by Susan Lewis
A few minutes later, with Rozzie panting happily at Pippa’s feet, and everyone else seated at the table with large glasses of John’s excellent concoction, John proposed a toast. ‘To new friends and soon-to-be colleagues.’
‘To new friends and soon-to-be colleagues,’ Lucy and Sarah echoed.
Sensing Philippa watching her, Lucy turned to her and smiled. There was such warmth and gentility in the older lady’s expression that she had to quell a sudden impulse to squeeze her hand. ‘Before we get completely off the subject,’ she said, ‘thank you for giving Hanna such a lovely day. I only saw her briefly before I came out, but she’s obviously completely mad about the dog, and the Wii games you’re letting her and Juliette play, but if they get too much for you, you must tell them to scarper.’
‘Don’t you worry about that, we’re very happy to have them here,’ John declared with an avuncular twinkle. ‘It keeps us young, having a couple of teenagers about the place. Stops us turning into a pair of old fuddy-duddies, which is what I suppose we are. So now, do you have a work schedule for me tomorrow? I shall be up at the crack of dawn, as usual, so no problem if there’s an early start.’
Loving his enthusiasm, Lucy said, ‘Well actually, there is an early pickup over at Chippenham – a three-piece suite, TV stand and two side tables. If you can manage that, then a stop at Old Sodbury on the way back …’
‘You just give me the names and addresses and I’ll put the Sat Nav on it and be there. The lorry does have a Sat Nav, I take it? No worries if it doesn’t, I’ll just pick one up …’
‘There’s one installed,’ she assured him, ‘and Carl knows the area pretty well, having grown up in Badminton, so he’ll be a very able assistant.’
‘And what will I be doing?’ Philippa asked excitedly.
Wanting to do anything she could to make this lovely woman happy while she was in her blessed state of remission, Lucy said, ‘Actually, I’m hoping you’ll take charge of the telephone bids. There’s quite a bit of setting up involved, and then on the day you’ll be at the end of the line dealing with the clients and making sure they get sent what they bought.’
Philippa was beaming delightedly, and the look on John’s face showed how thrilled he was that his sister was being included.
‘We shall do everything we can to turn your first auction into a resounding triumph,’ he promised. ‘And it’s not just driving and telephones we’re good at, so you must make use of us in any way you can.’
Sarah said to Lucy with a touch of irony, ‘Maybe we could ask John to visit Eric Beadle to try and make the old fool see sense.’
John’s eyebrows rose.
With an exasperated sigh, Lucy said, ‘There’s an old guy in Dursley who thinks we’ve deliberately sold him short on a commode. Mum and Maureen were convinced he’d go away if we just ignored him, but unfortunately we received a letter from his solicitor this morning.’
John looked interested. ‘Saying what?’ he asked.
‘Basically that if we don’t pay the difference between our sale price and the one the dealer who bought it sold it on for, they’ll be asking questions about other items that have gone the same route out of Cromstone’s.’
‘And are there other items?’ Philippa asked, reaching for the jug to top up their drinks.
Lucy threw out her hands. ‘There are bound to be, because that’s more or less what auctions are all about, especially for dealers – they buy something cheaply, then turn it around for a handsome profit. The thing about Mr Beadle is that he seems to believe we deliberately cheated him, and now his lawyer’s threatening to cut up rough.’
‘What do your parents say about it?’ Philippa wanted to know.
‘To be honest, I haven’t told them,’ Lucy confessed. ‘Mum’s already stressed enough about leaving … But I suppose I’ll have to if it starts blowing up into something serious.’
‘I’d say a lawyer’s letter is already quite serious,’ Philippa remarked gravely.
‘So would I, but according to Maureen they turn up on a regular basis, and if we start getting involved with lawyers ourselves we’d soon run out of money.’
‘John? What are you thinking?’ Philippa prompted, noticing how deeply he was frowning.
Raising his head, he said, ‘Actually, I was remembering something someone once told me … It might not be relevant, no, I’m sure it’s not.’
