Rejection Runs Deep (The Canleigh Series, book 1: A chilling psychological family drama), Carole Williams [ebook reader 8 inch .TXT] 📗

to Tangles.  Surely he would have seen reason by now and his silly philandering with this other person could be forgotten.  Delia would forgive him anything if he came back to her and made her life right again.  She turned away from the lake and made her way quickly through the woods, working out what to say when she reached Tangles.  It was five o’clock.  In about an hour he would be driving up from the stables to have his evening meal … which she usually cooked for him.  If she hurried, she could get

there before him, quickly whip up something fabulous and change into that new red satin basque she had stashed in her old room at Tangles so he wouldn’t find it until she was ready to show it off.  Delia smiled with satisfaction.  She’d make him forget all about this other female.  He wouldn’t want anyone else once she’d finished with him.

Emerging from the woods she hurried along the track to the house, her hopes of a surprise dashed by the sight of Philips’s Volvo parked outside the front door.  He was dreadfully early.  She stood for a second wondering what to do.  It would be impossible to prepare a meal but she could still sneak up to the bedroom, change and venture down to the kitchen to surprise him.

Carefully she crept up to the house, bobbing down as she passed the open kitchen window, stopping still when hearing voices.  Philip was talking to a female, a young one too.  Delia’s heart lurched sicken.  Surely he hadn’t installed the blasted woman already?  How could he?  The wedding wasn’t even cancelled yet.  Crouched below the window she re-thought her options.  She could walk away and come back another time, maybe tomorrow but curiosity was getting the better of her.  She wanted to see this woman.  She wanted to know exactly what type of person had the gall to usurp the position she had held for so many years and which should have been hers for eternity.

With shaking hands and sickness in her stomach, she stood up and marched to the front door.  Without knocking she walked straight in, through the entrance hall and into the kitchen.  Philip was busy at the cooker with his back to the door; a young woman with blonde hair was sitting at the table with a copy of Horse and Hound spread out before her.  She saw Delia first and sat, stock-still, staring aghast at the intruder.

“Well,” drawled Delia, leaning nonchalantly on the door frame.  “This is cosy, I must say.”

Philip turned quickly, a wooden spoon in his hand, the aroma of Bolognese wafting temptingly from the pan on the hob.

“Delia!  What the hell are you doing here?”

“If I remember rightly, I have a number of personal items still in this house.  I’d like them back,” she replied, furiously fighting the urge to scream, cry or attack that simpering bitch who was watching her with fright in her big eyes and nervously rubbing her neck.  Delia had recognised her immediately, having bought items from her shop in the past.

“You could have rung first,” snapped Philip angrily, horrified at Delia’s audacity and blindly trying to figure out how he could stop the situation turning really nasty.  When Delia had a temper on her, she could border on evil and looking at her now, Philip knew it was going to take all the strength he had to keep things calm.  Her next words didn’t reassure him.

“What?  And miss this little display of domesticity?  Oh no, Philip darling.  I wanted so much to meet your new lady friend … but I think we’ve met before, haven’t we, my dear?  Don’t you have employment in that little shop in Harrogate … must be riveting … meeting all kinds of people … including my fiancé!”

Seeing Sue quaking in her boots, Philip leapt to her defence.  “If you’ve just come to be nasty you can go now, Delia.  I’ve boxed up your things … they’re upstairs.  I’ll bring them over.”

“I want them now.”

Philip waved a hand at the mixture in the frying pan.  “We’re just about to eat.”

“Oh, I’m sure your new lady friend won’t mind keeping an eye on the food for a moment or two, would you dear?”

Sue gulped and nodded, standing up to take the spoon from Philip.  He looked worriedly at her.  “You sure you’ll be all right for a minute or two?”

“Oh, for God’s sake, Philip.  I’m not going to eat her,” snapped Delia, her dark eyes flashing dangerously.

Reluctant to leave Sue alone with Delia in such an angry mode, Philip made no effort to move away from the cooker.

“Come upstairs with me, Delia.  You can make sure I’ve packed everything.”

Delia’s eyes flashed again. “Don’t tell me you want a quickie … and with your guest downstairs too.  Philip!  You should be ashamed of yourself!”

He shot Delia an angry look, smiled reassuringly at Sue and left the room, rushing up the stairs so that he could return to the kitchen in the shortest possible time.

Sue turned her full attention to stirring the mixture in the frying pan.  Delia sauntered over to the table and flopped into the chair Sue had just vacated.

“Don’t get too comfy at Tangles, my dear as I doubt you’ll be here very long.  Philip loves me.  He always has.  We’ve been soul mates since we met as small children.  We are meant for each other and whatever you might think we will be married in two weeks’ time.”

Shocked by Delia’s words, Sue bravely turned to face her, hands shaking and her voice unable to hide a tremor of fear.  “I can’t tell you how sorry I am … I … we didn’t want to hurt anyone … but it just happened … and what do you mean … about the wedding.  It’s cancelled.”

“Not on your life!”