by Sue Fortin
‘That is awful,’ agreed Steph, and she felt a wave of compassion for Harry. ‘I can’t imagine getting over something like that.’
‘I don’t think he could,’ said Eileen. ‘That’s why he went off to France six months after burying her. He couldn’t cope with being around so many memories of her.’
‘Although God knows why,’ muttered Hazel. Her eyes met Eileen’s and something passed between the two women which Steph couldn’t read.
‘She wasn’t that bad once you got to know her,’ said Eileen. ‘She just didn’t fit in well, that’s all.’
‘In what way?’ asked Steph.
‘Oh, I shouldn’t really speak ill of the dead.’
‘I don’t mind though.’ Hazel flicked her friend another look and lowered her voice as she spoke. ‘Elizabeth was a modern-day woman. She wanted to be involved with the business. She was always floating around telling the staff to do this, that and the other, as if she was our boss. But the brothers and Mrs Sinclair didn’t want anyone else involved.’
‘Elizabeth wanted to feel like she was useful,’ said Eileen. ‘It’s not quite as cut and dried as Hazel’s saying. Elizabeth wasn’t like Dominic’s partner or Owen’s wife. She was ambitious and I don’t think the Sinclair family were quite ready for her.’
‘She was an awful flirt too,’ said Hazel.
‘A flirt?’
Eileen answered before Hazel could elaborate. ‘She was a beautiful young woman, with a good sense of humour, who was very charming, especially where the men were concerned.’
‘A flirt. Like I said. You should have seen her with Dominic. They all got drunk one night and, by all accounts, it was embarrassing for everyone there. Harry and his brother had words and then Harry practically carried Elizabeth back to their lodge.’
‘Ladies,’ said Antonio, who up until that point had remained silent. ‘I don’t know if we should be speaking about the late Mrs Sinclair. I’m not sure it’s appropriate.’
‘Oh, go and polish some silver if you don’t like the conversation,’ said Hazel, waving her hand at Antonio. ‘You didn’t even work here at the time.’
Antonio made a grumbling noise and stood up, pushing his chair back. ‘You two can gossip all you like.’ He looked at Steph. ‘And gossip it is. Please don’t pay any attention to what these two are saying.’
Once Antonio had left the kitchen, Hazel started up where she had left off.
‘Elizabeth was bored here. I think that’s why she liked to flirt. It was a bit of amusement for her.’
‘So that night, when she got really drunk – did Harry and Dominic have a big falling out?’
‘You might as well tell her now you’ve started,’ said Eileen, folding her arms across her chest and sitting back in her chair, whereas Hazel leaned forward, glee plastered across her face.
‘Apparently, Harry went out onto the terrace and heard them flirting with each other. He told Dominic he was egging her on and should know better. Dominic told him he was overreacting and he should keep his wife under control.’
Steph raised an eyebrow. ‘What a chauvinistic thing to say.’
‘Dominic’s a bit like that. He’s a good-looking man but boy, does he know it. He’s had his fair share of lady friends and I’m not sure all of them have been on the market, if you get my meaning,’ said Hazel.
‘So the brothers didn’t have a massive row?’ probed Steph.
‘No, a few words and then Harry carted Elizabeth off. But the next day they had a proper barney.’
‘They nearly came to blows,’ said Eileen. ‘If it wasn’t for Owen getting in between them and Mrs Sinclair Senior coming in, I dread to think what would have happened.’
‘Why did Harry wait until the next day though? You’d think he’d have kicked off when he heard them flirting,’ said Steph.
‘No one really knows but the story goes that Dominic teased Harry about it the next morning,’ said Hazel. ‘You see, Dominic, as the eldest, considers himself top dog. He likes to remind everyone of that now and again and flirting with Harry’s wife, letting Harry know he could probably wind Elizabeth round his little finger, was his way of reminding his younger brother who was in charge.’
Steph took a moment to digest this information. ‘I know Dominic likes to flex his muscles but I didn’t realise it extended to his brother. I was under the impression they got on well.’
‘As a rule, they do,’ said Eileen, getting up and collecting the plates. ‘But, like between any strong-minded men, there’s sometimes a bit of conflict and a challenge for the role of silverback.’
‘If she wasn’t off spending money on designer this and designer that, then she was stuck here. Harry was always working. She didn’t have anything to do with her time.’
