Page 114 of The Village Inn of Secret Dream

‘We’ve got big plans,’ said Mick with a nod.

The conversation and drinks flowed, but finally Belle found a moment to speak alone to her aunt.

‘You and Uncle Mick seem…’ her voice trailed off as she wondered how to find the words.

‘Happy?’ prompted Aunty Angie, with a wide smile. ‘We truly are. I think that without the stress of the business failing, it gave us time to look at each other differently. We enjoy each other’s company now. And we’ve remembered what made us fall in love all those years ago.’

‘I’m so pleased for you both,’ said Belle, thinking that if her aunt and uncle could find their very own happy ever after, perhaps there was still hope for her as well.

Just before midnight, as Belle was bringing out the bottles of champagne up from the cellar in preparation for the celebrations, she found Pete at the top of the stairs.

‘I need to talk to you,’ he told her.

‘Is everything okay?’ she asked, placing the bottles down on the floor.

He went to open his mouth to speak but instead gave a groan and pulled her towards him.

‘You look incredible tonight,’ he said, as he leant down to kiss her.

If her aunt and uncle could rediscover love, perhaps there was hope for her and Pete as well, she thought. But as his kiss deepened, she lost reasoned thought once more and gave herself up to the inevitable feelings for him.

‘Ahem,’ said a nearby male voice, clearing their throat.

Belle and Pete broke apart to find Brad standing in the doorway. ‘Sorry to interrupt,’ he said, with a grin. ‘But I need you to check tomorrow’s dessert menu.’

‘On my way,’ said Pete. But he didn’t relinquish his hold on Belle.

After Brad had disappeared, he drew her close once more.

‘Talking of dessert,’ he said, before stealing another kiss.

Eventually, with a moan, Belle pushed him away. ‘Go,’ she said softly.

‘You’re such a hard taskmaster,’ he told her, before giving her one last brief kiss and then disappearing out of the hallway.

Belle sighed in contentment.

As she began to fill up the champagne glasses, she was smiling to herself, feeling full of hope for the future.

So when she went to retrieve the last two bottles of champagne, she couldn’t help but smile as she heard Pete chatting with someone in the corridor leading into the inn garden.

But she crashed to a halt when she heard Pete ask, ‘So how much would you pay for the inn?’

Belle stood, holding her breath as her heart thumped in her chest.

The stranger gave an amount of money so large that she nearly fell over.

The silence stretched out as she waited for Pete’s answer.

‘That’s very interesting,’ she heard him finally say.

Belle gasped and dropped both the bottles that she had been holding onto the floor and rushed out of the side door into the darkness beyond.

She found herself standing by the river, trying to keep calm, but all around her everything was breaking. Her trust. Her love. Her heart.

She heard footsteps behind her and knew that they were Pete’s so she swung around, the tears streaming down her face.

‘I can’t believe you,’ she told him.