by Karen Aldous
‘Her bed is ready.’ Cally said as she bolted the gate behind her.
‘Thanks. I’m so relieved to be home I can tell you. Glad you got in here ok.’
‘Yes, gouged my thigh trying to climb over your bloody fence though. I’ve been so worried.’
‘Sorry about that. I’ll just take Charlotte up to her room.’
‘Sure. Would you like a tea?’
‘Yes, please.’
After giving Charlotte a tight hug and tucking her into bed, then kissing her sweet little face, Evie left her to sleep. As she pulled the door to, she held her hand on her heart and whispered to the air, ‘Thank you. I am eternally grateful.’ The same as she had told Ben. She still couldn’t believe their luck. Ben was a true fairy godfather and she owed him so much for rescuing them.
‘Thank goodness Dad is ok,’ she said, rushing into the kitchen and throwing her arms around her sister who had just poured milk in the teas. ‘And thank you so much for coming.’
Cally returned the hug. ‘Dad sounds in great spirits and they’re back in the UK. It was you I was worried about. Ben said you were staying at another of Seb’s villas, but did he tell you what I thought?’
‘Yes. And I completely understand why you would think that. The stalker would have been a natural choice. I’m sorry I didn’t text you. It all happened so fast. Seb came here the Monday night after you left, and I was instantly worried about my job the following day so I managed to text Suzanne so that she could tell them to arrange cover and give my apologies… but the evening went to mush after that. I’d planned to text you on the way or when we got there, but I didn’t have my phone. And, well, I don’t even remember getting there. Neither did I think we would be away so long. More nightmare than holiday really.’
‘Evie, the good thing is, you’re both here and ok. So where is Seb?’
Slowly, Evie swung her head from side to side. ‘I’ve no idea. He’d gone to the States, supposedly for a few days! ‘‘Are you here all day tomorrow?’
‘Yes, why?’
‘I’ll tell you all about it. I’m far too exhausted to explain everything tonight.’
‘I’m sure you are, suffering a trauma like that. I’ve got a question, a couple actually, but they can wait.’
Glaring at Cally with curiosity, Evie knew she wouldn’t sleep until she knew what they were.
‘You’re wide awake, aren’t you?’
‘Indeed darling, I am. I was so worried and I’m so excited to see you.’
‘Ok. Let’s sit down and I’ll tell you all about it, then you can ask me your questions.’
Evie tucked herself into the corner of the sofa while her sister sat close by in the armchair, attentively sitting forward as she listened to the highs and lows of the past few weeks.
‘So,’ Evie let out a long sigh, ‘Ben’s guesswork and timing could not have been better planned.’
Blowing her nose again, then rubbing her eyes, Cally said ‘Wow, you couldn’t make that up could you?’ She picked up her cup from her lap and, resting it on the table, pattered over to Evie. She opened her arms, closing them around her sister. ‘You definitely need to break your ties with that fuckwit Seb.’
‘Oh Cally, absolutely. In fact, he’s really beginning to scare me. I completely understand what you mean about his control. I mean, what kind of a man would do that to his daughter?’
Cally sat down on the arm beside her. ‘Evie, there’s control, and there’s abuse.’ She paused. ‘I don’t know whether you know but when the police searched your house for clues, they found a wrapper in the bin.’ Cally’s eyes hardened as she chewed on her lip. ‘They believe it was a substance called ketamine, the stuff that spikes drinks. You know, the date-rape drug. Evie, I think he drugged you to get you there.’
Evie glared at her sister as the shock amplified down her spine. ‘Oh my God!’ She immediately tried to recall Seb’s movements that night. ‘Bloody hell! That would explain some things… I had wine, I really can’t remember much. I know I didn’t want to go and told him… fuck! So he really didn’t want me to know where he was taking me.’
Cally knocked a knuckle into her other palm. ‘Clearly. It was easier, especially if you protested. But, I think he must have intended to for some reason, either so that you didn’t know where you were, or because he wanted all the control. It doesn’t matter. Only, what it demonstrates is the lengths he’s prepared to go to – and that’s why you have to get out.’
