Sins of the Fathers

by Anthea Fraser

  He said flatly, ‘I really thought I loved her.’

  ‘No doubt,’ she answered expressionlessly. ‘And do you “really think” you love me?’

  He flinched. ‘I know I do,’ he said.

  ‘Then why, Simon?’

  After a beat, he said in a low voice, ‘Because I’m a bloody fool and I don’t deserve you.’

  ‘I agree on both counts.’

  There was a long silence while the gas fire popped and the clock ticked. Then he said quietly, ‘Are you going to leave me?’

  ‘If there’s any leaving to be done, you’ll be the one doing it. The children and I are staying put, in our home.’

  He shook his head wonderingly, ‘How can you be so calm?’

  ‘Because I’ve had plenty of time to think about it.’

  Hardly daring, he asked, ‘Do you still love me?’

  ‘To be honest, I don’t know. Certainly not at this precise moment, and if you want to stay it’ll be under strict conditions. In the meantime I’ve moved your things into the guest room.’

  His eyes widened. ‘For how long?’

  ‘That’s up to you.’

  After a while he nodded agreement. ‘Thank you,’ he said humbly.

  By that evening, Stella was unable to quieten her conscience any longer. While Rex was engrossed in the television she went into the kitchen, shut the door and, steeling herself, took out her phone.

  ‘Mrs Kingsley? It’s Stella.’

  ‘You’ve heard from Sophie?’ Vibrant hope rang in her voice.

  ‘I’m afraid not.’ She paused, then added with difficulty, ‘And what’s more, I have to tell you I wasn’t being truthful last time we spoke. I didn’t see her on Friday.’

  She heard Lydia’s indrawn breath. ‘Then why say that you had?’

  This was even more difficult. ‘The truth is we’ve occasionally been out in a foursome and we’d agreed to … cover for each other.’

  ‘A foursome? You mean – not with your husbands?’

  ‘No; I’d met someone and had a few drinks with him, and Sophie was feeling bored so I asked him to bring along a friend for her.’

  There was a silence while Lydia absorbed this. Then she said, ‘But if you were a foursome …?’

  ‘Well, yes, that’s how it started. But since Sophie’s been down with you we’ve lost touch a bit, and I think she was continuing to meet James on her own.’

  ‘Oh my God!’ Lydia breathed. ‘Then who is this James? And surely, when I phoned, you got in touch with him?’

  Stella took a deep breath. ‘Lance – the man I’m seeing – did, and he said he hadn’t seen her. I’d thought he and Lance were friends, but I found out today that they’d met only recently, and Lance doesn’t know where he lives or works or, in fact, anything about him. He said his surname was Meredith, but …’

  ‘It might not be,’ Lydia said starkly.

  ‘I’m beginning to wonder. His phone went to voicemail today, and when I checked directories online, I couldn’t find any entry for him.’

  ‘And you’ve no idea at all where he lives?’

  ‘No, except that he told Lance there’s a deaf old lady in the flat below.’

  ‘Very helpful,’ said Lydia.

  Stella’s voice broke. ‘Oh, Mrs Kingsley, I’m so terribly sorry! If anything’s happened to her—’

  ‘So in essence you’re telling me we’ve wasted nearly a week; she could be anywhere, with God knows who, and we’ve no means whatever of tracing her.’ Her voice hardened. ‘Is there anything else you’re not telling me?’

  ‘No, that’s all, I promise.’

  ‘Thank you for calling, then,’ said Lydia Kingsley, and hung up.

  Stella sat down at the table, put her head in her hands and burst into tears.

  Miss Philpott spent an uneasy night. She’d heard her fellow tenant return as usual at about seven and considered going into the hall to intercept him, but refrained. She’d wait till she’d seen Colin; there might be a simple explanation and she didn’t want to appear an interfering old fool.

  Although there were the odd thumps during the evening and an occasional snatch of sound from a television programme, there was nothing she could attribute to rats – but then they’d hardly appear when someone was in the flat, so that was no comfort.

  She was waiting with her hat and coat on when Colin arrived just after noon the following day.

  ‘All quiet on the home front?’ he enquired with a grin, kissing her cheek.

  ‘At the moment, yes.’

