Echoes of Love (23 page)
Authors: Rosie Rushton
‘I’ll go and check my room,’ Hugo said, and ran up the stairs two at a time. Within moments, he was back.
‘My iPod’s gone, and sixty pounds,’ he said. ‘This is unbelievable. But you know, I’ve just had a thought. When I came back for my phone . . .’
‘The house was locked, surely? I remember doing it,’ Sula asked, wiping her eyes. ‘If Mum thinks I left it open, she’ll kill me.’
‘There’s no sign of a door being forced,’ Zac reasoned, putting his arm round Sula. ‘So you must have left the front door on the latch.’
‘No, the front door was locked, I mean that’s why I couldn’t get in to get my phone,’ Hugo said. ‘But just as I was crossing the road on my way to the house, I saw
someone leaving by your side gate. I didn’t think anything of it – thought maybe someone had dropped a parcel off or something. But do you think . . .?’ He left the words hanging
in the air.
‘The back door? Oh no, I never checked that.’ Sula sighed. ‘Did you try it, Hugo?’
Hugo shook his head. ‘No,’ he said. ‘I went straight back to the Cobb and found you lot and Louisa.’
‘We ought to check Felix and Charlie’s room to see if it looks as if their stuff’s been tampered with,’ Zac said. ‘And Henrietta’s, and then phone the
police.’
‘Hang on,’ Hugo said. ‘We can hardly go rifling through their belongings and leave fingerprints all over the place. Shouldn’t we wait till they get back?’
‘I guess,’ said Zac.
‘Hugo, why don’t you phone the police? After all, you were the one who saw this suspicious guy,’ Anna suggested. ‘We can tell them that we don’t know whether
anything was taken from the others.’
‘Great idea! I’ll do it right now.’
Sula nodded. ‘And then I’ll phone Mum. Better get it over with, I guess.’
The following morning, Charlie, Henrietta and Felix returned to the house from the hospital, exhausted but relieved because Louisa was sitting up and complaining about not
being allowed to leave hospital. The police had taken details of the missing stuff over the phone and promised to call by at some point, a point which still hadn’t arrived.
Bea Musgrove arrived at the house at seven in the morning, on her way to the hospital, and said that the only way to cope was for Henrietta and Mallory to go back to Uppercross Farm at once to
help out with changeover day at the cottages and to work in the tearoom.
‘But this is supposed to be my weekend off,’ Mallory moaned. ‘I work twice as hard as anyone else.’
‘Oh do shut up, Mallory!’ Henrietta snapped. ‘Can’t you for once think of anyone but yourself?’
It was agreed that Charlie would stay with his mother and Louisa. Neither Jamie nor Felix showed signs of wanting to leave; so Leo offered to drive Henrietta, Mallory and Anna home, Anna having
been too nervous of motorway driving to bring her own car.
‘What are you doing?’ Anna asked Hugo as everyone was packing up. ‘Have you got transport?’
Hugo shook his head. ‘I’ll catch the train to London and see some mates and then head off to Sussex,’ he said.
‘Have you got enough money?’ she asked. ‘I mean, with yours being stolen – I can lend you some.’
‘That’s really kind, but luckily I had my credit card with me in my back pocket, so I’m fine.’ Hugo paused and smiled at her. ‘And I’ll see you again next
weekend.’
‘Next weekend?’
‘You said you were going to visit your dad, remember? And I hang out on the boat most weekends so . . .’
‘Great,’ she smiled. ‘That would be really nice.’
‘In fact, give me your number and I’ll text you as soon as I’m down there,’ he said. ‘Then we can make a plan.’
‘Anna, come on!’ Leo was gesturing wildly from the car as Anna scribbled her number on the back of an old envelope. ‘We need to get a move on.’
‘Coming!’ she called, smiling at Hugo. ‘See you next weekend then.’
‘Can’t wait,’ Hugo said. ‘Seven days and counting.’
It wasn’t until Leo stopped for petrol at Ringwood Services that Anna realised why it was she felt strange.
She hadn’t thought about Felix for three whole hours.
