by Anna Jacobs
‘Just a minute. There’s someone here who might.’ Dan looked across at the car and saw Gabrielle waiting for him, her face raised to the sun. He strode across to her. ‘Did you ever hear the name of Stu’s new lady friend?
‘Radka. But I don’t know her surname, I’m afraid.’
‘That’ll help. Nearly finished my call. Sorry to keep you waiting.’ He fumbled his car keys out of his pocket and gave them to her. ‘You might as well wait in comfort.’
He walked back to the secluded corner of the car park and resumed his conversation with Leon. ‘She thinks the woman is called Radka.’
‘Ah.’
‘You know of her?’
‘We know it’s one of several aliases for a rather clever woman. We call her the Black Widow, because she uses men and tosses them aside, just like that female spider who eats her mates. We’re working with Interpol on this, but no one has pinned anything on Radka yet. We’re not even sure what she looks like. We had one sighting, but the operative couldn’t take a photo. Anyway, you know how women can change their appearance. No one ever saw a female of that description again. She must have found out she was being watched.’
Dan waited, but Leon didn’t volunteer any more information. ‘So you can get the car to us?’
‘Yes, of course. Mind if we use it for a delivery en route?’
‘Feel free.’ He shut down his mobile and stowed it in his pocket, then rejoined Gabrielle. ‘Ready to go?’
‘Are they bringing my car?’
‘Yes. In a couple of days. No charge.’
‘Wow. Do you cause miracles often?’
‘It’s not a miracle. I have a lot of acquaintances because I meet new people all the time in my work.’
She wasn’t sure she liked the idea of that, because it was how Stu had operated. Contacts. No, Dan wasn’t at all like Stu and he called people like this Leon ‘friends’. What was she thinking of to compare Dan to Stu?
The banking changes took a full hour to put in place. Luckily, Gabrielle had her driving licence and passport handy. She was grateful to whatever good angel had made her sling them into her handbag rather than packing them in one of the boxes. She smiled. People teased her about how big her handbag was and how much stuff she could pull out of it, but it had worked brilliantly for her during these troubles.
After that, she and Dan went down the street and he signed in the name of the trust for the electricity to be reconnected. They were promised that ‘within three to five working days’.
As the woman at the counter turned away, Dan whispered to Gabrielle, ‘Cry pitifully.’
After one startled glance, she began to sob.
‘This poor woman is homeless and she’s not got the money for hotels,’ he told the clerk.
‘It’s all right. I’ll camp out there. The water’s on, at least.’ Gabrielle dragged out a tissue since she hadn’t been able to produce tears on demand, and hid behind it.
‘Isn’t there any way you can help her?’ Dan pleaded. ‘My trust has provided a home, but we can’t switch on the electricity.’
‘Oh, dear. You poor thing. I’ll see if we can fit in an emergency reconnect.’ The woman picked up the phone, explaining, nodding and listening.
Gabrielle emerged from the tissue and made a play of wiping her eyes and blowing her nose. ‘Sorry.’
The woman put down the phone. ‘You’re in luck. Pete doesn’t mind getting in some extra overtime, but he can only fit you in early. Really early. Can you be there to let him in at seven o’clock tomorrow morning? On the dot.’
‘I can be there at any time if it’ll get the electricity switched on.’ Gabrielle gave her eyes a final wipe, amazed that she had been convincing.
‘It’s very kind of you,’ Dan put in. ‘We’re grateful.’
‘We do our best for our customers. But Pete will have to check that everything’s working safely in the house. Our records show it’s been a few years since the electricity was connected. Has the house stood empty all that time?’
‘I’m afraid so,’ Dan said glibly. ‘It belonged to an old lady and has been left as a trust for homeless young women.’
When they got outside, Gabrielle pretended to punch his arm. ‘You sneaky devil!’
He smirked. ‘Part of my job description, being sneaky. And you caught on quickly about why I wanted you to cry, so you’re pretty sneaky yourself. You’re not complaining, surely? Your fake sobs will get us the electricity far sooner.’
