Chapter 372.
“Where are you going?” asked Bridget. “If you want a lift to that big park in South Kennett… Maybe we could all go…”
That was the last place Tim wanted to go. It was much too near Jenny’s house. He was already feeling guilty, and worrying about the lies – or at least the half-truths – he was going to have to tell her that evening.
“Miss Connie? Isn’t there a little park nearby? We passed one on the way here.”
“Yes, that’s right. Opie Park, right next to the village. It’s less than a mile. Actually there’s a little shortcut across the fields.”
“Could we go there, miss Kit? It looked very nice and quiet…”
Kit agreeing, and the others content to hang out in the house and garden and catch up on all the gossip, Tim and Kit, having received unnecessarily detailed instructions and been exhorted to pay attention to various remarkable natural phenomena along the way, departed.
It was a lovely, bright, crisp winter’s afternoon. They stuck mainly to the lanes, avoiding all the muddy shortcuts they had been supposed to memorise. Kit hung on Tim’s arm, or he on Kit’s. They made an odd couple in that rural, conservative backwater, and received some surprised glances, especially as they negotiated the village street, but also a lot of “good afternoons” – as strangers in such an environment invariably do, whether from innocent goodwill or the hope of eliciting conversation. Tim was in the grip of a sort of delirious suppressed excitement, somehow mysteriously connected to the feeling of Kit’s hand on his arm. It was the first time in his life he had experienced such an intense emotion, and he truly had no idea what it was. Kit herself, despite her temporary alliance with the scheming conspirators back in the farmhouse, found herself growing to like this innocent young man, possibly the first time she had felt anything but contempt for a male.
Being a Sunday the village was rather quiet. The village store and post office was closed, but they bought some bubble-gum from a battered dispenser outside, chained to the wall. They turned off the main street into a smallish park, that on its extremities morphed in open countryside. There were a few people chatting or walking dogs and some children playing.
“This is a cool place, miss. It’s like a bit of a wilderness. Let’s see where this path goes…”
They explored, Kit blowing bubbles with an experienced ease. They wandered around happily for nearly an hour, and were thinking of heading back when Tim heard a voice behind them.
“Tim? Is that you?”
He froze for a minute, then swung round. And breathed a sigh of relief.
“Ann! What are you doing here?”
“We just came out for a walk. We’ve never been here before. What are you doing? And why…”
She indicated the outfit. And she looked from him to Kit and back again with some astonishment.
Tim gave himself time to think by introducing them.
“Miss Kit, this is my friend from school, Ann Cleverly. Ann, this is my work colleague, Kit.”
The two girls nodded and smiled. He realised he needed to come up with a slightly fuller explanation if he wanted to avoid rumours. Again he gave himself time.
“Miss Kit, Ann was one of my best friends at school. Ann, what are you doing now?”
“I got a place at college doing materials and design, and I’m working part-time in Crawford’s department store to help pay for the course. Yeah, it’s going really well. But what are you up to? I heard something about you working at some equestrian centre…”
“Oh, yeah… I did. I do have a place at uni for next year… So, at the moment…yes…I’m working for this fashion company, see…er…CBM…F…yeah, that’s it. I sort of help with the admin… Kit here is one of their, er, consultants…”
“That’s an amazing outfit, Kit. It that real latex?”
“Real latex, Ann.” She held out her arm. “You may feel…”
Ann stroked the glossy latex gingerly.
“Wow. It must feel so sexy to wear something like that… You look incredible… And Tim. You look incredible too! You seem to have grown up so much in just six months. You seem so confident. And you don’t even speak the same. I don’t mean… You know, you just seem almost like a new person. But why the girly duds? Not that they don’t look good on you…”
“Oh… No reason. It was just lying about, and it was the warmest thing I could find in a hurry…”
“Well you’d look great in anything, anyway… But where is this fashion company. What did you call it?”
“Er… yeah, er, CMBF… It’s…well, it’s a private company. Run by a Mrs Brookshaw. Just up the road.”
“Sounds right up my street. Any chance I could come and visit one day? It would be great experience for me.”
“Well, I don’t know…”
“Tim, take Ann number and we ask Miss Connie, yes?”
“Would you? That’s so kind! Maybe I could help her somehow. I’d do anything…”
Tim was panicking a bit. If Ann found out about him, she would be bound to tell everyone. But Kit was insistent. She knew that every friend and acquaintance of Tim was a potential tool for Connie.
“Actually I don’t have my phone with me…” began Tim.
“I give you my number, Ann,” said Kit. “Text it to me and I talk to Miss Connie.” And she reeled it off.
“Thank you so much… I have to go, but please call me if you can.” She gave Kit a look full of admiration. “I’m so jealous of your outfit…and those steel chains and signs. It’s the coolest thing I’ve ever seen… Would you mind? Take a piccy of me and Tim on my phone?”
“My pleasure…”
Tim looked imploringly at Kit, but she didn’t seem to notice…
The sun was sinking as they turned up the front path of the farmhouse.
“But Miss Kit, suppose Miss Connie does invite her round?”
“If she does, she will have fun, and you will see her again. You good friends, no?”
“Well, yes, we are. I always liked her at school. But that’s the problem, see? She knows so many people, whatever she finds out, they’ll hear about it.”
“And, master Tim?”
“Well, I…”
“You should…”spread wings”, as they say. If you want be celebrity, maybe even be on TV…”
“On TV?” He looked at her incredulously. But not without interest. “How could that even be possible?”
