by T A Williams
‘Thanks for that, Sam.’ Ann sounded very animated now. Sam could tell she was looking forward to catching the man who had scared her so badly. ‘I’ll tell Freddie. We’ve got the security men here this weekend and he can brief them so they can be waiting for these bloody paparazzi. It’s going to feel really good to nail them.’ There was a pause. Sam took advantage of it to ask if all was well. Clearly it was.
‘Actually, yes, thanks. It’s been a lovely day. You’ve seen the ring and the reliquary, haven’t you? I’ve never seen anything so beautiful in all my life.’ She lowered her voice. ‘But the reason I was going to call is that I’ve just discovered that today’s Freddie’s birthday, and I wanted to surprise him. I’ve asked cook if she can knock up a cake in a hurry, and I wondered if you felt like coming over to the island to join the party.’ She paused. ‘That’s unless you’ve got something else going on.’
‘Not at all. That sounds great.’
‘You aren’t with James by any chance, are you?’
‘Yes I am, as it happens.’
‘Well, if he can manage it, would you ask him if he might like to come over with you?’
‘Of course. I’m sure he will.’
‘Thanks, Sam, that means a lot to me. I’ll send the launch over to pick you up.’
Sam put the phone down and hesitated, unsure whether to tell them what Ann had said. There was a paparazzo standing right in front of them, after all. She stood up.
‘That’s great, Giancarlo. Thank you. They’ve got security men on the case right now. Hopefully those paparazzi will be caught when they land on the island. Anyway, I’ve got to go over there now.’ Faces looked up in surprise. ‘James, would you feel like coming with me?’
He gave her an interrogative look. ‘To the island?’ She nodded. James had no idea what was going on, but he stood up and bade farewell to the others. As she followed him out of the door, Sam saw Giancarlo still hovering by the table, uncertain what to do. Out of the corner of her eye she also saw Lorna emerging from behind the bar with the sort of expression on her face that didn’t bode well for Giancarlo. She found herself grinning at the prospect.
James was waiting for her outside. She took him by the hand and they hurried along the promenade towards the jetty. As they walked, she related what Ann had told her about Freddie’s birthday. ‘She sounded really bubbly, happier than I’ve heard her for ages.’
It was colder now and Sam was glad she had brought a jumper. As they reached the pier she pulled it on and wrapped her arms around herself. The wind was still strong enough to cut through it and she knew she would be chilled before long. Out in the bay, the lights of the launch were visible, as Ronnie came across to collect them. James was also watching the launch.
‘By the looks of it, we’ve got about ten minutes to wait. You look cold. I suppose we could shelter in the phone box.’ She didn’t hesitate. She pulled the door open and went inside. He squeezed in after her. There wasn’t a lot of room and she found herself crushed up against him. She didn’t mind at all. She stretched her arms around his neck and thrilled as she felt his lips against hers.
When Sam and James got over to the island they found the security guard on the jetty in the middle of a huge plate of what looked like sausage and mash.
‘That smells good, although after all that ham and cheese, I’m full.’ James was still holding Sam’s hand. He had taken it on the mainland after leaving the phone box and had held it even as they climbed down into the launch. He hadn’t released it all the way across in the boat or since.
Sam gave his hand a squeeze. ‘Every time I see any of the guards, they’re tucking into a huge plateful. Somehow, I don’t think any of them will go hungry here.’ She was right. As they walked from the lift towards the door to the lounge, the smell of cooking wafted up the stairs towards them. She caught his eye. ‘What did I tell you?’
He finally let go of her hand as they walked into the lounge, but not before Ann had noticed. Sam saw her smile as she walked towards them.
‘Congratulations you two. It looks to me as if we might be celebrating two things tonight.’ James looked embarrassed as Ann stopped in front of Sam. ‘So, Sam, how’s your resolve to avoid relationships working out?’ She smiled as Sam’s face coloured.
‘Erm, I’m considering reviewing my original decision.’
James managed a grin. ‘Sam was wondering how you and I got on the other night, Ann.’ Sam’s face became even redder. Ann smiled more broadly this time.
