âThat's her problem.' He strained her towards him.
âHang on!' He swung round sharply at the sound of the voice behind him and blinked into the flash. âThanks.' Giles quickly took another photograph as Adrian gaped at him and smiled as he lowered his camera. âNice one,' he said and frowned. âGood God,' he said slowly. âAndy Petersen.'
âAndy ⦠?' Tessa moved away from Adrian and folded her arms across her breast. âWho did you say?'
âHis name's Andy Petersen,' said Giles. âWe were at university together. He had a nice little line in crime going even then. Same principle. Preying on the weak and vulnerable.'
After one exclamation, Adrian Pearson stood still and watchful. âGiles Webster,' he said scornfully. âAlways so upright and boring. You've got nothing on me. Everyone has a free choice, remember. I've never made anyone do anything against their will. I suggest things; they respond. I don't force them. I never make a valuation, I offer what I think I can get for something. They don't have to accept.'
âHow can you?' asked Tessa. She looked tense and distressed. âHow can you deliberately cheat people like Mrs Carrington? Or Will and Bea? You pretended to be so kind and sympathetic.'
âYou put on a pretty good act yourself,' he reminded her. âQuite the little tart, weren't you? So what are you going to do with the photographs? Send them to
Crimewatch
and make even bigger fools of yourselves.'
âNo, no.' Giles set his camera on the table. âI'm going to write an article about you and send it with the photograph to every paper that will carry it. Plus interviews and photographs of Mrs Carrington and Bea and Will. Good human interest. I can even write up one or two little memories of our university days. Remember Johnny Staines? Did you see that he hanged himself, he was so badly in debt? Well, I think it might be worth recording. What do you think?'
âI think you're the prig you always were. You honestly think anyone will print such rubbish?'
âOh yes,' said Giles quietly. âAnd so do you. You'll have to be careful when you knock on the next door, won't you? ⦠Watch out!'
His warning was too late. Adrian pushed Tessa out of his path and made a grab for the camera. Their hands reached it together and knocked it to the floor. As Giles bent to retrieve it, Adrian seized a chair and brought it down on the back of his head. Giles gave a grunt and toppled forward, cracking his forehead on the dresser and slumping
to the floor. Adrian kneeled above him, pulling the camera from Giles's slack hands whilst Tessa tried to drag him away.
âYou bastard!' she shouted at him. âYou absolute bastard. You've hurt him.'
âGet off, you silly bitch,' he muttered, thrusting her violently away from him.
Caught off balance she fell heavily and Adrian made a leap for the back door and, wrenching at the handle, disappeared.
Â
âJUST HERE,' SAID SEBASTIAN. âOh. Looks like she's got visitors. Never mind. I can see her car up by the garage. Come on in and say hello.'
Rob pulled in just beyond the gate and they climbed out and strolled up the drive together.
âNice spot,' said Rob appreciatively. âJust on the edge of the moor here and handy for the town ⦠Hello!' His voice changed. âWhat the ⦠? Grab him, Seb!'
The man, who had come racing round from the back of the house, hesitated and swerved away but Rob, sprinting after him across the lawn, brought him down in a rugby tackle. Sebastian bent to pick up the camera which had shot from his grasp and hauled the man to his feet.
âInside,' he said. âQuick. Hang on to him, Rob. I want to check that Tessa's OK.'
They frogmarched him round to the back door at a run and pushed him inside.
âChrist!' Sebastian let go of the man's arm and dropped the camera on the table. âWhat the hell's going on?'
Tessa stared up at him and her gaze went beyond him to Rob who had Adrian held in a half-nelson. âYou caught him,' she cried. âDon't let him go. He hit Giles with a chair. I think â¦' her voice wavered, âI think he's dead.'
âHave you called an ambulance?' Sebastian was on his knees beside Giles, reaching for his heart, his eyes on the gash across his forehead. He took the tea towel with which Tessa had been attempting to staunch the flow of blood. âFor God's sake, Tessa, stop wailing and call a bloody ambulance! And then get on to the police.'
As Tessa disappeared into the hall, Adrian struggled violently, swearing at Rob, who forced him down into a chair and grappled his arms behind him. âGot something to tie him with?' he asked breathlessly.
âHere.' Sebastian grabbed Felix's lead and together they secured Adrian firmly.
Tessa came back. âThey're on their way,' she said and went back to crouch beside Giles.
âHe's not dead,' said Sebastian. âWhat the hell's been happening?'
