Echoes of Love

by Rosie Rushton

Anna smiled.

  ‘The thing was, Feebs and I had been planning to go backpacking – just for a month or so – and it clashed with the dates for filming. I wanted to say no to the part but Mum reckoned that, if I refused that chance, I’d mess up any hope of something bigger later on.’

  ‘So you took the part and the backpacking was put on hold?’

  ‘Yeah, and you know what? She wouldn’t have gone to stay with her gran if we’d been backpacking, and if she hadn’t gone, she would never have met Cameron.’

  ‘It’s no good thinking like that,’ Anna said wearily. ‘We’ve all made decisions we’ve come to regret; I guess all you can do is make a promise to yourself never to make the same mistake twice.’

  ‘I guess you’re right and I do. Hey, look out!’

  He jumped to one side and almost fell over on the wet cobbles as Louisa and Hen hurtled past, giggling loudly, with Leo and Charlie close on their heels.

  ‘Now shut up, you lot,’ Louisa ordered when everyone finally caught up with them. ‘I’m going to do the Meryl Streep bit.’

  ‘The what?’ Henrietta asked.

  ‘You know, in that film Mum drools over,’ Louisa said, ‘Can’t remember what it’s called.’

  ‘The French Lieutenant’s Woman,’ Anna murmured.

  ‘Ah, but you don’t have the hooded cape or the haunted expression,’ Felix laughed.

  ‘See? Felix knew at once what I meant,’ Louisa said, slipping her hand into his and ignoring Anna. ‘Most guys wouldn’t have had a clue. Now who’s got a camera? You have to take my picture.’

  She walked to the end of the sea wall, her long hair blowing in the wind, and adopted a theatrical pose, the back of her hand held on her brow.

  While Louisa played to her audience, especially Felix, Anna drifted away, closed her eyes and switched off. She gulped in the sea air, with her face turned to the sun as the seagulls wheeled and screeched above her head and the waves, larger now as the wind freshened, broke against the side of the Cobb.

  ‘Aaarghhhh!’ The scream shattered Anna’s peaceful thoughts.

  ‘My God, Louisa!’ someone shouted.

  ‘Do something, someone do something!’

  Anna’s eyes shot open and she started running back towards the end of the Cobb even before her brain had processed what was happening. Everyone was peering over the end of the Cobb into the sea – everyone except Louisa.

  ‘She slipped, she’s in the water,’ Felix gabbled as Anna dashed up.

  In a second, Jamie had whipped off his shirt and jumped into the water. Grabbing the seemingly lifeless Louisa under the arms, he pulled her to the side.

  ‘She’s unconscious,’ he called. ‘I need help here.’

  Charlie, Zac and Leo bent down and between the three of them they hoisted Louisa up out of the water.

  ‘I should have said something. I was just thinking she was too close to the edge,’ Felix muttered, kneeling beside her and gently moving her soaking wet hair off her face.

  ‘I’ve got my mobile, I’ll call an ambulance,’ Anna said. ‘Oh damn, no signal. Charlie, check her airways – is she breathing? Has she got a pulse?’

  ‘Yes, and yes,’ Charlie said, his face paler by the minute.

  ‘Henrietta, take Jamie’s shirt and press hard on that head wound, it’ll stop the bleeding.’

  ‘I can’t, I can’t, I feel sick.’

  ‘I’ll do it,’ Sula said, tears streaming down her face. ‘Oh God, why did I ever suggest coming down here?’

  ‘What on earth’s happened? What’s going on?’ Hugo, beads of perspiration on his forehead, came running up to them.

  ‘Louisa fell off the Cobb,’ Anna replied. ‘Looks like she hit her head on one of those rocks.’

  ‘Can I do something? Here, take this. She needs something under her head.’

  He lifted his arms and pulled his rugby shirt over his head. Despite the tension of the moment, Anna couldn’t help but notice his finely toned muscles and tanned torso.

  ‘You went back for your mobile, yes?’ Anna gasped. ‘Have you got a signal?’

  ‘I couldn’t get it, could I?’ Hugo sighed. ‘I forgot the house would be locked up.’

  ‘Don’t worry,’ Leo said, waving his mobile at her. ‘I’ve got a signal. Ambulance please, and fast. The Cobb. There’s a girl half drowned and unconscious.’

  What seemed like an eternity – but was in fact only five minutes later – the wailing of a siren alerted them to the fact that people along the Cobb were scattering to left and right to let an ambulance through, and within seconds, two paramedics were at Louisa’s side.

