False fire

by Veronica Heley

  Bernice picked up Teddy. ‘I’m perfectly all right,’ she said in her grown-up, touch-me-not voice. She adjusted the bear into the sling at her back and looked up at Mel, who’d been hovering, and yes, wringing her hands. ‘Mel, shall we go and get those trainers now? And later on, perhaps we can pack up Alicia’s things and send them on to her?’

  Bea wanted to hug Bernice and tell her she was a brave child, but feared that any attempt to console her might break down the child’s fragile composure, so did nothing. What she did say was, ‘Mel, once you’ve bought the new trainers, I think Bernice might like a hot chocolate with whipped cream on top. Or whatever she fancies. Something sweet. Carbohydrates. Her great-uncle is coming round later so perhaps you’d best be back by noon.’

  Message received. Mel nodded, pushing back her own distress to look after Bernice.

  Straight-backed, the child opened the front door and descended the steps to the street, followed by Mel who was – yes, she was! – blowing her nose.

  ‘Well!’ said Manisa. ‘Will someone kindly fill me in?’

  Bea led the way back to the sitting room and sat down. William followed. Manisa checked her recorder and turned over a page in her notebook. She looked at William. ‘You first. Explain!’

  William was also blowing his nose. ‘Josh, he’s the owner of the house that went up in flames last night; he and I go back to schooldays. Our wives were friends. Our children grew up together. When my son and his daughter Daphne got together, well, it was a happy day. Yes, we did think they were a trifle young to settle down, but –’ he threw up his hands – ‘they were so much in love. We bought them a house between us; I made my son a partner in the company. They had Alicia pretty quickly but … maybe that was when things began to go wrong. They played at being grown-up, but neither of them was. They had trial separations and went to marriage counsellors but it was no good. Within four years they’d both moved on to other partners. It was distressing, but we couldn’t do anything about it.’

  Manisa said, ‘They divorced?’

  ‘Amicably. They’d both signed pre-nups. Daphne was far too young, emotionally … not really maternal … we mustn’t blame her for … My son, likewise. He wanted to be the free and easy bachelor again, so … the courts gave her custody of Alicia, and he agreed to pay maintenance. Daphne handed the child over to nannies and housekeepers and married again. Alaric. A title, a family estate, well connected, a non-job in the City. Mrs Abbot, you remember him? He was sitting opposite you at dinner last night, between the supermodel Faye and your little Bernice.’

  The man in the car. Yes, she remembered him all right. Today he was wearing casual clothes but last night he’d been in black tie. Liquid dark eyes, smooth dark hair and a six o’clock shadow. She’d wondered if there were Italian blood there, but apparently not. He’d been a little too well padded for his years, perhaps? Not the sort to enjoy exercise. Judging by the car he was driving today when he and his new partner, Ninette, collected Alicia, he was doing well.

  She said, ‘So he’s the second husband? Alaric, title and estate. What happened to your son?’

  ‘He remarried, too. She’s a Californian whom he met on a business trip over there. My son is …’ He looked down at his interlocked fingers. ‘He’s a live wire. Always looking to the future, working on the next big thing to hit the market. He sold our company to buy a stake in an Internet mega-business. He and his new wife live in Florida. She plays tennis to competition standard. They have a couple of little boys who are football-mad. American football.’

  ‘When does he see Alicia?’

  He shuffled his feet. ‘Living in the States is expensive. My son had some difficulty paying Alicia’s maintenance when he remarried. His new wife wasn’t keen on Alicia visiting while she was in the throes of producing her two sons. Of course I understood.’

  Manisa was ahead of him. ‘You helped him out?’

  He flushed, sensing criticism. Perhaps feeling that his son had evaded his responsibilities? And what was that about his son selling the business? Over his father’s head?

  ‘He is our only child. My wife began to be not so well about that time. Neither Josh nor I wanted a family rift so, yes, I helped him out. When Alaric married Daphne, he adopted Alicia. To tidy things up. My son was pleased. You see, he had so much else on his plate. He felt that – as he couldn’t be a good father to Alicia – it was the best thing that she be adopted by someone who was on the spot. He hadn’t even seen her since she was a baby. He didn’t think she’d even remember him. So Alaric is officially Alicia’s father.’

