The Knapthorne Conspiracy

by Malcolm Ballard

  “Hello puss!” The cat could tell from it’s mistress’s voice that the worst was over and rubbed itself against Bella’s ankles. “Not one of my better days, Ubix, as I think you've realised.” She bent down to stroke it. “If I bring any man home, in future, you give him the once-over first, ok? If you don’t give him the nod, he’s out. I don’t care who it is!” To show Ubix what a good cat it was, she opened a tin of salmon, an action which drove the cat crazy in its impatience for Bella to get the food into its bowl.

  “There you are,” she said, stroking her pet lovingly as she placed the bowl on the floor. “Now if I was to tell you that I was going to ask Cora about her sister, what would you have to say about that, hm?”

  By Monday she felt distinctly better, the whole episode serving to make her feel definitely less concerned about having a man in her life and, consequently, more committed to her writing. Funnily enough though, after the experience with Kyle she’d had a sudden urge to ring Ben the previous evening on his mobile but then thought better of it asking herself if she was ever going to learn. Bella found it difficult to keep the events of Friday night from intruding into her thoughts at the most inconvenient moments as she was trying to write but, as the day wore on, she’d got her feelings pretty much under control. If there was one thing that she was thankful for, at least it had served to identify her priorities right now. Even as she had realised the fact, an image of her mother came to mind and she made a mental note to ring her. Of course, fate played its hand and late that afternoon just as Bella was considering turning it in for the day the phone rang and it was Maria.

  “Mama! You’re never going to believe this but I’ve been thinking about you all afternoon, telling myself I had to ring you tonight. How are you?” Bella couldn’t keep the concern from her voice and what had meant to sound like a normal question came out as anything but.

  “What do you mean, how am I? I’m fine, child. Don’t worry so!” Bella gave a fretful sigh.

  “Maria!” she responded, in exasperation. “If you'd just been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s you’d say you were fine!” She regretted the words, instantly. “You’re not getting Alzheimer’s, are you?”

  “Arabella! Be quiet and listen. I’m flying over this Friday. First I will stay with your sister for the weekend…” Bella couldn’t have wished for better news to cheer her up.

  “Maria, that’s wonderful!”

  “…let me finish, will you? I will come to you on Monday, if that’s alright and we will have two or three days together before I have to be back.”

  “Two or three days? Is that all. Mama it’s no time whatsoever,” Bella protested. “Stay longer, please!” For all Bella’s pleading, her mother refused saying it was impossible and that was an end to it. Maria made a polite enquiry about her daughter’s latest book and listened with interest to Bella’s reply before stating that she was being picked up shortly and had to go. After saying goodbye to her favourite daughter, Maria replaced the receiver with a heavy heart knowing how much Arabella would be looking forward to her visit. And she would normally have anticipated their being together with much pleasure. But this was to be no ordinary visit as she had news for both her children, as she still persisted in calling them. The time had come to talk about the past. A time for explanations. She owed it to them both before it was too late.

  Bella found it hard to settle after her mother’s phone call, her instincts telling her that something was going on. But what? In no time at all she was outside in the fresh air, wrapped in her anorak, a gusty breeze snatching at her hair as she strode down the drive. It was almost second nature now to go for a walk when she needed to think, or clear her mind, and it seemed only natural to head through the woods to the stream, on the other side of Spinney Lane. Entering the trees Bella breathed in deeply inhaling the fresh, mossy dampness of the air around her. There had been a shower of rain earlier, obviously, and the evening sun that filtered through the branches overhead reflected off the myriad droplets of water that hung from the leaves like pearls. Maria’s phone call felt like it was part of the pattern that had been forming ever since she’d inherited the cottage. To Bella it seemed like a third party was controlling everything that had taken place and she was merely a player taking part. To her way of thinking there was an invisible thread that, in some mysterious way, linked everything together. She’d certainly had no cause to feel like that at any time previously in her life, she reflected, as she ducked beneath a rather large overhanging branch in her path. It was a little unnerving when she thought about it. And now Maria was coming over to see her. Well, her and Laura.