‘Didn’t she have any friends?’ asked Steph. ‘There must have been someone she knew.’
Eileen shook her head. ‘No. I think the nearest she got to a friend was Natalie, Owen’s wife, or one of the girls who worked in the local beauty shop where she got her nails done. Very sad when you think about it.’
‘Do you mean Camilla?’ Steph said, taking a gamble. She looked at the blank faces of the two women.
‘Camilla? Never heard of her,’ said Eileen.
‘Nope. New one on me,’ agreed Hazel. ‘Where did you get that name from?’
‘Oh … I heard someone mention Camilla at the beauty shop on site,’ said Steph, trying to sound casual at her lie. She gave a self-deprecating smile. ‘I must be jumping to conclusions.’
‘Yeah, must be,’ said Eileen.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Two Years Earlier,
Conmere, 23 September, 10.30 p.m.
There was nothing Elizabeth liked better than a party thrown by the Sinclair brothers, especially when Pru was away. It was almost as if the brothers reverted to their teenage years and could let their hair down properly. This weekend Pru was visiting a friend in Spain and, as an early celebration of Owen’s birthday the following week, a party was now in full swing.
Between them, the brothers knew a lot of people, although Elizabeth was beginning to realise that Harry had the least number of friends. Consequently, it was times like these that Elizabeth was actually grateful to be surrounded by friends of Dominic and Owen.
With a glass of party punch in her hand, Elizabeth wandered out onto the terrace. It was a particularly warm evening and there were upwards of eighty or ninety people. The music was pumping out via the speakers dotted around, and one corner of the terrace had been turned into a makeshift dance floor, complete with multicoloured strobe lighting. Elizabeth looked over the edge of the terrace at the swimming pool below. She didn’t think it was swimming weather but could imagine some people taking an impromptu alcohol-fuelled dip at some point in the night. Natalie had helped Elizabeth rig up the fairy lights draped across the row of trees which lined the path from the terrace to the pool, giving the walkway an enchanted, almost magical feel in the fading light.
Elizabeth looked back through to the main room of the house. The Sinclairs opened it up for conferences, meetings, large gatherings and functions, and it was ideal for this sort of party. She could see Harry still talking to the group of men she had made her escape from ten minutes ago on the pretence of having seen someone she knew. Of course, she hardly knew anyone but the conversation had been boring her rigid and she needed to get away.
‘Now, you look a lonely sight.’
Elizabeth turned to see Dominic at her side. He held up a bottle of champagne.
‘Not lonely,’ she said, offering up her now empty glass for a refill. ‘Just bored, if I’m honest.’
‘Bored! Never let it be said that anyone at a Sinclair party is bored.’ Dominic gave a look of mock horror and filled up her glass. ‘My reputation is on the line here.’
‘You might want to tell your brother that.’ Elizabeth gestured with her head back to Harry. ‘If I was into golf and rugby it wouldn’t be so bad. Please, if you’re go
ing to talk to me about any of those subjects, then you might as well go now.’
Dominic gave a laugh. ‘I would never be so boring.’
Elizabeth raised her eyebrows. ‘I only have your word for that.’
‘I’m an honest man. I wouldn’t make claim to such a thing if it wasn’t true. I promise you that.’
‘My mother warned me about men who make promises but don’t deliver.’ Elizabeth finished the glass of champagne and Dominic refilled it without hesitation.
‘Where’s Lisa tonight?’ Elizabeth glanced around the terrace to see if Dominic’s girlfriend was about.
‘Oh, she’s had to go back and check on Saskia. The babysitter messaged over to say that she’d been sick.’
‘You’ve been left to your own devices, then?’ Elizabeth looked up at Dominic. She’d always admired his eyes; although all the brothers had blue eyes, Dominic’s were almost navy. They looked even darker tonight; maybe it was the strobe lighting but they seemed to sparkle and dance as he returned her gaze.
They were interrupted as Owen bundled into them. ‘Sorry,’ he slurred. ‘Oh, it’s you, Dom.’ He refocused his eyes on Elizabeth. ‘And you, Elizabeth.’ He clamped his hand down on Dominic’s shoulder. ‘I have to say, this is a bloody good party.’