  ‘You really are sure you heard something? I mean, it couldn’t just have been coming from outside, or anything?’

  ‘My dear boy, I might have had to resort to glasses in my sixties, but there’s nothing wrong with my hearing, which is excellent.’

  He glanced a little apprehensively up the staircase ahead of them. ‘And you’re sure the tenant has gone out?’

  ‘Of course. I watched him drive away.’

  ‘Very well, then; let’s see what we can find – holes in the wainscoting, for instance.’

  They went together up the stairs and stood on the landing, looking at the closed door ahead of them.

  ‘Perhaps if we make a noise it might startle them into giving themselves away,’ Colin suggested and, taking hold of the door knob, he shook it vigorously. Immediately there was a scuffling sound from inside the room.

  ‘There!’ Miss Philpott exclaimed triumphantly. ‘Rattle it again!’

  He did so, putting his ear against the wood of the door. ‘There are certainly noises,’ he said slowly as he straightened, ‘but it doesn’t sound like rats to me.’

  He put his mouth to the gap between door and frame. ‘Hello?’ he called. ‘Is anyone there?’

  Miss Philpott stared at him in astonishment, but to her amazement a decided scrabbling sound reached them, followed by a slight bump and an almost inaudible whimpering sound.

  ‘My God,’ Colin said slowly, ‘there is someone in there!’

  Miss Philpott swallowed convulsively. ‘But who—?’ She broke off, clutching her nephew’s arm. ‘He brought a young woman back with him last week,’ she said rapidly. ‘I assumed she was drunk – he was virtually holding her up. And now that I think of it, I never actually saw her leave.’

  They looked at each other, assessing a totally new possibility. ‘But would you have seen her leave?’ he asked.

  ‘Not necessarily, no, but it’s possible she could still be here.’

  ‘Then why didn’t she answer when I called?’

  ‘Well, it’s against the rules for her to be here.’

  He shook his head. ‘I may be reading too much into it, but it sounded to me as though whoever it is – if there’s anyone and it’s not just rats – is in some kind of distress. But whether it’s rats or human, we should get in touch with the landlord straight away. He’ll have keys to the flat and can check it out. Have you got his number?’

  ‘Yes, in my phone book.’ She turned to go back downstairs.

  Colin put his mouth to the door again. ‘Don’t worry,’ he said, ‘we’re going to get help.’ He paused. ‘Can you make a noise if you can hear me?’

  There was a soft but unmistakable thump and he let out his breath in a soundless whistle.

  ‘Hang on,’ he called, ‘we won’t be long.’ And he ran down the stairs after his aunt.

  SIXTEEN

  Drumlee

  It had been a surreal afternoon. Paula had accompanied Douglas in the ambulance, but with the paramedics still working on him there’d been no room for Nick and Natalie, who reluctantly rejoined the others in the sitting room while the caterers, pale with shock, hovered in the background, waiting for the opportunity to clear the dining room.

  Mark’s instinct as an outsider was to make himself scarce. Although Nick was in a similar position, he had at least helped in the emergency and was now discussing with Natalie the most likely outcome, and it occurred to Mark that he should first make his pea
ce with Helena.

  ‘She’s gone out,’ Harry said, when asked if he’d seen her. ‘Didn’t she tell you?’

  ‘I’ll see if I can catch her up,’ Mark replied, aware that Harry had seen the earlier altercation. Not that he’d any real desire to see her, but they’d have to patch up their silly tiff if they were supposed to be engaged. He was rapidly running out of patience with her.

  Once more he let himself out of the house but, abandoning any plan to look for Helena, turned away from the town and started walking steadily uphill, following the road as it curved round towards the coast while his thoughts processed the events of the last few hours.

  Douglas’s collapse had temporarily blotted out Ellie’s bombshell but it was lurking under the surface and, with him out of the way, the family would be free to discuss its implications. Don’t think it’s always been a bed of roses, Helena had told him that first day, when discussing her parents’ marriage. How would Paula react, once the immediate urgency abated? And what of the girl herself? She’d looked stricken when Douglas collapsed, and Helena’s vindictive taunt wouldn’t have helped. What had been her motive in searching out her father after all these years? If indeed he was her father, but after his reaction there didn’t seem much doubt. Was money her object, or simply recognition? There was no way of knowing, but from any angle it sounded a tragic story.

