Last Orders at the Star and Sixpence

by Holly Hepburn

  Laurie didn’t meet her gaze. ‘He treated me like his own son. What does it matter if I wasn’t biologically his child?’

  Nessie felt as though she’d been punched in the chest. ‘Bloody hell, Laurie. How could you lie about something like that? What else have you lied about?’

  ‘Nothing,’ he insisted. ‘Everything else is true, I swear.’

  Gabe folded his arms. ‘Except even that is a lie. Tell them about the duplicate brewery order you placed using Nessie’s log-in so she’d think she’d made a mistake. Tell them about the rat catcher you know in Purdon who gave you a live rat to plant in my kitchen so the restaurant would have to close down.’

  ‘Tell them about switching off the fuses so that the cellar temperature would fail and Joss would look bad,’ Ruby went on, her voice as hard as diamond. ‘And how you stole some steak from Gabe’s kitchen and covered it in rat poison to kill Bucky.’

  ‘No!’ Nessie exclaimed, utterly aghast. ‘Oh, Laurie, you didn’t!’

  He looked a little like a rat now, cornered and snarling. ‘Oh, grow up. No one got hurt, did they?’

  ‘Only by sheer luck,’ Sam blazed furiously. ‘What the hell were you thinking?’

  ‘None of you would give me a chance to prove what I could do,’ Laurie snapped, scowling. ‘You held every little mistake over my head. So I thought it wouldn’t do you any harm to realise that you weren’t so perfect yourselves.’

  It was almost too much for Nessie to take in. She slumped back in her seat, horrified. ‘But Luke might have touched that meat. What if he’d somehow ingested some of the poison? I can’t believe you could be so reckless.’

  He shook his head. ‘You’re overreacting. No one got hurt.’

  Sam had clearly heard enough. ‘Leave, now. Put your keys on the table and walk out of here this minute.’ She drew in a long shaking breath. ‘And if I ever hear your name or see your face again, I won’t be responsible for what happens next.’

  Laurie pushed back his chair so fast it screeched across the floor. ‘You’ll be sorry once I’m gone. You don’t have the staff to cope without me.’

  ‘Believe me, we’ll manage,’ Nessie said. She held out a hand. ‘Keys.’

  Reaching into his jeans, Laurie pulled the keys that opened the pub front door, the office and the cellar. ‘Take them,’ he said, tossing them onto the floor in disgust. ‘I’m sick of working here anyway.’

  The heavy thud of his feet on the stairs receded and there was a hefty bang as he slammed the door at the bottom of the stairs. Then silence fell over the kitchen.

  ‘Well, that happened,’ Sam said weakly, after several long seconds had ticked by. She glanced first at Gabe, and then at Ruby. ‘How the hell did you know all that?’

  Gabe shrugged. ‘It was a hunch at first. Some of the things he said didn’t quite add up. And once I started to explore the idea, I realised that there was really only one person who linked everything that had gone wrong.’

  Ruby held up a hand. ‘You’ll remember I never accepted his stories about what a terrible father Andrew was – I knew the truth, no matter what Laurie said. So when I met those darling detectorists at the cider festival, things began to fall into place.’

  ‘We went investigating,’ Gabe added. ‘Like Holmes and Watson.’

  Ruby laughed. ‘I’ve always thought I’d make a rather good Jane Marple, actually.’ She patted her elegant red chignon. ‘If Miss Marple had style, obviously. And a delectable toy boy.’

  Sam slumped her head on the table for a moment, then looked up at Gabe and Ruby. ‘Thank you. I don’t quite know how you put it all together, but I’m really glad you did.’

  ‘No problem,’ Gabe said, and it seemed to Nessie that his eyes held a special gleam of pride as he basked in Sam’s praise. ‘I’m just pleased we finally confronted him.’

  Still reeling from the revelation that Laurie was not their brother after all, Nessie glanced across at Sam. ‘I guess it’s just you and me again.’

  ‘I guess so,’ her sister replied. ‘Luckily, you’re all the family I need.’

  ‘Well if that isn’t rude, I don’t know what is,’ Ruby declared in mock outrage. ‘But if it helps, don’t think of it as losing a brother. Think of it as getting rid of an arsehole.’