‘I’m glad you’re enjoying it,’ said Dominic. He took the beer bottle from his brother’s hand. ‘I think though maybe you’ve had enough tonight.’
‘Don’t be such a spoilsport,’ said Owen. ‘I’ve only just begun.’
‘I don’t think so.’ Dominic’s tone took on a more serious note. ‘Why don’t you have a black coffee and pace yourself? It’s only ten-thirty. You’re never going to last the night otherwise.’
Owen swayed on his feet a little but managed to stay upright. He took his hand from Dominic’s shoulder and wagged his finger at him. ‘My birthday. I can get as wrecked as I like. You can’t stop me.’
‘Hey, I’m not going to stop you,’ said Dominic. ‘Natalie might though. Here she comes.’
Owen looked over his shoulder at his wife walking towards them. ‘Oh, shit,’ he muttered.
‘Owen. I’ve been looking for you all over the place,’ said Natalie, frowning as she neared, coming to a halt in front of him. ‘You’re really drunk.’ She looked at Dominic. ‘How has he got into this state already?’
‘I was just wondering the same thing.’ Dominic shook his head.
‘Stop being so miserable, the lot of you,’ said Owen, and with that headed off towards the corner of the terrace to join in with the dancing.
‘It’s bloody embarrassing,’ said Natalie. ‘Can’t you do something? Say something to him about his drinking? It’s getting out of control again. Even your mum has noticed it recently.’
‘How bad is it?’ asked Dominic.
‘Every night. I’m sure he’s back to drinking during the day too,’ said Natalie. ‘I called into the stables the other day and there was an empty bottle of whisky in the bin. I asked him about it and he said he’d caught one of the staff drinking and had tipped it away.’
‘Really? He never said anything to me about someone drinking at work.’
‘I think he was lying.’ Natalie’s gaze dropped to the ground and Elizabeth was sure she wiped away a tear. ‘It’s like he can’t go through a day without having some sort of drink. It’s the first thing he does when he comes in after work. It’s not unusual for him to drink a whole bottle of wine before going to bed. I really thought all that was in the past, but he’s slipped right back into it.’
Dominic rubbed Natalie’s arm. ‘Hey, come on. Don’t go getting all upset tonight. Not here,’ he said. ‘I’ll tell you what. I promise I’ll speak to him properly tomorrow. There’s no point saying anything tonight. Let him get pissed and when he’s had enough, I’ll get Harry to help me put him to bed. How does that sound?’
Natalie looked up gratefully at her brother-in-law. ‘Thank you, Dominic. I’d really appreciate that. I’m going to go back to our place now and let Eileen go home. She was kind enough to babysit for us tonight but I know she doesn’t like being out too late. I’ll order her a taxi.’
‘OK. Goodnight, Natalie.’ Dominic gave her a peck on the cheek.
Elizabeth hugged Natalie. ‘Don’t worry,’ she said. ‘I’m sure it will all be OK tomorrow.’
‘Thank you,’ said Natalie again, before hurrying off in the direction of their lodge.
‘You’re quite a softy at heart, aren’t you?’ said Elizabeth, treating herself to another look into his eyes. ‘All that tough, macho exterior is just a front.’
‘There’s more to me than meets the eye,’ said Dominic with a wink.
‘Is that right?’ Elizabeth moved a bit closer and swayed a little. ‘I see I’ve got a lot more to discover about you Sinclair brothers than I first thought.’
Before Dominic could continue the conversation, another guest came up. It was a man roughly their age, dressed smartly but with a full tattoo sleeve on his left arm and another in a large tribal pattern down to his elbow on the other arm. His gold earrings sparkled in the strobe lighting. Although he was in a smart shirt and chinos, to Elizabeth it looked as though he would be more at home in jeans and T-shirt, with a bandanna and a motorbike not too far away.
‘Evening, Dominic. Nice party,’ he said.
Dominic turned to Elizabeth. ‘Would you excuse me? I’ve just got to speak to Mark about something.’
Somehow he didn’t look like a Mark, but Elizabeth smiled and nodded. ‘Of course.’
Dominic passed his glass to her. ‘I’ll leave this with you. Back in five.’
Elizabeth leaned back against the balustrade of the terrace and watched Dominic and Mark walk down the steps and cross the poolside before walking around the pool house. She moved position slightly and could just make them out through the glass of the pool house, the festoon lights casting enough brightness for her to see them.
