Hidden Cottage by Erica James Read Free Book Online Page B

now.
    They’d met in Chamonix in January. He’d been skiing alone and had shared a chairlift with her. When she said that she’d got separated from her group of friends and was on her way back to the hotel where they were staying, but didn’t know the way, he’d offered to ski her to the door. To thank him, she invited him to join her for a drink. The next day he met up with her and her friends for lunch and then spent the afternoon skiing with her.
    From there things just snowballed, as he’d joked when reporting back to Rich. A fortnight after the end of her holiday, she returned to Chamonix to stay with him for a long weekend, and did so again twice more before he returned to the UK and to the apartment he was renting in Marylebone, only a stone’s throw from where Rich lived. Since Nicole also lived and worked in London they were able to spend a lot more time together and all was going well until he told her about The Hidden Cottage.
    ‘You’ve done what?’ she’d said, her face incredulous.
    ‘I’ve bought a house in the country,’ he’d explained, ‘a very special house.’ He’d tried to explain why but all she’d cared about was why he hadn’t told her about it before.
    ‘I haven’t told anyone,’ he’d said. ‘You’re the first to know.’
    Her expression still incredulous, she said, ‘But I’m your girlfriend; didn’t you think I’d be interested?’
    It was a fair comment – she was his girlfriend and it was something he should have discussed with her, but he hadn’t. He was guilty of precisely the kind of autonomous behaviour he had always strongly disapproved of and he had no defence other than to say he’d acted instinctively and, yes, selfishly.
    ‘Apparently I’m not important to you,’ she’d gone on, ‘not important enough at any rate for you to share something like this with me.’
    Disbelief had now been replaced on her face with what he recognized as the beginnings of a sulky pout. At thirty-six she was perhaps too old to play that card, but he knew he’d upset her and putting his arms around her, he’d said, ‘Of course you’re important to me.’
    She’d looked into his eyes. ‘Really?’
    ‘Absolutely.’
    One of the things that had surprised him about Nicole was her constant need for reassurance. In all other respects, she was outgoing and hugely confident, but when it came to their relationship she seemed to want his perpetual reassurance that he cared about her. With hindsight, his buying The Hidden Cottage without telling her didn’t really help matters.
    Trouble was, just as he’d smoothed things over and she said that she was looking forward to seeing the house, she then realized she’d misunderstood him. She had assumed The Hidden Cottage was a weekend retreat, somewhere they could slip away to, just the two of them. ‘You mean you’re moving there?’ she’d said. ‘You’re actually going to live there? But what about us?’
    It was a good question and one they had yet to resolve.
    Inside the house, despite how late it was, he rang Nicole on his mobile. But all he got was her voicemail telling him to leave a message. Which he did.
    Trying not to read too much into Nicole’s continued silence – she hadn’t returned any of his calls for the last two days – he went in search of the sleeping bag he’d brought with him. Such was the extent of his good mood at being here that nothing – not even a sulking girlfriend or a night of sleeping on the floor – could dampen his spirits.

Chapter Eight
    By the time Mia had finished in the bathroom, Jeff was already fast asleep, his breathing heavy, his body restless. He’d never been a peaceful sleeper. But then he wasn’t a peaceful sort of man.
    Standing by the side of the bed, Mia felt a pang of pity for him. He’d been so very upset at Daisy’s outburst earlier that evening; nothing could have hurt him more. Bad enough that Daisy had announced she wanted to move to the other side of the