  “I wonder what, if anything, Laura thinks about Maria’s visit?” She spoke out loud knowing she was alone and not very far away but out of sight a rabbit that had been happily feeding pricked up its ears at the sound of her voice.

  Wishing the time away so that the day of her mother’s arrival would come quickly didn’t help and even though she threw herself into her work, the hours wouldn’t pass fast enough for her. By the time it got to Thursday, Bella had convinced herself to ask Cora about her sister, Ruth. Having made the decision then much time had been spent agonising over how to introduce the subject and come up with a plausible explanation as to how she’d found out. In the end, she’d decided that truth, or something close to it, would be the only way. From the time she had woken up and realised it was Thursday, the day Cora and Joshua came, she had begun to feel nervous about approaching the woman. Minutes later, as she had soaped herself vigorously in the shower, Bella had given herself a stern lecture, telling herself not to be so stupid and what did she have to worry about. Closing her eyes and picturing Cora’s grim features gave her an instant, unpleasant reminder.

  “Then don’t do it, you silly cow!” she instructed herself, as she got out of the shower. “Christ, what are you worried about? What’s she going to do?” A vivid image of Cora waving a gnarled old wand and turning her into a slimy toad caused Bella to giggle, relieving some of the tension she was feeling.

  “Needip, needip,” she said to the mirror, puffing her cheeks out like a bullfrog. Turning she saw Ubix sitting at the door, quietly watching. “Yes, I’m sorry Ubix. Your mistress has finally lost her marbles. Oh, and by the way, don’t you go wandering off this morning. I want you around when I speak to Cora, d’you hear?” Was that a grin on the cat’s face before it turned away and went out the door? She couldn’t help thinking it was.

  After towelling herself down, she slipped into a robe and went back to her bedroom to get dressed. Be yourself, girl, her inner voice said and she heeded its advice. In her usual uniform of jeans and sweatshirt, Bella put her wet hair up in a towel then set off barefoot for the kitchen and breakfast. No make-up, no moisturiser, nothing. It would be plain Jane who addressed Cora A level playing field. Finding it hard to keep her eyes off the clock, Bella took her bowl of muesli and fresh fruit out into the garden and surveyed the morning sky for the promised rain. Although it was grey and overcast the sun was trying to break through and Bella took it as a good omen for the day. No great distance away, as she and Joshua made their way to Willow Cottage, Cora was studying the clouds too and wondering just what sort of a day it was going to be. Hardly having recovered from the shock of hearing Ruth’s name mentioned by a stranger after all this time, and trying to cope with Alfie’s reaction, she was looking forward to her chores at Willow Cottage as a means of taking her mind off things. Joshua Bodkin sat alongside her thinking about how the garden could really do with a nice drop of rain. Neither of them felt a great urge to talk to the other on their weekly journeys, outside of observing the basic rituals. In the mornings, it tended to be a brief greeting and the mandatory comments about the weather. On the way back it was generally something to the effect of looking forward to getting home and a curt farewell when they parted. They made an odd couple but their lives had followed similar paths. Each of them had been born in the village and neither had ever married or been outside the county borders in
their travels. They knew each other as well as anyone ever would but that didn’t mean a great deal, as they knew very little of each other. There was a bond between them however, something that stretched back many years and, almost as though they were family, united them both. Once upon a time Joshua had been engaged to marry Cora’s sister, Ruth.

  Whilst having breakfast Bella had decided that it would be best to try and let the subject of Ruth come up naturally during the course of a conversation, rather than make a point of raising it with the woman. The problem being that Cora wasn’t the kind of person you had a good old natter with or chatted to over a cup of coffee. That left the option of Bella starting the conversation as she saw fit, then guiding it round to the desired topic. Keen to carry on with her writing, she felt that the sooner she talked to Cora that morning the better. What had really struck her while she had been standing outside was the difference that someone’s personality made when it came to dealing with them. It was something that she’d had cause to think about often, in the past. With some people it was easy to talk about most things, or even have a rational argument, whereas with others even the simplest discussions often proved difficult or fraught with anxiety. What made them that way? Why was Cora Flint the way she was? If only she could chip through that granite exterior of her housekeeper and find the real Cora Flint beneath. Bella was in the kitchen when the pair arrived. She hadn’t heard the pony and trap coming up the drive or the animal whinnying as Cora had tied the long reins to a tree in front of the cottage. For a big woman she was very light on her feet and Bella had neither heard her open the door, which she’d unlocked earlier, nor make her way to the kitchen. It was the smell of fresh bread that had alerted her to Cora’s presence.

