Bea didn’t dare move. She concentrated on breathing, aware that she was gripping a little too tightly on the wooden partition in front of her.
‘You have, however, been able to raise a figure amounting to a little under one third of the value of the property through a mortgage. Taking into account all that I’ve heard today, I’m going to award Advocate Porter the value of one third of the property. I realise you will still have to fund a further ten thousand pounds to meet the required amount I am awarding to him, but feel that one third is the fair amount in this case.’
Bea wasn’t sure if she’d heard correctly. She’d managed to keep her house. She didn’t have to sell. Simon’s angry whispers to his legal counsel echoed across to her, but she took a deep breath, relieved, but still not quite able to believe that she’d won her case. It wasn’t an outright win, but she still had her house and could find the means to buy Simon out. ‘Thank you very much.’
She turned to her advocate and shook his hand. She’d done it. The greffier announced the following case. Bea sat down on the leather seat and lowered her head in her hands, just about managing to stifle her laughter. She could stay at The Brae. She hadn’t let Aunt Annabel down after all.
Her excitement died down slightly and she sat up straight, composing herself once again. She wondered how Luke was getting on in the next-door courtroom.
Twenty-seven
Eleventh of May – Secret Garden
Since Tom’s arrest, Bea had been to the police station to give her statement and now had nothing else to do. She still couldn’t get over Tom’s involvement, and cringed at the memory of her not trusting Luke enough to believe him the previous morning. Bloody Tom had a lot to answer for. Then again, as much as she felt for Luke she knew she must remember he was seeing someone else and that was something she couldn’t do anything about.
Mr Peters had assured her when she’d phoned him after the court hearing to give him the good news that he hadn’t changed his mind and that she could have the money to pay off most of her debt to Simon. Bea didn’t mind about still needing to locate another ten thousand pounds to completely cover what she owed him; she’d worry about that tomorrow. She didn’t care that she’d probably be broke for years. The main thing was that she’d managed to keep her house and Annabel’s pride and joy. She swallowed the lump in her throat. ‘I did it,’ she whispered. ‘You knew I could, didn’t you?’
She realised the house phone was ringing and ran inside to answer it.’ Hello?’
‘Bea, please don’t put down the phone, I need to explain everything to you.’
Bea shuddered hearing Tom’s self-pitying tone. ‘No, Tom, I don’t think there’s anything you have to say that I wish to hear.’
‘You have to let me explain,’ he whined.
‘No, I don’t.’ She ended the call without giving him the chance to reply. ‘Selfish shit,’ she shouted at the phone. Bea went to leave the room, but the phone rang again. She left it for a few seconds, then realising the caller had no intention of giving up, answered the phone. ‘I told you I had nothing to say to you, and I meant it.’
‘Ooh, who’s rattled your cage?’ Mel said giggling.
‘Mel? What are you phoning for, you’re on honeymoon.’
‘I know, and it’s gorgeous here in Mauritius, isn’t it honey?’ she shouted to Grant.
‘This must be costing you a fortune, Mel. Is everything OK?’
‘Yes, of course it is. Better than OK in fact.’ Bea took a breath to speak. ‘Shut up and listen, Grant said I can only talk for two minutes because the roaming charges are astronomical. Guess who we bumped into at the airport?’
‘Who?’ Bea asked politely, wishing she’d thought to buy a phone that she could walk around the house with. It was warm enough to sunbathe and she couldn’t wait to get outside and make the most of the heat.
‘Leilani.’
‘Leilani?’ Bea stopped dreaming about the sun and paid immediate attention. ‘But I thought Luke said at the wedding she had taken a modelling assignment in California. Are you sure it was her?’
‘I knew that would get your attention, of course I am sure. Come on, how many six-foot models do you know?’ she teased. ‘She was the one who got my attention, actually. She was furious with Luke, and I suppose not knowing many people in Jersey she needed someone to let off steam to.’
‘What did she say?’ Bea tried to hurry Mel up with the story.