âHe's a con man,' said Tessa, her eyes fixed on Giles's pale face. âHe's been cheating old people. He tried it on Will and Bea and we decided to set him up to frighten him. He admitted it to me and then Giles appeared and took a photograph of him so that he could send it to all the papers as a warning. He tried to get the camera and when Giles bent to pick it up he hit him with the chair.' She swallowed. âHe hit his head on the dresser as he went down. And then Adrian ⦠Andy knocked me over and made a run for it.'
âWhat did you call him?' asked Rob curiously.
âHe calls himself Adrian Pearson but Giles recognised him from university. His name's Andy Petersen.'
âPerhaps we should have taken him down to the hospital ourselves,' said Sebastian, watching Giles. âHow long will they be?'
âI don't know. The hospital's not far away.' Tessa stared up at him, her eyes full of tears. âDo you think he'll ⦠? Oh God. It was all my fault, you see. I couldn't bear to see him getting away with it. Conning these old people like Mrs Carrington. It was my idea to set him up. Oh, Giles.' Her lips shook and holding his limp hand tightly she pressed it to her cheek and burst into tears.
Sebastian stared down at her thoughtfully and then glanced at Rob who looked uncomfortable. Adrian, his jaw set, stared at the table and tried surreptitiously to free his hands. There was silence except for Tessa's sobbing. The peal of the front doorbell made them all jump and Tessa looked quickly at Sebastian as Rob went out into the hall.
âI'm going with him to Derriford,' she said. âYou'll deal with ⦠him, won't you?'
âThe police will want a statement from you,' he told her. âYou'll have to tell them what happened.'
âI know. But they'll have to wait. I'm staying with Giles.'
âYes,' he said gently. âYes, love. I can see that. Don't worry. I'll sort everything out.'
She continued to look up at him, Giles's hand still clutched in her own. âSorry,' she said. âI'm sorry, Sebastian.'
He smiled reassuringly at her and touched her lightly on the cheek. âForget it,' he said. âDon't worry. Everything will be OK, kiddo. Just trust your Uncle Seb.'
Â
Â
ISOBEL PUT AN EMPTY cardboard box on the kitchen table and began to fill it with carefully wrapped plates. The cottage was being gradually stripped of Isobel's character and warmth. It was beginning to look now as it had looked four years ago when she had come to see it and Mathilda had shown her round. Thanks to Will she could remember Mathilda now with love and gratitude; the guilt was gone. Isobel wandered to the window and stared out at the sea which pounded across the beach, creaming over the sand, and sending spray high over the rocks. The autumn was here and the equinoctial storms would soon be upon them. She knew how terribly she would miss this view and the cove but she had made up her mind and nothing would detract her. Through a friend with whom Helen worked, they had heard that there was a part-time vacancy for an assistant at the local crèche and Isobel had immediately made an appointment to be interviewed for the post. She had been honest about her situation hoping that, once Helen's baby was born, the child could accompany her to work and, to her delight and surprise, she had been offered the job on those terms. She was much happier now that she had something of her own to look forward to, and the money would be useful, but it would be a wrench to leave all that she had come to love, here in the cove.
Isobel glanced at her watch. She had arranged to meet Pat with the other two bookshop assistants, Laura and Louise, for a farewell lunch and, abandoning the packing, she collected her bag and hurried out. As
she drove through the familiar lanes to Kingsbridge she remembered how Bea and Will had reacted to her news. She knew that Bea thought her quite mad to give up her work and her home for her daughter. She was shocked that Helen had asked it of her and had been unconvinced by Isobel's attempts to reconcile her to a different point of view. To begin with, Isobel had found it difficult to come to terms with the idea of sacrificing her own life for Helen's and, at first, it was almost wholly guilt which had persuaded her that she must support her daughter. Later she thought about it more carefully. It was no more selfish of Helen to make such a request than it had been of Isobel to leave husband and daughter to pursue her own idea of happiness.
âLike mother, like daughter,' she had muttered disconsolately to herself. âExcept that I was forty-two and Helen is only twenty-one.'
Bea's reaction had made it much more difficult to be confident about her decision and even Will, whom she had counted on for comfort and support, had been strangely reticent. She remembered that afternoon clearly. Helen had gone back to Modbury when Will and Bea arrived home from their day in Tavistock. She had given them time to get indoors and, unable to keep it to herself any longer, had gone hurrying over.
âBut it's madness, my dear.' Bea had stared at her in consternation across the Georgian breakfast table. âYou can't be expected to give up everything. There are excellent crèches and nurseries now for working mothers.'
