Page 80 of The Farmer Has a Wife

The pub was in full swing, the air thick with laughter, the clinking of glasses, and the warm, comforting smells of beer and fried chips. Danni sat at the bar, absently tracing the rim of her pint glass with her thumb, as Hector and Tommy played a game of darts in the corner.

Her mind was firmly not on the pub. It was miles away, lost in a labyrinth of thoughts about Eleanor, about everything she’d done, everything she’d sacrificed, and how she still wasn’t sure that it was enough.

It had been the right thing, she was certain about that. What she wasn’t certain about was just where to go from here. It was almost an anticlimax, selling the farm. Less important, less life-changing than she’d thought.

The details were simple. Hector was going to take on her animals and most of the equipment. The rest would be sold at auction. Easy. Easier than whatever it was that Danni was supposed to do with herself, anyway.

Indi, sensing Danni’s brooding, leaned over the bar and grinned at her. “Still no plan, huh, Romeo?”

“Nope,” Danni said, staring into her beer. “Not a real one, anyway.”

“I’ll tell you what you need,” Indi said, putting her hands onher hips. “You need one of those grand gestures.”

“You mean roses?” Danni asked, finally looking up.

“Jesus Christ,” Indi said. “No. A Grand Gesture, with capital letters. Like… I dunno, like hiring a circus. Oh, or putting on a big firework show that spells out Eleanor’s name at the end. Or hiring a marching band. No, wait, what about a huge bloody rock concert, right there on the lawn? Think about it, Eleanor stepping out onto that pristine grass of hers, only to find herself being serenaded by The Rolling Stones or Sabrina Carpenter. Iconic.”

Danni stared at her in wonder. “You’re an eejit.”

“Just trying to help,” Indi said.

“And Eleanor would hate all those things.” She shook her head, imagining the horrified look on Eleanor’s face. “She’s… well, she’s Eleanor. Lady Eleanor. She’s got that stiff-upper-lip, remember? She doesn’t like big displays of emotion. She’d hate a grand gesture. She keeps everything private, behind closed doors.” She sighed. “Private even from me, I think.”

Indi groaned, throwing her hands up dramatically. “Romance is dead! What are you going to do then? Write her a heartfelt letter, seal it with a kiss, and slip it under her door like you’re in a Jane Austen novel?”

“Well, we did start out with a marriage of convenience,” Danni said. “That’s pretty Jane Austen.” She took a drink of her beer. “Actually, I was going to finish this drink, a bit of Dutch courage, and then I was going to walk over to the house and, um, well, throw myself at her mercy, I suppose.”

“That’s your plan?” Indi asked. She shook her head. “What are you going to say?”

Danni shrugged. “Dunno.”

Indi pinched the bridge of her nose between her forefinger and thumb. “No wonder you’re single.”

But before Danni could say anything in response to this, the pub door swung open, bringing in a gust of fresh air. Danni looked up to see Elizabeth striding in, her heels clicking against the tiles of the floor.

She was dressed immaculately, her hair perfectly smooth, her suit well-pressed, just a hint of color on her lips. But there was an air of impatience about her as she scanned the room.

“She with you?” Indi asked.

“Um, maybe?” hazarded Danni.

Then Elizabeth’s eyes landed on Danni, and she wasted no time making her way over.

Danni frowned as Elizabeth removed her suit jacket, laying it carefully on the barstool next to her. “What are you doing here?”

Elizabeth lifted an eyebrow. “Somebody promised me a drink with their brother, remember? I’m here to collect.”

“Oh dear,” Indi said. “Just wait until Hec hears that you’ve pimped him out for your own devious purposes.”

“I haven’t pimped him out,” Danni said.

“Not technically,” Elizabeth said. “Though there is still hope.”

Indi narrowed her eyes. “You look suspiciously like someone with an ulterior motive.”

“I’m a solicitor, I always have an ulterior motive,” Elizabeth said. “And you look like someone who might be in a position to provide me with a drink.”

“S’pose,” Indi said with a sigh. “What do you want?”

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