  Bea raised her eyebrows. ‘But Daphne’s second marriage hasn’t worked out, either.’

  ‘True. They separated some months ago and are in the process of divorcing. Both Alaric and Daphne have new partners. Neither Josh nor I liked what was happening, but there … the young ones tell us we’re two old codgers who haven’t moved with the times. They said that children adapt, though I’m not so sure about that.’

  Manisa was sharp. ‘What’s Daphne’s new man like?’

  William’s mouth twisted in distaste. ‘Don’t ask me. I’m biased.’

  Manisa looked at Bea, who said, ‘He’s a stud, beginning and end of. He sat next to me at dinner last night. Looks like a Greek god. Has no interest in anything but himself. He spent the evening putting a note of what he was eating on his smartphone and calculating calories. He told me – as if I ought to be interested – what his heart rate was and how many steps he’d taken that day. I tuned him out, I’m afraid.’

  ‘He’s ten years younger than Daphne,’ said William. ‘Both he and she think he’s the bee’s knees. I believe he is involved in some competitive sport or other. Athletics? Into steroids, maybe? No, I can’t say that. That’s slander. He was renting a room in someone’s flat till he met Daphne and she’s set him up in a studio apartment of his own.’

  ‘He didn’t move in with Daphne? Where does she live?’

  ‘When she left Alaric she bought herself a new flat not far from here, but she wanted the bathroom and kitchen ripped out and replaced so she moved back in with Josh till the work was done. The toy boy would have liked to move in, too, but Josh forbade it.’

  ‘What does this lad do for a living?’

  ‘He’s a personal trainer. That’s how they met. He wants her to sponsor him in training for the next Olympics. I don’t think he’s ever remembered Alicia’s name in the short time that he’s been around and I can’t see that relationship lasting.’

  Manisa was taking notes. ‘So Alaric adopted Alicia. Adoption is for life. Does he intend to apply for custody when the divorce comes up?’

  ‘I believe so, yes. And with Daphne in thrall to the Greek god, she might well agree. You’ll think her very unfeeling, but the truth is that she doesn’t seem to have much of a maternal instinct. She says Alaric is better for Alicia than the Greek god would be, and maybe she’s right.’ He twisted his hands. ‘I keep forgetting that Josh has gone. I can’t say either of us liked the idea of Alicia being handed over to Alaric. So far as I know, he’s never shown any affection for the child.’

  ‘Then why would he want to have custody?’

  ‘Because … it’s a harsh thing to say, but the only thing I can think of is that it gives him the right to administer her trust fund, which at the moment is not even covering her school fees, but with Josh’s death will become considerable. He needs money and she is a considerable heiress.’

  ‘But surely,’ said Bea, ‘he won’t be the only trustee. He can’t raid her inheritance to pay his own bills, can he?’

  ‘I hope not,’ said William. ‘The thing is that grandparents don’t have any rights when families split up. I know, because both Josh and I have looked into the matter. My only hope is that Ninette will take a shine to the child.’

  Bea doubted it. She didn’t think Ninette had the slightest interest in the child. To Bea’s mind, Ninette was a perfectionist, a control freak, possibly anorexic.

 
; ‘Poor Alicia. Poor little mite,’ said William. ‘She’s been handed around like a parcel all her life. Always a loner, always polite, a little withdrawn. I thought at one time that she was being bullied at school. I took it up with her housemistress and got a flea in my ear. The school has a robust policy on bullying. Or so she said. I try to take Alicia out once a month, but Daphne says that it’s better for her to be with her own peer group. Bernice has been good for her, though. Alicia has become far more outgoing, even cheeky, since Bernice made friends with her.’

  Manisa looked at Bea. ‘What did Ninette mean about Bernice being a bad influence on Alicia?’

  The doorbell rang, three short bursts of sound.

  ‘Perfect timing,’ said Bea. ‘That’s Leon, Bernice’s great-uncle. I’ll let him tell the tale, as I suspect it was he who gave away the truth about Bernice’s parentage.’

  She let Leon in, accepted his kiss, and took his coat to hang up. As usual he was wearing silk and cashmere and his after-shave was a delight, even if his neck was beginning to thicken and, though she’d never mentioned it, his hair was beginning to thin. She sighed. She had no right to criticize, had she? She was also beginning to show her age, wasn’t she?