‘It turns out she didn’t actually choose to leave him, whatever he may have told you, but she sat him down one day over lunch with the intention of fixing their wedding date and getting all the plans underway,’ she could hear Mel taking a long sip from her drink. ‘That was delicious. I’ll have another daiquiri please, hon.’
‘Well, go on,’ Bea urged impatiently. ‘What happened?’
‘I knew you’d want to know. Grant said I should mind my own, but I told him you’d be interested.’
Bea took a deep breath to stop from shouting at her sister to hurry up. ‘And you were right, so tell me.’
‘Typical bloke, apparently Luke told her in no uncertain terms he had no intention of making that sort of commitment to her.’ Bea could barely breathe, desperately aware of what she hoped her sister would say. ‘When she argued that everyone had assumed they were engaged, he told her it was she who had been drunk and announced it to everyone without any encouragement from him and she shouldn’t expect him to marry her simply because she thought she’d backed him into a corner by telling everyone he would.’
‘Wow!’ Bea could feel her heart pounding with the unexpected news. ‘What happened next?’
‘Melanie, your two minutes is up,’ Grant shouted from somewhere in the background.
‘I’m on the bloody phone to my sister. You get me that second daiquiri and then I’ll get off the phone.’
Blimey, thought Bea, nothing much changes with Mel. ‘Poor Grant, you don’t have to be so rude to him.’
‘Shush and listen. What was I saying? Oh yes, well, apparently, Luke pointed out to her that if she were to settle down now, right at the peak of her career, then she’d be doing herself a disservice, and she should return to the States and be the best model she could and not waste her God-given talent.’ Mel giggled. ‘Or something like that. Personally, I think she exaggerated a bit, but I do believe he told her to go and get on with her career as a kind way of getting rid of her.’
Bea thought for a moment. ‘Wow, and she’s so beautiful. You’d think he’d jump at the chance to be with her.’
‘Hang on a sec, you haven’t heard the best bit yet,’ Mel whispered. ‘Grant’s on his way back, so I have to hurry. Leilani believed Luke would fight for her, so she called his bluff by telling him about this modelling assignment she was offered in America, and said that if he didn’t commit to her in some way, then she’d accept it and they’d be finished once and for all.’
‘No.’ Bea was impressed with the girl’s gall.
‘Yes.’ Mel laughed. ‘He called her bluff back, or whatever you say, and told her she should take the assignment. That was the day before the wedding. The morning of the wedding he dropped her off at the airport on the way to the church and we met her when we checked in later on. Can you believe it?’
Bea was stunned. ‘But I don’t understand,’ she whispered, trying to take all this news into her head. ‘Why would he let me believe she had left him and gone off like that, when really it was him who forced her hand?’
‘Don’t know, but that’s what she insists happened, and surely it would have been better for her to say his version rather than hers. A bit embarrassing to admit the truth like that, maybe it’s because she’s American. Maybe they’re more open than we would be? I don’t know.’
Bea laughed, suddenly feeling better than she had in weeks, months even. Leilani had gone and wasn’t coming back, not for the foreseeable future anyway.
‘Hey, I only told you because I thought you would be interested, you shouldn�
��t sound so thrilled. Poor Leilani was devastated.’
Bea couldn’t help feeling amused at her sister’s change in tone. She bit her lower lip and took a deep breath to calm down. ‘You’re right, that was mean.’
Fuelled with this news, Bea ran upstairs to find Shani and tell her.
‘You’ve got to phone him,’ Shani said, holding out a soiled nappy.
Bea grimaced and took it between her forefinger and thumb and placed it into a nappy bag.
‘Don’t be so dramatic, it won’t bite. Maybe it’s time you let him know how you feel?’
Bea wasn’t so sure. ‘I don’t think so, Shani. Mel did say how he said he wasn’t ready to commit to Leilani. If I’m going to be with someone, then I want it to last. I’ve tried going out clubbing with you and Paul and it just isn’t my idea of fun.’ Bea picked up the newly changed baby and cuddled her.
‘But you’re already in love with him,’ Shani added unhelpfully.
