Ticket To Peasebrook

By Veronica Henry

The last leg of their journey from London was on a tiny little train with just two carriages. There was a direct train, but although Darren was very fond of the high life, it seemed he cut corners when spending his own money, and by changing at Oxford they saved more than twenty pounds.

“That’ll buy us a nice bottle of wine over dinner.” He justified his economy, but Holly couldn’t help thinking that surely, given the circumstances, they could afford a direct train and wine.

Still, she didn’t want to spoil the occasion, and he had insisted the weekend was his treat and she wasn’t to put her hand in her pocket.

Darren was taking Holly away to celebrate. She was exhausted, and didn’t want to travel far, so they were opting for a weekend in the Cotswolds. She was hoping to sleep, mostly. The past few months had been extraordinarily stressful. Even though she had won her unfair dismissal case, she felt drained.

Darren had been cock-a-hoop at her payout, but she would have preferred for the whole thing not to have happened. Money couldn’t make up for the pressure, the fear, the unwanted attention. The grilling by the barristers, eager to trip her up. The press intrusion. The knowing looks her neighbours gave her.

Darren seemed to view the whole thing as a cunning get-rich-quick scheme. Almost as if Holly had planned it. He didn’t seem to appreciate that it had almost cost Holly her soul.

Yes, he had been supportive. He cooked dinner when she got home from court. Went through all she had to say. Psyched her up when she wanted to drop the case. But all the time she had a feeling he was doing it not for her, but the money.

As they settled into their seats she told herself she was overwound and tired and shouldn’t be having such negative thoughts about her boyfriend. The train swayed and she shut her eyes. Leaving London behind for a day or two would do her – them – the world of good.

As they stepped onto the platform at Peasebrook half an hour later, she breathed in fresh air scented with blossom and felt relief and a tiny bit of hope that she might be normal again. She could get a new job, finally, start anew.

They were staying in the Peasebrook Arms, a coaching inn perched in the middle of the picturesque high street. As soon as they were shown into their room, Darren began to complain.

“There’s not enough room to swing a cat. Who wants a view of the kitchen? And there’s no bath. Only a shower.”

“It’s fine. The bed’s super-comfy,” said Holly, sinking onto the mattress, feeling its softness wrap itself around her. “I’m going to have words.” Darren headed out of the door. Holly didn’t reply. She just wanted to sleep.

Ten minutes later she was rudely awoken from a delicious snooze.

“We’ve got an upgrade,” he said triumphantly. “Get your bag.”

She struggled awake and followed him along the corridor to a much bigger room which looked out onto a courtyard garden and had a big claw-foot bath.

“It always pays to complain,” said Darren with satisfaction.

Holly wasn’t sure it did. There was always a hidden cost. The court case had dented her confidence and her trust in human nature. She wondered if she would have gone ahead if she had known how awful it would be? Would it have been better to resign, slink away, start again without making a fuss?

But then her boss would have carried on treating women in the same way he’d treated her. Making someone else dread coming to work, feel sick, feel afraid, not sleeping, not eating, longing for a way out… It had been her duty.

This weekend was supposed to make her forget the stress of it all. Darren had called it a celebration but she didn’t feel celebratory in any way. Relieved, perhaps. She had a lot of thinking to do, about what she was going to do next.

She worried that no one would want to employ her, that they would think she was a troublemaker, even though she’d been brilliant at her job.

Darren, of course, had plans for the money. They were going to use it as a deposit on a flat. The mortgage repayments would be less than the rent. They’d lived together for two years, so it made sound financial sense.

“We’ll never get on the ladder otherwise,” he told Holly, and flicked through all the suitable flats in their price range he’d found on the internet.

She couldn’t summon up any enthusiasm. She would let him choose.

They headed out into Peasebrook and Holly found herself under its spell immediately: the wonky golden buildings, the tempting shops, the hanging baskets spilling over with blooms. It felt a million miles from the street they lived in, with its bookmakers and pound shops and takeaways pumping out burned oil.

They passed an estate agent at the top end of the high street. Holly looked in the window. She spotted a tiny cottage, with pointy windows and roses round the door. It was a quarter of the price of the flats they had been looking at, and it had a garden – tiny, but a garden all the same.

“Isn’t it gorgeous?” she exclaimed. “Imagine living here…” Darren made a face. “There’d be no work, nothing to do. You’d go mad after ten minutes.”