  ‘I’m going with her,’ Charlie announced, as they lifted Louisa into the vehicle on a stretcher.

  ‘And me,’ Mallory said.

  ‘You can’t all come,’ the senior paramedic pointed out.

  ‘I’m going and Anna should come with me,’ Felix announced suddenly, not taking his eyes off Louisa’s. ‘She’ll keep calm. You lot can get a cab and follow on.’

  ‘My car’s at the house,’ Charlie began.

  ‘Pimm’s all afternoon and then a drive – I don’t think so,’ Anna retorted. ‘We can do without another disaster.’

  ‘Told you she had sense,’ Felix muttered, to no one in particular.

  For a few moments, as the ambulance jolted down the Cobb, Felix and Anna sat in silence, watching and praying as the paramedic put an oxygen mask on Louisa’s face.

  Suddenly, her eyes opened. ‘What’s going on?’ she said. ‘Where am I?’

  ‘Thank God, oh Louisa, Louisa, thank God!’ Felix cried and grasped her hand. ‘It’s OK, it’s going to be fine. Everything’s going to be fine.’

  ‘Do you sometimes wish . . .? Felix murmured an hour later, as they sat in A&E waiting to hear news of Louisa.

  ‘Wish what?’

  ‘That it was possible to turn the clock back? To wipe out something and do it all over again?’

  Anna fixed him with a steady gaze. ‘Yes I do. Every day of my life.’

  Felix looked back at her. ‘You see, the thing is, this afternoon . . .’

  He broke off, as Charlie appeared from the cubicle where Louisa had been taken.

  ‘She’s going to be fine,’ he cried. ‘She’s got concussion and she’ll need stitches to that head wound, but the X-ray’s clear – no skull fracture.’

  Anna felt her shoulders drop with sheer relief. At the same time her heart, which had momentarily lifted when Felix began speaking, sank to her boots. All he’d been talking about was wiping out the accident.

  She was stupid for even hoping that his thoughts had been somewhere else altogether.

  The atmosphere back at the house that evening was subdued. Charlie, Henrietta and Felix were still at the hospital with Louisa; Hugo was glued to his mobile, and Zac and Sula were half-heartedly trying to get a barbecue going.

  It was as Anna spotted Jamie making his way across the lawn towards her that she realised she had to have some space. She ran into the house, across the hallway and out of the front door.

  Ten minutes later, she had kicked off her wedges and was sitting on a broken breakwater on the sandy beach, gazing out to sea, the horizon wavy through the mist of her tears. Whether it was delayed shock from the accident, or whether it was seeing Felix’s tenderness towards Louisa in the ambulance, she didn’t know; but once she had started to cry, she couldn’t stop. Watching the waves lapping the shore, all she could remember were the other times she and Felix had been by the sea – the fish and chips and the kisses at Exmouth, the wonderful moments on the beach before it all went wrong on the Isle of Wight. If she closed her eyes, she could picture every last detail of Felix’s face, the smell of him, the way his voice went up at the end of a sentence as if asking a question, the feel of his arms as he wrapped them round her.

  ‘I’m a man on a mission!’

  She jumped and turned – Hugo was standing behind her, an ice cream in each hand.

  ‘You were missed
and I said I would go and look for you,’ he said, passing her a cone. ‘Are you OK? Well, no, clearly not – can I help or do you want me to go away?’

  She could hardly tell him to go away and, besides, she had promised herself that she would stop wallowing in self-pity. She shook her head. ‘I’m all right. And thanks for this.’ She licked the ice cream and got to her feet. ‘Will you do me a favour?’

  ‘Of course,’ Hugo said. ‘Whatever you want.’

  ‘Don’t tell anyone that I was – you know, in a bit of a state.’

  ‘A state?’ Hugo raised an eyebrow. ‘I didn’t find you in a state. I found you on the beach eating an ice cream.’

  As Anna walked with him back to the house, it occurred to her that perhaps she could, if she tried hard enough, get to like Hugo a lot.

  When they got inside, they found Sula in tears, and Zac, Mallory and Jamie rushing around like scalded cats.

  ‘What’s happened? It’s not Louisa, is it?’ Anna gasped.

  Zac shook his head. ‘The house has been burgled,’ he said. ‘Sula had a wad of money in her bag and it’s gone, and my wallet’s been emptied.’

  ‘You’d better check your bag,’ Leo said, glancing at Anna.

  ‘I’ve had it with me all day,’ Anna said, unzipping it. ‘No it’s all fine.’

