by Agatha Frost
11
Julia left the flat and returned to the café to grab several of the cheesecakes. When she had loaded the cakes securely in the boot of Jessie’s bright yellow Mini Cooper, a gift from Barker for her eighteenth birthday almost a year ago, they drove up to Peridale Manor, passing the site where Samantha’s body had been found. The police presence had gone, but someone had taped bunches of flowers to the nearest lamppost.
Julia arrived at Peridale Manor seconds after the white van from the antiques barn pulled up next to Katie’s pink Range Rover. Julia’s father jumped out of the passenger seat. His new apprentice, Leon, sat behind the wheel. Julia pulled up beside him.
“Hello again,” Leon said after winding his window down. “Julia, isn’t it?”
“It is,” Julia said as she climbed out of her car. “Nice to see you again.”
“Really?” Leon flashed his teeth. “In that case, it’s very nice to see you too.”
Julia let her hair drop over her face and hurried around to the boot to grab the cheesecakes. She avoided Jessie’s gaze until they were inside the manor’s entrance hall, right behind her father.
“What was that about?” Jessie asked, nudging Julia in the ribs. “Are you blushing?”
“No,” Julia snapped back. “He’s just a flirt. Some men are like that.”
“Anyone would think you weren’t pregnant with another man’s baby,” Jessie said, her voice echoing around the vast hall.
Julia’s heart immediately stopped when she realised her father, well within earshot, had suddenly stopped walking. He spun around, brows heavy over his eyes.
“Sorry, did I hear that correctly?” he asked, a finger resting on his lips. “You’re pregnant, Julia?”
“Dad, I—”
“You didn’t think to tell me?” He frowned, and from his slow blinking and low voice, Julia could tell he had endured a long day. “I have to overhear the news about my third grandchild?”
“Oi!” Jessie cried, extending a finger at Brian. “Don’t talk to her like that. She’s come here to do your dirty work and find out if your old gardener could have been the one to stick it to your family, and right now, I don’t blame him. Apologise!”
“Jessie, please—”
“No, she’s right.” Brian held up his hand. “It’s been a hard day. We didn’t make a penny, and this morning, the debt collectors were here threatening me. I gave them what little I had to keep them at bay, but they’ll be back.” He sighed deeply. “I’m sorry, I should never have taken it out on you.”
“I’ve only known for a few days,” Julia explained as she accepted his hug. “And it’s still really early. I’m not really telling that many people at the moment, so keep it to yourself. Only Jessie, Gran, Sue, Roxy, and Katie know.”
“You told all those before your old dad?” Brian pulled away, and Julia could tell he was a little hurt he hadn’t been the first person she had told. “It doesn’t matter. I’m over the moon for you. I knew it would happen to you one day. Your mum would be so proud.”
Julia’s stomach writhed. Since finding out about her pregnancy, she had been intentionally avoiding thoughts of her mother. She hadn’t wanted to face the concept that her mother wasn’t there to meet her grandchild.
A door slammed upstairs, bringing Julia forcefully into the present. Katie appeared at the top of the staircase, dragging two hard-shell pink suitcases behind her.
“No, baby!” Brian called up. “Don’t do this!”
“I called the car people, Brian!” she cried back. “They told me why you haven’t got your BMW back yet. But it wasn’t even your car, was it, Brian? You’ve been renting it! And when you stopped paying them, they took it back!”
“Baby, please.”
“If you can lie to me about that, I don’t know what else you would lie about,” Katie shrieked as she dragged the cases loudly down the stairs. “I can only put up with so…”
Katie’s high heels gave way under her, and she slipped under herself, making the cases do something Julia hadn’t seen before; they flew. They landed with a splitting crack where the table that always had a vase of flowers on it had always been.
The cases burst open, sending Katie’s wildly colourful clothes in every direction. A pair of bright pink knickers landed on Hilary’s head as she crept out of the kitchen.
Despite Katie’s screaming, Brian rushed over to help Katie up off the bottom step where she had landed after bumping down all the stairs.
