Northanger Abbey

by Val McDermid

  ‘I don’t feel the way you say he feels about me. And God knows where he got that idea from.’

  ‘You must have led him on a bit.’

  ‘I so didn’t. I mean, what is he on? I’ve never so much as kissed his cheek. I’m not in love, Bella, nothing like.’

  Bella swept her hair back with a disdainful toss. ‘You’re just saying that because you think you’ve got a better offer. Because Johnny hasn’t got loadsamoney and a place like Northanger Abbey.’

  Indignant, Cat glared at her. ‘That is so not me. The Tilneys are just my friends. And anyway, Northanger doesn’t belong to Henry. Freddie’s the oldest, he’s bound to inherit.’

  ‘If he lives long enough,’ Bella said darkly. ‘He’s such a risk-taker – who knows if he’ll make it back from Afghanistan. But as far as Johnny’s concerned, you’ve clearly changed your mind. And that’s OK. And let’s face it, the Tilneys are pretty special.’

  ‘It’s not a competition, Bella. We’re still friends, right?’

  Bella half-turned away and sighed. ‘Fine. Whatever. I’ve done what Johnny asked, and that’s that. I’ll be totes honest, Cat, I always thought it was a crazy idea. I mean, you and Johnny? What kind of a good time would you be able to have, since you never seem to have any fun money and he always spends it as soon as he gets his hands on any. You’d just sit around whingeing about being skint, there would be totally no future in it. God knows what he was thinking of. Obvs he didn’t get my email about how tight things are going to be for me and Jamie . . .’ Her voice tailed off and she glanced sideways at Cat.

  ‘So you believe me? That I never led him on?’

  Bella gave a little laugh. ‘I don’t pretend to know what goes on in your head, Cat. I mean, you were probably being a bit flirty when you danced with him, because that’s just the way you are. I don’t know if you even know you’re doing it. But I’m not saying you did anything deliberately. I mean, who am I to judge you? We’re young, right? And we’re women. We’re supposed to flirt and be changeable. A woman’s prerogative, like Beyoncé says.’

  ‘But I’ve not been changeable. I never flirted with him in the first place. You’re describing something that never happened, Bella.’

  But Bella was not listening, as was her wont when the words didn’t suit her. ‘Speak of the devil. Look, there’s Freddie.’ She waved enthusiastically at Captain Tilney, who cut across the grass and sinuously lowered himself down next to Bella. Cat thought he looked a little fragile, as if he’d eaten something that had disagreed with him. ‘Hey, Freddie,’ Bella said. ‘Are you stalking me, or what?’

  He gave a mock leer that nevertheless made the hair on Cat’s arms rise. ‘If I was stalking you, you’d have had it by now.’

  Bella giggled. ‘Promises, promises.’

  ‘I saw what you put on my Facebook page,’ Freddie said, a dark note in his voice. ‘Ah, Bella, if you were mine, you wouldn’t be saying things like that to another man. I don’t think you have a heart at all.’

  Cat could hardly believe her ears. Not only was Bella flirting shamelessly with Freddie, she was brazenly doing it in front of her fiancé’s sister. She was afraid that if she stayed any longer she might overhear something she could not in all conscience keep from relaying to her brother. So she stood up and said, ‘I’m going to see if Susie wants to walk down George Street for a coffee. You coming, Bella?’

  Bella yawned. ‘I’m knackered, Cat. Besides, if I move from here, I might miss Jess and Claire. They should be along any minute now. I’m just going to hang out here, if Freddie doesn’t mind keeping me company . . . ?’

  Freddie raised one eyebrow. ‘It’s not like that would be a hardship, babe.’

  Her plan to separate them having backfired, Cat left with some uneasiness. She collected Susie and they set off for one of the many café bars along the pedestrianised street. But although Susie was full of the latest gossip, Cat heard nothing, so busy were her thoughts. It seemed to her that Freddie was falling for Bella, who, ironically enough, was doing exactly what she’d accused Cat of – unconsciously leading him on. It had to be unconscious, for there was no doubt about her attachment and commitment to James. Cat trusted her friend, but still, she had to admit that Bella’s attitude had been very odd. She wished it had been one of their usual devil-may-care conversations without so much focus on money and practicalities.

