She entered the room a short while later and looking a little concerned, took the proffered seat and sat facing him at the other side of the desk. ‘This feels a little official,’ she said forcing a smile.
‘Don’t worry, it’s not about the hotel.’
Her perfectly shaped eyebrows knitted together. ‘What is it about then?’ she asked. Then narrowing her eyes, added. ‘It’s about Phil, isn’t it? Daisy’s been saying things.’ She went to stand up.
‘Sit down, Fi,’ Gabe snapped, tired of her blaming Daisy for something she wasn’t guilty of. ‘I’ve just got off the phone from your brother.’
‘Why?’ she asked nervously but remaining seated. ‘What have I done?’
‘It’s not you,’ Gabe said his voice gentle once more. ‘It’s Phil. He’s not who he says he is. He’s Daisy’s ex-boyfriend Aaron who’s trying to pay her back for leaving him when he got a bit too …’ he tried to think what to say without frightening her. ‘Intense.’
‘Intense?’ she glared at him. ‘What’s that supposed to mean? He was caring and interested in what I was doing, but that’s because he liked me. I wouldn’t call that intense.’
Gabe wished he didn’t have to go into detail about Daisy’s past, but needed Fi to listen and grasp what sort of guy she was getting herself involved with. He contemplated on how much he should say next for a few seconds. ‘I don’t know what Daisy has told you about her reasons for leaving Devon, but they have a lot to do with Aaron.’
Fi narrowed her eyes. ‘You mean Phil. Go on.’
‘His real name is Aaron, whatever you choose to believe,’ he said becoming exasperated at her determination not to take in what he was trying to tell her. ‘He and Daisy had known each other since they were teenagers but had been seeing each other as a couple. Daisy had been gaining more recognition for her paintings and eventually was given her own exhibition.’ He wished he didn’t have to go on and hoped that Daisy would understand why he was confiding so much in Fi.
‘Go on,’ she said nibbling at one of her fingernails.
Relieved to finally have her full attention but not daring to go any further with Daisy’s story, he said, ‘Put it this way, he ended up becoming violent and did some things that made it impossible for her to stay in her home town. Her mother felt the same way and persuaded Daisy to leave without him knowing.’
‘Violent? What did he do?’ Fi frowned.
‘You’ll need to ask her, but he eventually made a spectacle of himself in front of a room full of others at an exhibition, not just in front of Daisy, so it isn’t just her word against his. I’m afraid you’re going to have to ask her the rest: it’s her story to tell and I think I’ve said enough. I just need you to listen to me and be warned about this guy.’
Fi sighed. ‘I suppose if you’ve been speaking to my brother about this then you really are concerned about me.’
He nodded. ‘I didn’t mean to go behind your back but I was worried that unless someone intervened you could get hurt.’
Fi nodded. Her shoulders drooped and she crossed her legs, resting her elbows on her knees. ‘If I’m perfectly honest I think I knew deep down that he was too good to be true, but didn't want to hear it. I feel stupid for not believing Daisy.’ She looked up at him. ‘Daisy isn’t a liar, I should have accepted what she told me instead of listening to that creep.’
He stood up and walking around the desk rested his hand on her shoulders. ‘Don’t be too hard on yourself; Daisy said he was very convincing when he wanted to be. She doesn’t feel badly towards you, just concerned that he’ll push things too far and you’ll get hurt.’
Fi shook her head. ‘I feel such a fool.’
‘Don’t, we’re just relieved you’re listening and are now aware of what he’s up to.’
She stood up and gave him a brief hug. ‘Thanks, Gabe, I really appreciate you bothering enough about me to contact my brother and speak to me like this.’
‘It’s fine.’ He stepped away from her and held open the office door. ‘Now you’d better get back to Reception and let Daisy know you’re aware about Phil, or Aaron, or whatever he’s calling himself now.’
‘I’m a little nervous,’ she said. ‘He knows I’m working a shift now and might come here to find me.’
‘It’s fine. Once you’ve spoken to Daisy I’ll give you a lift home. He won’t expect you to be there and you can lock yourself in until your brother returns. I’m only down the road and a phone call away and can come over at any time if you need me to.’
