Spencer lifted her up in his arms. He carried her to her bedroom and sat her on the bed. She couldn’t be bothered to put on her nightdress; keeping the blanket round her, she climbed into bed.
‘Before I go home I’ll pop up the hill to Daisy’s and get her to sit with you,’ Spencer said, putting the covers over her.
‘I’m cold,’ she shuddered suddenly, complaining like a recalcitrant child. ‘I’ve never felt so cold in all my life. I don’t think I’ll ever feel warm again.’
‘You will. Try to get some sleep.’
‘I don’t feel sleepy now I’m in bed.’
He gazed at her for some moments. Her blonde hair was splayed on the pillows round her pale face, making her look ethereal and even more beautiful. Her blue eyes were just as bold and bright. This woman was so very desirable. She’d only been widowed for three months and already Ince, the most unlikely male candidate in the village to chase after her, had loved and lost her. It wouldn’t be long before the next man would step forward and make his feelings plain. If she did marry again, he hoped it wouldn’t affect her growing relationship with Vicki. It had taken him a long time to admit it, and it had been a bitter pill to swallow, but Vicki needed Laura Jennings. He’d have to take care she stayed around for his beloved daughter’s sake.
He said gently, ‘Would you like me to hold you for a while?’
‘Yes,’ she nodded, not wanting him to leave her.
‘I’ll stay until you’re sleeping.’
He half lay on the bed and slipping his arms under the covers, nestled her against his chest. She pressed her face to his thick jumper, feeling his warmth through the soft wool.
‘Thank you for saving my life, Spencer.’ With him there she was able to put the terrors of the day to the back of her mind and close her eyes. Long after she had drifted off to sleep, he was still there.
Chapter 33
The following Sunday Laura was invited to Hawksmoor House for tea. So was Daisy, Spencer, Vicki and Ince, but Ince declined the invitation. They arrived together in Spencer’s car.
Felicity was looking her usual elegant self but ten years younger and full of vitality now that five years of unexpressed grief and an unfair burden had been lifted from her. When Spencer had got back to the farm after Laura’s rescue, he had taken Vicki aside and explained how the estrangement between her and her grandmother had been entirely his fault, that Felicity had always longed to see her and do all the things grandmothers did. Vicki had taken most of it in and dropped her surliness but Felicity was still a stranger and she had kept her distance. Felicity didn’t mind that, she had all the years ahead to build up a loving relationship with her.
‘What a pity Ince hasn’t come,’ Felicity said gaily, showing her guests to their seats in the dining room, putting Vicki next to her and Laura on the other side of Vicki. It was hard to come to terms with another woman taking part of her dead daughter’s place in Vicki’s life, but Felicity cared deeply for Laura and acknowledged that if it hadn’t been for her, this day would never have come.
‘Ince felt it was something of a family occasion,’ Spencer said, sitting down opposite Laura and admiring her figure in a fitted blouse and straight skirt. ‘And he’s always kept to himself.’
‘As long as he doesn’t feel left out,’ Felicity said. Another person came into the room and she met him at the door, threading her arm proudly through his. ‘This is your Uncle Harry, Vicki. Would you like to come and say hello to him, dear?’
Vicki viewed the tall dark man in the doorway. She was feeling rather shy and shook her head.
‘Perhaps she will a little later,’ Laura said.
Harry sat at the head of the table. ‘We’ll have tea first to break the ice, eh?’ he said jovially, winking at Vicki. He looked lingeringly at Laura. ‘Good to see you looking the picture of health, Laura.’ Then he turned to Daisy. ‘She gave us all a scare, didn’t she, Mrs Tamblyn? I feel guilty. I should have noticed the way the weather was changing before she set off. I was most alarmed when I drove back from Truro and into the mist but luckily by then Spencer had everything in hand.’
‘She’s been up to all sorts since she’s lived down here,’ Daisy laughed, but she refused to look at Harry; he was a menace to any decent woman, in her opinion. ‘I can’t keep up with her. Thank goodness Spencer found her in time.’
Everyone was looking at her and Laura felt embarrassed. ‘Thank you for the flowers you sent me, Harry.’ She was still upset over Honesty’s death and hadn’t had the chance to talk to Harry about it yet. She hoped to do so today.