  He stamped his feet. ‘Cold out. Are the girls ready to go out to lunch? Shall we take them anywhere in particular?’ Without waiting for an answer he walked into the sitting room. And realized there were visitors. ‘Hello? Morton, you here? Dreadful business that, last night. I’ve just left the hospital; Daphne’s not feeling too good today, rather sleepy. Are the girls all right?’ He turned to Manisa with the easy charm of a multibillionaire who expects to be liked. ‘And you are …?’

  ‘This is Manisa, the fire investigator,’ said Bea. ‘She’d very much like to know how Alaric and Ninette came to hear about Bernice’s father. I assume you told them last night?’

  ‘No, certainly not.’ He seated himself, leaning back, pleased with himself and his world. ‘It never came up. I was on Daphne’s right. All she could talk about was her new man. Besotted with him, isn’t she? She wanted me to sponsor him for some athletics trials or other, but I’d taken one look and decided I wasn’t interested. Those light blue eyes of his, burning bright, if you know what I mean. Obsessive. Enough to scare any investor off. Daphne was drinking with one hand and hanging on to my wrist with the other. Poor girl, she’s showing her age, despite the Botox. She used to be the loveliest little thing.’

  ‘You weren’t impressed by him?’

  ‘I suspect all he sees when he looks at her is pound signs.’

  ‘So how come Alaric has found out about Bernice’s father?’

  ‘I certainly didn’t mention it to him. We don’t exactly swim in the same waters. I suppose, though …’ A wrinkled brow, ‘Yes, I did tell Josh. Poor old Josh. Wasn’t that a terrible thing! So sudden! I thought he was good for years yet. I still can’t believe it. Steve’s coping remarkably well, don’t you think? A steady hand on the helm. I asked the doctors about telling Daphne her father had died and they said to wait till the antibiotics had taken effect. They’re keeping her in, you know. Poor kid. And her Giorgio didn’t even turn up at the hospital this morning, which you’d think he would, wouldn’t you! Where was I?’

  ‘You gave Josh the dirt on Bernice’s father. Why? I thought it was agreed not to talk about him.’

  ‘Josh asked me, he’d heard some rumour, he was worried because Alicia and Bernice were spending so much time together. I thought it better to tell the truth than to let him imagine the worst.’

  Manisa said, ‘Whatever was the matter with the girl?’

  Leon shook his head. ‘Nothing. Nice child, brave. Intelligent. Got the makings of a fine businesswoman; or so my sister says, and I believe her. The thing is that Dilys – Bernice’s mother – got married far too young to a man who was climbing the ladder in the family business, global wide, Holland Holdings – you know? – that I eventually took over.’

  As any multibillionaire would, he expected the reference to Holland Holdings to be understood and appreciated. Perhaps Manisa wasn’t as familiar with the pages of the Financial Times as he’d expected, for she nodded but didn’t fall to the ground and kiss his feet.

  Leon recovered quickly enough. ‘Anyway, he, Benton, was sleeping his way to the top. He’d discarded a wife on the way up but forgot to divorce her first, which laid him open to blackmail when he set eyes on my niece, pretty, silly little Dilys, and “married” her. He treated Dilys badly and oh, there was something about a business deal that went wrong. So yes, I did tell Josh, in confidence, that her father had been a bigamist, but that wasn’t the girl’s fault. I suppose the man might have been prosecuted for it eventually, but his discarded wife took her revenge by doing away with him. Dilys reminds me of Daphne in some ways. Dependent on men, petted and pampered. Not much common sense. Happily Dilys later found someone more suitable to marry her and has even produced another child.’

  William said, ‘I like Bernice. She’s all right.’

  Bea thought William had heard the details some time before, had made his own assessment of Bernice and had decided he still approved of her as a friend to Alicia. Bea liked him the better for it.

  Manisa, however, was not satisfied. ‘Details? What exactly is this man Benton supposed to have done? Was he ever arrested, convicted … and for what?’

  Leon was expansive. ‘I suppose we could have got him for bigamy and domestic violence, if he hadn’t died.’

