Tell That to My Heart Read online

  ‘Right. She’s quite something, this sister of yours.’

  ‘Oh, she is, you wouldn’t believe.’

  ‘I think I’m beginning to.’

  Mim’s thoughts slowed down a gear, as she became acutely aware she’d been gabbling. She looked up at Caspar, trying to assess his feelings. He stood before her, hands on hips, gnawing at his bottom lip. Had she put the dampers on things tonight? Her heart suddenly slumped; she hoped not.

  Aware of her watching him, a lopsided smile spread across his face. He stepped towards her and repeated the tantalising kiss of earlier. Mim’s heart surged and her knees went weak. She gasped as he pulled away. ‘The bedroom it is then,’ he said, his eyes dark with lust. ‘Lead the way.’

  ‘Wow! That was amazing.’ Mim flopped back onto the pillow, her raggle-taggle hair splayed out around her.

  Caspar lay beside her, sweat glistening in the thick, dark hairs of his chest. ‘You’re one hot lady, Mim Dewberry.’

  ‘I am?’

  ‘You are. And you’ve got the most amazing body on you; it’s deliciously voluptuous.’

  ‘Is that a fancy way of saying I’m fat? And I’m sorry for not warning you about my psoriasis, but it’s not exactly sexy talk, is it? And it’s having a bit of a flare-up at the moment which is annoying.’

  ‘Hey, no need to apologise at all, I hadn’t even noticed it; I was too distracted by all of the delights you had on offer. And you need to stop putting yourself down; you’re gorgeous and womanly and have a great personality too. It’s a heady old combination, Mim. You need to start appreciating what you’ve got.’

  ‘I’m not sure about that; you’re just being kind.’

  ‘You’re totally wrong there. Haven’t you seen the way Aidey can’t take his eyes off you? He has the hots for you, big time.’

  ‘Aidey? Don’t be daft, we’re just mates; he doesn’t think of me in that way and vice versa. Besides, we’ve known each other for donkey’s years; if anything was going to happen between us I dare say it would’ve done so by now – not that it ever would.’ Mim quickly batted thoughts of Aidey out of her mind; she didn’t want to loiter on how hurt he’d looked when she’d turned down his offer of a lift home in favour of Caspar. Instead, she wanted to focus on Caspar’s wonderful words.

  ‘Hmm, I’m not so sure – about how he feels at least. But, as I was saying, you really are completely and utterly desirable. And your cleavage in the blue and white striped top you were wearing to work earlier this week was enough to turn a strong man’s knees to jelly.’

  Mim giggled. ‘Really?’

  Caspar turned to face her. ‘Really; I don’t know how I managed to concentrate on my work that day thanks to you. You put me in mind of a young Brigitte Bardot.’

  Me? A young Brigitte Bardot? No way! Mim’s heart soared with happiness. The nagging doubt she’d harboured about him all week slipped away as she basked in the glow of his words. Gone, too, was the resolve that this would simply be a bit of fun, a meaningless dalliance. If Caspar wanted something serious, he could have it.

  He reached across and pulled her close to him, pressing kisses to the top of her head. ‘Listen, I’ve been thinking and, much as I’d like nothing better than to have you on my arm and let the world know about us, I think it’s probably a good idea if we keep things to ourselves for now, don’t you? So, it might be for the best if we don’t mention any of this at work, you know how nosy people are. And I quite like the idea of just the two of us knowing; it adds to the excitement, don’t you agree?’

  ‘Oh, okay, I suppose so.’ She pushed a feeling of disappointment out of the way.

  ‘Mmm, and something else to keep to yourself, I’ve got a sneaking suspicion that Clarissa is quite keen on me, if you know what I mean? She’s a lovely girl, very attractive, but I just don’t think of her in that way. She could only ever be a work colleague to me, but we don’t want her old dragon of a mother pushing her nose in, do we, nor that little madam Honey? Imagine the trouble that could cause.’

  ‘True.’ Mim could imagine her boss wouldn’t be pleased to find out she was having a relationship with her new golden boy. Honey less so. Still, she couldn’t help but feel disappointed and not a little confused.

  ‘Yes, I just think it’s better off all round if we keep things to ourselves. It can be our little illicit secret. Just think of all those delicious stolen moments in secluded dark corners, your lips on mine, all that passion building during the day, bubbling over; it’ll make it all the more exciting for when we get back here in the evening.’ He dropped a kiss on the tip of her nose.