For the next few days, Anna’s feet hardly touched the ground. Apart from dashing to see Shannon for an hour or two, she was tied up helping out at Uppercross Farm. The
cottages were all occupied, the tearoom was packed all day and, to make matters worse, Henrietta had a pounding headache and a mild fever.
‘Don’t worry,’ Bea reassured Anna on the telephone. ‘The twins have always been like that – one’s ill, the other comes out in sympathy. Louisa’s doing
fine – they’re discharging her tomorrow and we’ll be home in time for supper.’
‘Is Felix . . .?’
Anna had vowed to herself that she wouldn’t mention his name but, when it came to it, she had to know what was going on.
‘He’s been a star,’ Bea said. ‘Kept Charlie occupied and stopped him fretting – honestly, my kids! They fight like cat and dog and then, when something goes wrong,
they’re closer than finger to thumb. But he’s gone now.’
‘Gone?’
‘Back to his new base, dear,’ Bea said. ‘For the parade and medals – did he not tell you?’
‘He mentioned it that day in your kitchen, but I didn’t know it was this week . . . but he’ll be back?’
‘I really don’t know, sweetheart,’ Bea sighed. ‘He mentioned that, after the parade, he might go up to Shropshire to see his brother – Oscar, isn’t
it?’
‘Really? I didn’t think they were that close.’
‘I don’t know any details but, according to Charlie, he did say . . .’
‘Yes?
‘He said that really there was nothing for him to come back for any more.’
‘There it is!’ Shannon cried, jabbing a finger at the screen of her laptop a couple of days later. ‘No picture of him though.’
‘
More than 600 Royal Marines paraded through Plymouth city centre yesterday following their return from a seven-month tour of duty in Afghanistan
,’ Anna read.
‘The
members of 45 Commando reformed after a spell of leave . . .’
‘So that’s that then,’ said Anna. ‘He’s gone back and he never even said goodbye.’
‘Maybe,’ Shannon suggested, ‘you should concentrate on this new guy – what’s his name? Hugo? After all, you can’t brood for ever, and if Felix hears that
you’re with someone else, who knows . . .?’
‘Dream on,’ Anna replied. ‘But you’re right. Felix is history. He always was. It’s just that I was too stupid to see it.’
CHAPTER 17
‘You pierce my soul. I am half agony, half hope.’
( Jane Austen
, Persuasion
)
A
LTHOUGH
A
NNA HADN’T WANTED TO GO TO
E
ASTBOURNE,
now the time had come she was actually quite
relieved to be leaving Kellynch. There was no point in hanging around at Marina’s cottage in order to be near to Hampton House in case Felix decided to see her. He wouldn’t and she had
to move on. Her godmother, back from Madeira and full of a new gardening project to enhance the rockery at Magpie Cottage, made no secret of the fact that she thought it time that Anna left her old
life behind her and ‘forged ahead’ as she put it, into pastures new.
‘I’ll miss you like crazy,’ Shannon said tearfully when Anna went to her house to say goodbye.
‘Hey, I’ll be back in two weeks,’ Anna reminded her. ‘We’ve still got that slot at Youth in the Park, remember? And Mia’s party. Not that Marina seems very
keen to have me there.’
‘So come to mine,’ Shannon urged. ‘It would be perfect – Mum’s birthday’s that weekend and Clive’s still going on about taking her to Paris. She
won’t go if I’m home alone, remember.’
‘Deal!’ Anna said, giving her a hug. ‘Tell you what – why don’t we organise a final get-together – you know, before we all go off to uni. Or in your case, the
Royal College of Music! How grand does that sound?’
‘Brilliant!’ Shannon said. ‘And you can bring your new man to Mia’s as well.’
‘He’s not my man,’ Anna protested.
‘Yet,’ Shannon teased. ‘Actually, I’ve just had the most brilliant idea . . .’
‘No, no, no!’ Anna held up her hands in mock horror. ‘I’ve had enough of your brilliant ideas to last me for a very long time. Now can we just change the
subject?’
