“I’m fine, just tired,” I explained, trying to hold back my real emotions, in shock about what I had just been told.
Mr Kemp was the person James needed to talk to? That can’t be right…
“Oh yes, of course, my apologies. I will let you sleep. Oh, I almost forgot. Tomorrow I have to go to London for a cousin’s birthday lunch. Would you like to join me? It will be absolutely fine and I would love your company there. And I would feel a lot better knowing that you’re not on your own.”
“Thanks Jules, but really I am fine. I’m thinking about going into the village, seeing as I missed out this evening. And I could do with a scenery change. You go and have a wonderful time. I promise I will be fine here,” I said, trying to convince her.
Jules just nodded with a smile and left my room. She was so sweet and caring. I wish I could tell her what’s just happened, I would have liked to talk to someone right now, but there was no one. Annie had said she would make contact with me when she could, so I just had to wait.
James and Mr Kemp? What could they possibly be talking about now? Could James be getting advice from him? But he can’t! Mr Kemp hates me. His advice will be so obvious, so one sided. He wants me to leave the college! There’s no way he would say anything nice about me to James.
So many things were racing through my mind and I just didn’t know what to think anymore. It was all too hard. I changed my clothes and went to bed, deciding to figure it out tomorrow.
CHAPTER SIX
When morning broke, I had to drag myself out of bed. My head was heavy and my body felt drained. I looked in the mirror. My eyes were sore and puffy, reflecting how I felt. Strangely, since arriving at the college, I hadn’t remembered many dreams, which was unusual. I was kind of counting on this trip to inspire me to write more.
I felt confused and insecure about James and I. You would think after what happened with us I would be over the moon, but the way he left the room and then sought advice from Mr Kemp had left me feeling that unsure of where we stood. I felt a real need to clear my head before I next saw James or Mr Kemp for that matter, so I decided to get ready and make my way to the village and spend most of the day away from everyone.
When I was done getting ready I had a look in the mirror and was taken aback by the way I appeared. I felt I didn’t look like my usual self for some reason, but I suppose I didn’t feel myself either. I grabbed my handbag and added a few other items — gloves, a matching scarf and a small umbrella. I then called a cab, which promised to arrive in ten minutes, sprayed on some perfume and made my way out.
By the time I got to the grounds at the front of the building, the taxi was already waiting on the driveway. The weather was familiarly cool, so I put on my scarf and gloves. The taxi ride was short. I almost felt guilty troubling the poor driver, so I compensated him with a good tip. I wasn’t exactly clear as to what I was going to do at the village, or more importantly, what I was going to do when I got back. I just needed to be somewhere else, in a different environment.
The village was quaint. Not big by any means and from where I stood I could see everything that it had to offer. It appeared to be hundreds of years old, unspoilt by time and saturated with original features. I guess it had everything an old English village ought to have; a church, pub, post office, supermarket and a few other shops in between. The main street was wide and cobblestoned, yet off limits to cars, and off the main street were many residential laneways. The majority of locals that were out and about were elderly, which accounted for the lack of noise. You could hear a pin drop or, in this instance, my heels crushing into the stone ground. The air was unspoiled, which allowed me to take in all the smells of the local bakery as I passed and in the distance, high above the village was a landscape that could be employed by any photographer.
Suddenly, a great idea came to me. I would buy a gift for James! Firstly, it would give me an excuse to see him when I got back, and secondly, he would love the gesture. Everything would be OK, I convinced myself. A long shot, I know, but definitely worth the try. I continued to stroll down the street, this time with a mission, looking from side to side for ideas for James’s gift. Knowing that it would only take me about 20 minutes to go through this main stretch I decided to take my time.
I noticed a wooden bench outside the bakery and sat there. I closed my eyes for a few minutes and took in a cold breath. I thought about the perfect gift, knowing that my choices would be limited to what was around me.
A cold wind rushed by me, causing me to shiver. I kept my eyes closed. I was in complete darkness. Suddenly there was laughter and only pure happiness in my mind. Still with my eyes shut, I tried to focus on where the laughter was coming from. I could smell sweet-scented flowers and hear the rustling of autumn leaves. Victoria and Jonathon were in the distance, laughing together, deeply in love and joyously happy. Jonathon was trying to catch Victoria, but she was being playful and trying to avoid being caught. He finally gently took her hand and brought her close, his laugh turning into a soft smile. Victoria was pleased to be caught. She opened the palm of his hand and placed something in it. She kissed him, passionately, before she ran away, laughing, encouraging yet another playful chase. Jonathon didn’t react. Clearly taken by the kiss, he opened his hand and with the other, lifted up a gold chain with an oval locket. Visibly pleased, he clenched it safe into his palm and with a smile back on his face again, was in pursuit of the woman he loved.
I loved it. I really loved that scene; they were obviously married and completely happy, finally some new inspiration for my story.”
“Is everything alright?” a man’s voice interrupted my thoughts.
“Excuse me,” I exclaimed as I opened my eyes, embarrassingly realising that I must have appeared to be asleep on the bench.
“My apologies, I didn’t mean to intrude, Catherine,” the gentleman said.
How did he know my name?
I sat up and corrected my posture. When I refocused, I realised it was Richard Cartwright.
“I noticed you sleeping here a while ago, but I didn’t want to wake you.”
“Wake me? I wasn’t asleep. I was just closing my eyes and thinking,” I replied self-consciously.
“Oh, thinking? What about?”
“Nothing!” was my quick and defensive reply.
“It didn’t seem like nothing. If I didn’t know any better, I’d have said that it looked like you were enjoying a man’s company in your thoughts.”
“What? That’s ridiculous!” I shouted back, offended by his suggestion. I refused to talk about it with him any longer, and got up to walk away.
“Wait!” He grabbed my hand and pulled me back down onto the seat. “Please stay. I will go. It’s your thinking bench and I was out of line, I’m sorry.”
I tried to keep a serious look on my face, but I couldn’t and we both broke into laughter.
“Let’s start this conversation over again, OK?” he pleaded.
“OK,” I agreed and sat back down.
“What brings you to our humble village this gloomy Sunday morning, may I ask?”
“Well, I am looking for a gift for a friend actually. Maybe you could help me. I naïvely didn’t expect a limited amount of shops here. Is there a jewellery shop close by?”
“Jeweller? Of course! I will take you to the best jeweller in London if you like.”