Peter searched his feelings. Did he want to do this? Now? All the recent events and disclosures were still raw inside him. However, perhaps now was the best time, before he thought about it too much.
‘Yes, Christa, I’ll come and meet him.’
He kissed her and held her close for a moment, taking strength from her care and support, and with sudden insight, the certainty of her love.
*
In the privacy of their front room Sarah and Jerry were introduced to Michael Hartman. Sarah noted the family likeness, and despite herself could not find any animosity towards this man who had left Alex to his own devices so long ago. She felt an overwhelming sadness that he had not been a part of Alex and Catherine’s life. It was such a shame, but perhaps now things could be different.
Christa had been gone some time, and Sarah began to feel nervous. Might Peter refuse to see his grandfather? Was this the right time to introduce them? Peter had been through so much.
She need not have worried. When Peter and Christa came into the kitchen she could see how much more relaxed he looked. Christa took him through to the front room and came back a moment later with Luigi. They were both smiling. Perhaps it would be alright!
*
Peter gazed at his grandfather. The old man was studying him, with grey eyes, so like his own, filled at the moment with conflicting emotions of pleasure and… yes… regret.
This was the man who had walked out on his father, but perhaps at the time he had done it for the best of reasons. Nothing could be altered now, and Peter acknowledged that he was indebted to him for saving Christa’s life. What would his father have done, meeting in these same circumstances? From his own experiences of the last few weeks, he now understood how difficult it was to keep professional and personal feelings separated. He, too, had known that agonising pain of potential loss because of the actions of others, until the moment he was informed that Christa was safe.
He decided he must not allow any more years to slip by with recriminations about the past. He had to look to the future, and this man standing so erect before him now had hope, as well as regret, in his eyes. Peter took a step forward and embraced him.
CHAPTER 32
Looking down into the lined face, Peter saw the anxiety still registered there.
‘My boy, I’m so sorry.’
He heard the note of despair in the voice, and sighed.
‘There’s nothing to be sorry for. Life just… happens. Perhaps these things are meant to be. You being in the right place to help Christa for instance. Something for which I will always be grateful.’
‘Thank you, Peter. I was wrong to leave Alex, I know that now, but I thought I was doing the best for him. I wasn’t sure I was a good influence. I knew there was strength in him and I thought he could do better on his own, if he was forced to. I realise I should have tried to make contact again somehow, and because of that we’ve all missed out on so much. It might even have made a difference to what happened… Luigi tells me that Alex loved your mother very much and was so proud of you.’
Peter nodded. ‘After what I’ve found out over the past few weeks, I can now believe that. I have a letter he wrote to me. It made me understand things much more and I could tell from it the powerful feelings he had for Mother and I. I’d like you to read it, sometime. Over these last few weeks I’ve tried to keep that in mind and do what I had to do.
‘I’ve learnt a lot of hard truths, some quite shocking, but I’ve done my best to help right the wrongs that were done by unscrupulous people. I’ve tried to discharge my responsibilities in the way I think Father would have done himself.’
Michael Hartman patted his shoulder. ‘If Luigi is to be believed, I think Alex would be very proud of his son, as I am of my grandson.’
Hearing these words, Peter realised that the strange sense of loneliness which had been with him all his life so far, had now disappeared. His heart was lighter. Despite having been surrounded by people who had loved him, and the recent delight Christa had brought to him, it was now, with the obvious love of his grandfather, that he knew he would no longer be alone. To make it perfect, his father and mother should have been here to share this day, but he knew he must now dwell on the positives and take his life on into the future.
‘We have so much to talk about, just you and I. But for now, shall we join the others?’ He led the way out of the room.
*
Over lunch Peter told them all of his last talk with Lionel Franklin.
‘So they believe it was suicide, then?’ Jerry commented.
‘That might be the official version. Dougie has a theory of his own. Franklin had an appointment that night with a representative from people who might have been interested in some information for sale. The desk clerk at the Club verifies that just after I left, and before the police arrived, Franklin had another visitor. I remember bumping into a man in the foyer as I ran out. I told Dougie that he gave me quite a stare as we passed. Dougie just grinned and said that if it was the man he thought it was, I would have given him quite a shock. He wouldn’t be drawn any further, but he gave me the impression that he was somehow satisfied with the outcome. The police are still trying to trace this person.
‘After my call to Dougie I raced out to get my car to drive to Christa, but I was stopped by two of the police waiting to see Franklin. Dougie had managed to warn them I was around. When the ambulance was called and they informed me that Franklin was dead, I just couldn’t believe it. For a moment I thought they might even arrest me, until the desk clerk confirmed that after I had left he had spoken to a normal-sounding Franklin. I was told I’d been all sorts of a fool for going to see him on such a night, and I suppose I was, but I just had to do it.’
He looked at his grandfather. ‘I had to confront him. At least he knew how I felt about him.’
‘Have all the others been apprehended, Peter?’ There was a nervous edge to Christa’s voice.
Peter reached over and squeezed her hand. ‘Yes, they’ve apprehended all the main players. Duncan Hamilton was picked up in Scotland, and the other agency have Potter and two others they seemed to know about.’
He gave her a steady look. ‘It was Clarke himself who attacked you, so he was caught red-handed. He’s been spilling the beans about everything. He’s corroborated Dougie’s understanding of what happened that dreadful night at Fulham. Fowler had reported it all back to him. It appears Clarke’s people had been tailing me for the last few weeks, which explains why Franklin knew some of my movements. Watson’s people have also been watching me, not knowing which side of the fence I was on. That’s why they were outside Christa’s flat.’
Ever the practical person, Jerry commented, ‘It’s going to take some while to sort all this out I should imagine, court cases and the like.’