  Moving from one crisis to another, his thoughts turned to Sophie and her uncharacteristic disappearance. What the hell was she playing at? Was she trying to get back at him in some way, or was he just being paranoid? He didn’t see why he should cut short a much-needed break to dance attendance on her. Yet that word ‘safe’ continued to disturb him.

  Women! he thought. A plague on both their houses!

  It was getting dark by the time Mark returned to Touchstone, and as he closed the gate behind him a flake of snow brushed against his face. Certainly time to be indoors.

  The family was having tea in the sitting room and Natalie, greeting him with a smile, poured him a cup.

  ‘Any news?’ he asked, moving to the fire to get warm.

  ‘Mum phoned an hour ago. It’s not as serious as it seemed, thank God. He might be allowed out tomorrow, but he won’t be fit to drive home on Saturday, so they’ll stay on for another week.’

  ‘Hope they don’t get snowed in,’ Mark commented. ‘It’s starting to fall again.’

  The phone rang in the hall and Natalie, who was nearest the door, hurried to answer it and, assuming it would be news from the hospital, switched to speaker as she returned.

  ‘Hello?’ she said. ‘Mum?’

  But the call was not from the hospital. ‘No, it’s Lexie. Is that Natalie? Look, I don’t want to trouble your mother, but could you pass on a message when you next speak to her? She asked me to ring round any B and Bs open this time of year and to ask for a girl called Ellie. I managed to track her down, and it took some persuasion but she finally agreed to stay on till Paula can speak to her.’

  The family exchanged glances. ‘Thanks, Lexie, we’ll tell her.’

  ‘I gather your father’s over the worst?’

  ‘Yes, with luck he’ll be out tomorrow; but they’ll stay on at least a week while he recovers.’

  ‘Well, that’s good news.’ She paused. ‘Could I have a word with Helena, please?’

  Natalie glanced round the room. ‘Where is Hellie?’

  ‘Probably upstairs,’ Harry suggested. ‘I presume she came back with you, Adam?’

  Mark looked startled. ‘Me? No, I haven’t seen her.’

  ‘But you said you’d catch her up?’

  ‘Yes, but I realized she had a head start, and since I’d no idea which direction she’d taken I gave up and just went for a walk.’

  ‘Then has anyone seen her?’ Sebastian demanded.

  ‘She went out straight after lunch,’ Jessica offered.

  Lunch! It seemed an eternity since that meal in the dining room – Ellie’s dramatic announcement and Douglas’s even more dramatic collapse.

  ‘Did she take the car?’ pressed Sebastian.

  Jessica shook her head. ‘I was watching the ambulance leave, and saw her run out of the gate.’

  Lexie’s voice cut in, suddenly sharp with anxiety. ‘Isn’t she there?’

  ‘She doesn’t seem to be,’ Natalie replied. ‘Perhaps she’s at the hospital.’

  ‘She wasn’t when I spoke to Paula half an hour ago.’

  ‘Then she must be in our room. I’ll get her.’

  Barely a minute later she was back, growing alarm on her face. ‘No sign of her!’ she said.

  ‘Then where the hell is she?’ Sebastian asked.

  Lexie’s voice again, sounding increasingly urgent. ‘Have you found her?’

  ‘No,’ Harry replied. ‘No one seems to have seen her since lunch.’

  ‘Then could you try her mobile?’

  Natalie said sharply, ‘Is something wrong?’

  ‘Just try it, please. I’ll explain later.’

  Frowning, Natalie extracted her own mobile from her handbag and clicked on her sister’s number. After a couple of rings a voice announced, ‘The number you are trying to contact is currently unavailable. Please try again later.’

  ‘Did you hear that?’

  ‘Yes,’ Lexie replied bleakly.

  ‘It probably only means she’s forgotten to charge it.’

  ‘Nevertheless, I have to speak to you. I’ll be with you in ten minutes.’ And she rang off.

  They looked at each other in bewilderment. ‘What’s that all about?’

  ‘Are you sure you haven’t seen her, Adam?’ Harry asked.