“Get off me!” Katie cried. “Why, Brian? Why would you lie about all of this?”
For the second time that week, Julia saw her father do something he rarely did. He crumbled next to Katie and sobbed; his hands clasped as though he was pleading for his life.
“There’s nothing left, baby,” he said through his tears. “There’s no Wellington money left. I should have told you. I’ve been keeping us all afloat with the money from the antiques barn, but this is it, baby. We’re going to lose it all. I can’t keep it up anymore. I’m so sorry. I only lied to protect you. I didn’t want you to worry about money when you were pregnant or with your dad being so ill.”
“Since I was pregnant?” Voice low, Katie pulled away. “How long has this been going on, Brian? Vinnie is sixteen-months-old!” She didn’t wait for his answer. “I – I need to go.”
Katie jerked away from Brian and ran over to the biggest pile of clothes. She grabbed them against her chest, but when she tried to pick up some underwear, she dropped the whole mess. She rushed toward the door in tears. Brian ran after her, only to have the door slammed in his face. Seconds later, the engine of Katie’s Range Rover roared into the distance.
“I – I’m going to bed,” Brian said as he began pulling himself up the stairs.
Much as she wanted to help them, Julia knew nothing good would come from getting in the middle right now. Brian was her father, but Katie was the mother of her brother, and Julia wasn’t sure whose side she would even be on. Her father should have told Katie sooner, but she was hardly one to judge, given what she had yet to tell Barker.
“Well, that was mental!” Jessie exclaimed, breaking the awkward silence. “I hope the baby isn’t ‘ere.”
“He’s with Sue,” Hilary said, shaking her head at Jessie. “It’s here, not ‘ere.”
“Actually, Hilary.” Julia stepped in front of Jessie. “It doesn’t matter how she chooses to say it. You don’t have to be so cold and cruel to everyone. I know you’ve been through a lot since your fall, and you’ve been here a long time, but if we all walked around using our traumas as excuses to be mean, the world wouldn’t have a shred of kindness left in it.” Samantha’s face entered Julia’s mind, boiling her blood. “That girl, Samantha, who you humiliated on her first day here? The one who locked herself in a bathroom and cried herself to sleep until I found her? She quit working here because of the way you treated her. She ran out into the storm. She was hit by a van, and she died. I’m holding myself accountable for not going after her, and you ought to do the same, so it never happens again.”
Hilary stared at Julia, her mouth opening and closing without a sound. Her body shook, and her hand clutched her cane tightly. Julia wasn’t sure if Hilary was about to scream, cry, try to defend herself, or even whack her with the walking stick. The old housekeeper did none of these. Hilary meekly turned to the staircase and walked away.
“Pregnancy has made you awesome,” Jessie said, almost bursting out laughing when Hilary vanished at the top of the staircase. “You just handed that woman her backside!”
“She’s needed it handing to her for a long time,” Julia said, letting out a relieved breath. “Barker was right. I couldn’t carry around the full weight of that girl’s death without sharing it with other people who were responsible. Maybe I went too far?”
“You didn’t go far enough,” Jessie said, slapping Julia on the arm. “I find most grand statements are best capped off with a nice friendly headbutt. Remember that for next time.”
Julia narrowed her eyes. “I can’t tell if you’re joking.”
“Neither can I.” Jessie laughed and peered around the manor. “We only came here to find out where the gardener lives, and nobody is around to tell us!”
“Excuse me?” a man’s voice called through the letterbox. “Is everything okay in there? I heard shouting.”
Julia opened the front door to see Leon bending level with the letterbox. With an awkward smile, he quickly straightened up.
“Hello, again,” he said to Julia. “I couldn’t help but hear all the shouting. I just wanted to check if everything was okay.”
“It’s fine,” Julia replied. “Family stuff.”
“Tell Brian I’ll be here at the usual time to pick him up for work,” Leon said, already taking a step back. “Nice to see you again.”
“Hey, mate?” Jessie called, running over to the door. “Don’t suppose you know the guy who used to be the gardener here? What was he called, Julia?”