  And she wished that Bella had been less obviously thrilled to see Freddie. Maybe she needed to warn Bella to back off in case Freddie got the wrong impression and things kicked off when James came back to Edinburgh. After all, this business with Johnny showed how easy it was for people to get hold of the wrong end of the stick. Cat shivered as she thought of how appalling it would have been if Bella had launched into her Johnny conversation when Freddie – or even worse, Henry – had been in earshot. And Bella, she knew now, would certainly have been capable of speaking without thinking of her audience.

  It had been quite a day of ups and downs. And it wasn’t over yet.

  19

  Instead of staying in to pack for her trip to Northanger Abbey, Cat allowed Ellie to talk her into going to a comedy benefit night in aid of the blood transfusion service. The venue for the Bloody Comedy evening was arranged cabaret style, with the audience seated at tiny circular tables jammed together in a steamy basement. Ellie, Henry and Cat were squeezed between a sweating iron joist and the wall but their view of the stage was thankfully unimpeded. Henry produced several cans of Irn-Bru from his backpack. ‘No chance of getting to the bar through this mob,’ he said. ‘Plus the bar profits don’t support the charity anyway. Have some Irn Bru, it’s Scotland’s national soft drink. And it’s good for the blood.’

  For once, Cat wasn’t on vampire alert, for she had caught sight of something that was far more upsetting than that possibility. At a table close to the stage she saw the unmistakable sight of Bella and Freddie Tilney, heads together, shoulders touching. As she looked on, Freddie’s arm encircled Bella’s shoulders and she leaned into him.

  What was Bella thinking? All it needed was for someone innocently to snap a pic on their camera phone, post it on their Facebook page and tag it ‘Bella Thorpe and Freddie Tilney having fun at the Bloody Comedy night’, and James would be wracked with jealousy and hurt.

  Cat knew Bella loved a good time. Obviously she wasn’t aware of how her behaviour could be misinterpreted, both by James but also by Freddie. Clearly he didn’t know about her engagement to James, or he wouldn’t be trying to seduce Bella. There was a great big disappointment coming his way, and Cat cared enough for the whole Tilney clan to mind on his behalf.

  If the room hadn’t been so tightly packed, she might have considered going over and having a quiet word with Bella, just to mark her card as to how she risked causing pain to both her fiancé and a heroic soldier who deserved a better reward for serving his country than to be led up the garden path by a woman who didn’t even know what she was doing. But that wasn’t an option. And besides, Cat was far from certain she could manage to make herself clear except in private, with nothing to distract Bella from her words.

  Time was running out for that course of action, for in the morning she would be off to Northanger. But although Freddie was staying on in Edinburgh, Ellie or Henry would have the chance to take their brother to one side and explain the situation before they left in the morning. Now she had a plan, Cat leaned over and spoke in Henry’s ear so he would hear her over the hubbub. Even in a room that smelled of drink and sweat, she could still discern his individual fragrance of cedar-wood and maple syrup. It made her feel hungry for him, but she pushed her own feelings to one side for the good of both their brothers. ‘Freddie seems very fond of Bella,’ she said.

  ‘He’s definitely got the hots for her.’

  ‘But he’s in for a big let-down. Obviously he doesn’t know she’s engaged to my brother.’

  Henry gave her a pitying smile. ‘He knows all right, Cat.’

  ‘Does he? Th
en why does he keep hanging around her? Why doesn’t he cut his losses and go after somebody single?’

  Henry said nothing for a moment, then he picked up the flyer and said, ‘This is a terrific line-up.’

  But Cat persisted. ‘Why don’t you persuade him to leave her alone? The longer he wastes his time on her, the harder it will be for him in the end, when he’s forced to accept that she’s committed to somebody else. Even if he thinks he’s in love with her, he’ll get over it. There’s plenty of available young women here in Edinburgh without him having to practically stalk my brother’s fiancée. All he’s doing is storing up more pain for himself.’

  Henry smiled. ‘I don’t think Freddie would see it like that.’

  ‘So talk to him. Make him understand. Persuade him to back off.’