  ‘Mmm, when you put it like that…’ And, much as she liked the sound of it, there was that little niggle making itself known again. Mim wished it would bugger off.

  8

  Mim woke early for a Saturday; she wasn’t used to sharing her bed with someone else and Caspar seemed to take up an awful lot of room – not that she was complaining by any stretch. She’d hoped to wake up in his arms but instead he was sprawled across the bed, leaving her a tiny sliver on the edge and next to no duvet. Still, she didn’t mind; last night had been amazing, way beyond her wildest dreams. She’d lost count of how many times they’d made love, only getting out of bed to get something to eat or to let Herbert out for a toilet trip in the garden. Mim felt a sudden pang of guilt for the Labrador, he’d had a pretty crappy night. He was used to spending his evenings stretched out in front of the stove in the living room, snoring blissfully, not cooped up in some pokey utility room in case he savaged the guest. She’d make it up to him; he deserved a little treat or two.

  She squinted at the alarm on the bedside table, but not having her contact lenses in meant its face was just a blurry haze. Judging by the level of light in the bedroom she guessed it was around eight-thirty. Herbs would need letting out. She peered at Caspar, his face squished into the pillow, his breathing soft. Her heart gave a little squeeze as she remembered the words he’d used last night: deliciously voluptuous, gorgeous, amazing body. She wriggled her toes in delight before throwing back the duvet. She looked down at herself, smoothing her hand over the soft round of her stomach. Hmm, that’s not exactly how I’d describe myself.

  Caspar stirred and Mim hurriedly tiptoed across the room and swiped her dressing gown from the hook on the back of the door. She didn’t want him to see her stark naked this morning; in the cold light of day, he might be forced to eat his words.

  Downstairs, Herbert was in raptures at seeing her, spinning around and wagging his tail so hard his whole body shook. ‘Morning, handsome, how are you today?’ She bent down and held her arms out to him. The Labrador shot over to her, resting his head on her shoulder, his broad tail swishing back and forth over the floor. She smoothed her hand down his solid, silky back. ‘Ahh, that’s a mighty fine greeting, lovely boy. I’m really sorry about last night. I’ll make it up to you, I promise. How does a nice juicy bone from the butchers’ sound?’

  On hearing the word “bone” Herbert sat to attention, his ears pricked. He let out a little whimper, making Mim chuckle. ‘I’ll take that as a yes, then, shall I?’ She didn’t like the fact that she’d have to pop him back into the utility room before Caspar came downstairs but she didn’t want a repeat of last time. Herbert’s reaction to Caspar did set alarm bells ringing again but, this morning, she didn’t want to pay too much attention to them.

  She was sipping tea, gazing out of the window and admiring the view down the length of the garden and onto the fields beyond when Caspar first appeared. Sensing him behind her she turned to see him bare-chested, wearing nothing but his boxer-shorts, his floppy hair looking sexily ruffled. A bolt of lust spiked through her alongside a feeling of uncertainty; after last night, she could argue they’d got to know one another pretty well in a physical sense, but emotionally, well, that was a different story.

  ‘Morning.’ She hoped she sounded casual. ‘Cup of tea?’

  He yawned and ruffled his hair, rolling his eyes towards the uti
lity room where Herbert had struck up his barking and growling. ‘I’d prefer a coffee, thanks.’

  ‘Coffee it is.’

  As she went to flick the kettle on, she was surprised to feel Caspar’s arms slipping around her waist, his face nuzzling her neck. The heady, warm scent of their bed, still lingering on his skin, was delicious.

  ‘Actually, put that coffee on hold and come back to bed with me.’

  Oh, that voice!

  He turned her round and kissed her deeply. How could she refuse?

  ‘So what are your plans for today?’ Mim tried to keep her voice neutral. She was struggling to contain the hope that he’d suggest they do something together, and desperately didn’t want to sound needy or clingy, especially at this early stage of their “relationship”.

  Caspar propped himself up on his elbow and slowly traced his finger from her chin all the way down to her stomach then back again, running it back and forth over her plump bottom lip. ‘I’m afraid I’ve just got time for a quick coffee, then I’ve got to head off. How about you?’