‘It’s a good thing we’re early risers. You’d better ask the people at the hotel to leave us a simple breakfast outside our room.’
‘And later we’ll go out for a hearty lunch.’
‘You think with your stomach, Dan Monahan. You’re lucky you don’t put on weight.’
‘I have excellent genes. All of them.’
He waggled his eyebrows like Groucho Marc pretending to be sexy, and made her laugh again.
‘Come on. We’ll go to the antiques centre now.’
He drove out of town, through Littleborough and up towards the moors, waving towards a pub on the left near the foot of the slope. ‘We’ll have a late lunch there afterwards. They serve food all day. If it wasn’t for that chocolate bar you had in your handbag, I’d be fainting from hunger by now.’
‘I’m going to nickname you Piglington.’
‘Whatever you like as long as you stay with me.’ He slowed down behind a heavy lorry and gestured up the slope towards the right. ‘That’s the centre.’
It wasn’t a building so much as a collection of buildings and outhouses, a sprawling complex whose various architectural styles were united by house walls rendered and painted white, and dark slate roofs at different levels. A big sign at the entrance to the car park said Chadderley Antiques.
As they entered the centre, Gabrielle stopped for a moment to stare round the spacious room at the gleaming displays of items, some under glass, some lit up by spotlights, all of them immaculately clean.
It felt welcoming, as if she was supposed to come here. She blinked in surprise. What a strange thought!
A woman came towards them. ‘Can I help you – Oh, Dan, it’s you! Were we supposed to know you were in the area?’
‘No. I’d meant to warn you, but we’ve been so busy I didn’t get round to it. I didn’t think you’d mind us popping in. Gabrielle, this is Emily and—’ He turned towards the sound of footsteps. ‘And this is Chad. These two are the owners of this tumbledown old shack.’
Emily chuckled and moved to shake hands.
‘Your showroom is gorgeous,’ Gabrielle said. ‘I’ve never seen antiques so beautifully displayed. This is quite an old building, isn’t it?’
‘One part of it dates to the seventeenth century, we think, but there are additions from every century. We still have some buildings at the back to renovate, but we haven’t decided what to do with them yet.’
After shaking hands, Chad turned as footsteps echoed their way across the spacious sales area and a young man joined them.
The newcomer had Down Syndrome. Indeed, he seemed very confident, utterly at home here.
‘This is Toby, who lives in one of our three special units. He helps out in the centre and he’s a demon at finding treasures at flea markets.’
The young man beamed at Emily as she said that, then came to stand in front of Gabrielle. After studying her solemnly, he bobbed his head as if in approval. ‘The Lady told me you were coming to see us, Gabrielle. She said be careful. A bad man is coming. Very bad. But you have good friends. They’ll help you.’
‘Toby senses things sometimes,’ Chad said quietly. ‘And it doesn’t do to dismiss what he says, however cynical you are about psychic phenomena.’ He looked at Gabrielle. ‘If you ever need help, as he clearly thinks you will, don’t hesitate to come to us.’
She nodded. ‘I will. Thank you for telling me to be careful, Toby.’
The young man nodded, turned to Emily and said in quite a different tone of voice, �
�Mrs Lawford has some new stock. It’s pretty. Ashley is washing it.’
He turned and went away.
‘Ashley’s another of our special needs people,’ Emily said. ‘We have three of them. They’re all at the higher end of ability and capable of living independently with a little help and supervision.’
But Chad was watching their visitors. ‘Is something wrong, Gabrielle?’
‘How did Toby know my name? He wasn’t here when Dan was introducing me.’
‘He sometimes surprises us like that.’ Emily hesitated, then said, ‘We have a resident ghost, who seems to communicate with Toby more than anyone else. Don’t worry if you don’t believe in ghosts; it’s not obligatory. But he’s never wrong when he passes on messages from the Lady.’
‘I’m not sure whether I believe in ghosts or not. One of my friends claims to see them. I never have. I don’t know whether I’d be scared or fascinated if I did see one.’
