Sapphire Carmichael’s life changes when an online argument escalates into a relentless campaign of harassment and death threats. Fearing for her safety, she flees her London home and finds refuge in a quiet West Country village, adopting a new identity as Melissa.
There, she falls for the charismatic Kai Tudor, who promises protection but hides dark secrets. As Melissa navigates a web of deception, she learns the truth about Kai, and must choose between love and safety. Amidst village life, Melissa forges bonds with her family members and new friends. As secrets unfold and danger escalates, Melissa must choose her allies carefully and rely on her new-found strength.
Sample – England’s Best Export
I looked at the timetable and then at my watch. I would have to wait for nearly an hour for the next bus to arrive. I frowned. Although I had brought waterproofs with me, I did not relish walking in the rain or curtailing my plans.
A voice from deeper within the shelter startled me.
“Are you alright, love?”
Believing myself to be alone, I jumped. A man stepped forward, out of the gloom. He was undeniably attractive, about average height, with a stocky build, dark brown curly hair and sage-leaf green eyes set in a handsome face. His skin was fair and slightly freckled. He smiled to reveal excellent teeth. I correctly guessed him to be about thirty years old.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to make you jump.” His accent was similar to Mared’s, but his calm, pleasant manner was a world away from her odd, nervous behaviour.
I smiled back.
“It’s okay. I just didn’t realise anyone else was here.” I paused, trying to think of something else to say in order to prolong the conversation. There was something appealing about him, and it had been so long since I had had any attention from a man I might fancy.
“I’ve not been here much longer than you have. I am not waiting for a bus, I just wanted to shelter from the rain.”
How grateful I felt towards the downpour which kept us in the dark, smelly structure!
“I don’t know whether or not to wait for the bus,” I told him. “It’s not far to where I live, and I have waterproofs. I don’t think the buses run often round here.”
“No, a car is a necessity in these parts. I was just visiting a friend who lives down the road. You’re not from round here, are you? I would put your accent somewhere in the South-East of England.”
I lied, saying I was from a little place in Essex which he would not have heard of. He thought he might, he had been to Essex before, and I could feel my colour rising as I told more lies and tried to turn the conversation to another direction.
“Where are you from?” I asked. “I’m guessing from somewhere in South Wales.”
He smiled his charming smile again and said yes but gave me no further details.
“Do you live locally?” I asked.
He said he had moved from his hometown several years ago and now lived just over the border. He did not give me any location but instead turned the conversation back to me.
“Where do you live? You’re a long way from Essex.”
“I recently moved to Godlarton, it’s only about twenty minutes’ walk away. Do you know it?”
He paused then frowned slightly.
“I do. Tell me…do you like living there? By the way, what is your name? I did not introduce myself. I’m Kai Tudor.”
“My name is Melissa.”
“Melissa what?”
“Melissa Carmichael.”
“That’s a lovely name, so pretty. It suits you. I’ve never met a Melissa before in real life, only in books or in films.”
I blushed and smiled. He looked me in the eye and smiled his beautiful smile again. The musty air inside the ancient bus shelter had become electrically charged. His expression turned grave as he repeated his first question again.
“How do you find living in Godlarton? It must be so different from Essex, so different from visiting it as a tourist.”
There was something unsaid in his words, almost a warning, and the look in his unusual-coloured eyes could only be described as tender concern. How I had longed for tenderness. I found myself speaking frankly yet without betraying my secrets.
“I’ve not been there long, but I do have family in the village. I used to visit them every year or so. However, COVID’s kept us apart, as I’m sure you can imagine. Living in Godlarton is completely different to living in Essex, completely different indeed. I had not been prepared for the change.”
Kai nodded. His expression was one of interest and also told me that he understood why I was saying what I was saying. The look in his eyes had not changed, so I continued to tell the truth.
“I am used to a less close-knit community. Where I used to live, there’s a lot more people, it’s a more cosmopolitan area, and people don’t know their neighbours so well. Don’t get me wrong. Nobody has been remotely unpleasant to me, but I feel conspicuous and different. I don’t feel part of the place. Still, I only moved a few weeks ago. I must not expect too much too soon.”
He looked at me sadly.
“What is it?” I gasped.
What bad news am I going to be hit with now?
There was an eternity of a pause before he answered.
“Melissa, I hope you never have cause to regret moving, I honestly do, but unless your life in Essex was truly appalling, I think you made a mistake in coming here.
How does he know that my life was truly appalling?
I could not speak. I was too shocked.
Kai lay three warm fingers on my hand which suddenly felt cold.
“I can’t lie to you. You’re clearly a kind and honest woman…Godlarton is the sort of village which you will no longer see in any TV drama because it is full of rural stereotypes. Nasty, close-minded bigots. If you’re not white, don’t have an English surname and cannot trace your ancestors back to the neighbourhood for several generations, then you will never be accepted.”
