JL Merrow

Stranded in a remote country village in 1920s England when his car breaks down, shy young Arthur finds himself drawn to the rough mechanic who comes to his aid, Bob Goodman. Forced to stay until the May Day holiday is over, Arthur makes the best of it, enjoying the village procession and fete.<br><br>But the villagers seem to know more about him than they should, and there’s a second, darker, May celebration that starts when the sun’s gone down. In the drunken revelry that follows, Arthur is whisked off in a wild dance by Goodman, who plays the part of Jack in the Green, the spirit of the greenwood.<br><br>Dancing turns to loving, but is everything what it seems? And is one night all Arthur can have?

Jack in the Green

Or at all, he might have added, if he were honest.


“There’s many ways to know a man,” Goodman remarked, leaning over him and stroking his cheek softly, as though he were a frightened fawn that needed to be gentled. Against his will, Arthur’s lips parted, inviting the kiss that followed.


Goodman’s weight settled upon him, the sudden intimacy almost too much to bear. Arthur cried out, softly.


“Shush, lad,” Goodman breathed in his ear.


“May I call you Robert?” He couldn’t bring himself to utter the banal and far-too-common Bob, not while he was in such a position with the man. “That is your name, isn’t it?”


“Oh, I’ve been called many things, young Arthur. But Robert will do well enough. Or Robin, if you’ve a mind.”


“Robin,” Arthur breathed. Yes, that suited him.


Chapter 8