“Is he married?” I asked abruptly.
“No, never married. I don’t understand why. He would make any woman proud to be his wife,” she replied.
“Is he coming to dinner tonight?” I asked.
“Why, yes he is, and Mr Barclay.”
“Oh… OK… that’s great.”
I tried not to act excited at the opportunity to see James this evening.
The fire was burning strongly now and the cottage had a nice cosy feel about it. There was a small run-down kitchenette, a small sofa in front of the fireplace and a four-seater timber dining table. The two other rooms I assumed were the bedroom and the bathroom. The room got very warm very quickly and we both stood in front of the fire to dry our clothes as much as we could. Jules started humming. She was in such a good mood. Talking about Dr Simons and being at the cottage had left her happy and content. I was determined to have them together before the year was over. We both sat on the sofa thinking. Between the crackling of the fire and the thumping of the rain, Jules and I didn’t need to speak. Other than the wet clothes, I felt so comfortable and at ease. I laid my head onto the sofa and closed my eyes to think about James.
I was terrified of the feelings I had for him; they were getting stronger. I wondered about his feelings towards me; could he care for me that way or was it all in my head. Perhaps he was just an empathetic principal trying to comfort me.
“Listen. I think the rain has stopped,” Jules announced.
We looked at each other for a second and then got up at the same time and ran out of the cottage, laughing.
The run back seemed a lot quicker. As we approached the college, we slowed to a walk.
“Jules? Who owns the cottage?” I asked.
“Oh, that would be Mr Cartwright.”
“What!”
“It’s fine. He has no interest in it, which is obvious from the state it is in. I don’t think I have ever seen or heard of him being there. Oh, no, I lie… he was there once last year. Dr Simons went to stock up the cottage and walked in on Mr Cartwright. Dr Simons was very embarrassed but Mr Cartwright was a perfect gentleman and was pleased that the cottage was being used occasionally. He even invited Dr Simons to stay for tea and they had a marvellous talk. Mr Cartwright owns a substantial amount of property in the area, and rumour has it that once upon a time, his family owned most of the land surrounding the college. The properties have been sold off throughout the years.”
“Wow! I suppose that’s why all of those women are after him,” I said cheekily.
“I suppose you’re right,” Jules agreed.
“Now, our dinner reservation is for 7 o’clock tonight. I have organised a taxi to pick us up at 6. I thought we could go for a walk through the village beforehand. You might like to go through the shops,” she suggested.
“That sounds wonderful, I can’t wait.”
“And the men will meet us at the restaurant at 7. I am so happy!” Jules said, with tears of joy in her eyes.
“Oh well, here we are!” Jules said, trying to dismiss her emotional flare up.
“I’m going to have a shower and change. If the weather holds up, I might go and explore the grounds.”
“See you at 6 if I don’t see you before,” I added.
Running to my room, I couldn’t help touching James’s door as I went past. Upon opening my door, I discovered an envelope inside. I picked it up and closed my door. With excitement due to the assumption that it was from James, I quickly opened the letter.
Dear Catherine,
I am very sorry for what you went through last night. My intentions to ease your pain were strong but my actions, unfortunately, weren’t strong enough.
Mr Kemp is a very suspicious and complicated man. If any part of me believed that you were in any kind of danger in his presence, I would have removed him from the grounds immediately. It is apparent that he is not happy with you being here, but that is all. And without contradicting myself, I need you to trust that I believed every word you said and do not doubt you at all. I also apologise that I won’t be able to make tonight’s dinner plans since I believe it will cause Mr Kemp to be even more of a nuisance.
James
What? No! That isn’t fair. How can Mr Kemp get away with what he did last night? And we have to tiptoe around him.
I sat at my desk for a few minutes; I didn’t want to be the third wheel tonight. I had been really looking forward to seeing James again.
I should make Mr Kemp come tonight as payback, knowing how much he dislikes me. Like they say, keep your friends close and your enemies closer. I quickly pulled out some clothes to change into and went to the shower. I dried my hair and put on some basic make-up. I wore jeans and boots, with a white blouse and jumper, putting on some of my favourite red lipstick to finish my look. I was very happy with the outcome. I only wish I was getting ready for James, not the garden gnome, Mr Kemp.
I left my room and locked the door. I went directly down the hall to Mr Kemp’s room. It was easy to find, he had been whining about his ‘eviction’ ever since I got here. I knocked on the door. No answer. I knocked again. I then heard a clatter. I knew he was in there, but still no answer. I waited for a minute and knocked again. I was getting impatient. Finally the door opened about ten centimetres.
Mr Kemp must have been in bed. His hair was untidy and he seemed dazed and confused as he put on his glasses to see who had woken him.
“You? What is it that you want, not another accusation I hope?” He barked.
Unbelievable, not even slight remorse for what he had done to me.
“Mr Kemp, Jules and Dr Simons and I are meeting for dinner at 7 o’clock this evening. Would you care to join us?” The words were as painful as chewing on glass.
“Me? Dinner with you? Will Mr Barclay be joining us?” he asked sarcastically.
“No, he hasn’t been invited. I just think it would be nice for us to have a chance to get to know each other better. We seem to have gotten off on the wrong foot.”
Mr Kemp looked down and around his room. If he were a normal person he would have been thinking about providing an answer to my question, but knowing what he is capable of, I could see that he was already plotting.
“Yes, I accept,” he answered.
“Great, I will have Dr Simons pass on the details to you.”
I couldn’t bear to look at him a minute longer. I turned around and left. When I got halfway down the hall, I heard his door close. I wasn’t exactly sure what my plan was just yet. Maybe if James knew that Mr Kemp didn’t hate me so much to have dinner with us, then he would relax about being seen with me. I had to find Jules and let her know that James wasn’t coming and Mr Kemp was. I knew I would have a lot of explaining to do.
It wasn’t hard to find her. She was sitting with Dr Simons in the common room and they were laughing at something in a magazine.
“Jules, there you are,” I said as I approached them.
“Catherine! Hello dear!”
“Good morning, Dr Simons,” I said.
“Good morning, Catherine.”
“Jules, I’m sorry, but James can’t make it this evening, so I have invited Mr Kemp.”
There, I’ve said it, no beating around the bush.
“WHAT!!!” Jules and Dr Simons shouted in unison.
“I know it doesn’t make sense, but I just thought that if he had a chance to get to know me, he might like me and in return leave me alone.”
“Have you gone mad,” Jules asked.