‘Well tell us anyway,’ Philippa urged.
John’s eyes went to Lucy. ‘I’m sure I’m going right out on a limb here,’ he said, ‘but first tell me, how long have the Crumptons been working with your parents?’
Feeling a curious jolt of unease, Lucy replied, ‘More or less since they came here.’
‘And what were the Crumptons doing before?’
Lucy shrugged. ‘I’m not sure. I know they’ve always lived round this way, but that’s about all I can tell you. Why? Have you heard something?’
He shook his head. ‘No, we haven’t been here long enough to be party to gossip, but listening to you just now reminded me of a conversation I had once with a chap who knew a lot about your world. What he told me … Well, have you ever heard of something called the Ring?’
Lucy and Sarah looked at one another and shook their heads.
‘Mm, I can’t say I know much about it myself,’ he admitted, ‘but from what I can remember it’s made up of a group of buyers, or dealers, who enter into an agreement to keep the price of something low – in other words only one of them will make a bid for an item they know to be quite valuable, and the others will stay out of the running. This means they might pick it up for as little as seventy quid when it’s actual worth could be around seven hundred, or even seven thousand.’
Sarah was puzzled. ‘So what happens after the bidder carts off his bargain? How do the others profit from that?’
‘I believe the chap who bought it then holds a second, secret auction, maybe in the car park, or at the pub, where they all bid against one another for the same item. This way they manage to cheat the auction house out of its proper commission, while the original seller is cheated out of far more.’
Lucy wasn’t liking the sound of this one bit. ‘So do you think that’s what’s happening at Cromstone’s?’ she asked.
‘I’ve no idea, but if it is, it’s a criminal act that could end up shutting the place down.’
Lucy blanched.
‘I’m probably overstating it,’ John said quickly, ‘but it might not be a bad idea to run it past your lawyer.’
‘We’re seeing Michael on Saturday,’ Sarah reminded Lucy. ‘We could talk to him about it then.’ To the Mckenzies she said, ‘My brother’s arriving at the weekend. He and Michael are old friends, so I’m planning to throw a little party for their reunion. It would be lovely if you could make it too.’
Philippa turned to John as she said, ‘I’m sure we’d love to.’
Still looking grave, John said, ‘We don’t know yet if we are talking about a ring, and we really might not be, but the important thing, as I see it, is that nothing scurrilous or underhand manages to attach itself to Cromstone’s. So whether it’s contacting a lawyer, or trying to solve the problem ourselves, we must do everything we can to make sure your good name remains intact.’
Touched by such ready support, Lucy was about to respond when the puppy made a sudden lunge towards him.
With a chuckle John ruffled her ears and treated her to a morsel of confit canapé.
‘I think we’re getting an idea who’ll have to dish out the discipline around here, don’t you?’ Philippa demanded with a knowingly arched eyebrow.
‘She’s a tyrant,’ John told the dog, ‘but don’t worry, I’ll be here to save you.’
Beside herself with joy, the puppy tried jumping on to his lap, but the lead was too short and she was yanked back mid-air.
Laughing, he detached her smart new tartan collar and lifted her up. ‘I think we’re going to be best buddies, you and me,’ he told her as s
he mopped his face with her frantic pink tongue.
Watching, Lucy felt a sense of sadness descending over her. Maybe the reason for getting a dog was so that he wouldn’t be alone if his sister’s cancer did come back. She glanced at Sarah and suspected her thoughts were running along similar lines.
‘I was wondering,’ Sarah said, as John put the puppy down and rested a calming hand on her head. ‘Well, Philippa mentioned a few days ago that you’re old friends of my parents …’ She let the question hang, not quite sure how to frame the rest of it.
John’s eyes moved to his sister. ‘That’s right,’ he said quietly. ‘We were … It was a very long time ago.’
Sarah glanced at Lucy.
‘So, how did you know them?’ Lucy ventured.
John reached for his drink, but didn’t pick it up. ‘I think it would be better if Sarah’s mother told you that,’ he said, and smiling as he held up the pitcher to signal it was empty, he went back inside to refill it.
