Stolen

by Susan Lewis

  ‘OK, here’s to us,’ Sarah declared, clinking her glass against Lucy’s.

  ‘To us indeed,’ Lucy responded, ‘and to a little fortune coming your way from the next Cromstone auction.’

  ‘Hear, hear to that,’ Sarah laughed, and clinking their glasses again they both took a generous sip.

  ‘I’m guessing this’ll be Hanna,’ Lucy said, as her phone bleeped with a text. ‘Yes, it is,’ she confirmed. ‘She wants to know if it’s all right for her to borrow five pounds off her grandpa before she goes out, which apparently I have to pay back.’

  Laughing and waving a hand as the bubbles fizzed up her nose, Sarah said, ‘What news on the hot date?’

  ‘She’s not meeting him until two,’ Lucy replied, texting back a quick yes.

  Sarah wrinkled her nose. ‘Is hot date the right terminology these days?’ she wondered.

  ‘I guess so – oh what the hell do I know? Anyway, here’s her day so far: Grandpa – Grandpa – drove her into town first thing so she could Bambi herself up with some eyelash extensions, and now, would you believe, she’s at the Mckenzies’, helping them to set up their new Wii Fit.’

  Sarah was clearly impressed. ‘They have a Wii Fit? How very modern of them.’

  ‘Exactly what I thought, but Mum, Granny, was of the opinion that it was quite ridiculous for people of their age to be messing about with teenage gadgets. Between us, I don’t think she’s entirely sure what one is. Anyway, for some reason she wasn’t at all keen on Hanna going to help out, but Hanna had promised, so, wait for this, Granny’s gone too.’

  Sarah almost choked on her drink.

  ‘Don’t let’s go there,’ Lucy advised, taking another sip of champagne. ‘The main thing, at least for me, is that Mum’s up and about again after two days in bed, though she’s still not completely over this bug. Her throat’s red raw and she can hardly speak she’s so bunged up. Dad wants to take her off to Exmoor so she can get some proper rest, but she’s refusing to budge until she’s sure I’m ready to step into her shoes.’

  ‘Which will be when, do you think?’ Sarah asked.

  With a sigh Lucy said, ‘If I had the full support of Maureen and Godfrey I’d side with Dad and get him to take her now, but I’m afraid they might try to sabotage me while I’m still green enough to let them.’ She took another sip of her drink. ‘I’d never tell Mum this, but if I could I’d let them go, because frankly he gives me the creeps and she’s doing her level best to put me down at every turn. However, without them I’d be up the proverbial without a paddle.’

  Would now be a good time to suggest helping out, Sarah was asking herself. It certainly seemed to be, but then she was hardly a suitable replacement for the Crumptons, so all she said was, ‘Did you ever hear any more from the bloke who threatened a solicitor’s letter?’

  Lucy shook her head as she put her glass down. ‘And Maureen’s convinced we won’t. Interestingly though, I did a bit of digging around after everyone had gone last night and I found a few more letters from people claiming that Cromstone have auctioned off their items to someone who then sold the piece on for five or six times as much.’

  Sarah’s eyebrows rose.

  ‘I know what you’re thinking,’ Lucy said, ‘and I agree it doesn’t look good, but at the same time I don’t disbelieve Maureen when she says that a provincial saleroom like ours is always going to suffer accusations of that sort.’

  ‘Yet,’ Sarah said deliberately, ‘I always imagined your mum was scrupulous about valuations.’

  ‘You’re right, she is, but that’s her, and I don’t suppose everyone’s like her. For instance, you could sell your grandma’s chamber pot through us at Cromstone’s for, say, fifty quid, then whoever buys it takes it to another auction and manages to get the price up to a hundred. I imagine if you found out about it you’d feel slightly aggrieved that you didn’t make as much for Grandma’s depository when, after all, she was your grandma, and maybe you were the one having to empty the pot.’

  Sarah laughed as she screwed up her nose. ‘Point taken,’ she said, ‘but what does your mum say about the complaints?’

  ‘I’ve only talked to her about Eric Beadle’s so far, but I intend to mention the others when she’s feeling a bit better.’ She glanced at her watch. ‘Personally speaking I’d love to have another glass, but I guess we ought to go and get these forms signed or I’ll be late picking Joe up from the station.’

  Taking out her purse, Sarah said, ‘How long’s he staying?’

