by Susan Lewis
‘Oh, you’ll love him, I just know it. He’s always great with women, I don’t mean in a flirty, letchy sort of way, I mean he listens to what we say. How many men do you know do that?’
Having to concede not many, Lucy said, ‘Have you told him about the party tomorrow night?’
‘Yes, and he’s really up for it. He’s dead keen to see Michael. As far as he’s concerned he’s the brother he never had. Trouble is, Becky and I have claimed him too, so Simon doesn’t get exclusivity.’
‘I’m sure he can live with it.’ Then, finding herself spurred by Joe’s suspicions, she said, ‘Tell me, how long has it been since you were last in touch with Michael?’
Sarah thought. ‘Let me see, five, maybe even seven years on my part. I’m not sure about Simon. Why do you ask?’
Annoyed with herself already, Lucy said, ‘No reason, except my dear husband has got it into his head … Actually, it doesn’t matter, forget I said anything.’
‘OK, if that’s what you want. So, have you decided where you’re all going this evening?’
‘Mum and Dad love the Gumstool at Calcot Manor, so we’re taking them there. I guess you won’t be joining us now, but I hope you know you were very welcome.’
‘And I really appreciate it, but even if Simon weren’t on his way, this is your last night with your parents for a while, so I think you should keep it to family. Now, before I ring off, I don’t suppose you’ve heard any more from the ghastly Maureen?’
‘Not a word, but I’m bracing myself. If she’s not in touch again before the auction, I think I’ll let Michael make the next contact.’
‘Good idea, by which time he, or I, might have dug up some kind of evidence – or at least a lead or two.’
Feeling herself connecting with the seriousness of it again, Lucy said, ‘I swear, if they do anything to try and drag Mum’s name through the mud, I’ll find someone to go over there and break a lot more than their bloody ankles.’
‘I want to be a part of the hit squad,’ Sarah muttered. Then, after a moment of savouring the thought, ‘I guess I’d better ring off. I’ll be there around nine in the morning I should think, or definitely in time to wave au revoir to your folks.’
With more stirrings of dread creeping over her like old ghosts, Lucy mumbled a goodbye and ended the call. Moments later she was on the point of entering the kitchen when she almost collided with Joe.
‘Ah, there you are,’ he said, catching her by the shoulders, ‘we were wondering what had happened to you. Is everything OK?’
‘Seems to be,’ she said airily. ‘Have you showered already?’
His eyes narrowed seductively. ‘I thought we might take one together,’ he suggested.
Forcing herself not to pull away, she said, ‘I’m not sure we have time for anything like that. The table’s booked for eight.’
He glanced at his watch. ‘Two in the shower is twice as fast as one,’ he pointed out.
Affecting her own playful look, she said, ‘Not the way we take showers,’ and planting a quick kiss on his cheek she breezed on by, hoping beyond hope that he wouldn’t try to press the issue once they were upstairs.
To her relief, he didn’t. However, by the time they were ready to go downstairs to join the others she almost wished he had, because, obviously rattled by the rebuff, he’d spent the entire time either berating her for letting Hanna run wild – an accusation he surely ought to have handed up to the mirror – or replaying his stuck record of how foolish she was to put her trust in strangers.
It was extremely fortunate, she was thinking to herself, as he drove them to the restaurant in her car, that he had no way of knowing how furious she actually was with him. Having had so much practice at hiding it, she was simply calling on her old skills now, because getting into another argument would serve no purpose. All she really wanted to do was forget everything that was bothering her, from Maureen and Godfrey right through to her marriage, and start focusing on making this as special a dinner for her parents as they deserved.
‘Yay!’ Sarah cried, running off the terrace with her arms spread wide as Simon pulled his hire car into the back drive. ‘You’re here already. You must have driven like a loony.’
Laughing as he threw open the door, he scooped her into his arms and swung her round like a doll. ‘God, it’s good to see you like this,’ he told her, holding her hard. ‘You’re transformed from the last time I saw you.’
‘That’s what having a job and a friend has done for me,’ she laughed happily. ‘It’s made such a difference, having a reason to get up in the morning.’