‘I’m not going to argue with you about that.’ Bea held the warm baby in her arms and sniffed her fresh, baby scent. Even if she couldn’t be with him, it would have been comforting to hear from him, maybe know that he might have some feelings for her, especially after everything that had happened over Tom the day before. She wondered how his court hearing had gone. ‘I think I’ve probably ruined any chances I had with Luke by not believing him,’ she said miserably. ‘I know he seemed fine in the Royal Court building, but that was just him being friendly. Anyway, I’ve no idea what that verdict was yet.’
‘You mean he could still be guilty and involved with all that laundering business?’
‘Possibly.’ Her instincts told her that he wasn’t involved, but they’d also told her Simon was the love of her life and Tom a good friend.
Shani carried Poppy downstairs and placed her carefully into her pram. ‘I’m going to take her for a walk to the shops,’ she said, looking happier than Bea had seen her look, possibly ever. ‘Do you need anything?’
Bea shook her head, unable to speak for a minute. ‘No, thanks. Enjoy your walk.’
They couldn’t have been gone more than five minutes when Bea walked back into the house to check her mail. Flicking through the white and brown envelopes in her hand, she spotted the usual credit cards, fuel bill, and one other. She stopped in the hallway and dropping the bills onto the Bishop’s seat, tore open the cream envelope. Unfolding the letter inside, Bea read it stopping to try and take in exactly what she’d been sent. ‘Woohoo,’ she screamed, dancing crazily around the empty room. ‘Yes.’ She kissed the letter in her hand and punched the air. ‘Thank you, Aunt Annabel.’
‘Shani,’ she shouted up the stairs, before remembering that she’d gone out with the baby. Bea grabbed the phone and dialled Shani’s mobile number. ‘Shan,’ she said, barely able to contain her excitement, ‘you’ll never guess what’s happened.’
‘What is it? Is everything OK?’ Shani asked anxiously.
‘It’s better than OK, I’ve discovered what A Jersey Kiss is. Hurry up with your shopping and come back here as soon as you can, I’ve got something to show you.’
Twenty-eight
A New Leaf
Bea was so busy skipping around the hallway she didn’t hear Luke knock at the front door. ‘Oh.’ She stopped instantly as he poked his head around the door. Not caring how idiotic she looked she waved him in.
He laughed. ‘You obviously beat Simon then?’
‘Not completely.’ She didn’t care about Simon right now, or the outcome of the court case. ‘Better than that.’
He looked puzzled. ‘You seem very pleased with yourself about something though. I’ve got a surprise for you.’ He held out an envelope to her, but when she went to take it, he pulled his hand back. ‘I know what the Jersey Kiss is that your aunt left to you.’
‘Me too,’ she giggled. Luke looked stunned. ‘Really, I have, but you go first. Tell me what you’ve found out.’ She could barely contain her excitement, but was so touched that Luke had been looking for the mysterious Jersey Kiss she wanted to see what he had to tell her.
‘You know the picture I took last autumn?’ Bea thought back, remembering and smiled; it had been under their noses the entire time. ‘Well, I showed it to my uncle. He’s a horticulturist and he’d never seen one before. He double checked and it seems like your aunt has propagated a new strain of Amaryllis Belladonna.’
‘I know, the Jersey Lily.’ Bea clapped her hands together and squealed.
Luke laughed and nodded. ‘He tells me that although it’s too late this year for any of the big specialist shows, like Chelsea or Hampton Court, if you were to show it there or maybe at one of the other larger shows you could get it noticed all around the world and make decent money by supplying specialists.’
Bea listened in silence. She hadn’t thought that far; he’d obviously done his research.
‘Gardeners across the world love discovering new strains of plants and this one is especially pretty. The money you bring in could help you keep this place. I’m sure I’m right.’
Bea stood on tiptoes and took his smiling face in her hands. She kissed him. ‘You are.’ She held out the envelope she’d received a short while before. ‘This came in the post today.’ She watched as Luke took the paper out and read it.
‘Bloody hell, it’s the licence for A Jersey Kiss. This is amazing, Bea. I never thought I could be so excited about a plant.’