  Disappointment made her heart sink though she tried not to show it. ‘I’m going to take Herbert for a good long walk then maybe meet up with Anna-Lisa. And I’m going to Carly’s for a drink tonight; I think I’ll see if Anna wants to join us; we can have a good girly catch-up over some Prosecco.’ She flashed him a wide smile, hoping she’d made herself sound busy and popular, and not like some friendless saddo who would be waiting at home, doing nothing, seeing no one, until he clicked his fingers. Been there, done that, not doing it again. Ever! No matter how hot you are, Caspar De Verre. It still didn’t stop her from wondering what he was doing with the rest of his day.

  ‘Well, your day sounds a whole lot better than mine. I’ve got to help my parents; they’ve got a business and I work for them from time to time. And, unfortunately, today is one of those days.’

  ‘Oh, what sort of business is it? Is it in publishing?’

  ‘No, it’s nothing remotely like publishing; let’s just say they’ve got their fingers in lots of pies, but it pays pretty well, so I can’t complain too much. Anyway, about that coffee…’ With that, he pushed the duvet back and climbed out of bed.

  Unlike Mim, Herbert seemed thrilled that Caspar had left. He shot out of the utility room and raced around the house, sniffing everywhere, deep growls emanating from him.

  ‘It’s okay, Herbs, he’s gone, though I don’t know why you don’t like him; he’s really nice when you get to know him.’ Herbert didn’t look convinced as he made his way over to his bed. ‘Trust me, he is.’ Again, Mim pushed the unwelcome niggles to the back of her mind.

  Herbert looked up at her and wagged his tail, making her smile. She ruffled his velvety ears. ‘Right, I’ll have a quick shower, then I’ll take you for a nice long W.A.L.K.’

  9

  Herbert was dancing from paw to paw as Mim clipped the lead to his collar. ‘Excited are we?’ He replied with a whimper before having a quick nibble of her thick plait that had snaked over her shoulder. ‘Thank you, young man, that’s enough of that.’

  As soon as she opened the door, he was off, dragging her out onto the step, jumping about in sheer delight. ‘Bide your passion, lad, there’s no rush, we’ve got all day.’ Mim couldn’t help but laugh.

  With Herbert eagerly pulling on the lead, they made their way along the old York flagstone footpath, taking a right at the end of the row of cottages on Smeathorn Lane and heading towards to the well-worn track of the public bridleway that ran parallel to the broad, sweeping fields of Low Woodside Farm, a small wood nestling beside it. ‘Herbs, sit.’ The Labrador obeyed, allowing Mim to unhook the lead from his collar before he shot off into a nearby hedgerow that was apparently brimming with tantalising smells.

  Mim threw the lead over her shoulder and sauntered along the lane, her hands thrust deep into the pockets of Josie’s padded Barbour jacket. With the unsettling events of the week pushed to the back of her mind, Mim relished the new feeling of lightness her evening with Caspar had bestowed upon her. It had silenced the background anxiety that had been her constant companion for months, always chattering away like incessant white noise.

  Overhead, the sky was a broad splash of cerulean blue, punctuated only by the occasional wisp of white cloud floating by. Birds were chattering away ten-to-the-dozen in the trees, their exuberance making Mim smile. The air was filled with the earthy smell of autumn, tinged with a whiff of burning leaves from a bonfire at one of the allotments that sat side-by-side on the edge of the village; a higgledy-piggledy cluster of sheds and vegetable patches, divided up by makeshift fences of corrugated iron and random pieces of wood cobbled together. She inhaled deeply and sighed; it was the perfect day for a walk in the countryside. Indeed, the weather seemed to be making up for delivering days of patchy rain throughout the previous week. And today was awash with glorious mellow golden sunshine that danced over the fields and peered through the branches of the trees. Those that were still in leaf were now sporting the rich shades of autumn, their burnished golds, reds and bronze shining in the sunshine. The River Skelt that wended its way through the villages on its way to York could be seen glittering through the hawthorn hedgerows. The air was crisp, the warmth of the sun just taking the edge off the slight nip in the breeze. Mim loved feel-good days like these; what a pity, she thought, that Caspar couldn’t join her.

