His Cinderella Mistress

The police, then, she decided hurriedly as the car behind followed her doggedly down the narrow lane—

No—wait a minute! The car had stopped, the headlights starting to fade away now as January took the turning up the track that led directly to the farm, able to heave a deep sigh of relief seconds later as she saw the vehicle was being turned around before driving back in the direction they had just come.

How strange. How very, very odd.

Strange and odd it might be, but January was shaking badly with reaction by the time she parked the car in the farmyard ten minutes later and climbed out onto the cobbles!

Perhaps it was as well, after all, that after tomorrow she would no longer have that long drive back from the hotel at night; she had the evening off anyway on Saturday, to attend Sara and Josh’s wedding.

Although she had no intention of ever giving Max the satisfaction of knowing he might have been right about these late-night drives, still maintained that he had no right to interfere in her life in the high-handed way that he had.

She had no intention of telling her sisters about the car following her home tonight, either; they had enough worries already. With only one evening left to work, it wasn’t worth mentioning.

‘I don’t understand.’ May frowned the following morning as the two of them sat drinking coffee together, March having already left for work. ‘What reason did Peter Meridew give for letting you go?’

‘Sacking me,’ January corrected dryly. ‘My own safety, apparently.’ She grimaced. ‘A likely story!’ she added disgustedly, knowing exactly who was responsible for her jobless state after this evening. And why! ‘But don’t worry, I’ll get another job,’ she assured optimistically.

Quite where, she wasn’t sure. She could always wait for the health and country club to open and apply for a job there—she didn’t think!

May still frowned. ‘Perhaps, in the circumstances, we really should consider Jude Marshall’s offer to buy the farm…’

‘What?’ January sat up stiffly, staring at her sister incredulously. May couldn’t be serious, not after all they had already gone through! ‘I will get another job, May,’ she assured her determinedly. ‘Besides, if we sold the farm, where would we all live?’ She frowned.

May shrugged. ‘March could get a flat in town, which would save her all the travelling to and fro to work. The two of you could probably get a flat together,’ she reasoned.

January couldn’t believe she was hearing this! ‘And what about you?’

‘Me?’ Her sister looked a little uncomfortable now. ‘Well, the thing is, January— Well, you see— I—’

‘What is it?’ January prompted warily; May was the least tongue-tied person she had ever known.

May’s cheeks coloured. ‘I’ve had this offer, you see—Well, not exactly an offer—more like—’

‘May!’ January protested impatiently. ‘Just spit it out, will you?’

If her sister had a boyfriend, someone May was serious about, then it was the first January had heard of it. But if that were the case… The three of them had always known that they could only continue to run the farm if all three of them were in agreement, if it was what they all three wanted to go on doing. One of them wanting to marry would certainly change that. Even if the man agreed to live on the farm, there was no way he would want the other two sisters living with them, too. As she had learnt only too well from her brief relationship with Ben!

May gave an embarrassed sigh. ‘Someone approached me, after I did the pantomime at Christmas, suggested that I go for a screen test, that—well, that—’

‘May…!’ January said excitedly. ‘Really?’

May flushed uncomfortably. ‘I wasn’t completely honest about going to the dentist the other day, I actually had lunch with this director. He—’ She moistened dry lips. ‘Apparently he spent Christmas with his sister’s family nearby, came to the pantomime with them all, and saw me—January, if I go for the test, and it’s successful, he wants me to appear in a film he’s going to begin making this summer!’ she finished incredulously.

January had known her sister was good, very good in fact, but this—!

It was beyond any of their wildest dreams. Beyond May’s, she was sure.

‘But don’t you see?’ May wailed. ‘If I have the screen test, and if this director offers me the part, I would no longer be here to work on the farm,’ she pointed out emotionally. ‘You and March simply wouldn’t be able to cope here on your own, job or no job.’

January could see only too well. But, at the same time, this was too good an opportunity for May to turn down.

‘But of course you must do it,’ she told May decisively. ‘May, you didn’t say no?’ She groaned as her sister still looked unconvinced.

‘I said—maybe.’ May grimaced. ‘I needed time to think about it,’ she defended at January’s reproachful look. ‘After all, it’s a big step.’

‘But if you’re successful—!’

‘I’m not sure I want to be successful. Not in that way,’ May added hardly.