by Jo Bannister
‘All right. I’ll come down, and I’ll help you if I can. I owe you that much; I probably owe you more. But Philip, I want your word that you won’t keep coming back. I’m retired, and I want to stay retired. And I don’t want you trying to recruit Hazel Best. Your word, Philip. In your own devious way, you’re an honourable man. If you give me your word, I know you’ll keep it.’
There was a longer pause. Then Welbeck asked softly, ‘Does she know?’
‘That I used to work for you? Yes, of course she does. That you want me to work for you again? – no.’
‘I meant, does she know that you love her?’
Ash blinked at his phone, genuinely astonished. ‘Hazel? Philip, you’ve got this wrong. She’s just a friend …’
‘You mean,’ Welbeck corrected him carefully, ‘she is a friend. There’s no just about it. And if you’re telling me that you’re willing to do this, that you so obviously don’t want to do, to protect someone you don’t love, I’ll have to invite you to pull the other one, on account of it has bells on.’
Ash’s brain rocked in almost the same way it had when it met John Fisher’s gunstock coming the other way. Up and down lost all meaning; he felt himself spiralling towards the noonday sun. All he could manage was a stammered, ‘I’m a married man …’
‘Ah yes,’ said Welbeck smoothly. ‘This would be the marriage to the woman who drove you mad and then tried to kill you. Do you know, Gabriel, I think that would be grounds for a divorce in most jurisdictions. If that’s what you want. Of course, lots of people these days – and I wouldn’t claim to be any kind of an expert – don’t consider marriage an essential part of a romantic liaison anyway.’
‘Me and Hazel? Really, Philip, you’re barking up the wrong tree. What could she possibly have to gain? I’m fifteen years older than she is.’
‘Yes,’ allowed Welbeck, ‘and you’re a good, kind and intelligent man. And unless you invested a lot more capital in that shop of yours than is readily apparent, also a comparatively wealthy one. She could probably do worse.’
‘I don’t think she thinks of me like that.’
‘It might be fun finding out.’ The mischief was back in Welbeck’s voice.
Ash made an effort to pull himself together. ‘Philip, stop meddling in things you know nothing about. I have more important things to do than listen to your nonsense. My dog is ready to come home from the vet’s.’
‘That is good news. Give her a pat from me. And, Gabriel …?’
‘Philip?’
‘I’ll see you on Monday.’