  Caspar. The thought of him sent a wave of happiness through her. Not in her wildest dreams had she ever thought she’d attract the attention of a man like him. Yes, he fitted the bill of her usual type, ticked all her boxes, but he had something extra too; he was more polished than her previous boyfriends, more sophisticated, more mature. And that combination scared her slightly. She ignored the little voice that said, “more dangerous”. Why on earth was he interested in a girl like her? Surely he was better suited to Clarissa who was groomed and elegant. No doubt about it, they’d make a very attractive couple. Not wanting to dwell on that thought, Mim quickly pushed her doubts out of the way, remembering the wonderful things he’d said to her the previous evening, his voice seductive and velvety. The memory made her shiver with delight; he’d made her feel special and desirable. None of her previous boyfriends had ever done that.

  ‘Oh, Lord.’ She could feel herself falling for him. Hard. And, as much as the little warning voice was jumping about in her mind, trying to get her to listen, the pull of Caspar was just too strong. He’s not like the others, he’s different. He won’t treat me badly. I just know it.

  Mim and Herbert headed further along the track which had become quite muddy in parts, and she was glad she’d decided to wear her wellies. She edged around the deep, dirty puddles while Herbert bounded straight through them with little regard for the consequences. ‘Ughh! Herbert! You’re going to need a shower after this.’

  Aware of the thudding of horse’s hooves gaining on her, Mim turned to see the vicar’s wife Gemma on her chestnut mare. ‘Morning, Mim, how are you? Woah, Starlight.’ She gave Mim a warm smile as she pulled on the reins.

  ‘Morning, Gemma, I’m fine, thanks. Just making the most of the lovely weather. How about you?’

  ‘Good, thanks, same here. The children are out and about on their bikes and David’s tackling some pruning in the garden, so I thought I’d grab the opportunity to go for a ride.’

  Gemma’s glossy, dark hair and rosy-apple cheeks lent her an air of wholesomeness.

  ‘I don’t blame you, it’s glorious. By the way, are you going to Carly’s next Friday?’

  ‘Wild horses couldn’t keep me away, I’m really looking forward to letting my hair down.’ Gemma winked at Mim and urged her mare on. ‘Come on, Starlight. See you later, Mim, enjoy your walk.’

  ‘Bye, Gemma.’

  As she continued on her way an enormous buck hare shot past her, racing from the razed stubble of the corn field and into the hedgerow, apparently escaping the clutches of the buzzard that had followed him and was now circling above, calling out
in consternation. Herbert stopped in his tracks, front paw poised in a classic gun-dog pose, his gaze following the gap in the hedge where the hare had disappeared.

  ‘Don’t even think about chasing it, Herbert.’

  The Labrador turned his head to her, wagged his tail and continued trotting along the lane, his nose fixed to the ground as he went. Mim watched him, smiling; he was such a lovable character.

  They continued along the track, Herbert tirelessly running backwards and forwards, beating Mim’s step-count several times over. As they approached the small packhorse bridge, a cluster of bullfinches flitted across her path like a squadron of tiny Spitfires, landing on their target of cow parsley skeletons with skilled precision. They gripped onto the swaying stalks, pecking at the seed-heads, punctuating their snacking with bursts of chatter. A moment later they flew off, a flash of vivid orange against the blue of the sky.

  The birds triggered a memory of walking along this very path with her grandparents and Josie when she was only about eight or nine. They’d seen bullfinches that day, and had marvelled at their vibrant plumage and formation flying. Mim recalled how Grandad John had told them that the name for a collection of bullfinches was a “charm”. Mim had been thrilled to hear that wonderful description. Lovely Grandad John and his easy-going temperament, he was a mine of information, never seeming to tire of her and Josie’s endless questions. “What’s this, Grandad? What’s that, Grandad?” Mim had asked him once how many steps it would take to get to the moon. He’d laughed, ruffling her hair affectionately, and told her he loved her imagination, and that she must never stop thinking that way.

  Thoughts of her grandparents naturally turned to her mother, wondering what she was doing now. Mim felt her mood dip; her relationship with her mum Jeanette had always been tricky. It had been a while since she’d heard from her – getting on for eighteen months – her texts and phone calls going unanswered, emails, too. The last time they’d been in the same company, they’d parted on bad terms and Mim guessed that Jeanette was still licking her wounds. It was fair to say that Mim was still smarting too. But, she figured, there are only so many times you can forgive your mother for stealing from you and lying to you.