Chapter Sixteen
Daisy
Later, Daisy greeted Gabriel with a kiss on his cheek. He took her hand and not wishing to appear uptight; she forgot about the staff and let him lead her away from the hotel. They walked down the drive and along the road, crossing a short while later to the headland with the beach below.
‘Fi phoned from her brother’s home to let me know she was OK. Did you get hold of Sebastian?’ she asked, intrigued to discover what had been said.
‘I did, eventually. He’s travelling back from the South of France and wasn’t impressed with what I had to tell him.’ They walked down several steps onto the fine golden sand. Daisy and Gabriel took off their shoes and left them behind a rock.
‘Will he be returning here soon?’ she asked, concerned at the thought of Fi being alone in the house with Aaron out there somewhere.
‘Sebastian said he was just outside of Dinard, so very near to the ferry. He should be back soon and said he’d come straight here. Apparently he has a butler at the house who’ll keep an eye on Fi, so we shouldn’t worry too much.’ Gabriel looked down at her and gave her a reassuring smile. ‘I got the impression the butler might be getting on a bit, but that he’s more than capable of handling most situations.’
Daisy sighed with relief. ‘Good, because I can’t imagine her letting me back into the house. She really was disappointed in me, Gabe. It was horrible.’
‘If you think I should pop round there and check up on her tell me and I will.’ He gave her hand a gentle squeeze. ‘Sebastian did reassure me though. I spoke to Fi a little earlier at the hotel and she’s tougher than you think, despite believing that slimy boyfriend of hers up until now.’
‘Do you mean you told her all about him and she believed you?’
He nodded. ‘She was a little embarrassed too, so be prepared for her being a bit uncomfortable around you for a bit.’
Daisy, feeling much better now that Sebastian was on his way back and that he and Gabriel weren’t too worried, relaxed slightly.
They rounded a corner and Gabriel pulled at her hand, making her run with him into the mouth of a cave.
‘Where are we?’ she giggled, surprised.
‘We’re alone and now I can tell you something.’
‘Go on,’ she said, barely able to contain herself. ‘What is so important that you couldn’t tell me earlier?’
He took out a folded piece of paper from his back pocket. ‘This is a certificate,’ he said unfolding it and handing it to her.
She studied it, frowning in confusion when she read his and Bella’s names. She didn’t want to read it but he’d been so good to listen to her and speak to Sebastian that she thought it was the least she could do for him.
‘But this looks like, a, well, a marriage certificate. Why are you showing this to me?’ She scowled at him and handed the certificate back.
‘It’s divorce papers. Bella and I managed to get a divorce,’ he said smiling widely at her. His handsome face seemed to be lit from inside somehow and it took Daisy a few seconds to register what he was telling her.
‘But I thought you told me that you had to be married for three years in Jersey before getting a divorce.’
‘That’s right,’ he grinned.
‘So what’s changed?’ She was getting a little annoyed by his cheerfulness. ‘They can’t have updated the law to suit us in the last few weeks.’
He shook his head. ‘No, but my lawyer reminded
me that we weren’t married here, but in South Africa. So when I went back to the project, I stopped over in Durban with Bella, and we saw a lawyer who set the papers in motion and now we’re officially divorced.’
‘Seriously?’ she asked, snatching back the certificate to have a better look at what it said. Gabriel and Bella were divorced. ‘You’re a single man?’
He laughed and pulled her into his arms. ‘Yes, I am. So, Daisy Woods, can you now agree to come out with me, so that we can rekindle the amazing relationship we shared in Vietnam?’
She couldn’t help smiling up at him. Daisy reached up and putting her hands on either side of his head pulled him down so that she could kiss him. ‘Abso-bloody-lutely,’ she said, kissing him again, astounded that he’d gone to such lengths to make her happy.
When they stopped to take a breath, Gabriel said, ‘I’ve missed you so much. It’s nearly driven me mad being so close to you but not being able to be with you.’
‘Me too,’ she admitted, stunned that her day had gone from one extreme to the other.