  ‘This is on me,’ Lucy insisted, fishing out hers. ‘Until Monday, he says, but we’ll see. I just hope he’s in a better mood than when we spoke last night, because he was pretty down about not getting the part he went to Glasgow for – especially as they cast someone half his age.’

  ‘Ouch,’ Sarah murmured. ‘He’s in a tough business.’

  ‘And it doesn’t get any easier, but he’s adamant he’ll make it back to the top one of these days, and yours truly isn’t going to be the one to burst his bubble.’

  After paying the bill, Lucy led the way outside to where a troupe of morris dancers was romping vigorously around the war memorial, with a small band of spectators clapping them on.

  ‘Your husband’s lucky to have someone so supportive as you,’ Sarah commented, as she fell in beside Lucy.

  Lucy cast her a glance, then smiled. ‘I know you two got off on the wrong foot,’ she said, ‘but I was hoping you might give him a second chance and come and join us for dinner tonight.’

  Sarah barely hesitated. ‘I’d love to,’ she declared, ‘and please don’t think I hold a grudge, because I really don’t.’ She might even, she was thinking, be able to put aside Joe’s infidelity if it meant becoming a part of Lucy’s inner circle. After all, it was perfectly possible that Lucy already knew about Annie and if she did, and had moved on, then she, Sarah, ought to as well.

  ‘I was thinking of inviting the Mckenzies too,’ Lucy said, as they turned back into the cobbled lane, ‘but a large party is probably too much for Mum while she’s still not fully fit. Have you met them yet, by the way?’

  ‘I think I’m the only one who hasn’t, but everyone’s speaking very highly of them so I can’t imagine I won’t be charmed by them too. Aha, looks like the gallery’s open so the owner must be back.’

  ‘Sarah? Is that you?’ a voice called from behind them.

  Turning round, Sarah clocked who it was and gave a gasp of joy. ‘Michael,’ she cried, quickly crossing the street to greet a tall, dark-haired man who appeared equally pleased to see her.

  ‘How are you?’ he demanded, taking a good look at her. ‘It’s been too long.’

  ‘I’m fine thanks,’ she laughed, and looking up into his finely chiselled face she felt her own flood with colour. ‘And you’re right,’ she told him, ‘it has been too long. So how are you?’

  ‘You mean apart from guilty of not keeping up with old friends? How’s Simon these days? Is he still in Paris?’

  ‘Yes, but he should be over soon so we must all get together.’

  ‘Absolutely,’ he agreed, his eyes moving to Lucy.

  ‘Gosh, where are my manners?’ Sarah exclaimed, turning around. ‘Michael, this is Lucy Winters, who’s taking over at Cromstone Auctions. Lucy, this is your lawyer.’

  Amused, Lucy crossed over to shake his hand.

  ‘It’s a pleasure to meet you,’ he told her, his intense blue eyes gazing directly into hers.

  ‘Likewise,’ she assured him. ‘I’ve heard a great deal about you, mainly from Mum, who could be one of your biggest fans.’

  With a laugh, he said, ‘The feeling’s mutual, and I’ve heard a lot about you too, so it’s high time we met. Has everything gone through now? All t’s crossed and i’s dotted?’

  Lucy grimaced. ‘I still haven’t been in to sign for the house, but everything’s finalised with the business. I’ll call Teresa on Monday to find out when’s a good time for her.’

  ‘If it’s just a sign
ature we need I’m sure we can courier something to you, or I can pop it in to you myself if I’m passing. Having a place here and in Stroud, it’s not much of a detour to get to Cromstone. So now, what brings you two ladies to Chipping today?’

  Lucy held up the envelope she was carrying. ‘I’m chasing signatures myself,’ she told him. ‘Margie, in the art gallery, did some valuations for us and forgot to sign before sending them back, so we thought we’d ring the changes from Cromstone for a while and bring them over in person.’

  Michael’s eyes were still holding hers. ‘Well, if you’re not in a hurry,’ he said, glancing at Sarah, ‘how about joining me for some lunch?’

  ‘We’d love to,’ Sarah cried delightedly. Then, remembering Joe, she looked sheepishly at Lucy. ‘Wouldn’t we?’ she said lamely.

