Chapter 9

Nine

T hat night, I dreamed of Eisen. The boy he'd been mixed with the man he'd become. The muscles, the beautiful sapphire eyes, the cocoon of safety he'd wrapped me in that night in the Hand and Flowers. He'd said he once felt invincible, and I understood why because when I was with him, I'd felt it too.

But could I believe his words? Could I ever trust him again?

When I failed to get back to sleep, I consulted Google. Eisen was an unusual name, and maybe the acid attack had been reported online? Those sorts of events were still rare enough that they might get a mention on local news.

That was when I found out who Eisen really was.

What he'd kept from me all those years ago, and what he'd still skated around yesterday. Once I had his surname, the internet gave up his secrets, hundreds of articles and pictures and interviews.

Things I'd never have found unless I knew where to look.

I didn't watch the news much—when did I ever get the time?—and I certainly didn't follow the world of MMA.

The headlines told the story. The reporters sensationalised every event, and my heart ached for everything Eis and his family had been through. It certainly put my impending divorce into perspective.

Eisen Kennedy-Renner, aristocrat's son, sentenced to four years for GBH.

Edith Renner defends brother on courthouse steps: Neil Short got what he deserved.

Elizabeth Renner speaks out: my grandson fought for his sister when the legal system failed.

I could certainly understand why Eis had broken Neil Short's jaw. Such a small percentage of rape cases were ever prosecuted, and for the victims, the journey through the legal system was almost as traumatic as the event itself. One of my hairdressing clients had lost a daughter that way—she hadn't been able to live with the memories.

Eisen "Ironman" Renner, disgraced son of Viscount Brigham, wins third WPFL bout.

Ironman Renner opens gym in Hammersmith - local women encouraged to sign up for free self-defence classes.

Ironman defeats Maxim Chechkov in fifth round to take world title.

Ironman's Four Rings fitness empire goes from strength to strength.

Photo after photo showed Eis in a cage, beating the living daylights out of his opponents. There was even video. In one tiny respect, the judge in his trial had been right—his hands were lethal weapons. Eisen had a reputation for defending what was his, and more than once, he'd lashed out at reporters—verbally—when they tried to talk about his sister. Meanwhile, I'd been stuck with Steven, who hadn't said a word when one of his colleagues called me "a bit grumpy" at his work Christmas party.

Elizabeth Renner lobbies for Edie's Law: No woman should be without a voice.

World champ rushed to hospital after attack in car park.

Neil Short, defendant in Renner civil case, jailed after new victim fights back.

Elizabeth Renner, businesswoman and women's rights powerhouse, dies in hospital after a short illness.

I recognised Elizabeth Renner from one of the photos. When I was eight or nine, she'd had her driver park beside the village green, hobbled over to Marissa and me, and told us to stop throwing rocks in the duck pond. We'd thought the ripples were pretty; it hadn't occurred to us that we might scare the creatures that lived there.

It seemed that Eisen had inherited more than Twilight's End from his grandma—he'd also gotten her protective streak. Maybe I couldn't forget what he'd done, but could I forgive?

In between listening to the rain drip, drip, drip through the roof and emptying buckets, I unblocked Eis's number.

Me

Perhaps someday if you're passing, you could drop in for coffee?

* * *

The sound of a car engine woke me, and I groaned. I needed to replace the front gate so people didn't keep using the driveway to turn around. The original gate had fallen off its hinges when I tried to close it, and now it was lying where it had fallen, waiting for me to find the spoons to do something about it.

Then someone knocked on the door, and I groaned harder. For once in my life, couldn't I have a lie-in? If a tourist was lost, they could phone a friend. Or had I forgotten an appointment? Maybe the plumber had come early… No, it was a Sunday. The plumber wouldn't come on a Sunday, and he wasn't due for another month anyway.

I rolled out of bed and stumbled down the stairs. One day, I'd move into the bedroom at the front of the house, but for now, I was in the box room at the back where the rain didn't get in. Until I moved into Marigold Lodge, I hadn't appreciated basic comforts like a structurally sound roof enough.

And I also hadn't fully understood what it would mean to have a man like Eisen Renner in my life. Today, he wasn't hiding behind flowers. He just had a hoodie pulled low over his face.

I yanked the door open. "What are you doing here?"

"You said to drop in for coffee if I was passing."

"Oh, and you just happened to be passing first thing this morning?"

"Yeah."

"Really?"

"I went out to get you breakfast, and on the way back, I was passing."

"For goodness' sake. It's…" I checked my wrist, then remembered my watch was on the bedside table.

"It's nearly ten o'clock," he supplied.

Oh. "Yes, well, I was up half the night, uh…" I could hardly tell him I'd been picking apart his life on the internet, could I? "…uh, doing stuff."

"You mean you were googling me?"

How did he know?

"Why on earth would you think that?"

"Because there are only two reasons you would have texted me at four thirty a.m."

"Oh yeah? What's the second one?"

"Last weekend, you weren't as subtle as you thought you were when you checked out my junk." Dammit! "I brought coffee as well. One black, one with all the froth and syrup and shit. Drink whichever you want, and I'll have the other."

"Eis, I'm still in my pyjamas."

"You can take them off if you want. I don't mind."

I'd given him the tiniest of openings, and now he was kicking his way through my defences, Jackie Chan style. Kapow. I could probably still slam the door if I put my mind to it, but did I want to? Eis had haunted my dreams for years, and even though I'd wanted to hate him, deep down, I'd always hoped he had a good reason for doing what he did. That one night together, he'd looked after me. Been so freaking gentle. I'd confessed it was my first time, and his protective streak had been out in full force. He'd even made me pee in a bush afterwards so I didn't get a UTI, which was a little embarrassing but also weirdly thoughtful, and then he'd dressed me tenderly and let me use his chest as a pillow while we watched the stars. Losing my virginity on a dirt floor in a nature reserve—it should have been a bit icky, but he'd made it almost romantic.

My first time with Steven, I'd gone to pee afterwards and found him snoring in bed when I got back. He didn't even take off his socks.

As Eis walked past me, I poked him in the chest.

"If you ever hurt me again, I'll chop off your balls while you sleep."

"If I ever hurt you again, I'll hand you the knife."