‘OK,’ Shannon said, pulling a face. ‘Have you got any chocolate?’
Anna had to admit that the apartment at Sovereign Harbour had a lot going for it. The vast, four-bedroomed penthouse overlooked the busy marina, crammed with yachts and motor
cruisers of all descriptions. It was just a couple of minutes stroll from the Yacht Club, and close to all the upmarket boutiques and chandlers, restaurants and wine bars that now, at the end of
August, were still packed with holidaymakers and residents. Her father was clearly well pleased with his new situation, eagerly showing off the wet room, the surround sound and the vast plasma TV
that took up almost an entire wall in the sitting room. Anna, however, missed the garden and was thankful that the bedroom she was going to share with Mallory had a balcony, complete with
marble-topped table and two wicker chairs.
Gabriella was out when Anna arrived, and she had barely finished unpacking when Araminta turned up to whisk Walter off to see
Tristan and Isolde
at Glyndebourne. Anna noted with a sinking
heart the fact that her father now called Araminta ‘my cherub’ and Araminta cloyingly referred to Walter as ‘my sweet’.
‘And have you told Anna our great secret?’ she purred, stroking Walter’s arm as he straightened his bow tie in the mirror in the hall. Anna’s heart missed a beat.
‘Shh now, my cherub, not yet,’ Walter urged her. ‘We must save it until Mallory arrives. When is she coming?’
‘Thursday evening,’ Anna said. ‘And the Musgroves are all coming to the party and taking her back with them.’
‘Splendid, splendid,’ he said, rubbing his hands together. ‘Oh, and just one thing.’ He paused, his forehead puckering in a slight frown. ‘Mallory will be with
Charlie, of course, and Gabriella has a delightful new friend – William Buxton. His father is Buxton’s Cider, you know. Anyway, if you’d like to bring anyone . . .’
‘Actually, I might,’ Anna smiled. ‘I met someone who lives near here – his parents have a boat . . .’
She hated herself for mentioning it, but knew that her father would be impressed. Life was much easier when her father approved of what she did.
Not, of course, that she would go through life being obedient; but maybe hanging out with Hugo would serve a double purpose. She could win back her dad’s approval and, at the same time,
put Felix well and truly out of her mind.
And it seemed to work. Far from waiting until the weekend, it was early on Thursday that she received a text from Hugo.
Will b at S Harbour 1p.m. Meet u outside Seamoors wine bar?
‘It’s so good to see you,’ he said, giving her a hug. ‘I haven’t been able to get you out of my mind ever since you left Lyme Regis. Drink?’
‘White wine and soda please,’ she replied.
‘And how’s Louisa?’
‘She’s doing OK,’ Anna assured him. ‘The stitches are out but she still looks bruised from her forehead to her cheek. It could have been a lot worse.’
‘And the police? Did they sort out the robbery?’
Anna shrugged. ‘They went to the house apparently, took details but didn’t hold out any hope of finding the cash. Do you know, they didn’t even get there till the Sunday
evening?’
‘I guess that they had bigger fish to fry,’ he said, leading her to a table. ‘Annoyed about my iPod though.’ He took a swig of beer. ‘So,’ he said.
‘Lunch here and then what? Movie? Shopping? Whatever you want – I just want to spend time with you and get to know you better.’
For a moment, Felix’s voice, saying much the same thing all those months before, echoed in her head.
Stop it
, she ordered herself.
Don’t think about him
.
‘Let’s go up to Beachy Head,’ she suggested hurriedly. ‘It’s such a lovely day.’
‘And tomorrow,’ he said, passing her the menu and beckoning to a waitress, ‘I’ll take you out in the boat. If you’re up for it, that is?’
‘Oh sure,’ she said. ‘I’m up for anything. Anything at all.’
From:
[email protected]
Hi! How’s it going? How’s Hugo? Is it full on yet? Mia says bring him to the party. Oh, and by the way, you know the guy I told you about? Toby? Turns out Mia’s
brother’s best friend knows him and he’s going to fix it that he comes to the party. So watch this space! Miss you. Write or else . . .!
Shannon xx