She banished such thoughts from her mind and said, ‘One thing I don’t quite get is that today was the first rehearsal for The Devil’s Disciple …?’
‘Yes.’
‘… and it’s only in the last few weeks that both Ritchie and Neville have come on to you …?’
‘Well, as I say, with Neville it wasn’t so much “coming on”.’
‘All right. But how did you come to be involved in SADOS before this production started rehearsing?’
‘Ah well, it was the end of the panto …’
‘Oh?’
‘SADOS always do their pantomime at the end of January. And it was round then that Mike went off to New Zealand … and I was kind of at a loose end, so I got in touch with SADOS to see if there was anything I could do to help out, and they needed some people for front of house during the panto, so that’s how I became involved.’
‘And were Ritchie and Neville both in the show?’
‘Not acting, no. Ritchie just came to see one performance and then he kind of chatted me up in the Cricketers afterwards.’
‘And did you mind him chatting you up?’
‘No, I was flattered … just having someone taking some notice of me.’
Jude recognized this as another comment on the state of Hester’s marriage, but didn’t pursue it. Instead she asked, ‘And what about Neville?’
‘He wasn’t acting in the panto, but he’d written the lyrics for the songs, so he was around quite a lot during the run.’
‘And you kind of “got together”?’
Hester Winstone blushed furiously. ‘One evening after the show we’d had a few in the Cricketers, and my car was being serviced, so Neville offered to give me a lift home, and I invited him in for a drink and … I don’t think anything would have happened if we hadn’t been drinking.’
‘And did it happen again?’
‘No, just the once. And then suddenly Neville seemed to lose interest. Didn’t reply to my texts or calls.’
‘And you were hurt because you loved him?’
‘I don’t know about love. Maybe I convinced myself at the time that was the reason. I don’t know. I just felt dreadful. I can’t think why I let it happen.’
‘You were lonely.’
‘Yes, maybe, but that’s no excuse, is it? And in my head I’ve gone through so many scenarios about how I would tell Mike, but that was assuming that Neville still wanted me and … I don’t know. I’m just so confused.’
‘From what you say, it sounds as if you’ve never been unfaithful before.’
‘Good Lord, no.’ Hester sounded appalled by the very idea. ‘And I wouldn’t have done, I mean, not unless I thought I actually was, at least at that moment, in love with Neville. And now I feel just so confused. And Mike’s back next week, and I’ll have to tell him.’
‘Why?’
‘Well, I can’t not, can I?’
‘Of course you can,’ Jude asserted. ‘In my view far too many people rush to tell their partners about their infidelity. In very few cases does it do any good, and in many it destroys a perfectly salvageable relationship.’
‘Do you really believe that?’ And there was a spark of hope in Hester Winstone’s hazel eyes.
‘I most certainly do.’
‘But when I see Mike, I’m sure I’ll just blurt it out.’
‘Well, curb the instinct. Don’t give him more ammunition with which to criticize you.’
‘But I haven’t said he does criticize me.’
‘I extrapolated that, Hester.’
‘Oh, did you?’ She sounded a little crushed. And guilty. But also reassured. Jude’s recommendation that she shouldn’t tell her husband about her lapse had clearly brought her comfort.
‘Oh dear, I don’t know what to do.’ But now Hester sounded weary rather than desperate.
‘Well, I’ll tell you exactly what you’re going to do. You are going to sit here while I open a bottle of wine and pour you a drink. Then I’ll cook us some supper. Then I think you should probably stay here the night.’
Hester grimaced. ‘Love to, but I’ve got to get back for the dogs. If they aren’t let out … well, you can imagine what will happen …’
‘I think I can. What about the drink and the supper?’
The woman grinned as she replied, ‘That’d be wonderful.’
‘And when you go back home, you’ll be all right, will you?’
‘Yes, I’ll be fine,’ said Hester Winstone.
And Jude believed her.
SIX
The following morning over coffee at High Tor Jude gave Carole an edited version of her conversation with Hester Winstone. Though the woman wasn’t a client, their time together had been almost like a therapy session, so Jude kept the details of the infidelity to herself. She just said that Hester was clearly in a bad state, but talking things through had, she hoped, helped. It would have been different if she and Carole were working on a case together. Then she would have recounted everything that had passed between them. But there was no crime involved here, just a cry for help from a very unhappy woman.
Carole, needless to say, couldn’t wait to express her views of the SADOS members. ‘Really! Who do they think they are? When I was growing up, we had a word for people like that, and it was “show-offs”. Can’t they see how ridiculous they appear?’
Jude shrugged. ‘They’re just doing something they enjoy. I don’t see there’s much harm in it.’
‘Well, I’d hate to be involved with a group like that.’
‘No problem. No one was rushing to make you join them, were they?’
‘No,’ Carole conceded.
‘Have you ever done any acting?’
‘No.’ There was a shudder at the very idea.
‘Not even at school?’
‘Well, I was in a Nativity Play.’
‘What part?’
Carole coloured at the recollection as she said, ‘I was the Ox.’
‘One of the great parts,’ said Jude with a grin.
‘I’ve never been so embarrassed in my life. And I think my parents were at least as embarrassed as I was. The Seddons have never been people for putting their heads above the parapet.’
‘No, I can believe that,’ said Jude.
It was later that afternoon in Woodside Cottage, while she was reading a book about kinesiology written by a friend of hers, that Jude’s phone rang. The male voice at the other end was rich, confident and vaguely familiar.
‘Is that Jude?’
‘Yes.’
‘Oh, good, I’m glad I got the right number.’
‘Mm.’ She still couldn’t place him.
‘We met yesterday evening in the Cricketers.’
‘Oh yes?’
‘My name’s Ritchie Good.’
‘Ah. And to what do I owe the honour of this call?’
‘I just wanted to talk to you.’
‘Well, you seem to have achieved your wish.’
‘Mm.’ He let a silence dangle between them. ‘You made quite an impression on me.’
‘I’m flattered. Slightly surprised, because we can’t have spoken for more than a couple of minutes.’
‘It often doesn’t take long.’
Jude groaned. ‘That’s almost as corny as your “Where have you been hiding all my life” line.’
‘At least you remember it.’
‘Only for its cheesiness.’
‘Touché. Anyway, I was wondering if we could meet for a drink or something.’
‘A drink might be all right. I’m not so sure about the “something”.’
‘Let’s start with a drink then …’
Jude didn’t really know why she was playing along with him. If she hadn’t already decided that Ritchie Good was nothing but an ego on legs, this phone conversation would have convinced her. And yet here she was, responding in kind to his rather elaborate innuendo. Maybe it was just that it had been a long time since she’d flirted with a man. She was still smarting after the end of a pretty serious relationship with a man called Piers Targett, so wasn’t looking for anything beyond casual. But having a drink with an attractive bullshitter … well, there might be worse ways of spending an idle hour.