‘The conversation at the dinner table was a bit monotonous.’ She watched the incomprehension on Sam’s face. ‘Dr Courtney had a habit of constantly coming back to the same topic. And that subject, Sam, was you. Now, come in and let’s have a drink.’ Ann lowered her voice. ‘Freddie doesn’t suspect anything. I’m going to ask him to bring the champagne and, at the same time, cook will bring up the cake.’
Sam glanced at her watch. It was less than half an hour since she had spoken to Ann on the phone. ‘How on earth did she manage to make a cake in half an hour? She must be a magician.’
Ann grinned back at her. ‘I rather think she is. I did speak to her a few minutes before you phoned, and she said she’d need a minimum of forty minutes to make it and bake it, which is awesome.’ She checked her own watch. ‘I reckon she’s had three quarters of an hour.’
At that moment, Tracey appeared, glanced around to check that Freddie Griffiths wasn’t in the room and then lowered her voice to inform Ann that the cake as ready. Ann beamed. ‘Fantastic. Would you ask cook to bring the cake up and wait outside the door until I give the signal. And call the others, too. I want everybody to be in on the act.’ She waited until Tracey had left and then pressed the bell by the fireplace. Seconds later, Freddie appeared.
‘Could we have a bottle of champagne, please, Freddie. In fact, let’s have a couple.’
‘Certainly, Ann. At once.’
He went over to a wine cooler set into the wall of the room and brought out two bottles of Krug. He set them on the table and proceeded to open first one and then the other. As he was doing so, Simon arrived with a tray full of glasses. Freddie looked up in surprise. ‘Do we need all these glasses?’
Ann waved at the cook and the others who were hovering just outside the door. Then she turned to Freddie. ‘We most certainly do, Freddie. Today’s a very special day.’
James helped Freddie fill enough glasses for all of them and handed them round as the cake arrived. This was a masterpiece, complete with a single lighted candle on top. Ann nodded approvingly and took a glass and raised it. ‘Happy birthday, Freddie.’ The others clustered round while Freddie Griffiths, for the only time since Sam had first met him, looked a bit discomfited.
‘Happy birthday, Freddie. Come on, blow the candle out.’ Ann gave him a kiss and he blushed. Sam followed suit, as did the two maids and the cook. The men in the room, among whom Sam saw Ronnie and at least two of the security guards, all queued up to shake his hand. Then they toasted the cook who looked on anxiously as the steaming cake was sliced and distributed. Only when they had all tasted it and declared it excellent, did she relax and drink her champagne.
A few hours and a few more bottles of champagne later the party finally broke up and Ann was left in the lounge with Sam, while the exhausted Labrador lay stretched out on the floor at their feet. After hearing about the ambush being prepared for the Italians in the boat, James, given his military background, had volunteered to take charge. He and the security guards had gone off into the night, although James promised to return just as soon as the trap was set to his satisfaction. Sam had noticed a new determination on his face and she took comfort from his very positive attitude. When they were alone, she told Ann what had transpired between them on the beach that afternoon and just how she felt about him. Ann was delighted for both of them.
‘You look really good together, you know.’
Sam smiled. ‘You know, I really think we do. But the other thing I’ve noticed
is how good you’re looking this evening. It’s as though a weight’s been lifted from your shoulders.’
Ann smiled back at her. ‘You know, Sam, I rather think it has. All this business of laying a trap for the paparazzi is doing me good. After years of suffering at the hands of those leeches, I’m finally getting a bit of payback. It feels good to fight back for a change.’
‘You’re right there Ann. It’s good to fight back.’ Both of them glanced across at the door. James had just come back in. He walked across the room to join them, a broad smile on his face. Sam held out her arms and he leant forward to kiss her. As he straightened up, he was still smiling. ‘In fact, it feels bloody good.’
Ann gave them both a big smile. Then she remembered something. ‘Here, I want to read you an email.’ She reached for her laptop and opened it. ‘It’s one I sent earlier today to the vice chancellor of your university. I won’t bother you with all the preamble, but the lines you might be interested to hear are:
I can think of no better way of recognising my admiration for the professionalism and cordiality of the team from your department of Archaeology under the leadership of Professor Virginia Greenway than to donate these incredible objects to the university.’
Sam glanced across at James and back to Ann again. ‘That’s amazing. Quite amazing. You do know that they’re probably priceless, don’t you?’