Bea laughed, ‘Me, neither. Clever Aunt Annabel; so this is the secret that she’d mentioned to me over the years. I never really took much notice, she was always telling me stories about Antonio and I assumed it was something to do with him.’ She paused and stared into his eyes, almost overwhelmed by her relief and excitement at their discoveries.
‘Bea, this could be the answer to all your worries. I’m so happy for you.’ He looked down at her, his mouth breaking into a lazy smile. ‘I can’t believe I’ve been wracking my brains trying to come up with a solution to your finances. I would have been able to give it to you months ago if my uncle hadn’t been on a world cruise when I first sent him the photo.’
‘But I have it now,’ she said, painfully aware how in love with him she was. He was so genuinely happy for her. ‘Hell, I’ve just remembered it was your court date yesterday, too. I suppose the fact you’re actually standing here right now means you were let off the charges?’
He grinned. ‘Yes, thankfully I was. They decided I didn’t have a case to answer, although my partner Chris does.’ His smile disappeared and a haunted look crossed his face. ‘I’m afraid it looks like Tom will do time, too, especially as he was the one who masterminded the fake property deal that Chris used to syphon off funds from our business accounts.’
Bea couldn’t help feeling a tinge of sadness at the person she’d thought Tom to be. It was still hard to take in his part in Luke’s investigation. ‘I can’t believe he tried to implicate you in the case,’ she said. ‘I feel so bad doubting you at all.’
‘Hey, it’s not your fault. It’s your job to be wary of people being dishonest with money. You have to be careful and it’s not like you knew me at all well.’
‘I do now though, and I’m sorry.’
‘Don’t say anything more about it.’ He kissed her just as she went to reply, then lifted her up in a bear hug, his muscular arms encircling hers. ‘You’re incredible. Do you know that?’ He kissed her until she was dizzy. ‘You did the right thing,’ he said lowering her back down and becoming serious once again. ‘Why should you have believed me? You’re a professional and I could have been feeding you a lie, just like Tom did, but you acted as you should have done. We won’t mention it again. Now, about your Jersey Kiss.’
Bea kissed him again. ‘That one?’ she teased, breathing in the soapy scent of his warm skin.
He tickled her waist. Bea screeched. ‘No, the other one. The one that’s going to make you a great deal of money if you’re clever with it, which I’m sure you’re going to be.’ He took her by
the hand and led her through the kitchen and out into the walled garden. ‘That one there.’ Luke pointed to the area where the lilies had been the previous autumn.
‘I’d love it if you’d help me look into the best way forward with this.’
He nodded, ‘I’ll do whatever you like.’
Bea, remembering her conversation with Mel, reluctantly changed the subject. ‘Did you know Mel and Grant bumped into Leilani at the airport?’
His eyes glistened with amusement. ‘So you know what happened then?’
Bea nodded. ‘We seem to have been keeping quite a few secrets from each other up until now.’
‘We have.’ He kissed her neck. ‘That’s got to change, don’t you think?’
Bea happily agreed. ‘She’s incredibly beautiful,’ Bea said, not enjoying stating the obvious, but wanting everything cleared up between them once and for all. ‘I don’t understand how you would split up from her.’ She wasn’t sure she wanted to hear his answer but when he didn’t say anything, she continued. ‘Why didn’t you marry Leilani?’
‘Because I love someone else.’ Luke’s expression turned serious. He didn’t take his eyes off her.
Bea eyes widened at his blatant admission. She felt bereft and tried to step back from him. He held on to her arms. ‘So what are you doing here, then?’
‘I wanted to clear the air between us and find a way to help you sort out your problems with Simon.’
Confused, Bea frowned. ‘Why?’
‘You know why.’
She struggled to get away from him without any luck. ‘No, I don’t.’
‘I would have thought it was obvious.’ He looked down at her, his mouth turning up slightly at the sides.
‘No, it’s not. You’ve been dating a beautiful model for months. Who, it turns out, didn’t dump you at all,’ she said, hands on hips. ‘She told Mel and Grant the whole story.’
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