“No,” I whimpered, feeling an icy wave wash over me.
“I wish I could tell you otherwise, but I’m no liar, Melissa. People might be coolly polite to your face, feign an interest in you so they can laugh at you with their families later on and not actually harm you, but that is the best you can hope for. The worst…well, there is a reason why there are so many empty properties in the village.”
“There are a lot of second homes in Godlarton. That explains the houses which are empty for most of the year.”
“It does not explain all of the empty houses. Oh, there are many second homes around here, I don’t deny it. They only increase the friction between locals and outsiders, but I personally know people who moved here and tried to make a new life. None lasted for more than a year. I know of other people, friends of friends, who say they were driven out.”
“I do have existing links to Godlarton.” I jumped on this small hope. “My uncle was born in High Hill, which I know is not far away. He has lived here for all his adult life, then he brought my aunt here after their marriage, and they raised my cousin here.”
“That might not be enough.” Kai shook his head sadly. “Your surname is Scottish, your accent is far from the local one, and you are clearly half black and half white.”
“My aunt is black, and my cousin is mixed race.”
“It sounds like they were accepted because of your uncle. It might be step too far in certain minds to also accept you, his brown niece from Essex with the un-English name.”
I paused. Symonds was certainly an English surname. Had my cousin moved to Bristol solely because it was closer to his work? Had my aunt been trying to kindly warn me to brace myself with her tough love? What had her experiences been when she first moved to Godlarton from London, almost thirty years ago? I had seen her out and about, smiling at people, waving greetings and stopping to chat, but how long had it taken for her smiles to be returned and for people to wish to talk with her? She had told me more than once how I needed to adapt and fit in. Was this even the real reason why she relaxed her hair? She had told me it was because she found it easier to manage.
“I have my own experiences,” Kai sighed sadly. “My accent and my last name do not point to someone who was born here or whose ancestors lived here. Think, Melissa. Have you not noticed people looking at you, and not in an admiring way? Do people stop talking when you enter the shop or whatever? How do you really feel, living here?”
I was unsure what to think, let alone what to say. It was true that I felt out of place and different. I was used to a busier, more diverse and anonymous environment, somewhere where the pace of life was faster and people did not stand around gossiping like they did here.
“I cannot believe things are quite so bad,” I whispered, trying to think clearly.
Could you have believed that you would be forced to start a new life only three months ago? Could you have believed two years ago that a pandemic would literally lock down the world?
Kai’s face was full of compassion, but he did not retract what he had just said.
“Oh God, I can believe that anything could happen now!” I shrieked.
“Do not worry, Melissa. I will help you. Two outsiders together. I will help you now. The rain has cleared up. If it’s okay with you, I’ll walk you home. I can advise you.”
Grateful, and decidedly attracted to this kind and good-looking man, I accepted his offer. Normally, I would never have let a man I had known for less than an hour know where I lived, but normal had flown out of the window many weeks ago.
I need all the help I can get. I need an ally, a protector, even. Besides, he is so charming. Kyle and I broke up before the first lockdown. I’ve been lonely and frustrated for a long time. I was planning on going on Tinder in May, once we could meet people properly again. Alicia scuppered that. Still, every cloud…I mean, I’m not glad all that happened, it’s just…Kai seems to be so nice. Nice to look at, nice to talk with and nice to be with.
Could I have met someone better if I had tried online dating? No, I’m getting carried away here. We’ve only just met, he may have a girlfriend. Hell, he might even be gay. But…he is definitely interested in me, he’s asked me loads about myself, and no one could deny that he is flirting with me.
“Look.” We were within sight of the village. It made a pretty picture; a film director’s vision of a quaint West Country village. Kai was pointing at a cottage which had ivy growing up its walls and two signs in its garden. One was a professional-looking For Sale sign, and the other was a clearly homemade sign, either begging or demanding that the cottage should not be sold as a second home.
“If you buy this house, at least have the decency to live in it for more than two weeks of the year,” he read aloud. “That’s what I mean, Melissa. Don’t you find it a little threatening?”
“Well…I can kind of see the writer’s point. Second homes have a massive impact on places like Godlarton. They price local people out of the market. They create ghost towns, which ruin economies.”
“Really? You see it that way? I must admit I did when I first came here, but when I got to know people…” He turned to me, we were nearly at the sign which welcomed people to Godlarton and twinned the village with a place I had never heard of in Belgium. “Let me take your hand. I know it sounds odd, but I want to protect you.”
I stopped walking.
“Protect me?” I still offered my hand. He took it in his, and a thrill shot through me.
“Yes. I want to ensure that nobody messes with you, which they won’t if they see that you’re with me. I can look after myself, and women. You see, we’ll get dirty looks when we go into Godlarton, people will cross the road to avoid us, but I can promise that nobody will approach you, even after I’m gone. They certainly won’t harm you.”
Please don’t go. Never leave me, Kai Tudor.