Ann nodded. ‘So what? I’ve got all the money I need. And it’ll hopefully cement a link between me and your department. I can’t take time out to come and study with you, but at least I can contribute.’
‘Ann, that’s amazingly generous, but you do realise that by doing this, you blow your cover.’ James sounded serious. ‘When this gets out to the press, everybody will know that you own Rock Island. You’ll be the target of all the paparazzi on the planet.’
Sam and James were both impressed and delighted to see Ann straighten her back. ‘Let them try. I’m tired of being the victim. I’ve got houses in London, LA and Monte Carlo. I can only be in one of them at a time so they’ll have to do a lot of waiting around. And the island’s the next best thing to a fortress. I can dodge them and I will. And, anyway, over here I’ll have Freddie and the gang to protect me. And, if you want to, maybe you guys might feel like coming along and investigating the abbey church one of these days as well. That’ll be another way for us to stay in touch.’ She glanced at her watch. ‘Now, if you two would just excuse me for a few minutes, I’ve got a little present to give to Freddie. I’d like to give it to him before he goes to bed. I’m sure you won’t mind being left alone for a bit.’ She stood up and gave them a little wave of the hand. ‘You two play nicely, now. I won’t be long.’
While she was away, Sam and James sat and talked. She was on the sofa, while he remained at a distance, sitting in a huge leather armchair. He was the first to bring up a very thorny subject. Sam listened as he spoke and she nodded. Her mind had been working along very similar lines for some hours now.
‘Sam,’ his voice was hesitant. ‘You do know that relationships between staff and students are frowned upon by the university, don’t you?’ She nodded, but said nothing. He cleared his throat and tried again. ‘I mean, if you and I were to start seeing each other, we could get into a lot of trouble.’ She nodded again. ‘What I’m saying is that we’re not really supposed to…’
‘Not supposed to do what?’ She stood up and walked across to the armchair where he was sitting. She slid onto his lap, reached up and ran her finger down the side of his face. ‘Not supposed to do this, for example?’
He breathed out with a gentle sigh. ‘No, not at all.’
She leant down and let her lips rest against his for a few seconds. Then she pulled back, her eyes only a few inches from his. ‘And we shouldn’t do this either?’
He shook his head. ‘On no, that would definitely be contrary to university policy.’ He reached up, caught her gently by the back of the head and pulled her down into a long, passionate kiss. After a while he opened his eyes and released his hold on her. ‘And I’m afraid that sort of thing would be totally out of the window, too.’
She pressed forward against him once more, encircling his face in her hands and kissed him for a very long time. Finally she relaxed and sat back. She tidied her clothes, ran her fingers through her hair and stood up. ‘Ah well, that’s a bit of a shame, isn’t it?’ She returned to her seat on the sofa and smiled at him ‘Still, I did say I didn’t want to get back into a relationship for a while, didn’t I?’
She giggled as she saw him looking seriously puzzled. At that moment, Tracey arrived with a bottle of cognac and two glasses. She set the tray down on the coffee table. ‘I gather you’re both staying the night. We’ll prepare two rooms upstairs for you.’
Sam caught her eye. ‘Thanks a lot, but one room will be just fine.’
Tracey gave a nod of comprehension and left the room. Sam looked across at James. The expression on his face was a picture. She grinned at him. He leant forward and reached for the cognac.
‘Now I can see why she brought the brandy.’
Epilogue
‘Thank you, Mrs Pendennis, for being so very kind. I have enjoyed my time here very much.’ Apart from the last couple of days, Giancarlo realised he really meant that. In spite of Beppe’s dire predictions, Cornwall had turned out to be very hospitable.
‘You’re very welcome, Giancarlo. Doris and I have enjoyed having you. Haven’t we, Doris?’ Mrs Pendennis put the last of his breakfast dishes onto the tray and wiped the table with a cloth. The old dog lumbered up to Giancarlo’s leg and nuzzled him with her nose. He bent down to stroke her. Then he had a sudden thought and pulled out his phone.
‘Please, Mrs Pendennis, can you take a photo of me with Doris? I will send it to my friend Beppe.’ A shadow passed over her face.
