Page 99 of A Year at Appleyard Farm
‘Oh. Did Freya mention me?’
‘No, I just know who you are.’ She let that sit for a moment. ‘And I expect that you know my name is Laura, because you’ve put two and two together, and after all how many deaf girls with big dogs can there be around here?’
As soon as the words had left her mouth, her eyes flickered closed in irritation. She had promised herself she wasn’t going to do this. Stephen looked quite uncomfortable, and she almost missed what he said next.
‘It wasn’t quite like that,’ he added. She could see the line of his jaw tightening.
She took in a deep breath and smiled. ‘No, I know. Sorry, that came out wrong.’ His teeth were still clenched.
‘So, anyway, now that we don’t need to introduce ourselves, I should at least say thank you for the other day,’ she said as brightly as she could. ‘I realised later of course that you were actually trying to do me a favour by pushing me in the bush. And if you hadn’t, then either you would have hit me with your bike, or Giles would have run me over. On balance, the bush was the much better option.’
Stephen had just taken a mouthful of coffee and almost spat it across the table at Laura. He wiped his mouth as a trickle of it escaped. ‘What did you say?’ he gulped.
‘Well, there’s no need to sound quite so surprised,’ Laura retorted. ‘I’m trying to apologise but if you—’
There was another touch to her hand, and she snatched it away.
‘No, you misunderstood me, don’t be cross, Laura. You said a name just now, what was it?’
There was a very urgent expression on his face, and Laura wondered what on earth she’d done wrong.
‘What, Giles, do you mean?’ she asked tentatively.
Stephen muttered something she couldn’t quite make out, which probably meant he was swearing. He lowered his head to his hands, and she tutted in exasperation, flapping her hands at him.
‘What did you say?’ she urged. ‘Why do you want to know about Giles?’
A pair of hazel-coloured eyes met hers. ‘I said bloody hell,’ answered Stephen. ‘Because I only know of one person around here called Giles, and that’s Giles Drummond. I just hope to God I’m wrong.’
Stephen searched her expression, looking for her confirmation. He swallowed hard when he saw it.
‘And you just said that Giles would have run you over…Are you absolutely sure the person driving the car that day was Giles? It couldn’t have been anyone else?’
‘Well, it’s possible, but I wouldn’t have thought so. What’s the matter, Stephen? Why is it such a big deal, I mean everyone knows what Giles is like: too much like his father; too much money and too little sense. He has never been able to handle that car; it was ridiculous buying someone so young a machine that powerful. And half the time he’s pissed out of his brain which doesn’t help either…’
She sat back as the colour drained from Stephen’s face.
‘What is it, what’s he done?’ Her voice was like ice.
There was something like regret in Stephen’s eyes. ‘Do you get the evening paper?’ he asked. ‘Would you have yesterday’s?’
Laura shook her head, unwilling to say any more.
‘The reason I ask is because there was an article in it about a suspected hit and run. An elderly lady was knocked down and left for dead, and it happened about the time that I was forced off the road. No one saw the car properly, but it’s thought it left the village on the Witley Road.’
Laura sat up in shock, trying to process what Stephen had just said, and then it came to her, just why Stephen was here, exactly why he had come to see her. Anger straightened her back like a ramrod.
‘You must think I’m stupid as well as deaf,’ she snarled. ‘You didn’t come here to see how I was at all, did you? With your pathetic attempt at signing and yourlook at me I’m such a nice guyact. You don’t care about me one jot!’ Her eyes flashed dangerously.
He baulked at this. ‘That’s not fair, I—’
‘No,’ she shouted.
‘What do you mean, no?’
‘No, as in, no, I won’t help you. I’m not going to the police.’
‘Laura, someone was seriously hurt. How can you not want to help?’
