Page 76 of Deep Blue Sea

‘Clearly not. I wasn’t disturbing a girls’ day out or anything, was I?’

‘Well, I think Patty was checking up on me as well.’

‘How are you?’ he asked as they walked across the parched yellow field.

‘Better than I was a few days ago.’

‘Did you see Stuart Wilson yesterday?’

‘Ah, this is what the visit is about,’ she said, feeling on edge. ‘You know about the will.’

‘What’s that supposed to mean?’ replied Adam, frowning.

Diana hoped she wouldn’t have to spell it out. ‘I’m expecting a call from Ralph or Elizabeth any minute. I’m surprised they haven’t contacted me already. Didn’t the family have a meeting with Stuart after I’d been there?’

‘Diana, I’m glad everything has gone to you and Charlie. Why the hell should it be any other way?’

‘Does Liz see it like that?’

‘Liz has funny ideas.’

Jessica, the groom, came out of the stables and took Nero’s reins from Diana.

‘Is that it for the day, Mrs Denver?’

‘Not unless you fancy taking a horse out, Adam?’

He nodded his head in approval. ‘I fancy it if you do.’

‘Jess, we’ll give Nero a rest. Can you bring out Audley and Casper?’

‘How about Snowdon?’ said Jessica. Behind the stable door Diana could see the dark nose of Julian’s grey and white gelding, which had not been ridden since his death. She nodded, knowing that she couldn’t carry on ignoring the poor animal.

Jessica and her assistant saddled up the two horses and brought them over to Diana and Adam, who took them at a gentle trot towards a copse on the outer edges of the estate. Diana didn’t want to bring the will up again. If Adam was upset at not inheriting Julian’s multi-million-pound shareholding, then he was doing a good job of disguising it.

‘I’m judging at the village fair,’ she said with a smile. ‘Biggest carrot.’

‘I bet that’s going to whip the residents of Boughton up into a lather.’

‘Are you going to come?’

‘Do you think I want to miss you manhandling vegetables?’

‘You can help.’

‘Keep me away from giant melons. I have a bad enough reputation as it is.’

She started to laugh. She felt guilty doing it, but it was a good, rich sound that came out of her body.

‘Well, my mother forced me to get involved and I’m glad I did. I met a really nice lady at the committee meeting. She owns the café by the green. Her husband died a couple of years ago. It was good to talk to her.’

‘You should make friends.’

‘She’s about seventy.’

‘So? She’s probably a better laugh than all those Notting Hill blondes you used to like having coffee with.’

‘You mean the sort of women you date?’ she smiled.