‘Oh I was so sorry he and Doris didn’t get on so well. Poor Mr Sconna, Sconnam…’ Giancarlo thought to himself that trying to chew Beppe’s balls off went a hell of a lot further than not getting on, but he stayed silent. He lifted the old dog onto his lap and beamed as Mrs Pendennis took the picture.
‘Beppe will be delighted to get this photo.’ In fact, he thought to himself as he pressed Send, it might well put him off his breakfast. Somehow, Beppe and Doris had never quite clicked as a couple. He returned the dog to the floor and stood up. He went over to Mrs Pendennis and kissed her on both cheeks. She blushed as red as the ketchup on the tray.
‘Oh my, I say, Giancarlo.’ She ran the cleaning cloth across her forehead and composed herself. ‘Now, you drive safely, won’t you?’
He lugged his bags out and slung them into the boot of the car. He looked at his watch. It was almost nine o’clock. His flight from Bristol was at two-thirty pm so he should have plenty of time. With a final wave to Mrs Pendennis, he set off down the road, driving unusually slowly, savouring his memories. As he passed the Smugglers Arms at the bottom of the hill, he spared a nostalgic thought for Lorna. The previous night, in front of everybody, she had emptied a pint of lager over his head. He couldn’t really blame her, and he counted himself lucky she hadn’t hit him with the glass.
A hundred metres later, he passed the jetty. The island looked close enough to touch this morning, rising majestically from the calm blue waters of the bay. Who, he wondered, was out there, hidden from public view? Was it really Ann Cartwright?
As he drove past the quay, he noticed there was unusual activity at the far end. Two police cars were parked there and a number of police officers were on the quayside, surrounding a pair of men wearing wetsuits. In the background he spotted what looked like Samantha, draped around the fair-haired man who had been at the table with her the previous evening in the Smugglers Arms. He waved, but she didn’t spot him. He smiled as he saw the two men in police custody. He resolved to go round and visit Beppe when he got back to Rome and tell him all about it. He had phoned him the previous day and had learnt that, following his successful heart operation, he had been forbi
dden alcohol, cigarettes and fatty foods for the foreseeable future. Giancarlo had heard the desperation in his voice. Maybe this news would put a smile on the old paparazzo’s face.
He spared a thought for Becky. She, too, had helped to make this a holiday to remember. After his soaking at the hands of Lorna, Becky had even been good enough to thank him for bringing the news of the paparazzi, so they had parted on reasonable terms. Even the boy with the red hair had been smiling by that stage, but that may have had more to do with Lorna’s attack with the lager. Giancarlo carried on up the road, ignoring the sign for Polwenton. He had no doubt the financier’s wife would have no trouble finding herself another young man to help her pass the time on the yacht.
As he drove up the hill away from the coast, he heard a sudden cacophony of noise from the seabirds behind him. He wondered idly if one of them might be an albino puffin.
If you loved What Happens in Cornwall turn the page for an exclusive extract from What Happens in Tuscany, another sparklingly funny romance from T A Williams.
Chapter One
‘How about this one, Katie? It sounds weird enough to be right up your street.’
‘Am I that weird?’
Katie looked up from the Situations Vacant pages of the newspaper where she had been hunting for, well, just about any job that was going. She had even briefly considered one advert looking for volunteers to join the crew of a raft on a transatlantic crossing. It would have been a really good way of making the big change she was seeking after the events of the past few months, but finally, she had given up on that one for two good reasons. First, she had no experience of sailing and second, she thought people who wanted to do something like that must be stark, raving mad.
‘Anybody looking at the small ads in The Lady at your age has got to be pretty strange.’ It was clear from her tone that Jenny didn’t approve. Or at least that she didn’t understand just how desperately Katie wanted out; out of the job that had been driving her mad and away from the shattered remains of a relationship that had gone sour. It had been with a sigh of relief and high, high hopes for the future that Katie had bidden farewell to her job at what she had come to refer to as the Awful Bloody School for Girls. These high hopes had lasted less than a week before a severe attack of reality had set in. If she didn’t find something soon, she knew that, degree or no degree, she might be reduced to working in a bar or a fast food restaurant, most likely serving burgers to her former pupils. When you’ve been a teacher for almost ten years, employers can’t seem to think of you as anything but a teacher, however badly you want to make the change. The idea of buying The Lady had been an act of desperation, but if that was what it would take…