Julia pulled the notepad from her bag, blanking on the name. “Dale Michaels.”
“As a matter of fact, I do,” Leon said, a smile tickling his lips. “What’s it worth?”
“This isn’t the 1950s, mate,” Jessie said. “Do you know where the man lives or not? Because neither of us is kissing you for a titbit.”
“What she said,” Julia said, nodding firmly. “Do you know?”
Leon’s smile widened. He grabbed the notepad from Julia’s hands and pulled a pen from behind his ear. He scribbled down something before passing it back.
“That’s the street,” he said. “I don’t know the house number, but I remember it was the one with all the ivy. I used to trade antiques with him back when I was freelance.”
“Cheers.” Jessie reached out and grabbed the door. “Like the woman said, it’s a family thing.”
Jessie closed the door in Leon’s face before taking the notepad from Julia.
“I know the street,” Jessie said, checking her watch. “Well, I’ve already missed The Chase, so catch up it is. Shall we go and get this over with before more stuff happens?”
“Let’s do it.”
“I like the new you,” Jessie said, slapping Julia’s shoulder. “You’re more direct. Also, I’m betting you £200 right now that the handsome flirty antiques dealer is in on all of this.”
“Seriously?” Julia cried, running to catch up with Jessie as she ran to the door. “Why do you think that?”
“Good-looking newcomer nobody really knows suddenly shows up with information?” Jessie unlocked her car and yanked open the door. “C’mon, Mum. It’s textbook. Let’s go.”
Before joining Jessie, Julia scooped up the cheesecakes from the boot and put them in the fridge in the kitchen. She was sure nobody would eat them, but she couldn’t bear the thought of good cheesecake melting.
Julia didn’t know where the street address in the notepad was, but Jessie did, so she let her drive the way. It took them back past Samantha’s floral lamppost and into the village. When the green came into view, Jessie slowed down to the twenty miles an hour speed limit, not that it mattered.
Evelyn dove in front of the car in a bright pink kaftan with a matching turban, her hands waving in the air. Jessie slammed on the breaks, mere feet away from hitting Evelyn – not that the eccentric, mystic B&B owner appeared to care. She slammed her hands down on the bonnet, a grin on her face. She ran around to Julia’s side and knocked frantically until she rolled the window down.
“Congratulations!” Evelyn cried. “I’ve just heard the good news! I’m so happy for you!”
“What good news?” Julia faked, hoping it was one of Evelyn’s random predictions
“The baby!” Evelyn cried. “You’re pregnant!”
“How do you know that?” Jessie asked, darting her head down to look at Evelyn through the passenger window. “Don’t tell me you saw it in the tea leaves?”
“Shirley at the pub just told me,” Evelyn said, clapping her hands together. “Oh, Julia, I’m so happy for you! This is amazing news! I wore pink for you because I know your family will be blessed with another little girl! I’ve already seen it. I’ll be putting out good vibes into the universe for you and Barker.”
Evelyn ran back into the B&B, waving until she closed the door behind her. Jessie pulled up outside the pub and, after sharing a look, they jumped out and ran inside.
“Congrats, Julia!” DI Christie raised a pint to her. “Just heard the good news.”
“A text would have been nice,” said Johnny Watson, editor of The Peridale Post, and another of her school friends. “But congrats.”
“Ignore him,” said Leah Burns, Johnny’s girlfriend and the final member of her school friend group. “It’s amazing news.”
“We’re chuffed for you!” Shirley cried from behind the bar. “When you can drink again, come in and have a round on me to wet the baby’s head.”
“It’s such welcome news,” Father David said as he cut into a steak and kidney pie. “I prayed for such a blessing. I’m glad the Lord has delivered a baby to your marriage.”
“How did you all find out?” Jessie cried, pointing around the pub. “Barker doesn’t know yet, you idiots! Who told you?”
“We heard in here,” Leah said.
“Shilpa at the post office,” Shirley said.
“Amy at choir practice,” Father David said.
“Malcolm Johnson when he did my gardening,” DI Christie added.