  Deciding that actually, yes, they would, Lucy took out her phone. ‘I’ll call Dad and ask him to collect Joe from the station,’ she said, ‘then I’ll come to find you after I’ve sorted things out with Margie. Where will you be?’

  Checking his watch, Michael said, ‘It’s still early, so we’ll probably get a table at the Italian. Do you know where it is?’

  ‘I spotted it just now at the end of the high street.’

  ‘If I’m going on ahead with Michael,’ Sarah said, ‘shall I order you a glass of wine?’

  Lucy grimaced. ‘Better not as I’m driving, but don’t let that stop you.’

  Twenty minutes later, with her forms signed and her father on his way to the station, Lucy was sitting on the shady patio behind the restaurant, sipping a mineral water while listening to Michael and Sarah catching up on their news. She wasn’t sure why she was surprised to learn that he was the father of three young boys, all under the age of ten, she simply was, though the fact that neither he, nor Sarah, mentioned the boys’ mother was what she found most intriguing. Then the subject moved on to Simon and how he and Michael had travelled around the world together during their gap year, and she soon found herself talking about Ben. She’d received two emails to date, she told them, which she’d probably read a hundred times each, even though he was only saying he was fine and having a great time. No details of where he was, or what the place was like, which she accepted was typical of boys, but she wished he’d told her something about the local culture, having never been to Thailand herself.

  Since Sarah and Michael both had, they were happy to regale her with their own experiences, while trying not to alarm her with accounts of the more dubious aspects of the country.

  By the time their food arrived the subject had changed again, this time to Sarah’s mother.

  ‘Have you ever met Rose?’ Michael asked Lucy.

  Lucy shook her head as she rolled a few slivers of duck into a crêpe. ‘No, I haven’t,’ she replied, while realising she’d like to.

  ‘She’s quite something,’ he told her, with a playful glance towards Sarah. ‘We boys were always mad about her when we were growing up, which used to drive poor Simon crazy. He thought we were only his friends because of her and his two gorgeous sisters, and if I’m honest he wasn’t entirely wrong. Staying with the Bancrofts was always first on everyone’s list when it came to summer holidays, because it was where we always had the best time. Do you remember how your father used to set us his famous challenges so we could show off to you girls how well we knew your favourite poets?’ he asked Sarah.

  ‘And you were hopeless,’ she laughed. ‘But worse was when he’d bring in local bands for you to perform with. Not one of you was a gifted musician, that’s for sure.’

  Michael’s hurt expression made Lucy laugh. ‘And all the time,’ he said, ‘Rose was there with her girls, watching and laughing and teasing us mercilessly.’

  ‘But then,’ Sarah went on, starting to sober, ‘she’d disappear to her room with one of her migraines, as we used to call them, and Dad was left doing his best to keep us entertained.’

  ‘Which he always did, masterfully,’ Michael assured her.

  Sarah smiled. ‘He did, didn’t he? And it couldn’t have been easy when he was always so worried about her.’

  ‘So if it wasn’t a migraine, what was it?’ Lucy asked, curiously.

  Sarah sighed and picked up her wine. ‘Who knows?’ she replied. ‘It’s not something we’ve ever discussed with her, we just grew up knowing that she was prone to these so-called headaches. Becky calls them depressions and I think she’s probably right. Certainly it’s what Mum takes medication for and it seems to be working, because I don’t think she takes to her bed like that any more.’

  Realising her phone was vibrating, Lucy turned it over, and seeing it was Joe she excused herself to wander to the edge of the patio. ‘Hi, everything OK?’ she asked him.

  ‘It would be if you’d come to pick me up,’ he told her, his slurred speech letting her know that he’d travelled down in the buffet car. ‘What’s the big deal that you couldn’t make it?’

  ‘Something came up,’ she replied. ‘I could go into detail, but I don’t expect you’re interested to know about valuations and lawyers and …’

  ‘Don’t patronise me,’ he snapped. ‘I’ve come all this way to see you …’

  ‘To see Hanna,’ she reminded him. ‘Where is she?’

  ‘She left as soon as I got here, so I’m stuck with your parents.’

  ‘I hope you’re being nice to them. Mum hasn’t been well …’

  ‘Yes, I’ve heard all about it, thanks, and when am I ever not nice to them?’

  Having to concede that actually, in spite of how dull he found them, he was always kind, Lucy said, ‘I’m sorry. I spoke out of turn, but I can tell you’re in a grumpy mood so I was worried that you might be taking it out on them. Anyway, I’ll be back soon. Have you eaten?’