Dan surprised her. ‘I believe in them and I’ve sensed them a few times. It’s the Irish in me. My grandmother was fey. But this is an unusual place, and if there are ghosts anywhere, they’d be here, don’t you think? But they’d be good ghosts, I’m sure. The centre has such a warm, feel-good atmosphere.’
Which gave her a lot to think about, because she had felt that warmth quite strongly. She let Dan explain why they were here today.
‘Sounds interesting. I’ll come and look at your bathroom suite,’ Chad said. ‘If it’s in as good a condition as you say, then it would be worth enough money to rescue it carefully.’
‘How much approximately?’ Dan asked.
‘Anything from a few hundred to two or three thousand pounds, depending on condition and rarity.’
‘That much?’
‘Yes. But it’d better be taken out carefully. I have a woman who does that sort of job for me. She’s a good plumber, too, so she might put in the new bathroom for you while she’s at it. I’ll drop in at Brook House later this afternoon to check the suite, if that’s OK with you – around six? Emily and I are going out for a meal this evening with some friends, and it’s not too far out of our way to come to you first.’
Dan looked at him thoughtfully. ‘Your rapid response probably means you know someone who’s looking for a genuine antique suite.’
‘Guilty as charged. I’m doing a lot more work online and taking commissions via the internet since I’ve moved up to Lancashire. The suite would be for a fellow in Edinburgh, who’s setting up a family museum on his estate.’
He glanced towards the window. ‘I’ve just seen a car pull in and it looks like – yes, it’s the Torbins, my next appointment. Why don’t you take a look round the centre while you’re here?’
‘Then come back and have a coffee with me,’ Emily added. ‘You can bring me up to date on what you’re doing up north again, Dan. Did you decide to accept the job Mr Greaves offered?’
‘Yes.’
‘Good.’ She looked at Gabrielle, clearly wondering what her role was.
‘My friend here is another of Rose King’s connections. She’s going to stay in Brook House, and since you’re bound to find out, O Gatherer of Gossip, she and I are together, so I’ll be staying there with her.’
‘Nice that you’ve found someone, Dan.’ She turned to Gabrielle. ‘People who interact with the old Drover’s Hope, which is what the old inn here used to be called, often seem to end up finding a life companion. I’m new enough to that state to wish everyone as happy as I am with Chad.’
Her smile was glorious and revealed so much love that Gabrielle felt drawn to her, as well as envious. ‘I’d love to follow your example, Emily. I’ve had two failures at partnerships so far.’
Dan looked at her sharply and she realized she’d given away her secret. Oh, dear! She didn’t want to talk about Edward, not to anyone. It upset her too much. She was just getting herself together.
But she couldn’t just leave it at that, would have to explain to him.
Oblivious to this, Emily smiled at her. ‘Don’t mind our nosiness. We’ve grown fond of Dan. We must introduce you to Libby when she gets back next week. She and Joss are taking a little holiday break in Brittany with Ned. She’s another of Rose King’s protégées.’
‘I’ve heard about her and I’d love to meet her. I wish I’d known Cousin Rose.’
Dan took Gabrielle to the area behind the showroom, a huge place two storeys high, with the ancient wooden rafters showing. It looked like a converted barn but no attempt had been made to modernize the interior, which was full of little stalls, only a few of which weren’t occupied. The stalls weren’t selling the usual junk and bric-a-brac, but genuinely old articles of various sorts, smaller stuff that didn’t command the high prices Chad’s items did.
‘Can I leave you here for a minute or two?’ Dan asked. ‘I want to check something out with Emily.’
‘You could leave me for an hour or two with so much to look at.’
‘I won’t be long.’
Almost immediately, she found a stall selling Moorcroft pieces and stopped, entranced. There was one small bowl for only forty pounds, soft pink pansies on a dark blue background.
She’d always loved Moorcroft blue pieces. Had promised to buy herself one someday. Perhaps that day had come. She smiled at the seller. ‘May I pick it up? I’ll be very careful.’