Easing her back so he could get a really good look, he said, ‘I love the hair. It suits you short, and no more dark circles round the eyes. Wow!’ His expression and tone were infused with relief and affection as he said, ‘You’re almost the old you.’
‘And you’re definitely the old you,’ she declared, clasping her hands round his face. His deep brown eyes and side-parted fair hair were virtually identical shades to hers, while his features, though heavier and more masculine, had clearly been produced from the same genes. It was his smile that always set him apart, though, because it was as captivating and radiant as their mother’s.
‘I’ve been so looking forward to you coming,’ she told him, linking his arm as she walked him back to the terrace. ‘And to think you’re going to be staying for over a week! How honoured I am.’
‘I’d make it longer if I could, but even though Paris might shut down for August nothing so civilised happens in the States, which means, I’m afraid, that I’m still on call. However, unless something goes disastrously wrong with some contract or deal we’ve got cooking, there’s no reason why I can’t work from here.’
‘Fantastic. I’m going to be extremely busy myself over the next few days with the auction coming up. Actually, I’m hoping you’ll put in an appearance for a couple of hours, if only to see our stuff going under the hammer.’
With no little irony, he said, ‘You never know, I might end up buying it back. Who’s the auctioneer? Don’t tell me it’s you.’
With a choke of laughter she said, ‘Not yet, but don’t rule it out, because both Lucy and I intend to learn. On this occasion though, a couple of professional auctioneers will be running the show who’ve run it before, usually with Lucy’s dad and Godfrey, who I’ve already told you about.’
‘Ah, the infamous Maureen’s other half, if I’m remembering correctly. And you think he’s a part of this ring?’
‘If there is one, and we’re all pretty convinced now that there is, then without a doubt he’s involved. Our aim is to shut their operations down before any real damage is done.’
‘If it hasn’t been already,’ he said gravely. ‘That’s the trouble when you start digging, you never know what’s going to turn up. Still, it’s good that you’re on to it. You said Michael was coming later?’
‘He should be here in about half an hour, which means I get you to myself until then, and I have something I need to ask.’
‘Something else?’ he cried in mock exasperation. ‘Please don’t tell me you’ve managed to get yourself embroiled in any more mysterious rings or dubious shenanigans, because there’s a limit to my brotherly powers of getting you out of scrapes, you know.’
‘Rubbish, you’re brilliant at everything and I always know I’m perfectly safe when you’re around.’
‘No pressure there then,’ he said drily, and stretching out his arms he gazed down over the billowing sprawl of the unkempt garden to the magnificent sweep of countryside flowing out to the estuary. ‘God, it’s good to be here,’ he sighed pleasurably. ‘I only have to look out at all that and listen to the birds to feel memory lane trying to swallow me up.’
‘I know what you mean,’ she murmured, leaning into him as she gazed out at the view too. ‘I’m never sure whether it ends up making me feel sad or glad that our childhoods are behind us.’
‘We had a lot of fun in this garden,’ he reminded
her, ‘and out in those fields. I often wonder how many rites of passage were played out in the buttercup bowl over by the copse.’
With twinkling eyes she said, ‘I know yours were, and Becky’s, with Michael. God, it seems a long time ago.’
‘Because it was. Have you spoken to Becky lately?’
‘About an hour ago, as a matter of fact. She was on her way to an aerobic workout before dashing up to Connecticut for some linguistics conference. She sends her love and says to give her a call about the real estate project.’
He frowned. ‘Which project …? Oh yes, the one in southern California. Could be interesting, but we need to do more research. So how is she apart from that?’
‘Oh, you know Becky, madly busy and bursting at the seams with get up and go. It can make me feel exhausted just talking to her sometimes. You can probably imagine how thrilled she is that I’m working again, though she doesn’t really approve of the job. She says I’m not utilising all my hard-earned talents, which is nonsense, because I am for the most part, and I’m also learning more. Still, it’s been tough on her trying to deal with me shut away here like a wounded angel, as she likes to call me, so it must be a great relief to know she doesn’t have to worry so much any more.’
