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CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE

T he sun was slowly setting, casting long shadows through the trees in the wood beyond.

The cèilidh was in full swing now, and those who weren’t dancing were laughing at those who were.

Beth looked around the tent and then wandered outside where Tom was. ‘Not dancing?’ she asked, with a smile.

‘God, no. Anyway, I’m on duty.’

‘Any excuse.’ Beth laughed.

It was that time of evening when everyone had consumed too much alcohol. So Tom kept his eye on the rival gangs that seemed to be behaving well so far, but he knew never to be complacent.

An arm suddenly draped itself around Beth’s shoulders, startling her.

‘All right, my lovely,’ said Lisa Carpenter. ‘Have you seen my “pain in the arse” other half by any chance?’ She asked drunkenly, wine slopping from the glass in her hand onto Beth’s shoe. ‘Is he on duty?’

‘No, I haven’t, Lisa. Is he in the cèilidh tent?’

Lisa roared with laughter. ‘Have you seen him dance? Trust me, it’s no treat, I’ll tell you that.’ Lisa’s hair was a tangled mess, where strands had escaped her bun. Then, through lipstick-smudged lips, she muttered something about finding ‘The Loser’ and wandered off. Beth watched her bump into Will Moulson, who stumbled, spilling beer over Ray’s white shirt.

‘Hey, watch it, you stupid fool,’ snarled Will, tumbling to the ground.

‘That’ll teach me to wear a white shirt,’ said Ray, trying to laugh it off.

‘You all right, sir?’ said Tom, helping Will up from the ground.

Will groaned and clutched at his groin. ‘I need a pee. Have you seen the queue for those portable things? Quicker to go home.’

‘Mind how you go,’ said Beth insincerely.

He spat on the ground near her feet.

‘Mind the road,’ she said.

‘Well, I was going to check on the babysitter,’ said Sandy. ‘But I think you’d better go now, Ray, and you can get changed out of that shirt while you’re there.’

‘Ray, keep an eye on Moulson, will you? I don’t want him falling over,’ said Beth.

Ray smiled. ‘Sure. I’ll walk with him.’

‘Anyway, why don’t you just phone the sitter?’ asked Beth.

‘Because I want to be sure she’s not snogging her fella rather than looking after my child,’ said Sandy.

‘That’s unlikely,’ said Ray.

‘All the same, I don’t want them in my bed…’

‘Right,’ said Beth, not wanting to hear anymore.

‘I don’t think that’s happening,’ said Ray.

‘Don’t you remember being young,’ said Sandy.

‘No comment.’ Ray grinned.

Sandy smiled and went back into the cèilidh tent.

‘See you later,’ said Ray, hurrying to catch up with Will.

‘Just think, we could have been somewhere nice and quiet, having a lovely hot mug of chocolate,’ sighed Beth.

‘Well, how about later at my place?’ suggested Tom.

Beth inhaled. She hadn’t been expecting that. She shrugged. After all, she didn’t want to seem too keen. ‘All right,’ she said, just before Lisa turned up again and vomited at Tom’s feet.

‘Can’t find the bugger,’ she said.

‘Maybe he’s gone home for a pee,’ said Beth. All this talk of peeing was making her feel pretty desperate herself. ‘Just…’ she said, pointing to the Portaloo.

‘If you see Luke, remind him he’s got a wife,’ called Lisa.

Will wasn’t wrong about the queue.

‘Might be quicker to go home,’ said the young woman in front of her. ‘I’ve been here for what seems like half my life.’

‘Yeah, except I’m on duty.’

‘Great do, isn’t it? I’m Caroline. My husband Hale and I moved to Longbridge last year.’

‘Is he here tonight?’ Beth asked as they moved forward.

‘I’m not sure where he is,’ she said, looking around. ‘He had to find somewhere quiet to take a work call. It never stops. Gets me down a bit. Still…’

‘I know the feeling.’ Beth checked the time on her phone. It was only 7.30pm, three and a half hours before she could get off.