The Sweetness of Liberty James (58 page)

Liberty was trembling as she put the magazine down. Why had he lied about who he was writing for? How could her career as a chef be over before it had begun? How could she ever show her face in the village?

A loud hammering at the door and simultaneous ringing of the telephone woke her from her dumbstruck stupor. Picking up the phone on the way to the front door she managed a croaked ‘Hello?'

‘Darling!' It was J-T. ‘Great press coverage. How did you get into the
Telegraph
before you have even opened?'

‘Shut up, J-T, you obviously haven't even read it yet. Now hold on while I get the door.' Her mother, father and Edmund crowded in. ‘I thought it would be you. I've got J-T on the phone – mix yourselves drinks.'

‘Hi, still there?' shouted J-T. ‘Of course I've read it – what an arsehole! But it's still publicity, and that is what you need. Edmund has been on the phone, and Jools is one of Percy's friends, you know. Chat to Ed, he will fill you in. Call you later. Bye!'

Now thoroughly confused, Liberty looked at Edmund, who was sipping whisky with Alain and Deirdre. ‘Ed?' was all she could think of saying.

‘He seems to insist on calling me by that name,' said Edmund with a smile as he handed her a drink.

‘Come and sit down darling,' said Deirdre, patting the sofa. ‘Edmund has some news. Forget yours for the moment. Have you read the
Telegraph
magazine?'

‘Have I read the
Telegraph
? Of course I have, and I am bloody done for! How could this have happened? He criticised my food, the locals, me. He claimed to be from the local press. I don't get it,' sobbed Liberty, and she slumped into a chair, head
in hands. Edmund's heart went out to her, but he was far too full of news to wallow.

‘Listen, I have discovered something that will probably make you even angrier, but it might explain a few things,' began Edmund. Alain removed Liberty's glass of wine, in case it got hurled, and replaced it with a brandied coffee on the table beside her chair. ‘Brace yourself, darling,' he said. ‘You've had a shock, and you are about to have another one.'

Taking a scalding gulp of the sweet hot liquid, Liberty was able to stop weeping and look up at Edmund. Would anything surprise her now? ‘Go on.'

‘You remember when I rode past here on Christmas Day and found your front door open?'

‘Yes, of course, but what does that have to do with anything? I probably forgot to close it.'

‘Wait a minute. It just seemed odd, the open door, and how news seemed to leak out about you applying for a licence and then being refused, and now this journalist . . . Well, I got a team in here to check your place out. They found some listening devices.'

‘What!' Liberty jumped up. Deirdre caught her cup and Teal started to bark, picking up unhappy vibes. Liberty gathered up the dog for comfort and started to pace the room, feeling horribly uncomfortable in her own home. ‘And I thought someone had been in after I returned from France, but who, and why? Something to do with the previous owners?'

‘No, darling, stay calm and listen. Come and sit down, please,' said her mother, worried at how her little girl was going to respond to the news. She had tried to get Alain and Edmund to keep quiet, to sort it out themselves, but they had told her in no uncertain terms that she was going to find out whether she was able to cope or not.

‘It's Percy.' Edmund let the statement hang in the air.

‘Percy?' asked Liberty, loudly. She set Teal down on the floor. ‘Why?'

‘We think he has been trying to sabotage you. Correction, we KNOW he has been trying to sabotage your new career. He contacted the licensing board after getting a chum of his to forge documents indicating you had a criminal record, thus preventing them from even considering your application. He has been trying to find out about everything you are up to, even getting a photographer to follow J-T on New Year's Eve to try to discredit your friends and business contacts. I bet even he was shocked with the results of that bit of skulduggery! He has also sent letters to associates down here telling them to stay away from your café, stating that you have been stealing money from his family while his father is ill and that he has been unable to keep control of the family accounts.'

Liberty felt her stomach drop down to her feet. ‘I just don't understand. Why would he do that? I thought he had moved on – he's barely been in contact, for heaven's sake! He's got someone else, even had a child . . .'

