her for her earlier harassment.
‘Oh, I don’t know,’ said Cher. ‘I don’t need the money – it’s not all that much anyway. I’d just use it to help my career in some way.’
‘So how do you think you’re going to cope if you don’t like stress?’ demanded Daniel, looking at Becca.
Becca looked around for an answer.
‘Leave her alone, Daniel,’ said Zoe. ‘It’s nothing to do with you any more!’
‘That’s so unfair!’ said Cher. ‘You can’t pick on Daniel just because he’s not in the competition. He shouldn’t have gone out! You should!’ Cher’s eyes glittered with resentment.
‘Why should she have gone out, Cher?’ asked Muriel calmly.
‘Because …’ She glanced at Zoe, possibly assessing her chances of getting away with what she wanted to say. Zoe’s expression hardened. She went on: ‘Because she didn’t even cook from recipes!’
‘Oh come on,’ said Muriel. ‘I hardly ever cook from recipes. Zoe’s a good cook. She kept her place through being good, not through sleeping with one of the judges or whatever you were trying to imply earlier.’ She raised an eyebrow at Zoe. Zoe warmed to her even more.
‘You can believe what you want, Muriel. I know what I know!’ Cher flounced off to the loo and Zoe breathed a sigh of relief.
‘I’ll get another round in,’ said Alan.
‘Good idea. I could do with something to take my mind off that unpleasant little scene,’ said Muriel.
Zoe looked at her gratefully, glad of her support.
‘You did brilliantly, Zoe,’ said Becca. ‘No one thinks you shouldn’t still be here.’
But suddenly, Zoe wondered that herself. Should she? She pushed away the thought but accepted the top-up of wine that Alan was now offering. She glanced around the table and wondered if the kind words from Muriel and Becca and the silent backing of Shona actually reflected the expression in their faces. She was fairly sure they’d meant what they’d said about her cooking, but did they think she’d slept with Gideon?
She glanced at her watch. She wanted to go back to the cowshed, suddenly uncomfortable with the company. She liked the other contestants – well, most of them anyway. Usually she rather enjoyed their free-time chats (they’d all decided Anna Fortune was the one they had to watch) but tonight she just wanted to be alone to sort out her feelings.
Cher had returned from the Ladies when Mike came over and sat with them for a bit, nursing the last inch of a bottle of beer as he had to drive the bus back later.
‘So, are you all geared up for tomorrow’s challenge?’ he asked.
‘No! We don’t know what it is yet,’ said Cher. ‘They’re not telling us until tomorrow.’
‘Obviously I don’t want to spoil the surprise,’ said Mike. ‘But I’ll warn you, it’s a team effort and a tough one.’
‘Mikey, darling,’ said Cher, linking herself to him and stroking his forearm. ‘Do give us a little tiny hintette.’
‘Wellies,’ he said, enjoying the attention. ‘You’ll probably need wellies.’
They’d all been told to bring wellington boots without being told why.
‘Oh God!’ groaned Cher. ‘We’re going to have to cook in a f—’ She too glanced at Muriel and moderated her language. ‘—flipping field!’
‘That’s it!’ said Mike, finishing his drink. ‘Now time to go home unless you want to walk back.’
Zoe was first on the bus. On the short journey she found herself thinking not of the cooking over bonfires she’d done as a child but of Gideon. And she wished she’d had the courage to sleep with him properly. If she was going to get blamed for it, she might as well have had the pleasure. She fancied him so much and it would have been something to remember forever.
Zoe woke once during the night to shut her window, which was dripping on her. It had started to rain and she just had time to realise this would mean the field they were to cook in would be muddy before she drifted off to sleep
‘Oh, I don’t know,’ said Cher. ‘I don’t need the money – it’s not all that much anyway. I’d just use it to help my career in some way.’
‘So how do you think you’re going to cope if you don’t like stress?’ demanded Daniel, looking at Becca.
Becca looked around for an answer.
‘Leave her alone, Daniel,’ said Zoe. ‘It’s nothing to do with you any more!’
‘That’s so unfair!’ said Cher. ‘You can’t pick on Daniel just because he’s not in the competition. He shouldn’t have gone out! You should!’ Cher’s eyes glittered with resentment.
‘Why should she have gone out, Cher?’ asked Muriel calmly.
‘Because …’ She glanced at Zoe, possibly assessing her chances of getting away with what she wanted to say. Zoe’s expression hardened. She went on: ‘Because she didn’t even cook from recipes!’
‘Oh come on,’ said Muriel. ‘I hardly ever cook from recipes. Zoe’s a good cook. She kept her place through being good, not through sleeping with one of the judges or whatever you were trying to imply earlier.’ She raised an eyebrow at Zoe. Zoe warmed to her even more.
‘You can believe what you want, Muriel. I know what I know!’ Cher flounced off to the loo and Zoe breathed a sigh of relief.
‘I’ll get another round in,’ said Alan.
‘Good idea. I could do with something to take my mind off that unpleasant little scene,’ said Muriel.
Zoe looked at her gratefully, glad of her support.
‘You did brilliantly, Zoe,’ said Becca. ‘No one thinks you shouldn’t still be here.’
But suddenly, Zoe wondered that herself. Should she? She pushed away the thought but accepted the top-up of wine that Alan was now offering. She glanced around the table and wondered if the kind words from Muriel and Becca and the silent backing of Shona actually reflected the expression in their faces. She was fairly sure they’d meant what they’d said about her cooking, but did they think she’d slept with Gideon?
She glanced at her watch. She wanted to go back to the cowshed, suddenly uncomfortable with the company. She liked the other contestants – well, most of them anyway. Usually she rather enjoyed their free-time chats (they’d all decided Anna Fortune was the one they had to watch) but tonight she just wanted to be alone to sort out her feelings.
Cher had returned from the Ladies when Mike came over and sat with them for a bit, nursing the last inch of a bottle of beer as he had to drive the bus back later.
‘So, are you all geared up for tomorrow’s challenge?’ he asked.
‘No! We don’t know what it is yet,’ said Cher. ‘They’re not telling us until tomorrow.’
‘Obviously I don’t want to spoil the surprise,’ said Mike. ‘But I’ll warn you, it’s a team effort and a tough one.’
‘Mikey, darling,’ said Cher, linking herself to him and stroking his forearm. ‘Do give us a little tiny hintette.’
‘Wellies,’ he said, enjoying the attention. ‘You’ll probably need wellies.’
They’d all been told to bring wellington boots without being told why.
‘Oh God!’ groaned Cher. ‘We’re going to have to cook in a f—’ She too glanced at Muriel and moderated her language. ‘—flipping field!’
‘That’s it!’ said Mike, finishing his drink. ‘Now time to go home unless you want to walk back.’
Zoe was first on the bus. On the short journey she found herself thinking not of the cooking over bonfires she’d done as a child but of Gideon. And she wished she’d had the courage to sleep with him properly. If she was going to get blamed for it, she might as well have had the pleasure. She fancied him so much and it would have been something to remember forever.
Zoe woke once during the night to shut her window, which was dripping on her. It had started to rain and she just had time to realise this would mean the field they were to cook in would be muddy before she drifted off to sleep
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