The tiny wedding Libby and Max had planned had grown out of all recognition. Her dramatic disappearance from the café on the morning it opened had led to the local press interviewing any of her friends they could find. Once the news that she was about to be married became public, she was inundated with phone calls and cards. So many local residents wanted to be at the service that, at Max’s suggestion and with Angela’s help, they’d managed to book a local hotel for the event.
She spent the morning fidgeting, dressing far too early, pacing through the house, unable to sit for fear of crushing the velvet at the back of her dress. ‘After all,’ Ali pointed out, ‘that’s the part everyone will be looking at while you’re saying the vows.’
A car drew up outside and Libby threw open the door, to see the orange Jeep from Alan’s garage, with Robert at the wheel.
‘What’s going on?’ Libby asked, puzzled. ‘Where’s your car?’
‘This is a wedding present from Max.’ Robert frowned. ‘He seems to think you’ll like it. Can’t think why.’
‘But I can. I love it. It’s perfect. And that’s why Alan wouldn’t sell it to me.’
Ten minutes later, Libby stood at the entrance to the hotel. Ali stood close behind with Bear and Shipley, both miraculously on their best behaviour. Libby turned and briefly took Ali’s hand. ‘Thank you for being here. It means so much to me.’
Ali smiled. She’d regained most of her weight, and her cheeks glowed with colour, but a new air of gravity told Libby that her daughter’s heart still ached for her lost child.
Robert stood by Libby’s side, bursting with pride, ready to walk his mother down the aisle.
Pachelbel’s ‘Canon in D’ swelled as the door opened onto a flower-filled room, abundantly decorated by Gladys. Every seat was full. Libby hadn’t realised she had so many friends in Exham.
Her gaze swept over the rows of familiar faces turned towards her. Angela and Owen beamed at her, standing alongside Joe and Claire, while Gemma Humberstone stood next to a bashful PC Tim Green. He ran a nervous finger around his too-tight collar.
The History Society was there in force, clustered together, ranks swelled by new recruits, Jemima, Archie Phillips and Quentin Dobson, with Amy Fisher and her husband close by. As Amy had said, there was nothing she liked more than a wedding where she could watch from the congregation, while the registrar did the work.
As Libby breathed in, ready to begin the walk down the aisle, she caught sight of Annabel, her bored-looking son slouching at her left side. Alan Jenkins stood on her right. What’s more, he was holding her hand.
Alan buying chocolates, popping into the bakery and helping to fix the decorations. Annabel visiting the garage – it all made sense, now, but Libby had no time to think about it further, for there, at the end of the aisle, stood Max, the man she knew she had always been destined to marry, smiling at her. She met his eyes and forgot about everyone else.
She laid one hand lightly on her son’s arm. ‘I thought today would never come,’ she murmured in his ear, ‘that night on the bridge. But here we are, safe and sound.’
The music rose louder as she stepped forward.
‘Nothing can go wrong, now.’
Acknowledgments
Murder at the Gorge is the seventh book in the Exham on Sea Series. Our friends in the town open a new café during the story, selling Libby’s cakes and chocolates and Mandy’s scones, but they needed a name for the venture.
I asked members of my VIP club for suggestions, and I was thrill to receive over 100 great ideas.
However, there can only be one winner and one name, so the Exham on Sea café will now be known as The Crusts and Crumbs Café.
Peta Ward, who made this brilliant suggestion, points out that detective work involves following the crumbs of clues, and discarding the useless crusts in the way.
Thank you so much, Peta, for thinking of such a terrific name.
Some of the action in Murder at the Gorge takes place on the edge of Bristol, where Clifton Suspension Bridge soars over the Avon Gorge, connecting Clifton with North Somerset. Designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, it’s a tribute to his genius, although he died before it was built.
The view from the bridge is stunning – if you don’t mind looking down over 300 feet into the gorge.
Libby and Max also find their way to one of my favourite places, Watchet, a delightful coastal town in West Somerset, where a small chapel sits above a thriving museum, close to the harbour.
I’d like to thank the team at Boldwood Books, especially my editor, Caroline Ridding, for their help in editing and producing this, the seventh Exham on Sea murder mystery, and finally, send a heartfelt thank you to my neighbours in Somerset, none of whom has complained, yet, about the extraordinary number of ‘murders’ taking place in the area.
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Also by Frances Evesham
The Exham-On-Sea Murder Mysteries
Murder at the Lighthouse
Murder on the Levels
Murder on the Tor
Murder at the Cathedral
Murder at the Bridge
Murder at the Castle
Murder at the Gorge
The Ham Hill Murder Mysteries
A Village Murder
About the Author
Frances Evesham is the author of the hugely successful Exham-on-Sea Murder Mysteries set in her home county of Somerset. In her spare time, she collects poison recipes and other ways of dispatching her unfortunate victims. She likes to cook with a glass of wine in one hand and a bunch of chillies in the other, her head full of murder―fictional only.
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First published in Great Britain in 2020 by Boldwood Books Ltd.
Copyright © Frances Evesham, 2020
Cover Design by Nick Castle Design
Cover Photography: Shutterstock
The moral right of Frances Evesham to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
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Every effort has been made to obtain the necessary permissions with reference to copyright material, both illustrative and quoted. We apologise for any omissions in this respect and will be pleased to make the appropriate acknowledgements in any future edition.
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Paperback ISBN 978-1-80048-045-2
Large Print ISBN 978-1-80048-046-9
Ebook ISBN 978-1-80048-048-3
Kindle ISBN 978-1-80048-047-6
Audio CD ISBN 978-1-80048-040-7
MP3 CD ISBN 978
-1-80048-041-4
Digital audio download ISBN 978-1-80048-044-5
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Murder at the Gorge (The Exham-on-Sea Murder Mysteries) Page 21