“I wouldn’t,” said Holly, her fingertips pressed against the window, admiring the roses around the door and the lattice windows and the pale blue front door with the twisty iron knocker.

Darren was already walking off, so she peeled herself away and followed him. Over the bridge was a bookshop, and she felt her heart give a leap of joy. “Can we go in here?” she asked. “If you want.” He gave a dismissive shrug. As soon as she walked in, she felt a sense of both calm and excitement. She began to wander, reading the backs of the books and flicking through pages, enticed by the worlds she was being invited to enter.

Darren flumped down in an armchair with a sigh and pulled out his phone. She could see he was bored. She felt perturbed. How could he not be inspired and intrigued? He was peering at his screen, scrolling, looking up at her every now and then with a raised eyebrow.

She felt pressurised to finish choosing. It was annoying. This was the first time in months she had felt anything other than

It was the FIRST TIME in months she had FELT anything but ANXIETY

panic and anxiety. But she didn’t want to spoil their weekend, so she chose as quickly as she could.

“Might as well go back to the hotel,” said Darren. “There’s not much else to look at in this one-horse town.”

Holly opened her mouth to disagree. There were lots of shops she was dying to look inside. But he was several strides ahead. He wouldn’t be happy until he was at the bar with a pint in front of him.

Maybe she could go up and have a long soak in the bath and start reading one of her books …?

Over dinner, she picked up her asparagus. Darren was looking at his doubtfully. She relished each green stem, savouring its sweet nuttiness. He pushed his plate to one side. He wasn’t an adventurous eater. Meat and two veg, that was Darren.

When it came to his main course, he scraped off the sauces and complained the carrots were too hard.

“They’re delicious,” said Holly. “Lovely and fresh and crunchy.”

“They’re still raw,” he grumbled. “I’m not a donkey.”

Holly hadn’t the energy for a discussion about carrots. She knew with Darren she would never win. He was more difficult to convince than an entire jury, once he’d made his mind up.

She slept badly that night, flashes of the court case coming back to her as they sometimes did. All the terrible things witnesses had said about her character, about how she had flirted with her boss, had been “asking for it’’; how she had thought she was something special. The injustice made her panic, even now. But somehow she had found the courage to fight on, and had won.

She got up and went to the window, leaning out, breathing in the air. On the bed, Darren grunted and turned over. A sudden realisation hit her.

She didn’t love him. He didn’t lift her heart. He didn’t understand her, not really. He didn’t like the same things she did. She had a fresh, clean start and he was forcing her in a direction she didn’t want to go in.

When she woke in the morning, she told herself a relationship was all about compromise. She needed to make more effort, now everything was over.

Over breakfast Darren was agitated, desperate to get home. He didn’t want to stay for a cosy Sunday lunch in a pub with a log fire. Holly suspected he wanted to get back for some sporting fixture with his drinking pals.

They checked out and got a taxi to the station. She felt sad leaving the little town behind. She had only scratched the surface. It was like meeting someone fascinating at a party, then having to leave before you got to know them.

On the train, she got out her book and Daniel scrolled through his phone.

“There’s a nice two-bed flat here in our price bracket,” he said.

Ourpricebracket? He wasn’t contributing anything to the deposit. That was coming from her payout – from everything she’d had to endure.

Her stomach curdled with distaste. She didn’t want to buy a flat with him.

But she couldn’t face the arguing if she told him how she felt. Couldn’t face explaining and justifying herself. She’d had enough of that in court.

Just before the next stop, she told him she was going to the loo. As she passed the luggage rack she pulled her wheelie suitcase out, then nipped through the door as it slid open. She hid around the corner so Darren couldn’t see her, holding her breath as the train’s brakes were applied and it slowed down before finally coming to a halt at the station.

She jumped out and hid behind a pillar in case he happened to look out of the window and down the platform. She heard the doors slam shut. At last the train pulled away. She ran to the ticket office. “A ticket to Peasebrook, please.” “Single or return?” She only hesitated for a moment. “Single, please.”

She felt her phone go off in her pocket, switched it onto silent, took the ticket and made her way onto the platform. The first thing she would do would be go back to the bookshop and browse for as long as she wanted. Then go and have another look at the little cottage in the estate agent’s window – maybe book a viewing.

The train arrived and she stepped into the carriage without a backward glance and thought – thisisthefirstdayofthe restofmylife.Mylife.

It was like MEETING someone FASCINATING, then having to LEAVE