  ‘For God’s sake!’ Mark broke out. ‘I’ve said so, haven’t I?’

  Sebastian raised a hand. ‘All right, everyone, keep calm. Let’s see what Lexie has to say. It must be important, if she’s coming round hotfoot.’

  They’d not long to wait. It seemed the phone call had barely ended when the doorbell rang and Lexie, white-faced and with snowflakes in her hair, was being ushered into the room and installed in a chair beside the fire. She looked round quickly.

  ‘She’s still not back, then?’

  ‘As you see,’ Sebastian answered. ‘What’s this about, Lexie?’

  She drew a deep breath, her hands laced tightly together. ‘There’s something I have to tell you. God knows I don’t want to, but it might be important. The point is, she came to the hotel this afternoon.’

  ‘Helena did? Well then, surely …’

  Lexie shook her head. ‘She and Blair had a blazing row and she stormed out in a highly volatile state. Of course, we assumed she’d come straight back here, but when I phoned and you said—’ She broke off, running a hand over her face.

  ‘I’m breaking confidences and I hate to do it, but in the circumstances I’ve no option if you’re to understand why we’re so concerned.’ She took a deep breath. ‘You know that Helena and Blair had a boy and girl thing going when they were young, and it continued to some extent each year as a light-hearted holiday romance.’ She flicked a glance at Mark, then away. ‘Until, that is, a couple of summers ago, when it took a more serious turn. Blair has always been fond of her but accepted long ago that she regarded it as just a harmless flirtation. Then, during the previous winter, he’d finally put past hopes behind him and fallen in love with a local girl.’

  She tipped her head back suddenly, eyes closed. ‘Have you any idea how much I hate this?’

  No one answered her, just waited for her to continue. After a minute she did so. ‘Then, of course, that summer arrived and you all came back.’ She sighed. ‘I love Helena dearly, but, well, she was jealous, I suppose. Whatever the reason, she went after him with no holds barred, and his defences crumpled.’

  ‘I don’t remember this,’ Harry broke in, frowning.

  ‘It was the summer she had extended leave following glandular fever, and she stayed on after the rest of you went home. And the long and the short of it was that Blair b
ecame besotted with her and ended it with Kirsty, breaking her heart in the process.’

  Sebastian moved impatiently. ‘I’m sorry, but this is all history. If she’s really missing, we should be out looking for her.’

  ‘Don’t worry, there’s a search going on, but please bear with me for another minute – it’s very relevant. Well, as I was saying they spent every available minute together, but when Blair wanted to announce their engagement she stalled, saying she must tell her parents first, which, of course, was fair enough. So she went back to London, and the following week a brief note arrived saying it had been fun but she hadn’t meant him to take it so seriously and she’d now met someone else.’

  There were tears in Lexie’s eyes. ‘He was stunned,’ she continued. ‘He realized, to put it bluntly, that he’d been played for a fool and lost Kirsty in the process – she’d taken a job in France in an attempt to put it all behind her.’

  Lexie straightened her shoulders, glancing at their concerned faces. ‘Last year, if you remember, Helena didn’t come up with you – she was off sailing with her boyfriend, we were told – so this is the first time they’ve met since. Blair’s still very bitter, but for old times’ sake and because he’s fond of you all, he was determined not to show it. And this week, unbelievably, she – she tried to revive it.’

  And here she looked at Mark for a long minute. ‘He pretended not to notice,’ she went on, ‘but this afternoon after your father’d been taken to hospital, she turned up at the hotel in a very distressed state and practically threw herself into his arms. He comforted her as best he could, but when she tried to – to kiss him, he held her off and made some laughing comment about her being an engaged woman. And – oh God!’ She put a hand to her mouth.

  Mark had stiffened, coldness seeping down his spine as he saw the direction this was taking.

  ‘And that’s when she told him,’ Lexie continued unsteadily, ‘that her so-called engagement was just a charade to pre-empt Natalie’s, and that she now realized he was the one she wanted.’

  Everyone looked at Mark. When he didn’t speak, she went on, ‘She even said Adam Ryder isn’t his real name – it was one she’d made up weeks ago – and she only met him the day you all came up here.’