Bemused, Sarah looked at Philippa.
‘So,’ Philippa said happily, ‘what are you two ladies planning to do for the summer fete?’
* * *
Later that evening, after Lucy and Sarah had gone home, Philippa was sitting quietly on the terrace watching John playing with the puppy, whose euphoria and energy seemed to know no bounds. The past couple of hours had tired her far more than she’d ever have admitted, though she knew they hadn’t been easy for him either. She’d have liked to ask Sarah what she knew of her mother’s past, but it would have been wrong to do so when it was possible that she knew nothing at all. Certainly John’s name seemed to have struck no chords with her, and Philippa was left to wonder, for now, if Sarah’s brother would recognise it when he came.
How was John feeling, she was thinking, knowing that very soon now he was likely to come face to face with his son? Was he ready for it? Would he be able to cope if Simon had no idea who he was? For years they’d talked about the joy it would bring to them both to be a part of John’s children’s lives again, but there was never any guarantee that reality would play out the same benignly happy scenarios as those conjured by fantasy. Sarah wasn’t John’s, but Simon and Becky were – had Rose ever told them that? If she had, did they know what had happened to their father?
In coming here neither she nor John had sought to cause harm or heartache to anyone, except perhaps to themselves, but now Philippa was unable to see how they could avoid drawing others into the pain and injustice that had been such a large part of their lives. She was deeply sorry to find herself thinking this way, and angry with herself for not realising sooner that opening up the past was likely to destroy as much as it would repair. For her, her brother would always come first, but that didn’t mean she had no care for others, particularly those like Sarah, and her siblings, whose innocence was as precious to John as it would be to Rose.
Thinking of the woman whose young life had been shattered along with John’s more than thirty years ago had never been easy for Philippa. She’d known and loved Rose well, and would have continued to had it been possible, but it hadn’t. A cruel and malicious fate had struck at the very heart of their family in the worst imaginable way, and caused such devastation that Philippa was sure Rose’s scars were still as deep as John’s. Why had it happened? What purpose was there to inflicting such appalling damage on blameless lives? Would they ever find out the reasons? After so many years it was probably madness to think they would, yet she knew, deep down, that neither she nor John had ever quite given up the hope that one day they might recover what had once been stolen from them.
Chapter Twelve
‘SHEILA, IT’S ME,’ Sarah said down the line to her aunt. ‘How are you – or should I say, comment tu vas?’
‘En pleine forme, merci,’ Sheila replied with a very strong English accent. ‘And comment vas-tu, my darling?’
‘Yes I’m great, thanks. Loving being involved with Lucy and the auction house – I expect Mum told you about it, did she?’
‘She certainly did, and we’re both thrilled to think of you getting out more – and being paid, as well. Très bon, indeed. You might not have to sell off quite so many of the family treasures now, not that anything’s worth much, Mum tells me. Anyway, you’ve just missed her, I’m afraid. She went off to her yoga class almost as soon as she finished speaking to you.’
‘Yes, she said she was going, and actually it’s you I want to talk to. Is this a good time?’
‘As good as any, I’m in no rush to get anywhere. What’s the weather like with you? Still sunny?’
‘A little overcast today, with rain forecast for later. I’m guessing it’s completely gorgeous with you.’
‘I have to admit it is, though our view of the Med is a little hazy this morning. We’re thinking of driving down to the coast later for a spot of lunch. A pity you can’t join us. When do you think you’ll be coming?’
‘I’m not sure now I’m working with Lucy. Definitely not until after the auction. Anyway, the reason I’m calling is to find out if the name John Mckenzie means anything to you?’
When only silence followed, Sarah’s heartbeat started to slow. Was Sheila trying to remember, or had she, Sarah, made the right decision not to blurt it out to her mother? Lucy had agreed that she should go in carefully, since John’s reaction last night had told them that the situation was likely to be delicate.
‘Sheila?’
‘Yes, darling, I’m still here. How … What …?’ Then, in a stronger voice, ‘Why are you asking?’