‘Bella’s coming to the hotel this evening to speak to you,’ he said as they held each other.
‘Why?’ She didn’t have anything against Bella, but didn’t see why they should meet for a chat.
‘I asked her to, in case you didn’t believe what I was telling you now.’
She loved that he wanted to make sure she understood how things could now stand between them. ‘Fine, I’ll see her,’ she said.
They began walking back along the beach hand in hand. She opened her mouth to tell him how happy she was when she spotted Aaron waiting for them by the rock where they’d left their shoes. She could see he had picked up hers.
‘What are you doing here?’ she asked, her happiness evaporating as he grinned at them. ‘Haven’t you caused enough trouble for one day?’
‘Who’s this?’ Aaron asked rudely, standing up to sneer at Gabriel.
Gabriel let go of Daisy’s hand and put an arm protectively around her shoulders. ‘I’m Gabriel, Daisy’s boyfriend.’
Any pretence at friendliness vanished from Aaron’s face. ‘How come I haven’t seen you around then?’
Gabriel frowned. ‘Not that it’s any of your business, but I’ve been away. However, I’m back now and I’m not going anywhere, so if you’ve got an issue with that, or with Daisy, then speak to me. Daisy’s told me all about you and your fascination with her. Things have changed now and you can move on.’
‘Don’t you come all high and mighty with me,’ Aaron hesitated. ‘I don’t suppose Daisy told you about our incident earlier today. She made a bit of a fool of herself over me at Fi’s home.’
Daisy went to argue, but Gabriel tightened his hold slightly. Comforted, she relaxed a little.
‘She told me what happened,’ Gabriel said. ‘But unsurprisingly her version is different to yours. I’m inclined to believe my girlfriend. So, if you don’t mind, we’ll take our shoes and get on.’
He took Daisy’s shoes from Aaron and passed them to her before leaning past him and picking up his own shoes.
‘I don’t expect to see you hanging around her again,’ Gabriel added, stopping to give Aaron a threatening glare.
Typical bully, thought Daisy as they walked off arm in arm. Can’t help trying to terrorise someone smaller than him, but when Gabriel comes along he stands there looking all pathetic. She resisted looking back at her ex and put her arm around Gabe’s waist.
‘Goodbye, Aaron,’ she said. ‘If I see you again I’ll report you to the police. Enough people have met you now to know what you look like, so it won’t be difficult to trace you here.’
‘She makes a good point,’ Gabriel said. ‘This is a small island where everyone knows everyone else and their business, so you’d be wise to consider that fact before coming back here again.’
They began walking. Daisy’s legs felt like lead and she was sure that it was only Gabriel helping her move forward that enabled her to move.
‘I hope he does keep away,’ she said once they’d walked about a hundred yards away from him. Then a frightening thought struck her. ‘What about Fi?’
‘I’m sure Sebastian will have a few things to say to him if he bothers her again,’ Gabe said giving her a gentle squeeze. ‘If not, then we’ll have to think of something else.’
‘Thank you,’ she said, hating that she couldn’t manage to sort Aaron out by herself.
‘It’s fine. Sometimes we all need to ask for help, even though we don’t like to.’
She could tell he was referring to his project. ‘What are you going to do?’
‘I’m not sure,’ he said quietly. ‘But I’ll work it out somehow. Right now, I just want to be certain you’re OK and that he doesn’t bother you again.’
She glanced over her shoulder, relieved to see no sign of Aaron. Then focusing her attention back on Gabriel, Daisy had to resist suggesting he ask Lydia for a loan. She sensed that she was the last person Gabriel would accept money from though, so said nothing. His parents worked to keep their hotel going. She wished she could think of a way to help him.
Playing over what Gabriel had said to Aaron, Daisy asked, ‘Did you mean what you said back there?’ as they walked up the stairs to his grandmother’s garden. ‘About everyone in the island knowing everything about everyone’s business?’
He shook his head and laughed. ‘It is hard to keep a secret here sometimes,’ he said pulling her to him in a soothing hug. ‘But no, there are approximately ninety-nine thousand people living here and we couldn’t all possibly know what everyone is doing. I should think it was probably like that in the earlier part of the twentieth century though. Then there were people who didn’t leave their parish. It was a much closer community and I doubt you could get away with much. They’d certainly notice a stranger.’
