Page 34 of Beyond Her Manner
“I can’t fix your past, but I can sit with you whilst you work on repairing yourself,” Viola said with a warm smile.
Gillian opened her mouth to object to the need to repair herself. She was perfectly fine, or she had been until Viola coaxed the past out of her. She searched for a sense of regret, only to find a surprising feeling of lightness inside instead. “Likewise,” she finally replied.
Viola gave a nod of acknowledgement. “See you tomorrow then?”
Gillian nodded and watched as Viola walked away. It took her a moment to realise she was caressing the hand that Viola had held. An urge forced her hand to her nose, and she inhaled, finding a faint, pleasant aroma, a natural musky scent that was becoming so familiar to her.
What on earth had gotten into her?
CHAPTER 10
Viola smoothed down her knee-length, floral summer dress and unbuttoned the top two buttons of her cardigan as she waited at Gillian’s door. Realising her actions weren’t something she’d have done when she thought Gillian was straight, a flicker of disappointment settled over her.
She told herself that Gillian having been in a relationship with a woman an eternity ago didn’t mean anything. She’d recently lost her husband, and although she didn’t appear to be grieving him, it didn’t mean she would be ready to seek out anything new.
She was about to fasten the buttons when Gillian opened the door, looking resplendent in a long, V-neck, navy dress with a large, brown leather belt tied at the waist and matching sandals. She took Viola’s breath away, leaving her head feeling fuzzy.
“Ah, it’s you,” Gillian said, her voice sharp with surprise. She pulled the door closer to her side, narrowing the opening as though guarding a secret within. “You’re early.”
“Nope. Bang on time, in fact,” Viola replied, quickly recovering herself.
She could make out the faint sound of music coming from another room as Gillian looked at her watch. She recognised the song instantly.
“I thought you’d toot or something,” Gillian replied, her eye unmistakably giving Viola a good look-over.
“I find it best not to toot; it rather draws unwanted attention,” Viola replied, trying not to be snarky.
“Oh, yes, of course. I guess that explains your comically sized hat and sunglasses.”
“I don’t go anywhere without them. Am I coming in, or should I wait in the car?” Viola asked, sensing Gillian was uncomfortable with her seeing inside the lodge.
“Erm, yes, I’ll be out in two minutes,” Gillian said, closing the door.
“Okayyyy,” Viola said to herself as she retraced her steps to the car.
Gillian appeared five minutes later and slipped into the passenger seat. Viola wasn’t about to tease her about her poor timekeeping; instead, she decided to be bold and say what she was feeling. After their conversations the previous week, she felt brave enough to tackle Gillian head-on.
“Are you embarrassed about your home?” Viola asked as she drove through the iron-gated, pillared entrance.
Gillian’s head whipped around so fast Viola was sure it would have given her whiplash.
“What do you mean?”
Viola wasn’t sure she could make herself any clearer. Deciding it would be best to ignore the question and try a different approach, she said, “I live in your old house, remember? I know where you come from. Having a small house isn’t anything to be embarrassed about. I wasn’t exactly born with a silver spoon in my mouth either.”
“You weren’t?” Gillian questioned, sounding a little more relaxed.
Viola shook her head as they drove past the village green and the new cricket pavilion. A large sign was being erected on the back of it. It readThe Berkley Pavilion. Viola shrank into her seat, hoping it would escape Gillian’s notice. The laughter that filled the car seconds later said it hadn’t.
Viola groaned. “I asked for my donation to be anonymous.”
“This is a small village. Nothing is anonymous,” Gillian replied, still unable to contain her laughter. “They couldn’t have made that sign any bigger if they tried.”
Gillian’s amusement faded as they left the village, but unable to resist a playful jab back as she stopped the car at a crossroads, Viola turned to her passenger with a mischievous glint in her eye and asked, “Were you enjoying my voice?”
“Sorry?” Gillian’s expression turned puzzled.
“I thought I heard my cover of ‘Bring Me to Life’playing when I walked in.”
