The Barn on Half Moon Hill Read Free Page B

and Cariad knew they were more interested in
seeing her humiliation than they were at waving at Franco Mezzaluna. Cariad had considered going home to Dolgellau, just disappearing before tomorrow came. But then The Missus, as everyone called
Eve, had asked if she’d like to be introduced to Franco when he did his rounds of the park. Could Cariad really miss the opportunity to meet the man who had occupied her heart all these
years? Could she turn down the chance of staring into his blue, blue eyes? Even if those eyes would pass over her, not having a clue who she was. It was looking more and more likely that none of
her letters had ever reached him, despite her always feeling that they had. Her instincts had obviously tricked her.
    â€˜Wesley was asking after you,’ said Becky, causing Lacey to snort with barely contained derision.
    â€˜Was he now?’ replied Cariad, hoping Becky wouldn’t see her hands shaking as she buttered a slice of bread.
    â€˜I think you should give him another chance.’
    â€˜Oh, he’s nice is Wesley.’ Lacey gave an exaggerated sigh as if Wesley were a sex-bomb.
    â€˜No thanks,’ said Cariad, as politely as she could. ‘I’d rather stick a fork in my eyeball.’
    â€˜Yeah, well, if you’re used to hanging around with Franco Mezzaluna, I suppose he might come up a bit short,’ said Becky. Lacey didn’t even bother trying to hide her
sniggering then.
    The words were out before Cariad could stop them. ‘Yes, you’re right there, Becky. Once you’ve had Franco Mezzaluna snogging the face off you, having Wesley Threlgood trying to
stuff his tongue down your throat isn’t much of a treat.’
    Oh, God, Cariad Williams, why the bloody ’ell did you say that?
she thought.
    She snatched up the slice of bread and butter and marched into her bedroom, trying to get away from the reprimanding voice in her head as much as from the nasty ridiculing laughter of her
flat-mates, whose horrible faces she wouldn’t see ever again after tomorrow, she’d decided. They’d make her life hell when Franco Mezzaluna ignored her so she would have to go
home to Wales. Even if it was with her tail between her legs.

Chapter 3
    The lagoon was beautiful and ready to be revealed to the general public. They would love it, thought Eve. It had cost a small fortune to build but standing there, looking at
it, she knew they had been right to invest.
    They’d found a natural spring at the side of the Christmas-tree forest and had dug it out to allow the water to flow. Around it, Effin’s men had constructed the fake crumbling walls
to make it look like an ancient fairy palace caught up in an eternal winter. It consisted of two zones, the deep central swimming area, which was inexplicably naturally much warmer than it should
have been, and the shallow area, where specially chosen plants now thrived and acted as a natural filtration. It looked as if it had been there for hundreds of years. They had called it Lady
Evelyn’s Lake, after Eve’s beloved aunt who had commissioned Winterworld. On the original plans, the old lady had outlined where she would have put the lake that she never got to swim
in herself. Eve had made sure that it was everything her water-loving aunt would have wanted – and more.
    Effin was in a flap, as usual, though there was nothing to get heated about. At least there wasn’t until Thomas the engine driver had told him that he thought the train was running slow.
That was all the excuse he needed to go off on one. And he wasn’t happy about all the security guards who were milling around, muttering into communication gadgets as if they were straight
off the
Men in Black
film set. One of them was eyeing up his niece like a dog with a bone and Effin could feel all the hairs on the back of his neck rising. If Mr Security so much as
touched his darling girl, no matter what James