Page 72 of Summer at Rachel’s Pudding Pantry

‘It’s okay. I’ve needed to keep busy …’ Eve’s fingertips trembled ever so slightly as she held the material. She checked the fit on the shoulders and tweaked the waistline, popping a couple of pins in here and there. ‘I think you’ve lost a little bit of weight these past few weeks,’ she muttered, through a spare pin that she held between her teeth.

‘Well, I haven’t been trying. It’s probably all the dashing around I’ve been doing.’ And all the recent stresses and strains, pondered Rachel, remembering the latest developments in town.

‘Been pretty much all go, hasn’t it, for both of us?’

‘Yeah, you can say that again. Oh, and yesterday was pretty weird.’ Rachel decided to see what Eve thought of the latest village tittle-tattle. ‘I was out and about in the village and guess what’s doing the rounds …?’

Eve looked up with a flash of fear in her eyes.

‘Yeah, there’s only some crappy rumour going around about me kissing Jake. I mean, that’s nuts. How do these things even start? Haven’t they got anything better to do than make up nonsense like that?’

‘That’s so crazy …’ Eve seemed distracted and managed to prick herself on the finger. A tiny drop of blood smeared on to the ivory dress. ‘Oh shit, hold fire. I’ll get a damp cloth on that … and I’ll find a plaster for me.’ She went dashing out to the bathroom.

They had been upstairs in Eve’s bedroom. The house was quiet, Ben was out at a darts match and Amelia in bed asleep.

When Eve came back in, she was ghastly pale. ‘Sorry, I didn’t mean to spoil your dress. I’m so sorry …’ Her eyes had misted. She dipped her head and quickly kneeled down to clean the stain.

There was something wrong. Not just the marked dress. Eve had been out of sorts for days now. Finally, this was Rachel’s chance, ‘Eve, are you okay, hun?’

Eve nodded, though her eyes began to fill with tears, which she tried to blink away.

‘Oh honey, you’re so not okay,’ Rachel placed a gentle hand on her friend’s shoulder. ‘I know you. I can see how tense you’ve been. You’ve been like a coiled spring since you went to that exhibition …’

Eve looked like a rabbit caught in headlights. ‘What do you mean?’ she started defensively … and then she crumbled. Big, splodgy tears began to fall. ‘Oh shit, I’m getting your dress wet … and there might even be snot on the shoulder.’ Eve sniffed.

They couldn’t help but laugh.

‘Come on, hun,’ Rachel soothed. ‘Let’s get this gorgeous dress off, before there’s snot and tears all over it, and then you can tell me what’s happened. All right?’

Eve looked wary.

‘It’s me, Eve … Tell me, it’ll be in confidence.’

Her friend nodded, took a slow breath. Then, as Rachel was pulling her jeans and T-shirt back on, it all spilled out. ‘Oh God, I didn’t mean for it to happen. And I know you warned me … We kissed. Me and Aiden. That night at the exhibition.’

‘Oh, Eve …’ Rachel paused to allow her friend to carry on.

‘It was just the once. And … I’d just got swept up in some daft romantic notion. But as soon as I’d done it, I felt dreadful … and I knew I should never have let it get that far.’

Rachel placed a caring hand on her friend’s shoulder.

‘But these rumours … do you think they might be about me? And they’ve got all mixed up on the grapevine?’

‘I doubt it, Eve. It’ll just be coincidence. Your name hasn’t been mentioned in anything I’ve heard at all. And could anyone have seen you?’

‘I don’t think so; it was just me and Aiden at the gallery. Oh Rachel, please … you can’t say anything, to anyone. Especially now we’ve seen how vicious the rumour mill can be. You have to promise me.’ Eve glanced up, looking so scared.

‘Of course not.’

‘I-I’m sick with worry. Have been ever since. What if Ben finds out? I don’t think he’d ever forgive me. And I couldn’t bear that. I know it’s my own stupid fault … but I’d never do anything like it ever again. And there’s Amelia … our family.’ The big snotty tears were back in full force.

‘It’s all right, Eve, I promise I won’t tell a soul.’ Rachel gave her friend the biggest, heartfelt hug, stroking her back like an injured child, and soothing her with, ‘It’s okay, Eve. It’ll all be all right,’ until the sobbing ceased. ‘Come on, petal. I’ll go make us a cup of tea. We’ve got plenty of time before Ben’s due back. I don’t need to rush off.’ She passed her friend a tissue from a box that was on Eve’s dressing table.

They went downstairs together. A bond like blood between them. The truth now told.

Time to blow your nose, dry your eyes, put the mask back up. Time to try your best to carry on with life and love and marriage and messy relationships.

All too soon, with only a few days until the wedding, it was the day of the court hearing, Wednesday 1 July. Rachel was at home at Primrose Farm and the hours – crikey, even the minutes, were dragging. Tom hadn’t called as yet, but she didn’t want to pester him, understanding that he might well have to have his phone switched off in the courtroom.