‘Yes indeed. As I understand it, Rankin is being tracked down and will be interviewed about his role. Villiers confirmed that Rankin had provided them with inside information on the force, and was instrumental in assisting the setting up of the accident to Sir John Fraser, and afterwards suppressing the various investigations. There will be quite a number of doors which will receive a sharp knock in the not too distant future, to tie everything up. It also transpires that the pathologist who did the post mortem on my parents had been under their influence for years. I gather they had blackmail evidence on him of some sort, useful in case Clarke’s escapades ever needed some covering up, as in the situation with my parents.
‘You’re right though, Jerry, there will be a mammoth legal paper trail to unravel. Someone will have to revisit Ellen and Richard Franklin’s deaths, and their financial affairs to see if monies were misappropriated from their estate. If so, they suspect this was done with the assistance of Gregory Hamilton, his banking connections, and Villiers.
‘Of course, all this has a knock-on effect for me too. I imagine Simon Kingsley will h
ave a devil of a job sorting it all out. The Revenue will also be involved. It could all take ages. But that’s no bother as far as I’m concerned.
‘Villiers is falling over himself to tell everything he knows. As a lawyer he’ll be aware that it’s in his best interests. It seems that for years they’ve been paying lip service to Potter’s political ideas, their main concern being financial gain for themselves, far more than Potter ever realised. With their inside knowledge of government contracts and company problems they’ve done very well on the Stock Market, and in other dubious financial schemes, even up to the present day. Franklin’s plan all along was to have me on board in the right career to be useful to them. However, I had to be made aware what might happen if I disclosed anything.’
His face registered his remembered pain. ‘I never thought anything like…’
He looked over at his grandfather. ‘I’m positive the outcome would have been so very different, but for you. As I said before, whatever regret you feel about letting down my father, you have more than made up for by your actions last night.’
Peter watched a quiet smile appear on Michael’s weathered face.
‘Thank you, my boy. Glad to be of service.’
Looking around the table at the people who were so dear to him, Peter wondered whether to mention his last piece of news.
‘There is one final fact, something that Villiers appeared quite smug about. It appears that, all along, Franklin himself was being blackmailed by the Italians he paid to stage the plane accident. He’s been pressured into laundering monies for them, and other such favours. Villiers had the impression that these were the only people Franklin ever worried about, and dare not annoy. Try as he might, he was never able to get them off his back. So, it seems, over all these years, because of his first act of revenge, he too became a victim.’
He gave a small sigh. ‘Perhaps, some sort of justice.’
*
Snow was in the air and a strong wind blew through the churchyard. Michael Hartman had just left the graveside and returned to the waiting taxi. He, Peter and Christa were flying to Canada. On hearing what had almost happened to his daughter, Frank Benjamin had demanded Christa return home, but she had resisted, pleading with him to let her stay and support Peter. Matters were now well in hand, and so she had decided to agree to her father’s request. He had sent his private jet with the wish that, if possible, Peter accompanied her together with his grandfather.
Now Peter stood by the small grave, holding Christa against him, out of the wind. Over these last weeks the difficult process of unravelling his affairs had begun, but there was still a long way to go. It would be good, however, to get away from it all for a while.
He looked from the simple square plaque to the bright head on his shoulder. He now knew why his father needed the woman he loved to be in his life, no matter what. Even though he had put Christa in danger, he would not have been able to see things through without her constant support, which she had given without asking anything in return. His heart was full with the emotion he felt for her. Turning up her chin, he searched her soft brown eyes. He hesitated for a moment, but then spoke to her in a voice that was quiet, but firm.
‘Christa, my parents have been unable to share in most of my life, but I would like them to witness this moment. I love you with all my heart, and want you for my wife, if you will have me.’
He saw her brown eyes widen, and her soft mouth open in shock. As he bent his head to kiss her lips, he heard the soft murmur, ‘Yes please.’
After several moments he raised his head and, from his coat pocket, pulled out a small bag.
‘This is for you, Christa. I’ll buy you a ring as soon as I can, but in the meantime I want you to have these.’
He watched her unwrap the bag with shaking fingers and take out the velvet cloth containing the emerald earrings. She looked up at him, consternation in her eyes.
‘Peter, you want me to have these? They are so beautiful.’
‘Just like you, my dearest girl. They are yours now, with my love.’
He kissed her again. She then turned in his arms and looked down at the grave.
‘Peter, I can’t bear to think that we’re all going away, leaving them here on their own.’
‘Don’t worry, my love. They’re together, and have been for all these years, thanks to Sarah. It’s how they always wanted to be. We’ll be back to see them often, to tell them our news. Now, come along, we’ve a taxi waiting, and a plane to catch.’
With a last look over his shoulder, he took her hand and they walked together out of the churchyard.
The wind blew through the trees, scattering the last of the leaves, but a fitful ray of winter sunshine fell on the small stone, and it glowed with warmth.
EPILOGUE
Peter and Christa married and set up home in Canada. They went on to have two children, a boy and a girl, doted on by a grandfather and a great-grandfather. Christa became a best-selling author, her first novel based on the events in England. Frank Benjamin took Peter into his firm, and on Frank’s retirement he became Chief Executive Officer. Luigi Gandoni went to live in Italy with his son, but kept in close touch with them all.
When all legal and financial matters were concluded, Peter obtained his inheritance. He decided that the money should be used to set up a specialist children’s clinic to be run by Sarah and Jerry McIntyre, called the Hartman Centre. An allowance was also given to St Luke’s, Fulham, for the upkeep of the churchyard, and for a bunch of cream roses to be laid on the small stone in the corner every March, the inscription on the card always the same: ‘Generations of love, together always’.
Generations of Love Page 56