‘We think he is still angry that you left him, and that he can't bear to lose control over you, and so he is trying to make sure your future gets nowhere,' Edmund continued, hating each blow he was dealing her, but knowing it was best out in the open. ‘I have people looking into it. The listening devices are evidence, and the document that was forged for him was done by a solicitor friend who thought it was a joke, something to hang on your wall. Now, of course, he is fearful for his job, so is ready to spill the beans to the police. He has already written to the licensing board to retract the statement, and will cooperate fully.'

‘What is his name?' asked Liberty.

‘Colin Aurmry,' replied Edmund, looking at a small black notebook in front of him.

‘Colin! But I spent hours sitting next to that boring little man at dinner parties making polite conversation! I would have considered him an acquaintance!' Liberty was aghast.

‘It seems that as soon as he knew it was being used against
you, he was very keen to right the wrong, but he must at the very least be a complete idiot not to have worked out what Percy was up to.'

‘What do I do?' Liberty looked at the three anxious pairs of eyes on her. ‘No one will come to the fete now, and all the villagers are going to be so angry to be dragged into this. Why did he have to call them ugly?'

‘Horrid abuse, and incorrect, for the most part,' said Deirdre. ‘Your father pointed out to me that he didn't manage to criticise your food, which would have been a lie, so he found criticism elsewhere – the people, the surroundings and your house. He probably saw Miss Scally leave work. He even makes the fact that you are beautiful sound like a fault.'

‘Don't forget, any publicity is good publicity,' Alain piped up.

‘That is what J-T said. But it's SO public, and I do think the people around here will take it personally.'

‘Don't believe it for one second,' said Alain, shaking his head. ‘People in this area of England are made of strong stuff. They will turn up to prove to the world they are civilised enough to enjoy small portions, and put on their make-up. And, of course, mostly to eat free food and enjoy a fete that someone else is paying for and putting on! I can guarantee it. Free food is a bigger pull than you could ever imagine.

‘We bumped into Dilys on the way over. She was thrilled the pub was mentioned in the article, and is going to make some of her lethal punch to serve in the evening. She has been on to the local brewery to supply all we will need for the day. The cider chaps from Shepherd's Farm have already spoken to Edmund about putting up a tent. So, you see? It's only going to be good for you. What we need to know now, is what are we going to do about Percy?'

Liberty sat down at last, but was shaking. Deirdre put her arms around her and told Alain to make more coffee. Liberty looked up at the anxious faces. ‘Did I tell you about the time J-T and I went to the mews to collect my belongings, and Percy
had set up a device to let him see what went on inside the house? I wondered then if he had watched too many late-night films. He must be spending a fortune on Spymaster, or wherever he's getting his gear. I didn't even know he could use a smartphone on his own. He used to get his secretary to work it for him!' They all laughed at this, pleased she was calming down.

Alain filled in some gaps. ‘He must have had help. According to Edmund's research, he denied the child was his, and so far has refused a paternity test. Georgina has been welcomed back by her cuckolded husband Hugh, who seems to be treating the child as his own. He has quit working at the bank, and is slandering Percy to anyone who will listen, saying Percy had practically given up going to the office, and that although he is supposed to be caring for his father he is travelling, spending money, gambling – you name it! Percy's parents are not amused, and are threatening to cut him out of their will and sign over their house to the National Trust. Although, I am sorry to say, the NT have informed them that it's just another pile of no outstanding public interest, so they are not keen!'

‘Oh, poor Cecil and Isabelle! I must write to them,' said Liberty. ‘I feel awful. This is all my doing.'

Deirdre took her hand and said, ‘It's your charming nature to take all the blame. But there is only one person at fault here, let's remember that. And it's not you.'

Liberty's parents suggested she join them for lunch, but she needed to think, and sit quietly on her own. Edmund was somewhat miffed that she didn't appreciate his efforts in collecting all the information. He followed Alain and Deirdre to the door, but just as he was about to leave, Liberty put a hand on his sleeve and asked if he could stay for a bit.

‘Certainly, I can,' he replied, feeling his heart sing again.

