She smiled wanly, then she shivered. ‘Where is it, Giles? It scares me. It must be hiding somewhere in the house.’
‘I’ve searched everywhere, Beth. It must have run out of the door …’
‘It didn’t. It attacked me after I shut the door.’ She huddled into the corner of the sofa, trembling. ‘All my life I’ve felt safe here, and now – ’
‘Now you still feel safe. Listen, whatever it was, it’s gone.’ He thought for a minute. ‘I tell you what. Why not ask your nice neighbours up at Bryn Glas to bring a couple of those vicious sheep dogs of theirs down and let them run through the house? They would find it, wouldn’t they, if it was still here?’
She sat up eagerly. ‘That’s a brilliant idea. I’ll ring Jenny now.’ At the door she stopped suddenly. ‘Come with me?’
He followed her.
Jenny arrived twenty minutes later in the old truck, with two Border collies and the family retriever. ‘Twm, Dai and Bertie will find it if it’s still here,’ she said cheerfully, the dogs milling round her ankles in the yard. ‘What on earth happened?’
They explained and she frowned. ‘You know, that’s extraordinary. I remember when poor Mrs Craig was attacked by a wildcat up here, oh years ago it was. She was quite badly hurt. It came through the bedroom window. You ask your grandma. Frightening, it was. They always reckoned she shot it. I was very impressed, but Dr Craig was furious with her. I wonder if there are a couple of those big cats one hears about escaped from somewhere breeding up here? Shall I just let the dogs in the house?’ She looked doubtful.
‘Please. Will they search?’
‘Bertie will and the others will follow him. Bertie, seek,’ she commanded. The retriever glanced at her pointing hand and with a sharp bark of excitement streaked off into the house. She sighed. ‘He’s such a mut. He never waits to find out what he’s supposed to be looking for!’
Beth laughed. ‘Come in, Jenny. Have a cup of tea or something while we wait.’
‘I think we ought to follow them, dear. Your faith in their good behaviour is touchingly naïve.’ Jenny gave a cheerful laugh. ‘Perhaps tea later would be nice.’
The dogs found nothing. A wild scramble round the house including a chase through the attics raised nothing more alarming than a cloud of dust. Then Bertie stopped, outside Beth’s bedroom. He raised his nose, pointing, and the line of hackles rose along his back. The other two dogs lined up behind him expectantly.
‘Oh, God.’ Beth looked at Giles. He had brought the poker with him. Leaning forward he pushed open the door.
The dogs hesitated.
‘Go seek,’ Jenny said quietly. Bertie turned and gave her a reproachful stare. Then he sat down.
‘Keep back.’ Giles gripped the poker tightly and tiptoed to the doorway. ‘I can’t see anything,’ he whispered. He took another step forward.
‘My bed!’ Beth squealed suddenly. ‘Look at my bed!’ As though released by her voice from a spell all three dogs bounded into the room. They clustered around the bed sniffing, but none of them went near it. Their tails, Jenny noticed quietly, were clamped between their legs. She felt a pang of fear. Her dogs were not afraid of any animal that she had ever seen. They followed into the room cautiously and stood looking down. The beautiful patchwork quilt had been torn into shreds.
‘Look!’ Beth picked up the remains of the quilt. Under it the sheets and blankets had been torn as well. ‘Why?’ she whispered.
‘I think it went out of this window.’ Giles noticed suddenly that the stay had come loose and the casement had swung shut in the wind. ‘Do you see? It must have knocked over the flowers as it jumped out.’ He rubbed his palm over the latch and looked at it. ‘Blood, and a couple of black hairs.’
He pulled the window tight shut and secured it. ‘Well, at least we know it’s well and truly gone.’ He smiled at Jenny. ‘I think with your permission a biscuit each for your intrepid trio.’ He glanced at Beth. ‘Are you coming downstairs?’
She was staring down at the bed. ‘I keep thinking it could have done that to my face.’
‘You’d best go down to the surgery and have those scratches checked, love.’ Jenny reached to push back Beth’s hair. ‘You were very, very lucky.’