‘My pleasure,’ Harry drawled. He noticed that although Vicki was sitting patiently, she was gazing longingly at a plateful of iced, cherry-topped cakes.
‘Here you are, poppit,’ he said. He put a cake on her plate and then took the cherries off all the other cakes and added them to hers. ‘Tuck in and after that Uncle Harry will give you a huge plateful of strawberry trifle.’
Vicki laughed gleefully and popped a cherry into her mouth.
‘You will not!’ Spencer said disapprovingly; he would never stop loathing Harry.
‘You’ll make her sick,’ Laura tut-tutted.
‘You shouldn’t have done that,’ Daisy muttered, looking down over her nose.
‘It would have been better if she had started with a sandwich, Harry,’ Felicity pointed out.
Unconcerned, Vicki bit into the soft sponge and white icing. She giggled as Harry winked at her. ‘Take no notice of the fuddy-duddies, Vicki,’ he laughed, taking a ham sandwich for himself, then adding in a W.C. Fields voice, ‘Stick with Uncle Harry, my dear, and you’ll have a rip-roaring time.’
‘Well,’ Felicity said smiling impishly, seeing the funny side. ‘Do start, the rest of you. I’ll pour the tea.
‘You’re quite sure you’ve no after-effects from being out so long in the wet and cold, Laura?’ she asked.
‘Yes, no aches and pains, I promise you. Spencer looked after me very well.’ He was looking at her as he took a sandwich from the plate Daisy was offering him and she smiled at him. He smiled back. It was only the merest lift of the corners of his wide mouth but it amazed her at how much kinder it made him look. ‘Now I’ve got my strength back, it’s time I looked for a job. I’ve got my jewellery but I want to keep it as a nest egg and I don’t want to use up all my small savings.’
‘You were your father’s personal assistant before you married. Harry could find you something, couldn’t you, darling?’ Felicity said. She was pleased with the way he had conquered Vicki’s shyness of him.
‘Absolutely, leave it with me,’ Harry replied, pulling funny faces at Vicki and making her laugh.
‘You can work in the shop with me,’ Daisy put in hastily and somewhat forcibly. ‘I’d love to have you. Bunty’s finding it hard with her arthritis and I’m not as young as I was. It wouldn’t be as much pay as a personal assistant but it would save you the drive into Launceston or one of the other towns every day. It would only be about five hours, Monday to Friday, and every other Saturday morning. You’d have plenty of time to do other things.’ She was hinting at time to spend with Vicki and visiting people like Joy Miller and Johnny Prouse.
‘It sounds ideal, Aunty Daisy,’ Laura exclaimed enthusiastically. She had no particular desire for a high-flown job. ‘The perfect answer to all our problems.’
‘It will be lovely having you handy in the village,’ Felicity said, putting down her teacup. She had begun to show her face again in the village since things had been sorted out with Spencer. ‘What about your friend, Andrew Macarthur? Has he made any plans to return to London yet?’
‘Oh, didn’t you know? Andrew’s emigrating down here too. He’s taking up a partnership in a Bodmin law practice at the end of the month.’
‘And all he needs now is for a certain maid to say she will marry him,’ Daisy added, beaming round the table. ‘I’m sure you all know who I’m talking about.’
‘Is he going to give Jacka and
Joan a home too?’ Spencer asked tartly. ‘Or will he leave them on the streets when they’re evicted?’
‘Andrew would never do that,’ Laura retorted, annoyed. It seemed Spencer’s distrustful nature hadn’t mellowed much. ‘He’s been to the bank to try to sort things out and should be hearing from them soon. But even if he doesn’t succeed, he’ll provide a home for all the Daveys. He’s very fond of Jacka and Joan.’
‘Aye, he’ll see them all right,’ Daisy observed, looking at Spencer. ‘He’s a good man, kindness itself, and he adores that dear maid. Be a wedding soon, I shouldn’t wonder. That’ll give us all something to look forward to.’
Spencer made an impatient sound and Laura was reminded of his grumpy disposition. It was a pity he couldn’t be more relaxed about life, even act silly at times, like Harry.
Harry had gone quiet. It still irked him that he had failed to bring Tressa Davey to the gutter if not his bed. A small hand tugged on his shirt cuff.
