PROLOGUE
Two Years Earlier
I really don’t want to think about what I’ve just seen, but it keeps replaying in my mind in horrific detail. Deep down I guess I’ve always known something like this would happen. Still, it was a shock. I turned and ran like the coward I am, all the way to the park. I remember stumbling, the feel of cold,
wet grass on my hands and soaking through the knees of my trousers as I struggled to catch my breath. Can’t believe I’m so out of shape.
I’m pretty sure they didn’t know I was there. Well, they were obviously busy, weren’t they! What could they have been thinking? What if I had been
somebody else, somebody who could have ruined everything?
I wish there was someone I could talk to, someone who could help me decide what to do. But I’ve been racking my brain and there simply isn’t anyone I can trust. Not with this.
So that’s it, I guess. I’m just going to have to keep it to myself and hope no one ever finds out. God! Like this is what I needed, on top of everything else in my disaster of a life. As if being a teenager in this bloody, boring village wasn’t torture enough.
Chapter 1
“I had the urge to examine my life in another culture and move beyond what I knew.” — Frances Mayes, Under the Tuscan Sun
Wordsworth, Mary Queen of Scots, Churchill, Jack the Ripper.
Vivien Brandt simply adored all things British. The love affair started when she saw Upstairs, Downstairs at the
impressionable age of ten and blossomed steadily over the years, fueled by daydreams about what her life would be like in the country she cherished.
Now her dreams were finally coming true.
She wiped the last streaks off the front window and stepped back to enjoy the sight of her new home, a two-story redbrick situated in the South Yorkshire village of Nether Chatby. It was absolutely perfect and she sighed with happiness.
No one had been surprised when Vivien announced she was moving to England. They only wondered that it
had taken her so long. But a moderately successful career, marriage, and the love of friends and family had all provided valid excuses for her inertia.
Instead, she survived for decades on mere glimpses of Britain, making the long flight over whenever she could
save up enough money and vacation time, starting with her first trip after college graduation.
She’d been thrilled to find the country exceeded the promise of her beloved Victorian dramas. The gardens were stunning, the food wasn’t nearly
as bad as rumored, and she suspected plumbing had greatly improved since the nineteenth century. She enjoyed being called “ginger” instead of “redhead”, although she considered herself more titian-haired, like Nancy Drew.
When Charlie, her charmingly irresponsible first husband, arrived in her life, the dream came dangerously
close to being suffocated. But after his gambling addiction finally put an end to their twelve-year marriage, Vivien began to rebuild her bank account and revived thoughts of moving
to London, where she hoped her Silicon Valley tech-writing
experience might snag her a job.
She’d been exploring interior
design—even taking night classes—but knew there wasn’t a living to be made as a novice in a brand-new country.
So she continued to work at increasingly unfulfilling jobs, saving and planning for the future, and relied on visits across The Pond to keep the dream alive.
Pulling her thoughts back to the present, Vivien noted the ivy growing up the left corner of the house to curl ever so gracefully around an upstairs window frame. She’d either need a very tall ladder or a regular gardener to keep it in check, but it looked so lovely and…well…British. Visiting
Americans would be impressed by the house, especially the ones naive enough to believe Geoffrey’s sardonic assurances that Shakespeare once slept there. Vivien found most of her friends couldn’t name the countries that made up the United Kingdom, much less which century gave birth to
the greatest-ever English playwright.
She’d given up trying to explain devolved parliaments, or why Andy Murray was British when he won a tennis grand slam and Scottish when he lost.
She shivered in her short-sleeved shirt and black jeans, clothing that would have been appropriate at this time of year in her native California, but which was unequal to the chill of northern England in October. A few houses up the road a door slammed and she watched a tow-headed teenager dressed entirely in black stalk away from her toward the village center, his body stiff and his fists clenched. Probably disgusted with his parents, she mused with a wry smile. Some rites of passage were universal and she suspected teen rebellion was one of them.
Her gaze landed on the house next door, with its dark windows and empty driveway. No one had come or gone since she and Geoffrey had moved in a couple of days ago, but there was no To Let or For Sale sign, so she assumed the owners were simply on vacation. Or holiday, as they said here.
Or maybe they’re all lying dead inside and we won’t know until the smell escapes.
Vivien chuckled at her overactive imagination. She really needed to stop reading so many murder mysteries.
She noticed a missed spot on one of the many panes and attacked it with purpose, her mind continuing to reminisce as the sun broke through the clouds and a welcome warmth caressed her shoulders.
Now where was I? Ah yes, Geoffrey.
Vivien never imagined it would be love that finally made her get off her butt and move to England. As an emancipated woman, it was somewhat embarrassing. Her membership in the Power Chicks Club would be rescinded, if such a thing actually existed.