‘Oh, what a stupid cow I am,’ She buried her head in her hands. ‘I believed him too when he told me I drank too much. I thought that hangover seemed severe.’ That would explain her throbbing head and violent stomach the morning after, and her lack of memory. So she hadn’t drunk too much. Evie’s head spun in disbelief. To think he would go to such lengths. She then had an idea and hopped off the sofa and into the kitchen. Beside the bin, the box stood containing the empty beer and wine bottles from that evening. Just the one bottle of wine told her all she needed to know. Cally now stood behind her.
‘I presume you haven’t thrown anything out of here?’
Cally affirmed with the shake of her head.
‘Do you think the police would have touched it?’
‘I don’t know. Obviously they took the packet from the bin. I can’t imagine why they would take any empty alcohol bottles. Glasses maybe? Or, a glass?’
Evie eye’s scoured the sink area and then she reached for the dishwasher handle and opened it, searching inside. ‘Did you wash any up?’
‘No. Perhaps the police took them before I got here. They told me they found the substance, that’s all. Maybe they took glasses to analyse them.’
Evie slammed the dishwasher shut. She opened the glass cupboard and checked the number of wine glasses. Out of her vast stock of seven, only five sat on the shelf. She scanned the kitchen and then the tables and floor around the sofas in the living room. It was likely they could have been left there, or Seb had removed them. From memory, there were none on the table where they had been drinking, that was apparent. The remainder of her evening drew a blank.
It was then a lump burned her throat. ‘Oh, Cally, I feel so stupid. I mean, Seb is dangerous! Do you think he would have drugged Charlotte too?’
Chapter 30
Cally took Evie’s hand, her face thoughtful. ‘Evie, I don’t know what Seb is capable of. But surely she would have been asleep. I don’t understand why he would do this to you. It doesn’t make any sense. I hope he wouldn’t do that to his own two-year-old daughter.’
Clasping her neck with both hands, Evie felt the nausea rise in her throat. Her head blew hot and clammy. Did he give any to Charlotte? ‘I just hope she was. If she cried and he didn’t know how to handle her, he could have. But, she was fine the next morning,’ she said rubbing her stomach. ‘Oh, I wish I understood his motives for all this. He must have been fed misleading information.’ She searched her sister’s eyes. ‘I mean, to have me followed for weeks and then drag me off to an island. Do you think he is punishing me, thinking Ben and I are having an affair? He wants me out of the way, that’s for sure. And what if he can watch me here?’
Cally took her hand and caressed Evie’s arm with her other hand. ‘I don’t think he has remote access here. That’s probably why he had you followed. And yes, maybe he has been fed the wrong information. Can I just say, it’s not right and you need to leave? Pronto. Just in case he gets to you before the police get him.’
Evie dropped her head. ‘I know that now. I just wish I understood why he left me there. He… he seemed perfectly normal. If he had me followed, he knew I was working and talking to Ben. I can’t think of any other reason. He has been a bit agitated but why didn’t he just ask me? Why go to all those lengths?’
‘Fear, control? That’s the worrying part. You don’t know. We can only deduce from his actions that he doesn’t trust you and is afraid of the scandal. Ben may not be in the public eye, but Seb’s got a huge ego.’
‘
Mmm, you’re right. And it’s time to leave. I seriously have to find a means to support us both. The other thing is, I want to have this out with him. It’s really frustrating that he’s not here to question or to at least tell him – he’s seriously gone too far.’ Evie took a deep breath and sighed. ‘What shall I do?’
‘You’ll find a way. I can tell you are becoming a much stronger person.’
Evie stroked her sister’s arm. ‘Thanks. That means a lot coming from you. But what if he gets worse?’
Cally entwined her fingers into Evie’s ‘Ok, well a short-term plan. And, we discussed this anyway. It may give you a little thinking time. I’ve taken two weeks off to visit Mum and Dad, so come with me? Aunt Janet says if we are happy to share, she has a room with bunks and she can put a travel cot in there for Charlotte.’