  ‘No point. When Freddie makes his mind up, he’s as stubborn as my father. And that is stubborn, believe me. Look, I told him myself that Bella is getting married to your brother. He just laughed and said, “But she’s not married yet, is she?”’

  ‘How can he be so selfish? If my brother finds out that he’s been chasing Bella, he’ll be furious.’

  ‘It takes two to tango, Cat. Freddie wouldn’t be coming on to Bella if she wasn’t encouraging him.’

  ‘She doesn’t even realise she’s encouraging him. She’s just being nice.’

  Henry laughed. ‘I’ve said this before, Cat, but it’s still true. You have this absolutely charming belief that everybody is as well intentioned as you. And they’re not. Trust me, Bella knows exactly what she’s about.’

  ‘How can you say that? You have no idea how much she loves James. She’s been in love with him since the first time they met. She was in such a state before James spoke to my parents in case they wouldn’t approve of her. And all she’s been talking about for the past couple of days is where the wedding’s going to be and what kind of frock she’s going to have.’

  Henry shrugged. ‘It’s not about James, though, is it? He’s not here, is he? She’s just one of those women who needs to have a man dancing attention on her. The fact that she’s flirting with Freddie doesn’t mean she’s not in love with James.’

  ‘I don’t know how you can say that so calmly. A woman truly in love with someone shouldn’t have any inclination to flirt with anybody else. How would you feel if your fiancée was letting another man come on to her in public?’

  Henry’s face froze. ‘I would not become engaged to a woman who was capable of that sort of behaviour in the first place.’

  ‘But how would you know? Because, as you said yourself, the whole point is that James is not here and Bella is just amusing herself.’

  ‘You’re like a terrier,’ Henry said. ‘You don’t let go of a subject till you’ve shaken every last drop of significance from it.’

  Cat bridled, not entirely convinced that she liked being compared to a small yappy dog. ‘I just want to make sense of things. I don’t speak for the sake of it. I only ask when I truly want an answer.’

  ‘And that’s a good thing. But I can’t always be expected to answer what you want to hear.’

  ‘But you must know what your brother’s up to with Bella.’

  Henry laughed, a bitter look on his face. ‘I’ve no idea. All I could do would be to guess, and that’s no good to either of us. Look, my brother is a hot-blooded man who loves adventure and risk. He’s known Bella hardly any time at all and he’s known all along she’s engaged. He’s also going back to his regiment in a week’s time, so whatever he is up to will be done and dusted by then.’

  It was clear to Cat that she had failed to enlist Henry in her attempts to protect her brother from public humiliation. ‘Maybe I should speak to your father,’ she said.

  Henry’s eyebrows shot up in alarm. ‘That’s really not a good idea, Cat. I think you’re getting a bit carried away over a meaningless little flirtation. Not to mention you’re putting things on James that might not be how he sees it. You seriously think he believes that his only security in love is that Bella never hangs out with another guy? I suspect that if he’s anything like you, he trusts his lady and he prefers her to be out enjoying herself than sitting at home moping.’

  ‘I suppose,’ she said dubiously.

  ‘I’m not going to say, “Don’t you worry your pretty little head about it” because, apart from being condescending as hell, it’s obviously not going to stop you fretting. But what you need to remind yourself is that you believe in James and Bella’s love for each other. The kind of love that withstands jealousy and arguments. Plus nobody knows what goes on behind the closed doors of other people’s relationships. Sometimes flirting with somebody else adds a little frisson to a relationship – lovers like to tease each other with how desirable they are to others, you know.’

  ‘I couldn’t bear that.’

  ‘It wouldn’t be my cup of tea either, but couples who play that sort of game know exactly how far they can go with it before either gets hurt. And they never tease each other beyond what turns them on.’

  Cat shook her head. ‘That is so not my idea of a good time. And it’s not very considerate of the third person in the triangle who gets caught up in their selfish game. Poor Freddie.’

  ‘He’ll be OK. He’ll have some fun in Edinburgh then he’ll be back with the boys in the mess-room. He’ll toast Bella Thorpe a few times at dinner, then she’ll just be a fond memory. And meantime, Bella will be teasing James with how lucky he is to be marrying the woman all the other men desire. It’ll be all right, Cat. Trust me.’ He looked intently into her eyes, his dark hypnotic stare holding her pinned like a captive butterfly.