“Might be possible. Go on social media first. I have friend could help you. Build presence. You unique person. No-one like you around. I think it possible.”
That shut him up for a while. Shyness and vanity were contending in his imagination. Connie let them in. Kit wasted no time telling her all about Ann Cleverly.
“Really? Nice girl, you say? She’s a good friend, Tim? Well we really should have her round. I’ll give her a call.”
“But…”
“I telling Tim he should have big online presence…”
“Oh, quite right, Kit. We’re working on that already. At least, ESDS is. Wait till they find out about you, too…”
After supper it was time for his call to Jenny. He was given his phone and sent to his room.
“Just go to bed when you’re done, Tim. We’re going to make an early start tomorrow. Your pyjamas are on the bed.”
The ladies gathered around Connie’s phone. Of course, his room was equipped with audio and visual surveillance.
They watched as he entered the bedroom. He threw himself on the bed and sighed. Several minutes passed.
“He should call her soon,” asked Maxine, checking her watch.
“He’s thinking what to say,” replied Frieda. “Delaying the inevitable.”
He seemed reluctant to call. Instead he stripped off his clothes and slipped on his “pyjamas” – the bloomers, at least. He threw the matching pink babydoll nightie on the floor. He lay on the bed for another minute or two, wearing only the pink latex bloomers with tightly-fitting waist and leg bands. He touched himself distractedly, either out of nervousness or frustration.
“Naughty boy… Come on, make the call…”
Eventually he rang. He put his phone on speaker and placed it on the bedside cabinet.
“Tim? At last.”
“Yeah.”
“How are you? What’s going on? Why didn’t you tell me about this?”
“I couldn’t. I just got sent to this job. I thought I’d be able to call you after. But they took me on right away and took away my phone. I’m not even allowed to tell you where it is.”
“I’m not even allowed to know that? Why?”
“Dunno. There are spies…”
“It’s just a fashion company, isn’t it? How could that be so secret?”
“Dunno. They’ve had their designs stolen. They can’t trust anyone, specially new employees.”
“And you’re there how long?”
“Two weeks.”
“I can’t see you for two weeks?”
“Nope.”
“That’s insane. What are you doing there?”
“Everything. Like admin, and waiting on people…”
“And modelling?”
“A bit, yeah…”
“Who’s there. Tell me about your co-workers.”
“Just some ladies…”
“Yes, I heard. CFBM, right?”
“Who?”
“CFBM! That’s who you’re working for, right?”
“Oh, er, yeah…”
“You don’t sound very sure…”
“No… I mean I just forgot the name for a moment…”
“This is all very suspicious, Tim. Who else is there?”
“No-one.”
“No-one at all?”
“Oh, one woman. A sort of consultant…”
“Name?”
“Name?”
“What’s her name?”
“Oh. Her name… Yeah, what is it now? Ah, yes…Kit.”
“Kit what?”
“Er… Not sure…”
Downstairs the ladies were killing themselves laughing. They really could be quite cruel at times…
“How old is she?”
“How old?”
“Yes. How old?”
“Why do you want to know…”
“So she’s young, then.”
“Well, youngish, I guess…”
“How young?” Her voice took on a sarcastic tone. “Thirty? Twenty? Ten?”
“Course not ten…”
“So what’s the nearest?”
“I don’t know why you asking all this. I…”
“Twenty?”
Tim sighed. “About…I guess…”
“Pretty?”
“Pretty?”
“Is she pretty?”
He hesitated. “I don’t know if you’d call her…”
“She is, isn’t she? Do you fancy her then?”
“Of course not!”
“Have you snogged her?”
“Snogged her? No…”
“You bloody have, you bastard. I bet you have. I can hear it in your voice.”
“Look, Jenny, I have to go. I…”
There was a noise as if she had thrown her phone at the wall. Then the line went dead.
“Oh dear,” said Maxine. “That’s the end of that romance, then.”
“Not at all,” said Connie, confidently. “That violent reaction tells me two things. First, she likes him a lot. That was sheer murderous jealousy. But I could tell that already. Second, she’s tough. No way she’d give up on him after one little spat. Moreover she actually has no idea what’s really going on. That’s only going to make her more determined to find out. And that’s where all the stuff I have on him becomes more and more valuable. Kit, darling, you’ve played your part well.”
Kit looked not altogether happy.
“What’s the matter? Don’t tell me… You like him as well?”
Kit made a sign with her fingers that said “maybe a little bit”…
Connie laughed delightedly. “Oh, my dear! I never imagined…”
“Tim sweet boy… Maybe I want have taste one time…”
All heads turned towards her.
“Kit! Really!” grinned Connie.
Maxine giggled. “Has he ever actually…”
“No,” said Connie, closing the feed from Tim’s bedroom and putting her phone face down, as if she were afraid he might hear their conversation. “No, he hasn’t. Maybe he fooled around with his mate Bobby, but I discovered at the interview that as far as girls go, he’s as pure as the driven snow.” She looked at Kit. “Don’t look so pleased, miss. You’d need our permission, in any case.”
Kit actually blushed, and lowered her eyes.
“You’re serious, aren’t you,” smiled Frieda.
Connie looked thoughtful. “I don’t blame you, darling. He’s an adult now. At some point… I mean, I’m sure he couldn’t have a better introduction…”
There was a pause.
“How about a nightcap?”
All present happily concurring, she went to the kitchen to prepare drinks. They retired early for them – about twelve – Connie intent of making an early start on Sunday, before Robyn arrived with Esther.