  Sam let out a shout of laughter and Nessie couldn’t stop herself from smiling a little, in spite of the sadness she felt. Beside her, Ruby sighed. ‘You know, for what it’s worth, I wish things had turned out differently – I wish we’d been wrong about Laurie, for your sakes.’

  ‘Me too,’ Nessie said.

  ‘I’m not,’ Sam cut in. ‘Good riddance, I say. Let’s celebrate the fact that our dynamic duo saved us before Laurie could swindle us out of the Star and Sixpence!’

  Ruby beamed at Gabe. ‘Dynamic duo – I like it!’ She paused and made a restless gesture Nessie recognised. ‘You know, it’s at times like these that I wish I still drank. A gin and tonic would go down perfectly right now.’

  To anyone else, it might have sounded like an innocuous comment but Nessie recognised it as a tiny cry for help in Ruby’s constant battle against alcohol. She reached across to press a grateful kiss on the older woman’s cheek. ‘I’ll join you for a celebratory virgin mojito if you like.’

  ‘Me too,’ Sam said, with a rueful glance at her swollen belly.

  ‘Sounds perfect,’ Gabe said, pushing himself off the kitchen counter and making for the door. ‘I’ll do the honours, shall I?’

  ‘Thank you, darling,’ Ruby said, flashing him a grateful smile. ‘And then we can toast our new business venture – Santiago and Cabernet Investigate! I think it’s got Netflix series written all over it.’

  Nessie shook her head and laughed. ‘I’ll definitely drink to that!’

  Chapter Thirty-seven

  ‘And you’re sure you’ll be okay?’ Nessie asked for the third time in as many minutes. ‘You’ve got the name and the number of the hotel?’

  Sam laughed. ‘And your mobile number, obviously. And Owen’s. I’m not worried I won’t be able to contact you, Ness.’

  Her sister appeared not to have heard. ‘I’ll let you know the room number when we get there. It’s only Birmingham, not far. I can always come back if you need me.’

  ‘Relax,’ Sam said, wincing as a particularly vigorous kick landed against her ribcage. ‘I’ve still got six weeks to go, and this baby is having far too much fun kicking me to make an early appearance. Go and have some fun.’

  Nessie nodded slowly. ‘Kathryn is next door, taking care of Luke, and, of course, Gabe will be here.’ She paused and gave Sam a meaningful look. ‘Don’t do anything without me.’

  ‘You’re my birthing partner,’ Sam said with a grin. ‘I’ve got no idea what to do without you.’

  Owen poked his head around the door of the Star and Sixpence. ‘We should really get going if we want to beat the Friday-night traffic, Nessie.’

  ‘Okay,’ Nessie said, taking a deep breath. ‘Okay, you’re going to be fine. I’m going to be fine. We’re all going to be fine.’

  ‘Go!’ Sam said, giving her a little push towards the door. ‘See you tomorrow.’

  Together with Gabe, Sam followed Nessie outside and waved as she and Owen got into their car. Once the Land Rover had vanished around the curve of the village green, Sam let out a long sigh. ‘I thought she was never going to leave.’

  ‘She worries about you,’ Gabe said. ‘We all do.’

  It wasn’t anything he hadn’t told her before, but the words still sent a tiny thrill through Sam. ‘I know,’ she said. ‘You all worry too much. I’m fine.’ She gasped as the baby kicked again and Gabe raised his eyebrows. ‘Well, mostly fine,’ she said, in response to his unspoken disagreement.

  ‘What shall I cook you this evening?’ he asked, as they crossed the bar. ‘Pickled gherkins with bananas again?’

  Sam grinned. She’d prided herself on having the most mundane pregnancy ever, but the weird food cravings had really start
ed to kick in now that she was well into her third trimester. Gabe had taken her peculiar requests in his stride and Sam thought he was even enjoying the challenge. ‘Ham and pineapple pizza,’ she said, licking her lips at the thought. ‘But not made by you – yours is far too healthy. I’ll order one from Domino’s, thank you.’

  Gabe raised his hands in despair. ‘She has a world-class chef at her disposal and all she wants is Domino’s.’

  Seated at the bar, Ruby caught Sam’s eye and winked. ‘Ah, but sometimes quick and dirty is just what a lady wants. Isn’t that right, Sam?’

  Gabe flicked an amused glance between the two of them and shook his head. ‘Quick and dirty. Got it.’

  Unable to stop herself from blushing, Sam made for the stairs. ‘Sometimes, Gabe. Sometimes that’s exactly what we want.’