‘I just want to thank you. You have been amazing through all of this, and a true friend. Thank you for finding all those horrid things. Do you think they got them all?' She was a little embarrassed at feeling so weak, but it had sullied her home,
her haven of peace. It was another part of her life with Percy that was not as she had thought. She was thinking all this while looking up at Edmund's dark, strong, hawk-like face, hoping perhaps he would say she could be more than a friend, or would she just run to the church right now and marry him, or suggest travelling round the world shagging for England and forgetting all these silly people. But he simply looked at her, kissed her on the cheek, said, ‘It's been a pleasure to help, my dear,' and left her alone.

Edmund sang a little song as he walked back to his car, his lips burning from kissing her winsome face. Once driving home, however, his face turned to steel and his shoulders clenched with anger. Now to deal with Percy.

50

Liberty phoned J-T and started to tell him the unbelievable news that Percy had been trying to sabotage her, when he stopped her mid-flow.

‘Darling, stop. Take a breath and sit down.' He could picture her face as he heard her gulp for air, and imagined her plopping down into one of her overstuffed chairs, quizzical expression on her face and Teal at her feet. He told her that Edmund had given him full details of Percy's revenge already. When Liberty huffed that it was up to her who should know, J-T said, ‘Edmund realised it was Percy who encouraged the photographer to get the picture of me and Gray, probably to discredit both of us because we are your friends. My dear, we didn't realise he was so very pissed off, as you hadn't heard from him at all – no solicitor's letters, nothing. This was his plan: to destroy your future if it didn't include him! I can't believe it was he who nearly ruined things between Bob and me. He always claimed to be our friend too, don't forget, and as far as I know, Gray hasn't even met the man! Although, I suppose the fault was mine, as I was the one in the photograph doing the business.'

‘Yeeees, quite!' Liberty said with a giggle, pleased to feel a little relief. But then she remembered Percy's horrible words whenever she had managed to get him to have the pair to supper after they were married. ‘Bloody poofs' and ‘silly fags' were only two of the unpleasant phrases he reserved for them. J-T was the only friend who had stuck by her when Percy was doing his best to rid her of old acquaintances. J-T, unlike her other friends,
was not intimidated by the bully. But she didn't want to hurt her friend any more by telling him what Percy had said.

‘Bob seems to have taken the news that Percy was behind all of this to mean I'm off the hook completely. He is back to his old warm self, and even treating me as though it wasn't my fault. Although, of course it was. He even agreed to come to your fete with me after I told him Gray wouldn't be there. Can we stay at your place, with the dogs? You wouldn't believe the fancy dress costumes I've got for them!'

Sadly, I probably can
, thought Liberty, picturing the two French bulldogs in tutus or worse, but she was thrilled the men would be there to support her. ‘I will prepare your rooms, sir!' she said with a laugh. He always made her feel good about herself, and she knew that his presence, along with calm, solid Bob, would be good for her nerves on the day. They said their goodbyes, with J-T promising lots of decorations for the fete.

‘Don't forget, I have a showroom full of things, and lots of favours I can pull in. Leave it to me to show you at your best!'

Liberty felt much better, if still a little odd, knowing that Percy or someone attached to him had been in her house. To comfort herself, she decided to cook, which was lucky as she realised she was ravenous. She rootled around in the fridge till she emerged with the makings of a warm walnut-crusted goat's cheese salad.

Thus restored, she sat down to write a lengthy letter to Percy's parents, saying how sorry she was if she had been to blame for Percy going off the rails, and could she help in any way? She also wrote that she was sorry for not visiting them, but had felt unsure of her welcome, and that she hoped Cecil was recovering. She reminded them of her warm feelings towards them both. She felt a horrible gut-twisting sensation, hating the thought of the two kind, generous, warm-hearted people she looked upon as family being hurt and troubled because of her actions.

She then wrote to Georgina, the woman reported to have had Percy's baby. She had never warmed to the glamorous, bosomy wife of Hugh Cyril, a little too socially ambitious to be a true
friend, but felt terrible that Percy had denied the baby was his and had now dropped her. Liberty was, in a strange way, curious to meet the baby that could have been hers. Of course she didn't express that feeling, but casually wrote that if she and Hugh were ever in the area they would be welcome at her home.