Chapter 42

The first Saturday in September arrived in a blast of joyous sunshine. Stella glanced over at Alex through the shade of her designer sunglasses. He briefly took his eyes away from the narrow, twisting-turning lanes of the moors he was negotiating and shared a smile with her. Stella felt her heart melt a little bit more.

‘Not much further now,' he said, tucking into a pull-in place, allowing a tractor to pass. The farmer waved in acknowledgement as he went by. ‘I'm just so relieved the weather improved so we could do this, I know you're going to love it.'

Happiness bloomed in her chest as she looked out at the stunning view before her. Undulating moorland stretched out for miles, still swathed in the remnants of its summer finery of purple, though now a little faded. The heather offered a vibrant contrast to the verdant patchwork of green fields, divided up by ancient dry-stone walls, that lined the swooping valleys where cosy farmsteads nestled. The plaintive bleating of the free-roaming sheep wafted in through the car's open window as they drove along.

Slowing at a junction, Alex took the right turn, which Stella noted from the old black and white road sign led to Great Stangdale. It was a road she'd travelled many times before on her way to the beautician's at Danskelfe, but she still couldn't imagine where Alex was taking her. He'd given her no clues, simply telling her to wear practical clothing and flat shoes. She'd been intrigued.

Fred gazed out of the side window in the back, his ears pricked in interest, his seat belt keeping him from jumping about excitedly.

After following a road that had a worryingly vertiginous drop down to a river, Alex took them along a bumpy track before coming to a halt. ‘Here we are,' he said, pulling the handbrake on. Stella climbed out of the car and headed over to a wooden seat, a gentle breeze lifting her hair, the sun warm on her face. She couldn't help but gasp as her gaze roamed over the magnificent panorama. She turned to Alex as he let Fred out, and threw him a smile. ‘It's stunning! I've never seen the dale from this view point before.'

‘Thought you'd like it.' He ambled his way over to her, an easy smile on his face, Fred sniffing the ground around them, his tail swishing happily.

To the right the battle-scarred walls of Danskelfe Castle were visible through the trees, its flag fluttering idly atop the highest tower. The precipitous rigg of Great Stangdale swept right around as if protecting the villages and hamlets that nestled within its vast embrace.

The cackle of a pheasant caught her attention as it skimmed over the gorse bushes, resplendent in their vivid yellow blooms, its cries scattering a handful of rabbits, their white tails bobbing as they scampered away. Fred stopped in his tracks, striking a pose, one paw raised from the ground, making Stella and Alex laugh.

‘I hope you're hungry,' said Alex, throwing his arm around her.

‘I'm starving,' she said, wondering where he'd planned for them to eat.

‘That's what I like to hear.' He pressed a kiss to her cheek and headed back to the car where he flung the boot open. She watched as he shook out a rug, laying it on the flattest area of ground. That done, he hefted a huge wicker picnic hamper and set it on the rug, Fred looking on with interest.

‘Is there anything I can do?' Stella asked heading towards him, her hands in the back pockets of her jeans.

‘You can help set this lot out, if you like, but keep an eye on Fred or he'll have everything devoured before we get a taste of anything.' He nodded to the hamper that was brimming with an array of foodie treats. ‘I've brought him some of his own food.'

‘Oh, wow! This looks like a pretty special picnic,' she said, kneeling down and taking the lobster rolls he handed her.

‘Much as I'd like to take credit for it, I ordered the food from the deli back home.' He set two plates out, topping them with linen napkins and a mix of cutlery.

‘Well it looks fantastic. I can't wait to tuck in; I'm starving, she said, her mouth watering as she spotted the bowl of spiced chicken salad garnished with vibrant coriander leaves. ‘And it's so kind of you to organise it.'

‘Hey, we had to mark your good news somehow.'