It wasn’t that she was against love. Of course she’d fantasized that someday, when she’d grown tired of her hectic London life as a famous interior designer, she’d accept a commission from an irascible-yet-handsome duke or earl.
The two of them would trade verbal barbs for a few days after being trapped in his stately home by a freak storm, then suddenly realize they were madly in love. A fabulous society wedding would ensue, followed by a dazzling career in charity work (for which she would be made a Dame), and evening strolls with their three West Highland terriers: Lancelot, Galahad, and Percival. There might even be casual gatherings with royalty, necessitating the purchase of
amazing designer hats. After all, that kind of thing happened quite often in Hallmark movies.
But Vivien knew deep down this course of events was highly unlikely, and her practical, well-laid plans did not require men, marriage, or monsoons.
Fortunately for her, Fate didn’t give a fig about her plans, somewhat literally upending them during a tour of the Tower of London on yet another British vacation.
Starting the climb up the White Tower (where Anne Boleyn had been imprisoned and reportedly still haunted, presumably for lack of anything better to do), Vivien slipped on an uneven stair and catapulted forward into the firm-yet-unhelpful posterior of the man in front of her. Her finger snagged the back pocket of his jeans even as the rest of her body recoiled in horror at this unintended intimacy, and she ended up pulling him with her as they careened down the few steps to the landing.
Vivien’s whole romantic fantasy might still have come to fruition if she’d merely broken a nail and sat crying prettily (no running mascara) while the handsome doctor/lawyer/playboy attended to her.
Instead, she sat there stunned, legs akimbo, as her unwilling companion emitted a startled grunt followed by some heartfelt cursing. Even in her dazed state, Vivien couldn’t help thinking how charming British swear words sounded. It was the way they said “bollocks” in that clipped, slightly annoyed tone.
“Oh my God, I’m so sorry!” she exclaimed as they disentangled themselves. “I tripped. I didn’t mean to grab you. Are you all right?”
“Nothing broken, I think. And it’s good to know you don’t purposely go around lurching at people’s backsides,” he groused, slapping dust from the knees of his blue jeans and out of his adorably mussed fair hair.
“Well, I was reaching for a banister or something. Your ass wasn’t really meant to be part of the program.”
The man looked at her and sighed. “You are American, I see. Or hear, rather. Well, madam, I’m not a doctor, but that cut on your leg looks like it requires attention. You must have scraped it on the stair. I suggest we find you a plaster.”
“A plasterer? Why, did I crack the wall?”
There was a momentary pause during which Vivien could almost taste the man’s exasperation.
“I believe you call them Band-Aids.”
He stood and gestured toward a door with one well-manicured hand while
offering the other to help her up. “After you.”
One hour, one plaster, and a couple of pints of lager later in a nearby pub, Vivien gazed somewhat blearily at her new acquaintance. Her eyes eventually focused on his, which were a lovely shade of blue. Not the light, watery kind, like those of the high school boyfriend who had dumped her the second he realized he had the chance to date a cheerleader.
No, these were a deep, azure blue, like the twilight sky after a warm summer day.
He was six gorgeous feet of well-dressed Brit with skin that looked like it would tan easily if there was sunshine.
He told her his name was Geoffrey Wooster (as in Jeeves and), he was fifty-three, and he worked in pharmacological research. He was also making Vivien’s heart go pitter-pat in a completely new and exciting way (though it dimly occurred to her that might be the lager).
Drinks led to lunch, which led to dinner, or “tea” as he confusingly called it. This led in turn to evening walks along the Thames and, by the end of Vivien’s vacation, to some quite steamy nights. Following her return to the States, there were online discussions about music, sports, and the television shows that had shaped them (Buffy the Vampire Slayer for her, Doctor Who for him). Love grew almost as quickly as her frequent flyer miles thanks to romantic weekends in New York, a couple of long-distance hauls to meet each other’s families, and eventually an English wedding.
It wasn’t the grand ducal affair of her fantasies, but it was a lovely ceremony in a fourteenth-century manor house turned hotel, and enough of Vivien’s friends and family were able to fly over to make it truly memorable. Her Aunt Jenny was particularly delighted to discover the Beatles had once stayed at the hotel and constantly wondered aloud which bed George Harrison had slept in, until Geoffrey’s Uncle Max drily assured her it didn’t really matter as the sheets had undoubtedly been changed since then.
Vivien’s mother, having long tolerated her daughter’s Anglophilia, required reassurance before the wedding that Vivien wasn’t marrying Geoffrey just to get free room and board in her favorite country. Geoffrey’s twenty-three-year-old daughter Sara likewise asked her father if he was doing it for the companionship. Or the sex.