‘Can I see your horses please, Uncle Harry?’ Vicki had plucked up the courage to ask but she didn’t want to go alone. ‘And Laura, can she come too?’
‘Certainly, you both can,’ Harry replied heartily, tweaking her nose. ‘As soon as you’ve stuffed yourself full of trifle.’
When tea was over, Felicity showed Daisy over the house while Spencer went alone to the drawing room to mull over the times he had spent there with Natalie. Laura helped Vicki into her hat and coat and they accompanied Harry to the stables.
Vicki allowed Harry to hold her other hand. ‘Why have you got so many horses, Uncle Harry?’ she wanted to know.
‘I hire them out to holidaymakers to ride. We’re quite remote here, a long way from the towns, but lots of people like to go pony trekking. In the summer I hire a trained guide to go with them.’ He added over Vicki’s head, ‘I wish I’d had a guide the day you went out, Laura.’
When Vicki was standing halfway up the gate of a stall, held safely by Harry, absorbed in stroking Harry’s own mount Charlie Boy, Laura tapped his arm. He immediately gave her his attention.
‘Harry, I’ve been wanting to talk to you about Honesty. I’m so sorry she died, I feel responsible. She must have been valuable to you. Is there any way I can compensate you?’
Oh yes, he thought, looking deeply into her eyes, I can think of one very special way. He wouldn’t suggest what was on his mind. Felicity liked and respected Laura, and they both had reason to be grateful to her over Vicki; he’d just have to rely on his charm to achieve his ends.
‘Laura, I want you to forget about doing any such thing. What happened was an accident. If you’re worried about the financial side of things, then don’t. I have insurance for that sort of thing. Look, I know I’ve come on strong with you and you don’t trust me after what I did to Tressa, but if you ever want to go riding again and don’t want to go by yourself, I hope you will consider letting me accompany you. I make no bones about the fact that I like the ladies but you have my word you can trust me.’
‘Thanks, Harry,’ Laura said. ‘If and when I ride again, I won’t go alone.’
They were suddenly aware of Vicki looking at them with a strange expression on her face.
‘What’s the matter, darling?’ Laura asked anxiously. ‘Are you afraid of the horse?’
‘No, I like Charlie Boy. Uncle Harry is a nice man to show him to me. My granny is a nice lady. Daddy said he kept me away from them. Is my daddy a horrible man?’
Laura was appalled. ‘Oh no, your daddy’s a very nice man, Vicki. He got very upset when your mummy died and sometimes grown-ups behave in ways children can’t understand. He loves you very much, Vicki, never forget that.’
Spencer had come out to the stable and had overheard. He coughed to gain attention and gave Laura a quick look of gratitude. ‘I’m afraid we’ll have to break the tea party up. Bunty was just on the phone. The shop has been broken into and Daisy has to go home.’
‘Oh no,’ Laura said, lifting Vicki down and holding her in her arms.
‘She’s in a state of shock,’ Spencer said. ‘I’ll drive you and Daisy back.’ He held out his hand. ‘Come along with me, pipkin.’
‘If Vicki would like to, why don’t you let her stay here with me and Mother?’ Harry offered.
Spencer looked very doubtful and Laura seized the opportunity to let Vicki be fully united with her grandmother and uncle. ‘Things could be upsetting at the shop, Spencer.’
With a submissive sigh, Spencer said, ‘Would you like to stay with Granny and Uncle Harry, pipkin?’
‘For a little while,’ Vicki replied quietly.
‘I’ll be back in an hour,’ Spencer promised her.
Laura kissed Vicki goodbye and handed her over to Harry. Daisy was waiting in Spencer’s car, shaking and sobbing and being comforted by Felicity. They drove to the shop quickly to find Mike Penhaligon and Andrew waiting inside with Bunty, who was also distressed.
‘Constable Geach is on his way,’ Andrew said, leading Daisy to her chair in the kitchen. ‘I was on my way to Tregorlan Farm to pick Jacka up to take him to evensong. I thought I saw someone at a window and as I knew you were going to Hawksmoor House for tea with Laura, I asked Miss Buzza if you had changed your mind. I got Mike and we found the back door had been forced open. We checked over the house to make sure the burglar wasn’t still here and then Miss Buzza was able to check your stock. Cigarettes have been taken and I’m afraid yesterday’s takings and all the post office takings have gone too.’