Alex, with whom Stella had eventually shared her concerns about being followed, and told him of the threatening note she'd received, had suggested the picnic by way of celebrating the fact that the police had discovered the identity of Stella's stalker. DC Stephens had called her and confirmed that it was Vaughan Elliott who had been captured on CCTV entering her apartment building and posting the note in her pigeonhole. The car the barrister had been driving to follow and intimidate her had been traced and was found to have been borrowed from his brother – he didn't want to run the risk of anyone recognising his BMW.

‘I can't tell you what a relief it is to know I can walk back from the Jolly without the feeling that I'm being followed,' Stella had said when she'd shared the news with Alex. ‘I was starting to get paranoid every time I heard footsteps behind me.'

‘I'm not surprised. It must've been horrible for you,' he'd said, wrapping his arms around her protectively. ‘Though I have to admit, I'm struggling to get my head around the fact that it was a barrister who was behind it all.'

‘Hmph. I'm not, Vaughan Elliott has always had dubious morals, always thought he could worm his way out of any dodgy situation. Only this time his mis-placed confidence made him sloppy: showing up at the apartment building and not stopping to think there might be cameras about.' She'd shaken her head and given a laugh of disbelief.

‘So what'll happen to him now? He's broken the law, surely that means he can no longer practice as a barrister.'

‘He's been suspended. Not only that, he's been kicked out of his chambers and he's been reported to the Bar Council, who'll wait for the report from the police until they decide what course of action to take with him, but I'd be amazed if he wasn't disbarred. He'll be prosecuted for it too.'

Alex had given a low whistle. ‘And all because he took exception to something you'd said.'

‘Hard to believe, but true.'

‘Well, you need to put him behind you now and focus on the future.' He'd bent his head to kiss her. ‘A future involving you and me.'

A nearby whimper, accompanied by a dull thudding sound, had made them both turn to see Fred looking up at them expectantly, his tail wagging hard against the floor.

‘Don't worry, fella, the future includes you too,' Alex had said with a chuckle as the Labrador trotted over, pushing himself between them.

‘Of course it does! It wouldn't be the same without you, Fred,' Stella had said, smiling down at him.

With the remains of the picnic cleared away and placed in the boot of the car, out of the glare of the sun, Stella rested back on her elbows, stretching her legs out on the rug, Alex beside her. Fred sat in the cool of the shadow cast by the car. The heat of the sun was tempered by the light breeze that was brushing over the heather and wafting the faint scent of honey their way. She soon found herself getting lost in her thoughts, the cries of a buzzard circling overhead barely registering.

She couldn't deny, the last few weeks had been challenging, from the hassle she'd had with the Dixon trial to finally getting to meet her father and everything that had entailed. Though the experience had been less than pleasant, her curiosity about him had at least been satisfied. Her only regret was that he'd managed to unsettle her mum. She consoled herself that it had only been for a brief amount of time and it had, bizarrely, appeared to have strengthened her mother's relationship with Rhys. It was something Stella found herself being glad of. The more she got to know him, the more she realised what a thoroughly decent man he was, and how good he was for her mum. Seeing her mum glowing with happiness warmed Stella's heart. Her mother and Rhys were flying out to Tuscany today and were very excited by all accounts. Stella wondered if there'd be some kind of announcement on their return.

Her thoughts segued to her relationship with Alex, how he'd stirred feelings inside her she'd never thought possible to feel. And though she'd fought them at the start, she'd now submitted to them wholeheartedly and allowed her heart to experience love. She couldn't deny it, it was heady, all-consuming stuff.

She stole a look at him, taking in his handsome profile. Butterflies performed their now familiar dance in her stomach. He smiled, the glow of sunlight on his face.

‘Perfect day for a picnic,' he said.

‘Perfect day full stop.' She sighed contentedly, resting her head on his shoulder, inhaling his comforting aroma.

‘It is.' Sitting back, he placed his finger under her chin and tilted her face towards him, drinking in her features before kissing her deeply.

Stella wiggled her toes as a wave of love washed over her.

*

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