But with assurances given, the day went beautifully and everyone danced late into the night despite the jet lag.
After a short honeymoon in Edinburgh, Vivien returned to California to sell off most of her worldly goods, apply for a spousal visa, and prepare her Siamese, Sydney, for the big move.
And that was how she came to be here, a forty-eight-year-old newlywed arriving with an exceptionally large suitcase and a very disgruntled cat, praying that the heartfelt pitter-pat of that first meeting wasn’t going to peter out when faced with the reality of cohabitation.
But what the heck, she thought, even if we don’t live happily ever after, I will always have the memory of that weak-in-the-knees feeling I get when Geoffrey looks at me. Life is too short not to take risks. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, yada yada yada, don’t spit into the wind.
Vivien tried to come up with more hackneyed advice to give herself, but the well was dry. She once again took a few steps back, bringing her to the edge of the street, and ran a hand through her short bob of hair. It had surprised her that many new English houses lacked the fenced-in, spacious front yards she was used to in California. It felt a little like living in a fishbowl when people walked by. But she nevertheless felt immensely satisfied as she once again admired their new home.
Having been thus-far limited to practicing her budding interior design skills on her little California condominium and doing up a few rooms for friends, she looked forward to decorating an entire house. She would create something that showed everyone what could be done with imagination, taste, and a disdain for beige. All of Geoffrey’s friends would be asking for her help in no time, and then, armed with a stunning portfolio and a reputation for creative genius, she would take Britain by storm, no doubt ending up with an invitation to decorate Windsor Castle or Number 10 Downing Street. After that, the world.
Vivien still tended to dream big.
In the meantime, she had a Library Science degree she could put to good use while she got to know the British in all their Masterpiece Theatre glory (minus the overworked servants and dodgy Victorian medical practices).
Vivien turned to survey the neighborhood. Nether Chatby was a smallish village, but around its main street branched various “planned estates”, including the one she now lived in.
The curvy lanes were lined with the similar Edwardian-inspired homes, differentiated only by minor alterations in trim and floorplan. The architectural consistency provided a comforting symmetry that enhanced the village feel.
Next to their house, which was at the end of a cul-de-sac, there was an entrance to a grassy field complete with a meandering pathway and a lamppost that would have fit neatly into Narnia. Vivien thought it would be perfect for walking her future Westie. (She’d decided it would be better to stick to one dog instead of three, since she no longer had access to her imaginary duke’s vast expanse of stately gardens, not to mention his canine-loving housekeeper to provide care and feeding for the pampered pups.)
Yes, she mused, “Galahad” would be an ideal companion for Sydney, who had loudly objected to having a chip put in his head just so he could be transported in a dark space for twelve hours to start a new life he in no way asked for. He was still ignoring Vivien, except at mealtimes.
A dog would cheer him up no end, she thought with a pinch of sadism.
As Vivien scanned the house across the road, she saw the twitch of a lace curtain. How quaint, a nosy neighbor. It’s all so very Agatha Christie. But then, she probably did look pretty dorky just standing there admiring a perfectly ordinary house.
She smiled and turned to walk the few steps to her front door. Entering the hallway, she stopped to take a deep breath, getting used to the smell that would soon represent home.
Vivien had a keen olfactory sense and knew she would miss the dry, sun-warmed-redwood scent of California, but she was determined to make new memories in her adopted country. At the moment, though, the house smelled overwhelmingly of fresh paint.
She found Geoffrey organizing stereo equipment in his self-identified “man cave”. Vivien had banished the most hideous of her husband’s bachelor pieces to this space—including a truly ugly green-checked sofa and a couple of neon-colored beanbags—to avoid having to look at them regularly.
Watching him bend over to untangle some electrical cords, she was glad to find her heart’s pitter-pat was still very much in working order. The man was just gorgeous.
“Honestly, hon, do you really think that’s a priority?” she purred, lifting her eyebrows suggestively.
Geoffrey stopped fiddling with the cords long enough to straighten up and consider his wife standing in the doorway.
Her Rubenesque figure was alluring, even clothed in a white T-shirt featuring a cat’s butt. It was, after all, Rudyard Kipling’s Cat That Walks Alone, which gave it unexpected gravitas for leisure wear. Her hazel eyes were full of the humor that had attracted him from the start. Well, almost the start.
“It depends on whose priorities we’re talking about,” he replied. “I’m sure I will soon need a place to flee from your constant demands and visiting in-laws. But since we are recently married and still therefore in the honeymoon phase, I’ll do the polite thing and ask: What would you rather I do?”
And since they were still in the honeymoon phase, Vivien suggested they set up the bed, which they did, after which unpacking stopped for a while and she forgot all about twitching curtains, angry youths, and thinking of England.
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