The man shrugged. ‘If you drop it, you pay for it, but with that proviso, go for it. It’s a popular pattern, that.’
She loved the bowl. It wasn’t large. She’d never let herself buy a large one. But this was affordable. She took a deep breath and said, ‘I’ll take it.’
When Dan got back he stared at her. ‘What’s brought that blissful expression to your face?’
She explained and showed him the bowl, then let the seller wrap it carefully in bubble plastic.
‘I’ve drooled over pieces like that for years, but I never even thought of buying one while I was with Stu, or even with Edward. Stu would have mocked it and taken all the pleasure out of owning it. Edward wasn’t into antiques and, anyway, we were saving for a house, then paying off a heavy mortgage. We had to be very careful with our money.’
‘I’m glad you’ve got your Moorcroft then, and if it helps, I like Moorcroft too, though clearly not as much as you do. Who was Edward?’
‘I’ll explain later.’
‘Very well. Shall we go and find Emily now?’
‘Yes.’ She put the bowl into her shoulder bag, making sure it couldn’t fall out.
‘I’d better warn you,’ he said quietly as they passed the little snack bar in the corridor between the two selling areas. ‘Libby is Emily’s daughter, who was stolen from her as a baby. It was a miracle that Leon helped her find her daughter, and both women are delighted to be in each other’s lives. As Emily said, this place seems to foster loving relationships of all kinds.’
‘And this Leon friend of yours seems to have his finger in a lot of pies.’
‘He does. But he’s one of the good guys.’
While they chatted to Emily, Gabrielle commented on how attractive the stalls in the selling area were and displayed her purchase, stroking the shining glaze with a loving fingertip. ‘There are still a few empty stalls, I see.’
Emily grimaced. ‘There shouldn’t be any, but it’s taking more time to organize it all than I’d expected. I think I’m going to have to find someone to take over part-time because Chad and I like to nip off at the drop of a hat to go hunting.’ She saw Gabrielle’s surprise and let out a gurgle of laughter. ‘Hunting antiques, I mean, not animals.’
‘What sort of person would you need to look after the antiques market?’
Emily looked at her thoughtfully. ‘Are you looking for a job?’
‘Yes. And I’d prefer part-time. I need to build a new life for myself and I’m not quite sure where I’m going yet.’ She shot a quick glance at Dan, who gave her hand a quick squeeze and nodded as if to encourage her.
‘What were
you doing before you came north?’
She grimaced as she explained. ‘I just couldn’t get excited about selling soap powder and things like that.’
‘Who could? Perhaps you’d like to come and spend a day with me once you’re settled into Brook House? We’ll see if we get on all right, and also if you like dealing with sellers, who aren’t always the most reasonable people on earth, I have to warn you.’
‘You should meet aggrieved customers in supermarkets! Some of them were very difficult to satisfy, and often over items that cost less than a pound. I’d love to spend a day here.’
She beamed all the way out to the car.
‘Well done for offering your services,’ Dan said. ‘You were quick off the mark there.’
‘I love antiques. And I’ll feel better when I have a job.’
‘I think you’d do well at Chadderley Antiques,’ Dan said. ‘You understood the selling and displays in a way I didn’t.’
‘I really like Emily, too. I’d love to work with her.’
He waited expectantly and she could guess why. Her pleasure faded abruptly. ‘We’ll talk about … my past after we get back to Brook House, if you don’t mind. Let’s go and buy that late lunch now. And maybe we should get something to make tea and coffee with at the house as we’re getting it ready to move into.’
‘And some biscuits, in case we get hungry.’
‘In case you get hungry.’
‘You ought to eat more.’
‘I don’t often feel hungry.’ She was relieved when he didn’t press her to tell him about her secret now. But she felt at a greater distance from him than before.
She ought to have told him sooner. He’d been so open with her.
The trouble was, she hated telling anyone about Edward, because she always ended up in tears, and it wasn’t just the tears. She felt destroyed by guilt all over again.
Thirteen