  Manisa wasn’t satisfied. ‘Ninette hinted—’

  Leon smiled. ‘Oh, rumours. Bernice, now, she’s made of sterling silver. Takes after the Holland side of the family. My elder brother and his wife – Dilys’s parents – are both dead. I’ve done all right and my sister, Sybil, is a multimillionaire in her own right. Sybil took Bernice under her wing after her father died, partly as a companion and partly to take the place of the children she’s never had. Round and round the world they went, until Bernice said she needed to settle down and get a good education, as she has her sights on Oxford or Cambridge; can’t remember which. Josh must have told Daphne, who told Alaric because he was officially Alicia’s father, and he told Ninette.’

  Bea added, ‘Benton was handsome, charming, and clever to a point, but he was a bully when his brains didn’t get him what he wanted quickly enough. Bernice is pure Holland. She has integrity and courage. I’d be happy if she were my grandchild.’

  ‘Ditto,’ said Leon, shining with rectitude. ‘Not that I’m likely to sire children at my age.’

  Bea sighed. No, she’d long accepted that Leon was too self-centred to want marriage and children. She said, ‘Leon; there’s been a development. Alaric and Ninette have whipped Alicia back to boarding school early, but they say Bernice is not allowed to return.’

  ‘What!’ Leon gaped.

  Honestly, he could be slow on the uptake sometimes, especially if it meant that he ought to take action. ‘Leon, you promised me that you’d phone Sybil and tell her that Bernice was in trouble. Did you do so?’

  ‘Well, I … no. The hour’s all wrong. I wasn’t getting her out of bed to—’

  ‘Perhaps it would be good to ring her, now. Someone has got to deal with the school, and it wouldn’t be any use asking Dilys … unless you’d like to do it yourself?’

  Leon didn’t want to do it. ‘If fee-paying schools took only those pupils whose parents wore haloes, they’d have no pupils at all. I’ll guarantee there’s as bad or worse in every school. This will all blow over. Besides, Sibyl won’t answer the phone when—’

  ‘Dilys and her new husband couldn’t possibly have afforded the fees at this boarding school. Did you enter the child, or did Sybil?’

  ‘Sybil did. But naturally, I’d be prepared to pay the fees if—’

  ‘Ring Sybil now, Leon. Please. You know she’ll be furious if she finds out that the school has asked Bernice to leave and that you’ve done nothing about it.’

  He got out his phone, slowly. Manisa rapped on
the table to attract his attention. ‘Before you speak to her … Mrs Abbot was so kind as to give me permission to talk to the children this morning, but I need to cover myself. I need to know: is it you, your sister Sybil, or Bernice’s mother who has parental responsibility for the girl?’

  ‘That’s a very good point.’ He frowned. ‘I suppose it’s Dilys, but … I mean … either Sybil or I … yes, I see where you’re going. In practice, it’s whoever is on the spot.’

  Manisa was not amused. ‘If I ring the school and ask them who they deal with …?’

  ‘I’m sure Sybil only has to wave a cheque and the school will be delighted to welcome Bernice back again. Apart from anything else, she’s scholarship material. A fine brain.’

  ‘Interested in science, is she? Chemistry, for instance?’

  Manisa was probing to see whether or not Bernice might be interested in making her own fireworks?

  Leon was puzzled. ‘Maths, yes. Not sure about science.’

  ‘Was it you who gave her a box of indoor fireworks for her birthday?’

  ‘I know she and Alicia wanted some fireworks, but Josh had said “no” so we got her tickets to some pop show or other … what was it, Bea? You got them for me. They’ll have gone up in smoke, the tickets, I suppose. Bad do, that. The fire. I was on the phone to Steve and he said the ground floor’s all right and some of the rooms on the first floor, though there’s smoke and water damage. I’m glad Josh didn’t live to see it. The family will have to move out, I suppose, for the time being. Gideon has his own place. So it’s only Steve now. And Daphne, while her flat’s being re-plumbed or whatever. Who’s going to look after Daphne when she gets out of hospital? The housekeeper, I suppose …’

  So Leon didn’t know Mrs Frost had also been taken to hospital?

  He continued, ‘Steve will arrange something, no doubt. And the insurance will pay up.’ He dabbed at his phone. ‘I’d better see if Sybil can get over here sharpish. I think she’s in Boston for the weekend.’ He held the phone to his ear. Frowned. ‘Engaged. I’ll try again in a minute.’