  ‘Your mother made me an omelette.’

  ‘Good, that should keep you going till dinner. Sarah’s going to join us tonight and …’

  ‘Who’s Sarah?’

  ‘Sarah Bancroft, from the manor.’

  ‘What the …’

  ‘Joe, get over it, she has. Now will you please text Hanna to ask if she’d like to invite a friend too? By the way, she’s been invited to a party down in the valley that starts about ten and I’ve said she can go, provided she’s back by midnight. She’ll no doubt try getting round you for an extension, but that’s late enough at her age, OK?’

  ‘If you say so,’ he retorted sourly.

  ‘I’ll be home in about half an hour, so I’ll see you then,’ she said, and quickly ringing off she returned to the table to find Michael and Sarah talking about what had happened to Sarah during the last few years. Realising she couldn’t possibly interrupt to say she was leaving, Lucy sat down quietly, and soon found herself wishing she knew how to take away Sarah’s pain. Still, at least she seemed to be enjoying herself today, and seeing Michael had clearly done her a power of good.

  ‘I’m going to call Simon as soon as I get home,’ Sarah was telling Michael when they finally called for the bill. ‘He’ll want to see you when he comes over, I know it.’

  ‘Just let me know the dates and I’ll make sure I’m around,’ Michael assured her, taking out his wallet. Then, turning to Lucy, ‘It’s been a real pleasure to meet you, and if we do all get together when Simon’s here, maybe you’d like to join us?’

  Loving the idea, Lucy said, ‘I’ll make sure I’m free.’

  Minutes later, as she and Sarah walked back to the car, Sarah said, ‘It was so lovely to see him, wasn’t it?’

  With raised eyebrows, Lucy said, ‘He seemed just as pleased to see you.’ Then, remembering the boys, ‘Do you know his wife?’

  Sarah pulled a face. ‘Oh yes, we all know Carlotta. Our entire family went to the wedding, which was a seriously big do, in Tuscany, at her parent’s villa. You should see it, it’s more like a palace.’

  ‘And what’s she like?’

  ‘Absolutely stunning and unless she’s changed, an absolute nightmare, but I guess he doesn’t th
ink so or he wouldn’t have stayed with her. Anyway, it’ll be great if we do all get together when Simon’s here. In fact, I might do something really wild and throw a little cocktail party at the manor in honour of his and Michael’s reunion. It’s been a long time since the old place saw any visitors, never mind any fun.’

  Liking the sound of it, in spite of not feeling particularly thrilled by the prospect of meeting the exotic Mrs Givens, Lucy said, ‘Then you must let me know what you’d like me to do to help. For now though, I’d better put my foot down or Joe’s going to start feeling even sorrier for himself than he’s already managing.’

  Half an hour later, with the car windows rolled down to let some air into the old Peugeot’s stuffy interior, Lucy was driving them into Cromstone when she spotted Philippa Mckenzie coming out of the One Stop Shop. ‘Hello,’ she called out, pulling up alongside her. ‘How’s the Wii Fit?’

  ‘Oh, marvellous,’ Philippa chuckled as she stopped to talk to them. ‘Hanna got us up and running – and I mean running – in no time at all, the dear girl. Such an incredible invention.’ She lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. ‘I think your mother might be interested in getting one for herself, you know.’

  Lucy was incredulous. ‘Did she have a go on it?’ she asked.

  ‘Oh yes, and she was very good at the yoga, I have to say. Very supple for a woman her age. Put me to shame, she did.’

  Laughing as she sat back in her seat, Lucy said, ‘Sarah, this is Mrs Mckenzie. Actually, it’s Miss, isn’t it? Or are you Ms?’

  ‘Just Philippa,’ she replied, stooping so she could see Sarah.

  ‘And this is Sarah Bancroft,’ Lucy told her. ‘She lives at the manor.’

  ‘It’s lovely to meet you, dear,’ Philippa smiled.

  Sarah said, ‘Welcome to Cromstone, Philippa. I hope you’re going to enjoy your time here.’

  Philippa’s good eye twinkled happily. ‘Thank you,’ she said. ‘And I shall hope that we see a lot more of you. My brother and I are … Well, we’re old friends of your parents’, you know?’