They had a brief conversation and then Mark took an envelope from his pocket and handed it to Dominic. She watched as Dominic looked inside the envelope and then withdrew the contents. She couldn’t see clearly but it looked like a wad of notes. Dominic thumbed through the notes before returning them to the envelope, which he then placed in his inside breast pocket. The two men shook hands and Mark walked away, but not back up the terrace steps – he headed off, taking the narrow path which led to the car park.
Elizabeth drank the last of her champagne and, still holding Dominic’s glass in her hand, made her way down the steps as Dominic strode back, meeting her at the foot of the steps.
‘Has your friend gone?’ asked Elizabeth.
‘He wasn’t a friend, just a business associate,’ replied Dominic. ‘And, yes, he’s gone. What’s it to you?’
‘Just making sure there were no more distractions.’
‘From what?’
‘From your champagne. Don’t want it going flat,’ Elizabeth said, passing his glass to him. As she did so, she stumbled forward and, fortunately, Dominic caught her in his arms.
‘Hey, steady,’ he said, sounding amused. He took the glass from her hand and swigged it back, while still holding her with his other arm. ‘Don’t want that going to waste.’
Elizabeth’s face was only inches from his. She inclined her head. Her mouth was perilously close to making contact with his.
Dominic jerked his head away. ‘Not here,’ he muttered, glancing round.
‘Sorry, I didn’t mean to,’ she said, suddenly feeling flustered and embarrassed.
Dominic smiled and nodded at a couple of guests as they trotted up the terrace steps and into the house, laughing together as they went. ‘If you’re serious, you should come and find me when you’re sober.’ Elizabeth felt his hand slide down her back and cup her buttock.
‘I’m not that drunk,’ she said.
‘You’re not that sober either.’ He looked up towards the terrace. ‘And here comes your husband.’
‘You two are looking
very guilty,’ said Harry as he approached.
Elizabeth gulped but realised he was smiling at them.
‘I was just looking after your wife. Keeping the lecherous wolves at bay,’ said Dominic. He gave Elizabeth’s backside another squeeze before sliding his hand away.
‘And drinking the champagne,’ said Harry, nodding towards the now empty bottle.
‘Ah, yes, the champagne. Not a bad year.’
‘Where’s Lisa?’ Harry asked.
‘Saskia’s puked everywhere. I would have offered to go myself but I can’t deal with sick.’ Dominic grimaced. ‘Natalie’s gone too. She was hacked off that Owen’s got himself pissed so early.’
Harry sighed. ‘He’s only got one setting – a hundred mph all the time where drink’s concerned.’
‘I told Natalie we’d scoop him up soon and take him home. I’ll have to speak to him tomorrow. It’s all getting out of hand.’
Elizabeth stopped listening as the two men discussed their brother and turned her thoughts to the proposition from Dominic. She replayed the conversation to check she wasn’t reading too much into the comment or, indeed, misreading it completely, but no, she was certain she hadn’t got hold of the wrong end of the stick. It was a very appealing proposition, she had to admit.
She spent the rest of the night keeping one eye on Dominic and being attentive to Harry. She didn’t want to arouse his suspicions if she was indeed going to accept Dominic’s suggestion. By the time Dominic and Harry had managed to persuade their brother to call it a night, it was gone midnight.
‘I’m ready for bed myself,’ said Harry, when he found Elizabeth.
‘Oh, don’t be such a party pooper. The evening has only just started,’ she said.
‘You’ve had quite your fair share of booze as well.’
‘Who are you? The alcohol police? Lighten up, Harry. Let your hair down and enjoy yourself.’ Elizabeth then made a point of hitting the dance floor and throwing herself energetically around to the music.
When did Harry become such a bore? she wondered. He was a lot more fun when they’d first got married. These days he was ready for his slippers and pipe. She thought of Dominic, who seemed a much more exciting and fun proposition altogether. There was a sense of danger about him. It wasn’t the first time she’d realized this. She’d always known he was the alpha male of the family, the one who held the power, but it had never seemed as obvious as it did now. Before, when she and Harry were having lots of fun, Dominic hadn’t seemed so different, but now there was a growing rift between the two of them.
