there it is.’
Without taking his eyes from the windscreen he said, ‘You won’t be needing that,’ and in one arching movement leant over and plucked it out of my hand.
I sat there motionless, then I tutted loudly, rolling my eyes over to him. His pink tongue poked out and moistened his lips.
I was beginning to see he had a rather daft sense of drama – or perhaps he was flirting? Had he taken me up Love Lane? Or was that what he intended to do?
Once upon a time I wouldn’t have minded but things had changed and right now I had no patience whatsoever for his games.
I took a deep breath and steadied myself, trying to keep the anger out of my voice. ‘Don’t you think that that’s my decision to make, Felix? Can I have it back please?’
He sighed deeply, and then tossed it back to me. ‘Leave it in the car.’
My eyes narrowed and I was about to ask, quite sarcastically, why, but he cut in. ‘Come on. Let’s get this over and done with.’
What was he up to? What should I do? To be honest, I didn’t have that many options so I put the Dictaphone on the dashboard.
‘Okay,’ I said. A shrill note had crept into my voice.
Felix fished around on the back seat of the car and pulled something out then he got out of the car and came round to my side. Opening the door, he added, ‘After you, madam.’
For a second I hesitated; wondered briefly how Felix would hold up if we were ambushed or attacked. He had a good build and there was muscle there but I imagined I might have to defend myself. If necessary, I absolutely would, though I was certain it wouldn’t come to that. A sudden image of myself running up the lane flashed across my brain. I looked up the track. Mist had filled the gap between the hedgerows. I really didn’t fancy going up there on my own and, if I bottled out now, I could end up the laughing stock of the publishing world. If this was as explosive as Felix was suggesting, then of course, precautions might be needed. Other publishers would be on the sniff. I just needed to hold my nerve.
‘Please hurry up, Sadie. It’s cold,’ Felix said, a tone of exasperation threading his words now.
I guess it was the ‘please’ that made me move. I opened the door and swung my legs, quickly feeling in my bag for my mobile. Touching the solidity of its mass was reassuring. While Felix marched on ahead I opened the voice recorder app and pressed play, replacing it in my bag. It wouldn’t be great quality, but it would be a record of sorts.
Felix looked to be making for the cottage but took a sharp left and ducked out along the path. I slammed the car door shut and scrambled after him.
The path was narrow, only a couple of feet wide and bordered by prickly blackberry bushes and towering thistles. Further back the wood pitched up masses of tall spiky trees. Their silhouettes crowded over the top of me and for a second I felt like I was in an ancient cave. There was a cryptic quietness in the wood, a feeling of expectation, like the air itself was waiting to see what was going to happen. Something croaked in the thicket about me. I saw instantly that under the darkness the land was seething with life. Shadows were moving amongst the trees.
The temperature dropped quickly. We had only been trudging down the path a matter of minutes but already my body heat was evaporating and my teeth beginning to chatter. A twig snapped in the undergrowth. My eyes darted to the sound. Flimsy shadows danced in the bracken: willowy, brownish human-sized forms. For a moment I thought there were actually people in the trees, but as I watched they dissolved, only to reform a few feet away. Perhaps they were the shadows of the trees themselves – some trick of the light brought on by the change of perspective as I walked past them.
I hurried to catch up with Felix. ‘Where are we going?’
‘It’s not far now,’ he said and marched on. ‘Come on.’
I followed him round a corner. For a moment his form was obscured by the overhanging branch of a sprawling oak. When I pushed it back I saw the track widened and came out into a secluded clearing. Up on a