‘We’ve all been worried,’ he reminded her, ‘but I’ll be able to put her and Mum’s minds at rest the next time I speak to them, because, Sarah Delicious, you’re looking great.’ After giving her another hug he said, ‘Now I’m going to fetch my things from the car and take them upstairs while you, my darling, fix us one of your wickedest Martinis.’
Lighting up again, she said, ‘I haven’t made one in so long. I just hope I’ve got all the ingredients.’
It turned out that she had, and the vodka was even in the freezer, though she had no idea when she’d put it there. Still, there were doubtless many things she’d done over the last year or so in a haze of grief, so she wasn’t going to start giving herself a hard time over memory lapses now.
‘Mm, I’ve just hit the fast track to bliss,’ he declared twenty minutes later as he took his first sip of one of her driest.
Feeling the alcohol burning through her own veins and all the way into her spirits, Sarah smiled dreamily and reached for his hand. ‘Thanks for coming,’ she whispered.
Clearly knowing how much it meant to her, he said, ‘I’d be here more often if my schedule allowed.’
‘I know.’
‘Giselle sends her love.’
‘Thanks. Where is she at the moment?’
He glanced at his watch. ‘Today Milan, Frankfurt tomorrow till Friday, otherwise she’d have come with me.’
‘It’s always lovely to see her, but I can’t help being pleased at not having to share you for a while. Having said that, I can’t wait to introduce you to Lucy.’
‘I’m looking forward to it myself, as I’ve heard so much about her. So now, what was this something else you wanted to ask me?’
Taking another sip of her drink, she braced herself against the nerves that coasted in with the reminder and said, ‘I was wondering if the name John Mckenzie might mean anything to you?’
Simon frowned. ‘I don’t think so,’ he replied. ‘Should it?’
Finding herself torn between disappointment and relief, she said, ‘I’m not sure.’ Though a part of her wanted answers desperately, another was afraid of what they might be.
‘Who is he?’ he asked. ‘Something to do with this ring?’
‘No, nothing like – at least I hope not. No, he definitely wouldn’t be. He and his sister moved into the Lodge about a month ago. You know, the Mercers’ house at the bottom …’
‘I know it.’
‘Of course. Well, apparently they’re old friends of Mum’s.’
‘Really?’ he said, sounding interested. ‘How do they know her?’
‘Well, that’s the big mystery, because I’m not sure. No one will tell me.’
Puzzled, he turned to look at her.
‘He says I should ask Mum, and Sheila says I shouldn’t, at least not until she’s spoken to her first.’
Simon’s eyes darkened. ‘I don’t know if I like the sound of that,’ he retorted. ‘Are you saying you think they had an affair?’
‘I’m not sure what to think, but I can’t see her cheating on Dad, can you?’
Though Simon shook his head, he was looking more troubled than ever. ‘What else did Sheila say?’ he asked.
Sarah looked at him anxiously. ‘That Mum and John were victims of the most dreadful – then she cut herself off and told me not to think badly of anyone. She seemed to think the Mckenzies might have come to Cromstone because of Mum.’
‘But she’s not here.’
‘Maybe they didn’t know that until they arrived.’
Apparently liking this less as it went on, Simon stood up and walked to the edge of the terrace.
Though Sarah wanted to ask him what he was thinking, sensing his anger, or perhaps confusion, she decided to say nothing for now.
He turned towards her. ‘It sounds as though whatever went on between them was quite a big deal,’ he commented in a tone clipped with resentment.
Sarah’s insides were clenching with yet more trepidation as she said, ‘Si, when we were younger you used to say that you knew something Becky and I didn’t. Is that true, or were you just teasing us?’
Taking a deep breath, he came back for his drink and took a sip. ‘I don’t know any more than you do,’ he told her, ‘but we all know there’s something she’s not telling us.’
‘And you don’t have any idea what it might be?’