‘We were so happy, having such a lovely evening, and then that happens …’ Beth shuddered violently. ‘It’s like some sort of evil omen, coming out of the dark.’
In the kitchen Jenny snapped her fingers at the three dogs and they lay down under the table. ‘Listen. Can I suggest something? I wouldn’t worry your grandmother about this if I were you. I have a feeling it would upset her – she might feel she can’t go away again and leave you.’ She gave a small half-glance at Giles. ‘I dare say you wouldn’t want that either.’
Beth gave her a gentle punch on the shoulder. She managed to raise a smile. ‘You are not making insinuations, are you, Aunty Jenny?’
‘No I am not! It’s just I thought your grandma doesn’t need any more worries, does she?’
‘No, she doesn’t.’ Beth looked thoughtful for a moment. ‘No, you’re right.’
‘So, mum’s the word?’
Beth nodded. ‘Mum’s the word.’ She shuddered again in spite of herself as she looked towards the window. Outside, there in the dark, there was a dangerous animal hiding. She pictured the shredded quilt on her bed. Why had it done that? Why pick her room out of all those in the house? And why set out to destroy her bed?
Beth and Giles had returned to the sitting room after Jenny and her dogs had left. The pile of toast was untouched on the hearth, the fire a bed of ash. Beth looked at Giles. ‘I can’t believe all that happened.’
He shook his head. ‘Neither can I.’ He leaned forward to throw on some logs and put his arm round her. ‘Poor darling. I do wish you would go and see the doctor.’
‘I told you, I don’t want to. I don’t need a doctor.’ She leaned against him. ‘How long can you stay, Giles?’
‘I don’t know.’ He shrugged. ‘I ought to go back. I’ve got to work on the manuscript.’
‘Stay till Liza gets home. Please.’
He touched her cheek gently. ‘I would stay forever if I could.’
Giles had gone to the kitchen to fetch a bottle of wine and two glasses when the phone rang.
Beth had followed him. ‘Perhaps that’s Liza.’ She picked it up and turned to watch as he began to draw the cork.
‘I need to speak to Giles.’ The voice on the other end was female and icily impersonal.
Beth handed him the receiver in silence. With a glance at her Giles took it. During the conversation which followed he grew more and more agitated. Beth, sitting at the kitchen table, watched him, her heart sinking.
‘I take it that was Idina,’ she said when at last he hung up. Her voice was husky with fear. She had picked up the gist of what was being said.
‘Beth –’ He was ashen.
‘You are not going!’ She could feel the tears welling up inside her like a tide. ‘Not yet. Not till Liza gets home. You promised!’
‘Beth darling, I have to. She’s threatening to take an overdose.’
‘You can’t. You can’t leave me alone. I won’t let you. She doesn’t mean it!’
‘Beth!’ He was standing in front of her. ‘I wouldn’t go if it wasn’t important, you know that.’
‘I’m important!’
‘Yes, you are. You are the most important thing in my life. But Idina needs me.’ He took a deep breath. ‘She’s done it before, Beth.’
‘But I need you, Giles! Supposing it comes back! Supposing it attacks me again?’ She stared at him in sudden real terror. ‘You’re not going now?’ Her voice slid up the scale in panic as he turned and began to collect his scattered belongings.
He stopped and came over to her, his face anguished. This was the hardest thing he had ever had to do. ‘Please, darling Beth, don’t make it even more difficult for me. I have no choice. I hate to leave you, but you will be safe. I’ll go and fetch Je
nny and her dogs. They’ll come back if I ask. Keep all the doors and windows locked until daylight. I shall ring you the moment I get there, I promise. The thing is, I can’t leave Idina on her own when she gets like this. If she’s busy with another man she doesn’t care. But he’s dumped her.’ He shook his head miserably. ‘I know it’s emotional blackmail but I am her husband, Beth. I feel responsible for her. I am still very fond of her.’ He shrugged and put his hands gently up to her injured face. ‘You’re strong, Beth. You’re a survivor. That’s why I love you. And you’ve got your art. Idina has nothing. And I promise I shall come back. Somehow I shall sort things out with her and I shall come back.’