  *

  When Sam awoke in the night, cold and distinctly damp, she thought for one horrific moment that she’d wet the bed. A sense of incredulity washed over her; she was pretty sure she hadn’t done that since she was a toddler. But there was no escaping the fact that both her pyjamas and the sheets were uncomfortably wet; they’d need to be changed if she was going to get any more sleep.

  Groaning, Sam swung her legs over the side of the bed and got slowly to her feet. She was halfway across the room when the contraction hit, gripping her sides and squeezing as though she’d been caught in an invisible vice.

  ‘Ow!’ she gasped, reaching for the end of the bed to support herself. ‘Shit, shit, shit. Ow!’

  Once the wave had passed, Sam stood still for a moment and tried to get her head around what was happening. It couldn’t be a real contraction, she thought in panic; she wasn’t due for at least six more weeks. The baby hadn’t been anywhere near in the right place during her last midwife check-up. And that wet patch in the bed couldn’t possibly be her waters breaking . . . could it?

  Nessie was going to kill her, Sam thought, closing her eyes. And then an altogether more embarrassing realisation occurred to her. She was going to have to tell Gabe what had happened and maybe even ask him to drive her to the hospital.

  Shuffling towards the chest of drawers, she wriggled out of her wet pyjama bottoms and thought hopefully of the shower across the landing. Did she have time to sneak in there before she woke Gabe? Perhaps if she was quick . . .

  Her body had other ideas. The next contraction was so strong that she had to grasp the chest of drawers for support.

  When the pain had stopped, Sam abandoned all pretence at dignity and lifted her head to shout. ‘Gabe? Gabe! Wake up!’

  He burst through the door, just as she tied the belt of her dressing grown, a barking Bucky at his heels. Gabe looked wildly around before hurrying to her side. ‘What is it? What’s wrong?’

  ‘My waters have broken,’ she said, and watched as his face paled in comprehension. ‘I think the baby is coming.’

  To his credit, he didn’t panic. ‘But it’s too early.’

  ‘Tell me about it,’ Sam ground out. She puffed out a short, unsteady breath as Bucky sniffed at her ankles. ‘All the same, something is definitely happening here.’

  He eyed her sweat-beaded forehead and nodded. ‘Any contractions yet? We should check how far apart they are – the hospital will ask.’

  She stared at him. ‘Yes! But how do you—?’

  He offered a lopsided grin. ‘I have a big extended family. My cousins are always having babies – I know roughly what happens. Do you want me to call Nessie?’

  Another contraction began, causing Sam to swear and grip his hand tightly. ‘I think you’d better call the hospital first. They might not want me to go in yet,’ she managed.

  Gabe looked askance but did as Sam asked. She panted her way through the pain, listening as he explained the situation to the person on the other end of the phone. And then he covered the handset and looked at Sam. ‘They want you to go in.’

  It was all she could do to nod.

  ‘What about Nessie?’ Gabe asked again, once he’d hung up. ‘Shall I call her?’

  There wasn’t anyone she wanted to see more. But Nessie and Owen were away for a rare romantic mini-break and Sam was reluctant to summon her sister until she knew she wasn’t being fooled by Braxton Hicks contractions. ‘No, not yet. I don’t want to wake her unless we absolutely have to.’

  Gabe’s eyes were steady on hers. ‘As you wish. Let’s get you downstairs.’

  Slowly, watched by a whining Bucky, they made their way one step at a time down the stairs and into the darkened bar. They reached the door of the pub before Sam remembered her hospital bag, which Nessie had insisted on packing and leaving in the living room. Gabe dashed upstairs to retrieve it, then brought his car to the front of the pub and eased Sam into the passenger seat.

  ‘Just try to hold on until we get to the hospital,’ he said, as Sam gasped her way through another contraction. ‘I’m not sure I could cope with delivering a baby by the side of the road!’

  It seemed to Sam that the journey took forever, even though she was well aware that Gabe was taking the deserted country roads much faster than the speed limit dictated. When the lights of the hospital finally loomed, she didn’t try to hide her sob of relief. She had no idea how often the contractions were coming, but it felt as though the next one began as soon as the previous wave ebbed away.

  ‘Almost there,’ Gabe said, braking sharply to turn into the car park. ‘Keep breathing.’