Evie ran fingers through her hair, giving her head a hopeless shake. ‘I only have a hundred euros and I need to get some essentials. I could go and collect my allowance from Seb… that’s if he hasn’t stopped it.’
‘I’ve got money. Don’t draw any money. Let’s leave him guessing. I’ll check the flights. I could drive but it could work out cheaper to fly. But at least you’ll be safe, you won’t have to stay here. I don’t know how long it will take him to realise you’ve gone from the island. He may have CCTV there which he’s been able to access remotely. I just think the quicker we get you away from this place, the better. No doubt his little spy would have alerted him we were concerned about you and had called the police.’
‘God, yes. And I’m sure he would have surveillance at the villa. Thank goodness you’re here.’ Evie said, embracing her sister. ‘I’ll tell Suzanne tomorrow,’ she glanced at the clock. ‘Oh look at the time. The most bizarre of days. I need to sleep before Charlotte wakes up. Sorry.’
Cally waved her hand. ‘Not at all. You go up and I’ll sort out the travel.’
Ben drove back to the beach house and let himself into the front entrance. The hall was in darkness and, removing his shoes, he padded along the marble floor to his room. As he passed, he noticed cases and bags stacked in the lobby. Of course, he then remembered, Daniel and many of the crew were leaving today. His mind had been so preoccupied. He traipsed past the bags through the lobby and into the kitchen. From the printer, he pulled out a clean piece of A4 paper and wrote a message.
Sorry I missed you guys. Didn’t get back til late. Safe journey. Dan and Ravi, see you Thursday. Ben.
As he pottered off to bed, he picked up the printout of Evie’s research update still on the table and rolled it up. He would really miss Evie, and was still extremely concerned for her safety. The frustrating thing was he would almost certainly put her at higher risk if he intervened. He’d told himself in the car numerous times, ‘you’ve got to forget her,’ but that was easier said than done. Seb Wilde suspected something, naturally, that had to be the reason he was having Evie followed, and possibly why he was making sure to keep them apart. Thankfully she was back safe, but there was no way she could remain under Seb’s roof. He couldn’t imagine the terror going on in her mind. His frustration mounted. Damn. She wasn’t his and she never could be, especially as Charlotte was Seb’s daughter. Indirectly, Seb had made that very clear. Ben held his hand on his chest, he didn’t wish to create any more trouble for Evie and Charlotte. All he could hope was that the law would deal with it and not be overridden by Seb’s lawyers. Meanwhile, he would make sure that, somehow, he got her fee to her. At least she would have some rent.
He woke at midday the following day. The cases were gone from the hall. A note was left on the flipside of his. All that was left now was to get on with the end of his script and then get packed for his own early morning flight tomorrow. He showered and dressed and, picking up the print-out from Evie’s research, headed outside his room to his hammock. Apart from the lake, it was his little place of solace, where he liked to do his thinking. Where he liked to think about Evie. Only today, he wouldn’t allow that. He needed to wipe her from his memory. Focus only on the script. He climbed expertly on to the hammock hooked between the pines and unrolled the notes. He had scanned through them on his laptop before printing but as he unrolled them, there was more here than he’d realised. He began reading, properly this time, at a pace he could manage. Something he had had to often cope with, with his dyslexia. The detail was brilliantly explained with many peasant mountain villages referenced for their outstanding water and sanitation systems, as well as the transportation methods that the peasant women devised to move large trees down the mountains. The methods were described clearly, and obviously what the peasant women had devised could be considered works of genius compared to the engineers of the day. Evie had then headed a section ‘Private Life’. It contained the Riquet family homes, names, dates of births and deaths of his first family, and the births of his illegitimate children; the mother or mothers not named. Evie had marked each with a red asterisk and noted the author and the book, along with a note saying ‘private letters’ and the name of a university in Toulouse. This was where, he realised, she’d mentioned a chance to do further research, although it was as yet unfinished.