‘You love me, but you’re still very fond of her!’ Beth retorted. ‘That sounds like you want to have your cake and eat it to me!’ She watched as, slowly and methodically, he collected up luggage and carried it out to the car whilst she sat unmoving at the kitchen table.
‘Giles – please!’ She followed him out at last. Standing looking helplessly at his car she started sobbing again.
‘No, Beth.’ He pushed the last case in and closed the hatchback door. His patience was wearing thin. ‘I’ll go and get Jenny – ’
‘Don’t bother!’ Beth ran inside, her unhappiness and fear suddenly turning to fury. ‘You haven’t got everything, have you! I think you’d better take these as well!’ She raced round blindly, scooping up all their carefully worked notes and photos and sketches and the lists of headings, topics and chapters, bundling them together. Frantic with anger and misery, she hurled them at him across the muddy yard.
He stared down at them, almost dazed by what she had done, then he looked up at her in sudden cold rage. ‘You’re being selfish and childish, Beth!’ he shouted. Then he sighed. ‘Perhaps it’s as well I found out now, before it’s too late!’ Climbing furiously into the car he reversed it round, running over one of her nicest sketches, and drove out of the yard.
She stared after him in disbelief, the cat completely forgotten as she heard the sound of his engine die away in the distance. Why had she been so stupid? She knew about Idina. She had known the score before she asked Giles here. But if she had been unreasonable, so had he.
Only then, as the rain began to fall again in huge, slow drops did some modicum of self-preservation at last kick in. She found a torch and went round the yard resolutely picking up all the papers and, shuffling them together, bundled them into a wet heap on the kitchen table before she slammed the door shut and threw the bolts across. Then she returned to the living room and flung herself down on the sofa to cry.
It was dark when Liza drove up the pitch at last and pulled into the yard. Only Beth’s car was there and she wondered if they were out. The kitchen light was on though, and when she pushed the back door it was bolted.
‘Beth? Giles?’
Beth opened the door alone. She threw her arms round Liza’s neck. ‘He’s gone!’ She had been crying so much her face was puffy and her eyes red.
‘What happened? You didn’t have a row?’
‘Sort of.’ Beth sniffed. ‘It was so lovely. We were working on the book. Photographing. I was doing sketches. We had planned great chunks of it. He was going to stay until next week. Then his wife rang.’ Tears welled up again and she groped in her jeans pocket for a tissue.
Liza sighed. She took Beth’s hand and led her into the sitting room. It was in almost total darkness. One table lamp was glowing in the corner. Beth had been sitting on a cushion in front of the embers of the fire. Liza snapped on a couple more lights and threw a log on the fire. ‘Didn’t I tell you not to forget he was married?’ she said sternly.
‘He said they had an arrangement.’
‘Oh, please!’ Liza threw a glance up at the heavens. ‘Sweetheart. Never believe a man when he says he has an arrangement with his wife, and never believe him when he says she doesn’t understand him. That probably means she understands him only too well. So what happened? She summoned him back, I gather?’
Beth nodded. ‘She threatened to kill herself if he didn’t go back.’
‘I see.’
‘And I hurled all my sketches at him.’ Beth burst into tears again.
‘Oh, Beth.’ Liza threw herself back against the cushions and closed her eyes. ‘What am I going to do with you?’
‘I’m sorry.’ Beth looked so young and helpless, sitting on her cushion, her arms wrapped round her knees, the tears pouring down her face, that Liza wanted to cry with her.
‘I’ll give him a ring in the morning,’ she said firmly.
‘No!’
‘Beth, this is a business arrangement. There is a lot of money involved, and a contract. You can’t just cry and scream and throw your notes at him. You have to behave like an adult and so must he!’ Liza made herself sound a lot sterner than she felt. ‘If I don’t ring him then you must. There is no room in this job for a prima donna, or for him to seduce you, the bastard. You both have to learn to be professional. And for future reference, as a rule, that means not going to bed with your business associates.’
‘Just like you didn’t go to bed with Michele.’
‘That was different.’