  ‘I am breathing,’ Sam snapped, her fingers gripping the door handle so hard her knuckles turned white. ‘Just drive the bloody car.’

  There was an ambulance parked outside the entrance to the hospital. Gabe pulled to an untidy stop behind it and leapt out to run around to the passenger door. He yanked it open and crouched at Sam’s side. ‘Can you walk?’

  Blowing her hair from her sweaty forehead, Sam considered the question. ‘I . . . I think so . . .’

  But at that moment, one of the paramedics materialised next to Gabe with a wheelchair. ‘Need any help?’ she asked.

  Gratitude whooshed over Sam; the truth was, she wasn’t at all sure she could walk, but there hadn’t seemed to be much of an alternative, until now.

  ‘Yes,’ she said, before Gabe could send the paramedic away. ‘Oh god, yes.’

  The green-clad woman laughed. ‘No problem. Let’s get you inside so the midwives can check you over.’

  Everything seemed to happen very fast after that. There were lots of questions and tests; Sam was tucked into a white-sheeted bed and hooked up to a monitor so the nurses could keep an eye on the baby’s heart rate. And, throughout it all, Gabe didn’t leave her side. For the most part, Sam was grateful he was there; despite the cool, matter-of-fact attitude of the hospital staff, her heart was thudding with the terrible fear that there was something wrong, that the baby would be born too early. The warmth of Gabe’s hand in hers calmed the panic that threatened to overwhelm her and reminded her she wasn’t alone, although she couldn’t help cringing as she wondered what he must be thinking; she was still his employer, after all. But that didn’t seem to matter.

  ‘I think it’s safe to say you’re in labour,’ a midwife called Nina told her after a thorough check-up. ‘You’re six centimetres dilated already, which means the baby is well on the way. But the good news is there’s no sign of infection and the heartbeat is strong and steady.’

  ‘But I’ve still got six weeks to go,’ Sam said, feeling her eyes fill with hot tears. ‘It’s too soon.’

  Nina smiled. ‘It’s definitely an early appearance. But babies are usually born between 36 and 38 weeks anyway, so he or she isn’t that premature. And those born after 34 weeks don’t usually need much special care, providing there are no complications.’

  Sam opened her mouth to ask what the complications might be, but another contraction began and she pressed her lips together instead.

  Nina kept a practised eye on the monitor as she jotted some notes on Sam’s file. When the contraction had passed, sh
e gave Sam a sympathetic look. ‘Have you given any thought to the kind of pain relief you might like?’

  ‘Not really,’ Sam replied, her mind a blank as she tried to remember the options she and Nessie had discussed. ‘I thought I had plenty of time to decide.’

  ‘You’re too far along for some things,’ Nina said. ‘Why don’t I go and see what your options are, and then you can decide what’s best for you?’

  Once she’d disappeared along the corridor, Gabe fixed Sam with a determined look. ‘Six centimetres, Sam. I think it’s time to call Nessie.’

  She couldn’t argue; her sister would be very unhappy if they didn’t call her. And if Sam was completely honest, she’d feel better for having Nessie beside her.

  ‘And,’ Gabe said, his voice even more uncompromising, ‘Joss should know too. I don’t suppose he’ll get here in time, at the rate things are progressing, but he has a right to know what’s happening at least.’

  Once again, Sam decided not to argue. How could she when Gabe was right? ‘Okay,’ she said wearily. ‘His number is in my phone.’

  He waited until Nina had returned before heading outside to make the calls. Sam watched him leave, overcome once more by a mixture of embarrassment and gratitude. He’d done everything she asked and more, she acknowledged with an uncomfortable shudder, fulfilling a role that was definitely above and beyond his responsibilities as an employee. But he’d been more than an employee almost from the start. And even though things hadn’t worked out romantically between them, she was proud and thankful to count him as something altogether more valuable than an employee or a fling; he was her friend.

  Gabe arrived back at Sam’s side just as Nina was showing her how to use the gas and air mask.

  Sam paused, the mask just inches from her face. ‘Did you get through?’

  He nodded. ‘Nessie and Owen are on their way. I’ve left a message for Joss.’

  Too late, Sam thought to wonder what he would make of hearing Gabe’s voice telling him the baby was on its way. Would he understand that events had moved too fast for any of them to control? And then a contraction forced the question out of her head; she jammed the mask over her mouth and breathed in the heady mixture.