He turned the page. ‘Ah, what are these, are these all blank?’ He lifted the next sheet. Leafing to the next page, it was headed ‘Character: Maria Mendoza.’ Then followed an outline of Maria’s background, the mountain village and the work she had been involved with, as well as her family. Since her husband’s murder by a salt-tax official, Maria had raised her child as well as worked and help provide for her siblings. Evie had even jotted down lines of dialogue between Maria Mendoza and Paul-Pierre Riquet. Maria had hated him with passion because his employee had killed her husband of just ten months. She held him responsible. But Riquet was overawed by her savage beauty and of course, he was determined to win her. He offered her a good wage but she would not succumb to his charms.
He set up company with two illiterate peasant contractors from her village and so she unwittingly began working for him. Riquet was soon observing her with fascination. Her spirit, her knowledge, her leadership. The scenes Evie described were perfect. Not typically set out as a script, just notes and thoughts, but, immersing himself into this character’s world, he was hooked. Dialogue and intrigue flowed, bringing the two characters easily into his own script. Maria Mendoza became not just an essential part of Riquet’s team in the methods he needed to build the canal, but eventually his secret lover and mother to the four illegitimate children. In Evie’s story, Riquet’s wife and his first children had no choice but to suffer their father’s affair when it became public. It was only when they got to know her and her talent, her power within the enterprise, that they accepted how much of an asset Maria was to the future of the project and its completion. They grow to respect her and the younger children. They become one family in a united front to support Riquet to realise his vision for the Canal Royal, now the Canal du Midi.
Ben held the sheets in awe. Where he had created scandal, Evie had created beauty. With each step of his vision and financial constraints, Ben had portrayed the public Riquet battling with kings, politicians, naval authorities and engineers; there was no reason to suppose his arrogance wouldn’t carry over to the private Riquet. Riquet would do what he deemed necessary to reach his goal. Evie’s character complemented that perfectly. Maria directed the peasant women to utilise their skills, allowing Riquet to demonstrate vulnerability and humanity. Maria and her children would thrive in exchange for her genius. There was no doubt, he would need Evie to consent to him using her ideas or, more to the point, her almost-completed script. There was little more he could add to create such a convincing portrayal of a French legend and his ingenuity. Ben thrust his legs in the air and bounced to the ground. Perhaps he could see Evie just one more time before he left for London. At least he could take it to the producers, complete with a signed contract. Starting his laptop, he raced to the bathroom to clean his teeth before returning to his screen and searching his files. He clicked and
sent the form to print. He then grabbed his keys and slid his feet into his flip-flops.
When he reached the villa, he rang the bell. As he looked up at the windows, he noticed the shutters were closed.
‘Damn, they’re out.’ He waited a while and rang the bell again. After a few minutes, he gazed over to Suzanne’s and then took the narrow alley down to the canal and to the front of Suzanne’s house.
Suzanne opened the door. ‘Hi Ben.’
‘Is Evie with you?’
‘No, I’m afraid you’ve missed them. They’re on their way back to their parents in the UK. They popped in earlier. Had a flight at two-something, I believe.’
Ben gripped his hair in frustration. ‘Ok. No worries. I’ll ring Cally later. I’ve still got her mobile number. Sorry to trouble you again.’
‘It’s no trouble.’ Suzanne smiled as if reading his disappointment. ‘I think they will be away for a week at least.’
‘Thank you, Suzanne. I fly back tomorrow, so hopefully I can catch up with them there.’
‘Good luck.’
‘Thanks.’ Ben waved and returned to the car. With some hours to spare, he stopped off at the bakery in the village and treated himself to a savoury pastry and a large sweet one, plus a fresh crusty French stick. Set up for the evening, with a few beers, he would retype the script ready to present on Thursday. Evie surely wouldn’t object. She had sent it to him after all. And he was sure she would be delighted with her share of the fee.
Chapter 31
Charlotte sat between her mother and aunt on the plane but with curiosity getting the better of her, she scrambled across Evie to peer out of the window and then across, standing on Cally to watch the trolley and the other passengers.
‘Hello, man…’ ‘Flyin aerplane.’ ‘Man sleep.’
‘Charlotte, come on, back in your seat. Now.’ Evie stretched across to pull her back.
‘Man sleep, Mummy.’
‘Yes, shush, he doesn’t want to be woken up. Now, come and sit in your seat.’