‘So how will we know if Aaron does come back?’
He kissed the top of her head. ‘You’re not the only one who knows what he looks like now, or how he behaves. You’re safe here, Daisy.’
The relief of having someone on her side, who she didn’t have to look out for, or protect against Aaron, was immense. ‘Thank you. I used to have trust in my abilities to control my privacy, but he somehow manages to get close to me whenever he wants and I can’t seem to find a way to stop him.’
‘You’re not on your own now though, Daisy,’ Gabe said. ‘It’s time for you to relax and enjoy being here on this lovely island. You’re one of us now, Daisy, and we look after our own.’
Daisy was trying to find a way to get Fi to speak to her. The atmosphere since their shift had begun was making them both miserable and she’d had enough. She opened her mouth to speak and hearing footsteps, looked up to see a tall, dark, man in a grey suit walking with an air of confidence into the hotel.
‘Hello, Sebastian,’ she said, thinking how immaculate he always appeared.
He stopped in front of the reception desk. He smiled at his sister and then looked at Daisy. ‘Good to see you again, Daisy. I wanted to pop in and thank you for helping Fi.’
Daisy didn’t look at Fi. She might have been proved right to accuse Aaron like she had, but she sensed that Fi was still a little crushed by the whole episode and knew better than most how it felt to have been humiliated by his web of lies.
‘Is Gabriel around?’ Sebastian asked. ‘I was hoping to speak to him personally and thank him for phoning me and letting me know what was going on.’
‘Do you have to do that now?’ Fi asked, blushing. ‘I’m sure he’s busy.’
‘He is,’ Daisy agreed. ‘He’ll be in a meeting for the next half an hour or so.’
Fi looked around the hallway and leant forward. Lowering her voice, she added. ‘He’s trying to raise funds to keep his project going and I don’t think he’s having much luck.’
‘Project?’ Sebastian frowned. ‘Why don’t you tell me a little about it?’
Not sure how much Gabriel would want them to say, Daisy decided that he
needed help and if Sebastian Fielding could possibly help then she was willing to take Gabriel’s irritation if she ended up inadvertently saying too much.
‘If you come around here quickly,’ Fi said, waving him to the other side of the reception desk, ‘I’ll show you Gabriel’s website; it’s fascinating. He’s done so much stuff. Have you seen any of this yet, Daisy?’ she asked, addressing Daisy for the first time that day.
‘No,’ Daisy said, relieved that Fi was being friendly once again. She wondered why she’d never thought to look up Gabriel’s website for herself. Seeing it now, Daisy couldn’t believe how impressive Gabriel’s work was. No wonder he was devoted to it. He’d really done a lot to help others, she noted. As well as his current programme there were volunteer researcher and conservation posts for students and others wishing to gain experience and internships. ‘This is much bigger than I’d expected,’ she whispered.
Fi clicked on the page showing Gabriel’s previous expeditions and projects. ‘Look, he’s pretty well known.’
He was. Daisy couldn’t take it in. She wasn’t sure what she’d expected to see, but it was nothing of this scale. She could see Sebastian’s interest had been piqued and said, ‘He really is passionate about what he does, and it’s so worthwhile, too.’
Sebastian didn’t say anything. He rested his palms on the desk next to his sister and studied each page as Fi moved through them.
‘Click on the present and future projects,’ he said. ‘Let’s have a look at those.’
After reading through all the pages on Gabriel’s website, they had a brief chat and Sebastian handed Daisy a business card.
‘Please give this to Gabriel and ask him to give me a call. I’ve got a proposition for him.’
Daisy nodded and took the card, concentrating in not letting her excitement show. She barely dared to hope that Sebastian would offer Gabriel sponsorship for his project. ‘Thank you, I will.’
They watched him leave. Daisy read his card and put it on her desk so that she wouldn’t forget to pass it to Gabriel when he came through Reception.
The Jersey Scene series box set Page 110