Disturbed by the answer that was actually a question, Sarah said, ‘He’s renting a house here, in Cromstone, with his sister, Philippa.’
‘Oh my goodness,’ Sheila muttered.
More alarmed than ever, Sarah went on, ‘He says he’s an old friend of Mum’s.’
‘Yes, I suppose you could say … Is that all he’s told you?’
‘So far, but there’s obviously more. Sheila, what’s the big mystery? Has it got …’
‘The mystery,’ Sheila interrupted, ‘there is no mystery. He’s … Oh dear, we’re going back a very long way, Sarah, and I’m afraid it’s not my place to tell you what happened. I take it you haven’t mentioned anything to Mum yet? No, of course not, that’s why you’re talking to me. Do you have any idea why he’s there? Has he said anything …? How well do you know him?’
Hardly knowing which question to answer first, Sarah said, ‘He’s helping out at the auction house. He seems a really nice man. His sister, Philippa, is lovely too. She’s had cancer, and lost an eye because of it.’
‘Pippa has cancer?’ Sheila said faintly. ‘She’s lost an eye? Oh my goodness, the poor thing.’
‘Sheila, please, how do you know them?’
‘Darling, if I could tell you that I promise I would, but your mother … Please don’t mention this to her, will you, not until I’ve had a chance to talk to her. It’s going to upset her far more than you realise. Well, how can you, she’s never told you … We thought we’d never see him again … Does he want to see her? Is that what he’s saying?’
Tense with frustration, Sarah said, ‘No, I don’t think so. It’s not what he said. Sheila, for heaven’s sake, you have to tell me who he is.’
‘I’m sorry, darling. As I said, it’s not my place to, at least not without your mother’s permission.’
Suddenly Sarah wanted to scream. ‘Don’t you think I’ve been through enough these last few years?’ she cried. ‘I’m trying hard to pull myself together, but discovering there are some deep, dark secrets in my family that for all I know are the reason my mother’s half crazy really doesn’t help.’
‘No, of course not. I understand that, but there’s nothing for you … You’re stronger than your mother, darling. Really you are. And please, don’t let’s say she’s crazy because we know it isn’t true.’
‘OK, I’m sorry, but if you were in my shoes, Sheila, you’d be feeling pretty uptight too.’
‘I won’t disag
ree with that, and I’m truly sorry I’m not giving you the answers you’re looking for, but they really must come from her.’
‘Or John Mckenzie? Maybe I should ask him what you’re all hiding.’
‘For your own sake, please don’t do that, Sarah. Besides, I’m not sure he’d tell you.’
Guessing from the way he’d been last night that he probably wouldn’t, Sarah said, ‘You realise, don’t you, that I’m thinking terrible things now?’
‘Then try not to, darling, because no one’s done anything wrong. Your mother, John, they were victims of the most dreadful … No, I’m saying too much already. Just please don’t think badly of anyone, and try to be patient. Once I tell her he’s in Cromstone … She’ll want to know how he is, I’m sure, and if he ever married … You said he’s there with Philippa?’
‘Sheila, I can’t ask him those questions. I don’t know him well enough.’
‘Of course not. I’m sorry, I’m just trying to think ahead to what Rose might ask once she’s had time to get over the shock.’
‘So when are you going to tell her?’
‘I’m not sure. I’ll have to pick my moment, but when I do I’ll be sure to let you know that I have.’
After ringing off Sarah continued to stand in the kitchen doorway, staring out across the valley to the meandering river and Welsh hills beyond. In her mind’s eye she was picturing her mother with her cloud of ebony hair and exquisite oval face, roaming Provençal markets in her battered straw hat, stretching her slender body into impossible yoga positions, running across this lawn with Simon and Becky; standing right here watching the sun going down. She’d always been an exquisitely beautiful woman, and still was, with mesmerising blue eyes and a smile that seemed to light up the world. Yet always there was the sadness, the distance that seemed to lurk in the shadows waiting to swallow her up.