âBut she needs me!' Isobel had cried. âCan't you see that if I let her down now I shall never have a relationship with her? This is my chance to make up for abandoning her. And be fair, Bea! Surely it must be better for a baby to be with its grandmother than with strangers. It's a bit different when it's three or four years old but a new baby ⦠?'
âI should have thought a new baby would find it easier than a three-year-old,' Bea had said stubbornly. âIt knows nothing at that stage. It should be able to adapt to anything.'
Isobel had looked helplessly at Will. Even now, three months on,
she remembered the look of shock on his face. She had been surprised; surely Will was too broad-minded to be so deeply affected by Helen's lapse.
âWill?' she'd said pleadingly. âWhat do you think? Am I mad? She's frightened, you see. She's got no one to turn to. She
needs
me.'
âYes,' he'd answered quietly. âI quite understand that. It was you that I was thinking of â¦'
âI know.' She'd smiled at him gratefully. âBut I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I refuse her. I let her down badly when I went off with Mike and, now that Simon's got Sally, I think that Helen really feels that she's on her own.'
âIt must be very frightening for her,' he'd said quietly.
He had sighed heavily as he turned away to feed Sidney and she'd suddenly realised that he would miss her. She had been so taken up with Helen's news and the shock of it all that, for a moment, she had completely failed to understand his sadness.
âI shan't be far away,' she'd said consolingly. âBristol's not far. I shall come and see you. I'll bring the baby.'
âWhen will you go?' asked Bea. âAs soon as the baby is born? When is it due?'
âAt Christmas,' said Isobel, her eyes still on Will's back. âBut I shall go before then. She'll get dreadfully tired, working full time. I can help her then.'
âBut what if the baby should â¦' Bea hesitated.
âIf she loses the baby or there's a problem, she'll need me more than ever,' Isobel had said firmly. âI've got no choice,' she'd cried at Will's back. âPlease try to understand. I don't
want
to do this. Please help me.'
He'd turned round at that, putting Sidney's bowl on the floor and smiling at her. âOf course we understand,' he said. âWe just don't want to lose you. And I think that Bea is simply trying to make sure you've thought it all through. That's all.'
âI haven't had time to take it all in properly,' admitted Isobel. âBut I feel quite sure that I must help her.'
A few days later, Tessa had telephoned to say that their plan for unmasking Adrian Pearson had gone badly wrong and that Giles was in hospital with a split head and concussion but at least Adrian had been detained by the police and his scheme exposed. The anxiety that followed this had, to some extent, taken Isobel out of the spotlight. Bea and Will had hurried off to see Tessa and visit Giles in Derriford Hospital and, when they returned, told her that Tessa had broken her engagement with Sebastian and was now engaged to Giles. Confusion reigned for a few days and Isobel had almost welcomed the opportunity to suspend her own anxieties in lieu of Tessa's. Giles recovered, Adrian was charged with assault and serenity was restored to the cove.
Meanwhile, Isobel carefully considered her own situation and finally came to the conclusion that her first decision was the right one. Through the following months she never changed her mind and, as the days passed, a sense of excitement had grown in her. She began to look forward to the change in her life and went to Bristol to see Helen in the flat. Isobel had taken one look at Helen's tired, anxious face and set out to cheer and amuse her; she made plans for the future and rearranged the flat and presently Helen had been able to join in, becoming more positive and even excited. Encouraged, Isobel had made light of the lack of space and money, making it all seem like a delightful adventure. By the time she left she was confident that she was doing the right thing for both of them. Her own old feelings of futility were gone; she felt needed, useful, happy. The expression on Helen's face, when she told her that she'd been offered the job and would be moving to Bristol as soon as she could, was all that she needed as a reward.
The farewell lunch at Orchard's in Fore Street was a heartwrenching business. She knew that she would miss her hours in the bookshop. Her friends were full of sympathy and encouragement but as she drove out along the embankment, slowing down on Bowcombe
Bridge to stare out over the estuary, she knew a moment of terror. The boats rocked gently at their moorings and the golden light of late afternoon washed the quiet scene with a soft hazy glow. Two swans glided silently on the rippling water and, on the foreshore, someone had lit a bonfire. The sharp scent of smoke drifted in the autumn air and Isobel felt nostalgia tug at her heartstrings. How could she bear to leave this place for a small flat in a busy city?
