the broken leg and the testimony of everyone who had to pull him out of the hole.’
‘But they can’t prove that the hole was big enough…’ Her argument dried up as she caught, even in the gloom, the scepticism in his expression. ‘OK,’ she said lamely. ‘So what do we do?’
‘I don’t know,’ he said. ‘I suppose I come back when they’ve gone and take photos or something and then take it from there.’
‘Do you think they’ll have taken photos?’
‘Undoubtedly. It’s what I would have done if I’d been in their position.’
‘Before or after they’d dug it out to make it look worse…’
‘Much as I appreciate you trying to make us appear to be in the right, I’m not sure speculating about that helps. We can’t prove it either way, so there’s no point in even bringing it up.’ He pursed his lips as his gaze went back to the hole. ‘I should have got rid of those rabbits as soon as we knew they were here…I should have known something like this would happen.’
‘You’d never have done that because you’re too kind.’
‘And look where being too kind has got me. I should toughen up – kindness and successful businesses don’t mix.’
‘You don’t really mean that.’
‘No, but I bet it’s true.’
‘Come on,’ she said. ‘Let’s go and have breakfast. You said yourself there’s nothing more you can do here until it’s light.’
‘You’re right. I can’t say I’ve got much of an appetite, but there’s no point in hanging around here staring at that mess.’ He cast a glance towards the horizon, where the indigo of earlier was now a definite peachy lilac. ‘It’ll be light soon anyway, and the guests might be stirring. I know I’ll have to face them sooner or later, but I’m not in the mood right now.’
‘You’re angry?’ she asked as they began to walk.
‘Not with you, if that’s what you think. Angry at the situation. I mean, I do wish you’d said something to me earlier…’
‘Don’t you think I wish that too? If I could go back in time and change it, I would, but…’
‘I know. I don’t mean to take this out on you, and I’m sorry if it feels that way.’ He turned in the direction of Daffodil Farm. ‘I wonder if Victor is up yet.’
‘I bet he is, but what do you want him for?’
‘I might ask him about the rabbits. Whether it’s worth trying to get rid of them or, if not, whether it would be a problem if I filled in that hole. I don’t know…Do they just go somewhere else to dig another one, or does it hurt them to lose one of their entrances…?’ She was glad to detect a splinter of his usual humour in his next sentence. ‘I’ll be honest, all I know about rabbits comes from watchingWatership Downas a kid, and I’m not watching that again – it took me ages to stop having nightmares about General Woundwort.’
‘It’s probably a good idea to talk to Victor,’ Zoe agreed. ‘Even if it’s just to get his take on the whole situation. He might know a thing or two about the law concerning farmland too. If nothing else, he’ll have some words of wisdom that might make you feel more positive.’
‘True. I’ll have another cup of tea, give him a chance to have his breakfast and then go across. It’s at times like these you wish him and Corrine had a mobile phone between them.’
‘You could text, but sometimes there’s no substitution for a face-to-face chat.’
Zoe’s statement reminded her of the face-to-face chat she’d been trying to have with someone who would understand her predicament, attempts that had been fruitless so far. One thing was certain: she wasn’t going to be sharing her concerns with Alex any time soon – not after this morning. For one, he had enough to worry about, and secondly, despite his reassurances, she didn’t feel like his favourite person right now, not after admitting she’d let Grizzle dig up the burrow and hadn’t done anything to rectify it. She’d forgotten, of course, because she’d had other things on her mind, things that had seemed far more important at the time. It was another of those valuable life lessons about consequences that her mum or dad had yapped at her about as a kid, and it just went to show that you never stopped learning, no matter how old you were.
16
Zoe pushed open the door, hoping to find Alex grateful for her early return from work and the extra help she knew that would be. The greeting froze on her lips as Alex looked up at her with a smile that seemed far too hesitant and a little guilty, like a kid who’d been caught drawing a masterpiece on his parents’ fridge. Across from him, a hand curled around the stem of a wine glass, was a woman Zoe had never seen before. Her presence might have been confusing enough in itself, as would the fact that she was in their kitchen drinking wine at teatime, and that Alex had a glass in front of him too. But that wasn’t the reason Zoe stopped dead in her tracks, unable to move. The woman was incredibly attractive and well groomed, her glossy chestnut hair tied into a low ponytail, with piercing blue eyes and cheekbones that could draw blood. She was around Alex’s age and obviously comfortable in his presence. There was no doubt in their body language – they knew one another well.
‘Hi…’ Zoe looked from one to the other, wondering what explanation she was going to get and whether she’d like it. She hadn’t warned him she was going to be home early, but she’d always thought the old home-from-work-catching-the-husband-playing-around scenario was the stuff of sitcoms and tawdry novels.