‘But who could have done it?’ Daisy sobbed. ‘There were a couple of burglaries, including a post office, in Bodmin during the war but we’ve never had nothing like this round here before.’
‘You leave that to the constable, m’dear,’ Mike said.
Spencer and Andrew exchanged a look. ‘If you want to get away, Macarthur, I can stay with Mike and the ladies.’
Andrew nodded gratefully. Eager to make a good impression, he wanted to sit with Jacka through the service. After assuring Daisy he would do all he could for her tomorrow, he left.
‘Love’s young dream,’ Spencer said drily.
‘There’s no need to be like that,’ Laura said, wanting to dig him in the ribs, then she remembered she also wanted to congratulate him. ‘It was good of you to leave Vicki at Hawksmoor. Are you finding it difficult?’
‘I’ll survive,’ he growled under his breath so the others in the room couldn’t hear. ‘My personal feelings are my own business.’
‘Don’t worry,’ she replied moving away from him. ‘I won’t forget it again.’
They had been warned not to touch anything until the constable arrived and there was nothing else to do but sit and drink tea, laced with a tot of brandy which Mike had brought with him.
PC Reginald Geach walked into the room, notebook and pencil at the ready, some twenty minutes later. A stocky middle-aged man, he was breathless from the long bicycle ride from his home on the other side of Lewannick, and had to have a cup of tea before he could start his inquiries.
‘Now then, as I understand it, Mr Macarthur raised the alarm when he saw someone in the house. You shouldn’t have let him leave here. I’ll have to have a word with he after the church service. I’m afraid you’ll have the CID swarming all over the place tomorrow, Mrs Tamblyn. There’s been a spate of sub-post offices being broken into in this area. Would you like to come with me now and see exactly what’s been taken?’
They went through to the shop with Bunty and Mike; Laura and Spencer stayed put, not wanting to crowd the small shop.
‘The men didn’t say whether anything had been taken from the house,’ Spencer said. ‘Shall we take a look and see if anything has been disturbed?’
‘Good idea. Let’s start in the sitting room.’
Laura saw at once that two brass candlesticks were missing and some ornaments from a small glass cupboard. ‘Daisy will never get over this,’ she breathed, feeling sick to her stomach. ‘Some of the things missing were sent to her from abr
oad by her children, the only contact she has with them.’
‘Look at this,’ Spencer said angrily. ‘The silver photograph frame of Vicki as a baby is gone and the photograph left all screwed up.’
Laura took the photograph from him and straightened it out but the creases had ruined the picture. ‘You’ve probably got another one at home. You can have a copy done for her. Vicki was a beautiful baby, anyone who could screw up a photo like this must have a cruel mentality.’
‘Yes,’ Spencer agreed. ‘It’s a good job Daisy didn’t decide to stay at home.’ He had a sudden thought. ‘You’d better put it down, Laura, there might be fingerprints on it. Let’s look upstairs.’
The bedroom Laura had slept in on her first few nights in the village looked undisturbed but in Daisy’s room all the drawers and cupboards had obviously been opened; none of them were quite closed. Some papers were scattered on the chest of drawers.
‘They’ve probably taken what they wanted and left the rest,’ Spencer said grimly.
Laura looked down at the papers. Most of them were old letters and receipts and Daisy’s insurance policies. A document caught her eye and when she read it she gasped.
‘What is it?’ Spencer asked.
‘It’s this,’ she uttered. ‘It’s a will.’ Her voice was raw and painful. ‘It says here that the shop was left to Daisy and her sister Faith, that’s Bill’s mother. That means when his mother died, Bill would have inherited half the shop. He never said anything about this. He couldn’t have known. His mother couldn’t have known. It looks like Daisy kept it a secret. I’m going to ask her about it.’
As she made to leave the bedroom, Spencer restrained her. ‘I don’t think now is the time, Laura. If it turns out to be what you fear, it’s a criminal offence and there is a policeman in the house. You don’t want to get Daisy into trouble, do you? Leave it until tomorrow.’
Laura folded up the will and put it in her coat pocket. She said grimly, ‘I can’t stay here. I’m taking this home now to study it. I’ll make some excuse to Daisy. Will you come with me?’
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