  “Now there’s something I’ve missed since coming down from London!” Cora had entered the kitchen holding out a loaf for Bella. “It’s really for me? Cora that’s so kind of you!” Her housekeeper wasn’t used to compliments and felt embarrassed.

  “I were doin’ some bakin’ an’ another loaf's no trouble. It’s got a few ‘erbs an’ bits in it, if you’re partial.”

  “There’s a French bakery just around the corner from me, in London, and the smell when you walk past is just divine. It’s always very difficult to walk past especially with the cakes he has in the window.”

  “Old Sid Ferris, in the village, ain’t a bad baker, been at it for years ‘e ‘as, but I’ve always preferred doin’ my own. Alfie likes ‘is bread fresh, too, ‘specially now ‘e ain’t got ‘is own teeth. Finds Sid’s crusts a bit ‘ard, sometimes.” Bella was amazed to find Cora positively verbose. Used to only one or two stern words of greeting or a gruff comment on the weather, the woman’s attitude was a real surprise. Never would she have a better opportunity to ask her about her sister. Bella, of course, knew nothing about the incident with Wendy Daniels in the pub. Neither could she be aware of how pleased Cora was not to have to suffer her own company and the whirlpool of thoughts about Ruth that were spinning round and round in her mind. Old memories, old fears that had been laid to rest by the passing of time had suddenly been rejuvenated by a few words from a young girl.

  “How long did you live here, at Willow Cottage, Cora?” Under normal circumstances it could have been a perfectly natural thing for Bella to have asked but Cora Flint’s senses were on red alert after Ruth’s name had surfaced so recently.

  “What you’m askin’ for?” Instantly, the mask had returned and the woman’s look mirrored her suspicion.

  “Just interested, that’s all. Trying to make polite conversation so that we can perhaps get to know each other a bit better.” The thought went through Bella’s mind that it was ludicrous to be almost apologising for asking what was, after all, a simple question.

  “I’m not made that way, Miss Foxton. Likes to keep myself to myself and expects other folks to mind their business, if you please.” That’s it, Bella said to herself. I’m not putting up with her in my house any longer if she can’t be civil. I’m paying for her services, after all, she reminded herself. Here goes nothing. If I lose her, tough.

  “Is your sister, Ruth, the same?” The effect of Bella's words couldn’t have been more dramatic even though Cora hadn't said anything. In fact she looked incapable of speech, the shock registering on her face as clearly visible as graffiti on a wall. The big woman was dead in the water then her face crumpled and her hands went to her mouth. Without a word, she rushed past Bella and made a grab for the handle of the door leading to the garden and before Bella could say anything, she was gone. From where she stood, Bella could see Cora talking to Joshua in an animated fashion obviously in the grip of extreme anxiety and for a fleeting moment she thought about going out to her. Bella’s lips moved almost indiscernibly as she went over to the door and murmured the words she had spoken to Kyle almost a week ago.

  “That’s a big deal then is it Kyle, the fact that Alfie and Cora have got a sister?” From where she stood now it was plain to see that it obviously meant much more to Cora than she ever would have credited. As she watched Cora turned away, hurrying to the side of the house without so much as a glance in Bella’s direction. Joshua watched her go, his face a picture of despondency. Even his natural cheeriness, it seemed, had been affected by Cora’s distressed state of mind. As soon as it became clear that her gardener was headed for the kitchen, Bella moved to make herself look busy and acted surprised when Joshua tapped on the door before opening it.

  “Can I ‘ave a quick word with you, marm?” By force of habit he’d removed his hat before entering the kitchen, revealing short, sparse grey hair which stuck out at all angles from his head and gave him a rather comical appearance. “Mrs. Flint offers her apologies, marm, but she’s ‘ad a bit of a turn and she’s not feelin’ too good so I told her to go home. She said to tell you, sorry for the inconvenience."

