Free Blood Ties by Sam Hayes

rear-view mirror. He’d wrapped up most of his pressing work by mid-afternoon and was in time to fetch Ruby from school at the end of her first week. They’d driven to Fresh As A Daisy, Erin’s flower shop, and Robert reassured her once more that Tanya was perfectly capable of running the shop for a day.
    ‘Are you sure Tanya’s trustworthy?’ Erin asked again as they turned off the main road and headed down a country lane. She smoothed down her hair and wrapped a cerise scarf around her head, not wanting to look a total mess when they arrived.
    ‘Tanya’s been with me for years. She’s well trained.’ Robert flashed a grin at his wife, taking his eyes off the narrow country lanes for as long as he dared. ‘Just relax and enjoy the weekend.’ He briefly gripped the wheel tighter than necessary, not because of the sharp corners or narrow road but because he couldn’t prevent Tanya’s strange words from earlier seeping into his mind. Convinced there must be a rational explanation, he was determined not to let it ruin the weekend. He decided not to confront Erin until they were back home.
    The Maples Country House Hotel stood squarely next to the church and caught the rays of the descending sun. The western corner of the building appeared tangerine as the typical ginger stone of the area was illuminated, the shadows from the surrounding trees casting a moving lacy dance across the façade.
    ‘Very nice,’ Erin said cautiously, eyeing the building and the scattering of guests that were converging on the drive. ‘I imagine Louisa will be really pleased to see you.’
    Robert sighed at the slightly bitter inflection in Erin’s words. ‘She’s here for her cousin’s wedding predominantly. And we’re here to relax.’ He got out and shut the car door. Before he went to the boot for their luggage, he rested his hands on Erin’s shoulders and he planted a tender kiss on her mouth. The last thing he wanted was for Erin to feel threatened. ‘Catching up with Louisa will be pleasant, yes. I doubt her husband, Willem what’s-his-name, will have any problem with our meeting.’
    ‘Then why say his name so . . .’ Erin squinted up at him, her eyes narrowed to slits from the low sun, ‘. . . so sourly?’
    No more sourly than you mentioned Louisa, Robert thought but decided not to say. The weekend couldn’t be ruined from the outset.
    ‘Oh Dad, it looks perfect,’ Ruby exclaimed, squeezing out from the rear of the car. ‘And look. Horses.’ She pointed to a pair of piebald animals clopping lazily through the village. ‘Let’s find our rooms!’
    No, the weekend couldn’t be ruined, Robert thought as he watched Ruby’s slightly gangly limbs flapping towards the hotel entrance. She was becoming a woman but hadn’t quite forgotten how to be a little girl. He hauled their two bags from the car and walked briskly after her.
    Checking in was a slow process although Robert didn’t mind the wait. The hotel was obviously full due to the wedding party and he realised he’d been lucky to secure two rooms at short notice. He scanned the reception area, pretending – to himself mostly – that he was admiring the collection of hunting scenes and countryside paintings and antiques that furnished the hall, when really he was searching for Louisa’s face among the wedding guests. He had always told her how her face stood out from others, something about her intense jade eyes and auburn hair. Quite a hindrance, he’d thought, to draw such attention to oneself in her line of work.
    Then, fleetingly, he thought he saw Louisa disappear into the ladies’ across the hallway. Just a knot of red above a long, pale neck and the unmistakable height, the graceful stride.
    ‘What are you staring at?’ Erin glanced along Robert’s line of vision and shrugged. ‘Look, it’s our turn.’ She nudged Robert’s arm and eased him forward to the desk. With Erin at his side, her arm wrapped round his waist, he didn’t like to ask