Julia rushed out of the pub, the village shrinking around her. She had been at the receiving end of more gossip than she could keep track of, but she had never seen the channels working so efficiently so up close before.
“Who did you tell?” Jessie cried as they ran from the pub to the post office. “Someone has spilt the beans!”
“They wouldn’t have,” Julia replied. “I told Dot, then Sue and Katie, then Roxy, then you, and my dad just then. I trust all of you.”
“I bet it was Dot,” Jessie said. “Meditation or not, she can’t keep her mouth shut.”
Julia and Jessie burst into the post office, and as though she had been summoned, Dot was stood at the counter talking to Shilpa.
“Oh, Julia!” Shilpa cried, clapping her hands together. “Congratulations!”
“I didn’t tell her.” Dot held her hands up. “She heard it from Violet, Roxy’s girlfriend.”
“Roxy!” Julia couldn’t help but laugh. “Of course. She was full of a cold and slightly delirious when I told her. She probably told Violet without realising she wasn’t supposed to.”
“I never told Percy,” Dot said with a proud nod.
“I underestimated you.” Jessie held her hand out to shake Dot’s. “I won’t be so quick to accuse you.”
“Accuse me of what?”
“It doesn’t matter.” Jessie turned to Julia. “None of this ‘who told who’ matters. Someone is going to tell Barker before you get the chance. You have to get home as soon as possible to tell him yourself.”
They ran back to the car, and Jessie sped up the winding lane to the cottage. Julia usually commented when she felt Jessie was driving too fast, but this time she didn’t mind. If Barker didn’t already know, the congratulatory phone calls would start within seconds. Jessie’s car screeched to a halt outside the cottage, and Julia was sure the back wheels lifted off the ground a little when they finally stopped.
“Today I’m thankful for seatbelts,” Julia said as she unfastened hers with shaking hands. “Stay here. I need to tell him alone.”
Jessie nodded that she understood, turning off the engine and pulling up the handbrake.
“I’ll wait in case you need a quick getaway,” Jessie said. “Give me a signal if you want me to go.”
“Thank you.”
Julia hurried to the cottage door, relieved to find it unlocked, which meant Barker was at home and less likely to have heard the gossip.
“Barker?” she called out, popping her head into the sitting room.
“Are you home?”
“In here,” he called from the bedroom.
Julia danced around Mowgli as he fought for her attention. She pushed on the door, her heart stuttering when she saw Barker stuffing clothes into a duffel bag.
“Barker, I—”
“They want me in London,” Barker said quickly, pulling back his jacket sleeve to check his watch. “On the next train. Dammit!”
“What’s going on?”
“I don’t know,” Barker said, flashing her a brief smile. “They just said they wanted me to go in immediately. Maybe they’ve figured it out, and it’s not all over?”
“Oh.”
“I know I promised I’d help figure out what happened to Samantha, and I will, but it might have to wait a day.” Barker rushed over and kissed her before darting down to pick up his wallet from the bedside table. “Was there something you wanted to ask? You sounded like you were going to say something.”
“Oh.” Julia scrambled for an excuse. “I wanted to ask about dinner, but since you’re going, I guess I’ll just have it with Jessie.”
“I’m sorry, love.” Barker hurried over and kissed her again before stuffing on his shoes. “I’ll make it up to you, I promise. Can you believe I’m going with my lip like this?”
“The swelling has already gone down,” Julia said, wiping her kiss from his slightly bruised bottom lip. “They’ll never notice. You’ll knock them dead, regardless.”
“I hope so.” Barker allowed himself another grin. “Are you sure you don’t mind me going?”
Julia didn’t know how to say she was relieved to hear that Barker would be two-and-a-half hours out of the village in a city where nobody knew she was pregnant.
It wasn’t that she didn’t want to tell him. If he had been watching TV when she burst in, she would have told him on the spot. She couldn’t drop this bombshell on him when he was headed out the door to London, or he wouldn’t go, and he could miss the opportunity to fix everything. Awful as she felt, it was for the best. Besides, it gave her another twenty-four hours to figure out how to tell him appropriately.