  By the time she returned upstairs Bella was feeling awful about the whole thing. Typically, she now wished she hadn’t said anything and had just left things as they were.

  “It’s all Kyle Lucas’s fault,” she exclaimed, pummelling away at the keyboard. “Everything! I knew if he started to poke around it would end up causing trouble and now look what’s happened!” It was impossible to concentrate on her work while she felt like this and she sat back from the computer in frustration.

  “Should I go round to see her?” Bella thought about this. “I’m certainly not going to apologise.” She continued to think about it. “So, what do I say to her? It’s not as if I’m speaking to someone who it’s easy to talk to.” Her head slumped forward and she exhaled. “First of all, I have all the drama of the weekend, and now this!” Bella lifted her head slowly, tilted it back, then moved it back and forth in a circular motion a couple of times to exercise her neck muscles, which were feeling tense. “And I thought things were beginning to work out quite nicely here," she murmured.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  With her mother’s visit only a couple of days away Bella had decided that a cooling-off period would be better as far as she and Cora were concerned. She didn’t want her domestic upsets interfering with what little time she and Maria would have together. After her mother had left, Bella would then go round and see Cora to find out if she was coming back. Hopefully by then the dust would have settled sufficiently to let bygones be bygones so that her housekeeper could resume her duties. But who was to know with someone like Cora Flint? And why had the mention of Ruth’s name had such a disturbing effect on the woman? The more Bella thought about it the less able she was to work but she couldn’t get Cora’s sudden departure out of her mind. Some time later, on Thursday morning, she had gone down to invite Joshua in for coffee but she couldn’t draw him on the subject of Mrs. Flint. It was difficult enough trying to make conversation with him anyway unless it was relevant to his work. Finally she gave it up as a bad job, making an offer to run him home when he had finished. Joshua politely refused stating his intention to walk back across the fields. When he had gone she was le
ft with a distinct feeling of being unsettled and realised the need for some constructive physical activity. The mood she was in meant writing was out of the question. With Cora absent it gave Bella the opportunity to have a good clean round and a tidy up as well as getting Maria’s room ready. She had often found housework to be an excellent therapeutic exercise when faced with some kind of a drama in her life or at those times when she needed to distance herself from her writing and seek inspiration.

  Following an early night, when she had gone to bed exhausted but pleased with her day’s work, Bella awoke in a positive frame of mind on Friday morning. Having redirected her mail to the cottage the postman had begun to come quite regularly and Mickey had called in, after breakfast, adding his particular sparkle to her day. Now, as she sat at the kitchen table opening the mail, Bella realised that it was exactly a week ago that she had been so looking forward to Kyle’s visit. Where had the time gone? And what was going through his mind, right now? She hadn’t expected him to call after his amazing departure and she had been proved right. Her thoughts returned to how they had met and come to the cottage after the accident. Then there was the trip to Fordingbridge followed by his disastrous visit. Even with everything that had happened Bella couldn’t deny that there was something about him she found irresistible. A grin came easily as she imagined Jane’s reaction.

  “Are you insane, darling, or what?” It prompted Bella to think about messaging her to let her know what had happened but it was still too fresh in her memory to joke about it with her friend. It certainly hadn’t been a joke at the time.

  There was nothing of significance in the post and she left the mail on the table to be dealt with later. As she got up to put her mug on the drainer a bird flying past the window drew her eye to the garden and, for an instant, she pictured Joshua there, a broomstick through his sleeves and straw sticking out of his hat. She smiled at the thought then Cora came to mind and Bella wondered how she was feeling. Was there any likelihood that she would come up to Willow Cottage today? Bella doubted it but was beginning to think that, with the way her life was going, anything could happen. By the afternoon the weather had turned nasty and, according to the weather forecast, a slow moving front would be sitting over most of the south-west of the country for the next few days. Bella was probably one of the few people who had greeted the news cheerfully as it would provide her with the perfect opportunity to work uninterrupted over that time. She would not have to feel guilty then when she spent time with her mother.