‘How?’
‘It was. Just believe me, Beth. For one thing he wasn’t married! And for another he wasn’t my only source of income, my first and most important job and my contact and recommendation, with any luck, to many jobs to come.’
She frowned suddenly as Beth looked up and gazed into the fire. ‘What on earth have you done to your face?’
‘Nothing.’ Beth dropped her head into her arms again hastily.
‘Show me?’ Liza slid off the sofa and knelt beside her. ‘My God, Beth, what happened? He didn’t – ’
‘No, he didn’t. How could you even think it!’
‘Then what was it?’ The sudden knife of panic in her stomach was reflected in the sharpness of Liza’s voice. ‘Tell me, Beth!’
‘It was a cat.’ Her voice was muffled in her knees.
‘Oh, no.’ Liza shook her head. ‘Oh, please God, no.’ She hauled herself back onto the sofa in silence.
So the fact that Liza had left Adam alone had not been enough for her. Brid had come to Wales anyway. Perhaps it was just a warning, or had her vindictiveness reached new depths? Julie, Calum, Phil, Jane. There were only two people left in Adam’s life. Herself and Beth, the child of Adam’s child …
Liza shuddered.
She checked every door and window that night, and searched the house herself after Beth had at last gone to bed, and before she climbed wearily into her own bed she unlocked the cupboard which contained Phil’s gun and propped it up in the corner of the bedroom near her. Under her pillow she put a kitchen knife and she slept with the light on.
The phone call from Robert Cassie came at ten past nine. ‘Liza, what’s been going on? Giles says he can’t work with your granddaughter.’
‘Of course he can – or he could if he kept his knickers on,’ Liza retorted sharply. She had had a restless night and was feeling lousy. ‘Tell him to be a bit more professional. Beth is distraught. He can’t play with her like that. It’s disgraceful. Just tell him to keep away. They’ve done all that needs to be done for now.’ She had been looking at the notes and pictures and was impressed by the professionalism which had come through in spite of the streaks of mud and the occasional torn sketch. ‘It will be all right. They will calm down.’
‘I wish I shared your optimism!’
‘Trust me.’ Liza smiled. She had had an idea in the night which filled her with excitement.
It was a long time before the phone was picked up. ‘Pronto?’
‘Michele? It is me. Liza!’ She held her breath. ‘Can Beth and I come out to see you?’
The terrazza was just as she remembered it. The crumbling white stone threaded with sweet-scented thyme and oregano seemed to merge with the hillside as though the old castle was growing from the very core of the mountain itself. Liza gave a deep sigh of contentment. She ca
ught Michele’s eye. ‘You are a very nice man.’
‘So I was always trying to convince you.’ He smiled. ‘When are you going to tell me the truth?’
‘The truth?’ She reached forward from the low chair and picked up her glass of wine.
‘The truth.’
He was a tall man, his hair as thick as she remembered it, but now completely white. The tanned face was if anything a little more wrinkled, the eyes a little brighter, otherwise he had not changed. She still felt an intense pang of physical longing every time she set eyes on him. It was ridiculous, she kept telling herself, at her age, to lust after a man the way she was doing. It lacked dignity and it lacked style. But still she found herself wanting to reach forward and run her fingers over the silky hairs on his tanned arm as it rested on the edge of the table near her. He smiled. ‘Yes, I know you have come to get Beth away from some unsuitable man, and to let her relax and unwind and compose herself, and – what were the other words you used?’ He chuckled. ‘But I don’t think that was why you came at all. I remember my Liza. It is not like her to be afraid and she would not be afraid of an importunate author. After all she is not afraid of me!’
She laughed. ‘As observant as ever.’
‘So. The truth.’
‘Michele, I would tell you the truth if I thought there was the smallest chance of you believing it. But as it is, I don’t think you would.’ She could see Beth, wandering in the gardens below them. The pale straw hat she was wearing bobbed up and down amongst the trees and then stopped. She saw the flash of white as the sketch book was opened and knew she was settled, at least for a while.
‘Try me.’ His voice was stern.
On the Edge of Darkness Page 44