She drove on slowly, bumping down the track, and parking as usual behind the house. She stood for some time, watching the tide sweeping in, listening to the mournful crying of a gull, remembering Mathilda. For some reason she began to feel soothed. Her fear gradually diminished and hope took its place. In her mind's eye she saw the slight figure, with her gleanings bag on her arm; remembered the keen look of the slate-blue eyes; heard the clear precise voice.
âAnd did you find happiness?'
âOh, Mathilda,' said Isobel aloud. âI think that this time I might just be in with a chance.'
Â
TESSA AND GILES SAID goodbye to the Perrymans, who had been admiring her ring whilst she and Giles drank their coffee, left the Roundhouse and drove up on to the moor. Charlie Custard lounged in the back of Tessa's car, wondering if he might be allowed a walk. He was bored by the comings and goings of Giles at Freddie's. He preferred to have Tessa's attention all to himself and none of this hugging and carrying-on generally. He sighed deeply and leaned heavily against the side window.
âNearly there, Custard,' said Tessa cheerfully and swung into a narrow lane made brilliant by the glowing colours of the beech leaves now in full autumn splendour. The red rays of the sun slanted low through the woods and the cold wind scattered the fallen leaves across the lane. Tessa parked and she and Giles climbed out, pulling on coats. They released Charlie Custard, who jumped out and ran to sniff about. Giles
held out a hand to Tessa who took it, grinning up at him. He shook his head.
âI'm still getting over it,' he said. âIf it hadn't been for Andy you'd be married to Sebastian now and far away in Washington.'
âDon't talk about it.' She shivered and held his hand tighter. âAnd he was so fantastic about it, saying that he'd got cold feet himself. It's worked out so well. The Andersons have been so kind and understanding. Oh, Giles. Aren't we lucky? Look! There's a leaf falling. Quick. Catch it. It's a year's good luck if you catch a falling leaf. Damn!'
The leaf twirled gently away, eluding her frantic snatches at it. Giles laughed and began to run after her as the wind sent an eddy of leaves whirling across the lane. Charlie Custard, surprised at such behaviour, began to bark. He danced about, getting in the way, and Tessa, breathless with laughter, reached up for a leaf and fell over his back. They stumbled together, falling on to the verge, and Charlie Custard scrambled up and shook himself, shocked at such disrespect. Giles hauled Tessa to her feet and kissed her.
âI've got a ready-made family,' she told him happily. âKate and David, Guy and Gemma. Not to mention dear old Bea and Will. And now that Isobel's off to Bristol, we can have the cottage. I shall miss her but she's promised to come back often. I think it's a brilliant idea to convert the top of the boathouse into a darkroom for you. It's going to be such fun.'
âWe'll be like Mum and David,' he said, putting an arm about her as they strolled after Charlie Custard. âDivided between Devon and London.'
âIt'll be fun,' she said again. âI shall keep my favourites, though. Mrs Carrington and Freddie. And Kate, of course.'
He held her closer, too happy to speak, and she fell silent, remembering her terror when she thought she'd lost him for ever. Another gust of wind shuddered through the trees and she reached up towards the leaves.
âOK,' he said, resigned. âOne each and one for Custard. Come on. '
They began to run, their shouts echoing in the lane, their hands stretched upwards towards the leaves which floated down from the branches above them.
Â
THE MORRIS, WITH ISOBEL'S hand waving madly from the window, disappeared up the track. Bea and Will stood for a moment looking after her and then glanced at each other. There was a faint feeling of constraint.
âWell,' said Bea. âI'm sure we shall be seeing her often.'
âYes,' said Will. He bent to pat Sidney's head and then straightened his shoulders. âCold wind. Think I'll go and check the fire.'
âGood idea.'
They went inside together and Will went upstairs, followed by the faithful Sidney. Bea stood silently beside the sink, aware of Will's unhappiness and wondering how to help him. She had realised, quite quickly after the meeting with Helen, that Will's feeling for Isobel was, after all, more than a paternal affection. It had come as a shock but very soon she had been able to feel compassion for him. Occasionally a burst of irritation might sweep over her at the thought of it but she was too fond of him by now to be very sharp-tongued. She knew that Isobel had never viewed Will in that light and this private certainty increased her compassion and made her kind.
She was sure that Will would come to terms with Isobel's absence; he was too positive, too cheerful a man, to allow himself to become bitter. There was something ridiculous in an elderly man falling in love with a much younger woman, and Bea knew that Will was aware of this and that the knowledge helped him to hide any emotions which might damage his self-respect. Sighing to herself, she began to assemble some tea. Toast by the fire and a game of Scrabble might help to console him.