He shook his head slowly. ‘Like you, I can only guess,’ he replied, and his eyes moved off towards the end of the garden. ‘The way Mum used to be, shutting herself away for days on end … It had quite an effect on me when we were growing up. I used to think it was something I’d done, and I never knew how to make it up to her.’
Feeling her heart tear with the same childhood memories, Sarah squeezed his hand as she said, ‘This is what happens when people keep secrets, things are misunderstood and all kinds of problems start kicking in.’
He didn’t argue, only turned to her with a flicker of his usual roguish smile. ‘Actually, the worst part of it,’ he declared, ‘was having two flipping sisters. All those dolls and playing house or shop or hairdressers … I needed someone to do high-speed roars round the garden and climb trees and steal apples …’
‘All of which we did,’ she reminded him hotly.
He was laughing. ‘You’re right, you did, but I still say it was lucky I had Dad, and Michael, or my testosterone might never have had a chance to develop.’
Sarah laughed, and leaned over to kiss him, but as the smile faded from her lips she said, ‘So we’re none the wiser about John Mckenzie.’
Simon’s eyes darkened again as he took a sip of his drink. ‘Tell me, is all this building up to me having a chat with him while I’m here?’ he asked dubiously.
Though she hadn’t formed that exact thought, now he’d put it into words Sarah wasn’t about to shy away. ‘Maybe it is,’ she said, ‘provided you can find the right moment. I just want you to know that he seems like a really nice man …’
‘Everyone does until their darker side starts to show,’ he reminded her.
‘OK, but try to remember that Sheila didn’t say anything bad about him. I mean, she didn’t warn me away, or say anything like, “Oh my God not that monster …”’
With the faintest glimmer of irony he said, ‘Is this you worrying about me being civil to strangers?’
She couldn’t deny it. ‘Just try to keep an open mind when you meet him,’ she said, ‘because I know what you can be like.’
‘Oh you do, do you?’
‘Yes, Simon Bancroft, I do, and until we know the whole story we shouldn’t lose sight of the fact that we’re all capable of making mistakes, or misunderstanding situations, or turning into someone different. I’m thinking of Kelvin now – we
never used to see him as someone who’d be disloyal, or cruel, or all the things he’s been since we broke up …’
‘All right, all right,’ he interrupted, holding up a hand. ‘I’ll be sure to be on my best behaviour. Now tell me, have you mentioned any of this to Becky?’
‘No, I wanted to talk to you about it first.’ She turned round as someone knocked on the front door. ‘It must be Michael,’ she said, getting up. ‘He’s really looking forward to seeing you.’
To her relief, Simon’s frown started to fade. ‘The feeling’s mutual,’ he told her. ‘If you let him in, I’ll sort the drinks.’
Moments later Michael was in the kitchen, treating Simon to a boisterous back-slapping hug.
‘It’s been too long,’ they said simultaneously.
Laughing, Simon said, ‘You’re looking great, my friend. Something’s obviously agreeing with you.’
‘I could say the same about you,’ Michael countered. ‘How’s Giselle?’
‘On good form. She’ll want me to send her love, I know. How go hostilities with Carlotta these days?’
Michael grimaced. ‘Still a minefield, I’m afraid, but so far I’ve managed to hang on to my limbs. However, she’s still after an arm and a leg in settlements, and the proverbial on a plate as some sort of compensation.’
Sarah was aghast. ‘For what, exactly? And her family’s richer than royalty, so why’s she after your money?’
‘I guess because it gives her something to do,’ he answered drily. ‘Fortunately I don’t have to see her too often, because her sister usually flies back and forth with the boys.’
‘When are you seeing them again?’
Taking the glass Simon was handing him, he said, ‘That’s still in dispute at the moment, because they’re on some yacht cruising the Greek islands with their mother and one of her “friends”, and if she gets her way they’ll stay there till the schools go back.’
‘And if you get yours?’
‘They’ll be here next week till summer’s over, but I’m not holding my breath. Anyway, if you don’t mind I feel in sore need of this,’ and after raising a toast to old times and great reunions he took his first sip. ‘Wow,’ he murmured with closed eyes, ‘this is good.’