  She wanted to believe him, so she told herself his argument was convincing. She was over-reacting, as he’d said, and everything would sort itself out. And indeed, Henry’s words seemed to be borne out by the end of the evening. Bella spotted Cat across the room and followed her cheery wave with a text.

  Hey gf. 2 packed 2 get 2 u here. Meet u bk @ Allens or ours afterwards? xox

  The text gave Cat a happy glow. Even Bella wouldn’t be so insensitive as to bring Freddie Tilney to her fiancé’s sister’s lodgings. Mr Allen might be a man of few words but Cat imagined he would expend several of them in that circumstance.

  Two hours later, the friends were ensconced in the window seat with mugs of hot chocolate. Freddie, it transpired, had gone to meet his father at the casino to play poker. And that was all the mention Bella made of the gallant captain. Instead, she talked of missing James and how she was going to miss Cat. ‘At least your brother should be back in a day or two. But what am I going to do without my bgf? Who am I going to gossip with and confide in? We’ll just have to mainline Facebook. Because, honestly, Cat, until Jamie gets here I might as well shut myself up in a convent for all the fun I’m going to have.’

  They said an emotional farewell and Cat finally managed to pack her bag for Northanger Abbey. Just as she was settling down in bed with the latest instalment of the Hebridean Harpies, she had a text that completed the job of allaying her concerns.

  Hi sis. I’ll b bk in Ed 2moro teatime. Will u be gone to N Abbey already? Hope not. Don’t tell Bella, want it 2b surprise. James xxx

  Smiling, Cat curled up with her book. Everything was going to be all right. And she was going on a vampire hunt.

  20

  Cat was touched by how sorry the Allens were to lose her company. ‘You’re always so cheerful,’ Susie said. ‘You’ve been a little ray of sunshine for us both. I’m going to miss your positive outlook, young lady. Hopefully it will have rubbed off on me.’

  ‘And trying to pick events that would appeal to you has definitely broadened the range of what I’ve been to see,’ Mr Allen added. ‘I think you may inadvertently end up earning me quite a bit of money.’

  Cat was taken aback at the prospect of having been so useful to her hosts. Much as her parents loved and fortified her, they had never encouraged her to see herself as a positive influence on anyone’s life. ‘It�
�s lovely of you to say so, but I’m the one who should be saying thanks. If you hadn’t brought me on this amazing trip, I’d never have met the Tilneys and there’s no way I’d be going anywhere like Northanger Abbey. I’ll never forget what you’ve done for me.’

  There was a great deal of hugging and insistence on keeping in touch before Mr Allen finally managed to pick up Cat’s bag and carry it down to the street. The Tilneys had invited her to breakfast, and Mr Allen was determined to deliver her to the door of Ainslie Place as if she were a package that might get lost in the post. Calman ushered them into the dining room, but in spite of the General’s earnest invitation to stay, Mr Allen waited only long enough to see Cat settled at the table before he made his polite farewells.

  Left alone with her new friends, Cat was surprised to be overtaken by shyness. She was acutely aware of how desperately she wanted to avoid doing the wrong thing. For a fleeting moment she was tempted to jump up and run down Ainslie Place after Mr Allen. Not even the welcoming smiles and conversation of Henry and Ellie could put her at ease, especially since the General’s incessant attention to her needs and wishes was so insistent she began to feel like the fly invited into the spider’s parlour. It was a tricky thought to contend with while confronted with a dizzying array of breakfast possibilities. Cereals, juices, fruits – some of which she didn’t even recognise – breads, pastries, cheese, smoked fish, cold meats, kedgeree, miso, sashimi and all the components of a traditional Scottish breakfast – including haggis and tattie scones – occupied a sideboard which ran along one side of the room. ‘I pride myself that there isn’t a hotel in Edinburgh that can outdo a Tilney breakfast,’ the General said. ‘But if there’s something – anything, some particular cereal or bread – that you would like that we don’t have, just say the word and Calman will send out for it.’ He could not have been more solicitous if she had been a member of the house of Windsor, and Cat, who hated fuss, couldn’t help hoping it wasn’t going to be like this at every meal in Northanger Abbey.