She froze. Had she heard right? David offering to drive her home in his car. Did he think she was drunk? She knew she wasn’t, she was always very careful when she went out. She’d had a couple of glasses of prosecco earlier on and lots of water. When she was married, she and Esmond took turns on who would lay off the booze and drive the other home. Perhaps David was just being chivalrous, thinking she might be afraid driving back alone, so late at night.
A moment later she became aware that Jules had caught the remark and flashed a look at her. It struck her, then, that David, his arm still round her, was expecting to spend the night with her.
The front door opened letting in a cold blast of air and Jules, Cynthia and Giles swept outside leaving Amelia and David together in the hall.
‘That’s kind, David, but I’m fine. I… must have my car in case I have to fetch my daughter.’ It was a lame excuse as Sophie was obviously old enough to get herself home, and anyway she was going to stay here for what would be left of the night. She wished he wasn’t so persistent and just let her go home on her own.
‘Oh… I see, but I can drop you all the same. I expect your daughter will probably party until breakfast time. Or bed down where she is, you know what the young are like.’ He smiled, flicked back a strand of her hair that had fallen over her face.
‘No, thanks all the same. I’ll get myself home. I’m sure I’m out of your way.’ She bent down to put on her boots wishing he’d accept her refusal to be driven back by him. He might cause more embarrassment by trying to kiss her or something as they went to their cars. If only Esmond were here, she wouldn’t be in this predicament, and this wasn’t the first time it had happened. Some men seemed to think they were doing her a favour by offering to sleep with her now she had lost her husband. She needed love, or anyway a warm relationship, for such an intimacy and though she liked David, she hardly knew him, and she did not want to be intimate with him.
To her relief another couple came into the hall and began to put on their coats, chatting to them both as they did so. Then Ben and Vero appeared, and Amelia felt more assertive.
She said goodbye to them both again, wishing David would go out with the other couple who had now said their goodbyes and were opening the door, the freezing air snapping at them in the hall so they quickly closed the door behind them.
Vero hugged her. ‘Look, I’ll bring Sophie back to yours tomorrow. I can’t wait to see your menagerie.’ She laughed.
David, naturally heard all this, saying, ‘Well, Amelia, if Vero is dropping your daughter home…’
‘It’s not absolutely certain, Vero may find she has other things to do. I’ll drive myself home, thanks, David.’ And seeing he wasn’t moving, and she’d have to push him out of the way if she wanted to get past him to the door, she said, ‘I think I left my mobile upstairs, stupid of me, I’ll run up and get it.’ She went up the stairs to the bathroom clutching her bag containing her mobile to her. She would wait on the landing until she heard the door close behind him. Though what he waited outside to pounce?
Vero followed her upstairs, perhaps guessing something was up.
‘I never thought of that. I suppose now you are alone men imagine you are gagging for it. Or more likely David is, now he’s broken up with his girlfriend. It probably hits hard on such a night as this, New Year.’
‘I suppose so, but I hardly know him and the last thing I want is to be a stand-in for someone he loved, or even still loves.’ Amelia felt that about Esmond, knowing she’d feel she was somehow cheating on him, though he would have been the first person to urge her not to spend the rest of her life alone.
‘I’m sort of afraid David will wait outside for me as he feels lost and lonely. I like him, but I just don’t fancy him, and I don’t know how to put him off without causing offence,’ she finished in despair.
‘I suppose he’s quite vulnerable at this time of the year, missing his ex, but there’s no reason why you should take her place. I’ll get Ben to take you out to your car,’ Vero said, making for the stairs.
‘But then David will just say he’ll take me,’ Amelia said.
‘So, he will. You’ll have to stay the night then.’
‘But the animals.’
‘Of course, forgot those, but come on, we’ll sort it.’ She went downstairs, Amelia following behind.
‘Ben, could you escort Amelia to her car?’ Vero slipped her arm through her husbands. ‘She heard a funny noise in her engine on the way here and it would be best to check it,’ she said, firmly opening the front door and pushing Ben out.
He frowned at her, and she said, ‘It won’t take a minute, but we don’t want her to break down on the way home.’
‘I can take you in my car and then we can see to yours in the daylight,’ David offered eagerly.
‘No, that won’t do at all,’ Vero said quickly, ‘she needs her car to drop some of the animals back to their homes tomorrow. Good night, David, lovely seeing you.’ She kissed his cheek and gave him a little push towards the door.
Amelia, staying close to Ben, hurried to her car and got in, shutting the door firmly, opening the window a fraction so she could talk to him. She started up the car and, as she knew, there was no funny noise, she said, ‘Sod’s law, it’s not doing it now. Sorry to bring you out in the cold, Ben.’
‘Are you sure you’ll be safe? I can drive behind you, see you get home,’ David said, hovering by her car to see if he could help out as well.
‘No, thanks, I’ll be fine. It must have over heated or something on the way here. I won’t drive fast. Thanks for the lovely party, Ben, a great start to the new year.’ She smiled at them both, backed out of her space and set off down their drive.
David followed her much of the way home, though to her relief he turned off before she reached the road to her house, flashing his lights before he went. She sped up a bit and whizzed home in case he changed his mind and came back to follow her, not knowing exactly where she lived. She felt a bit mean leaving him like that. This was a difficult time of the year to be alone, as she well knew, but the idea of them both in bed together, wishing they were with someone else, was too depressing for words. She was not the person for him, and he must look elsewhere.
It bothered her though, that Jules had heard David saying he’d drive her home. Would he think that they had spent the night together? So what if he did? It was absolutely nothing to do with him or her, who spent the night with who. She was being foolish; Jules was surely having a good time with Cynthia and had no interest whatsoever in her. It was just sod’s law that the first man she felt attracted to since Esmond’s death was an unpopular vet with a small son and a girlfriend, who would probably leave the district soon, to go on to that job he’d been offered elsewhere.