  ‘Thank God for that,’ Mallory said. ‘I gave you all that cash of mine to look after, and if that had gone I would have . . .’

  ‘I’ll go and check my room,’ Hugo said, and ran up the stairs two at a time. Within moments, he was back.

  ‘My iPod’s gone, and sixty pounds,’ he said. ‘This is unbelievable. But you know, I’ve just had a thought. When I came back for my phone . . .’

  ‘The house was locked, surely? I remember doing it,’ Sula asked, wiping her eyes. ‘If Mum thinks I left it open, she’ll kill me.’

  ‘There’s no sign of a door being forced,’ Zac reasoned, putting his arm round Sula. ‘So you must have left the front door on the latch.’

  ‘No, the front door was locked, I mean that’s why I couldn’t get in to get my phone,’ Hugo said. ‘But just as I was crossing the road on my way to the house, I saw someone leaving by your side gate. I didn’t think anything of it – thought maybe someone had dropped a parcel off or something. But do you think . . .?’ He left the words hanging in the air.

  ‘The back door? Oh no, I never checked that.’ Sula sighed. ‘Did you try it, Hugo?’

  Hugo shook his head. ‘No,’ he said. ‘I went straight back to the Cobb and found you lot and Louisa.’

  ‘We ought to check Felix and Charlie’s room to see if it looks as if their stuff’s been tampered with,’ Zac said. ‘And Henrietta’s, and then phone the police.’

  ‘Hang on,’ Hugo said. ‘We can hardly go rifling through their belongings and leave fingerprints all over the place. Shouldn’t we wait till they get back?’

  ‘I guess,’ said Zac.

  ‘Hugo, why don’t you phone the police? After all, you were the one who saw this suspicious guy,’ Anna suggested. ‘We can tell them that we don’t know whether anything was taken from the others.’

  ‘Great idea! I’ll do it right now.’

  Sula nodded. ‘And then I’ll phone Mum. Better get it over with, I guess.’

  The following morning, Charlie, Henrietta and Felix returned to the house from the hospital, exhausted but relieved because Louisa was sitting up and complaining about not being allowed to leave hospital. The police had taken details of the missing stuff over the phone and promised to call by at some point, a point which still hadn’t arrived.

  Bea Musgrove arrived at the house at seven in the morning, on her way to the hospital, and said that the only way to cope was for Henrietta and Mallory to go back to Uppercross Farm at once to help out with changeover day at the cottages and to work in the tearoom.

  ‘But this is supposed to be my weekend off,’ Mallory moaned. ‘I work twice as hard as anyone else.’

  ‘Oh do shut up, Mallory!’ Henrietta snapped. ‘Can’t you for once think of anyone but yourself?’

  It was agreed that Charlie would stay with his mother and Louisa. Neither Jamie nor Felix showed signs of wanting to leave; so Leo offered to drive Henrietta, Mallory and Anna home, Anna having been too nervous of motorway driving to bring her own car.

  ‘What are you doing?’ Anna asked Hugo as everyone was packing up. ‘Have you got transport?’

  Hugo shook his head. ‘I’ll catch the train to London and see some mates and then head off to Sussex,’ he said.

  ‘Have you got enough money?’ she asked. ‘I mean, with yours being stolen – I can lend you some.’

  ‘That’s really kind, but luckily I had my credit card with me in my back pocket, so I’m fine.’ Hugo paused and smiled at her. ‘And I’ll see you again next weekend.’

  ‘Next weekend?’

  ‘You said you were going to visit your dad, remember? And I hang out on the boat most weekends so . . .’

  ‘Great,’ she smiled. ‘That would be really nice.’

  ‘In fact, give me your number and I’ll text you as soon as I’m down there,’ he said. ‘Then we can make a plan.’

  ‘Anna, come on!’ Leo was gesturing wildly from the car as Anna scribbled her number on the back of an old envelope. ‘We need to get a move on.’

  ‘Coming!’ she called, smiling at Hugo. ‘See you next weekend then.’

  ‘Can’t wait,’ Hugo said. ‘Seven days and counting.’

  It wasn’t until Leo stopped for petrol at Ringwood Services that Anna realised why it was she felt strange.

  She hadn’t thought about Felix for three whole hours.

  For the next few days, Anna’s feet hardly touched the ground. Apart from dashing to see Shannon for an hour or two, she was tied up helping out at Uppercross Farm. The cottages were all occupied, the tearoom was packed all day and, to make matters worse, Henrietta had a pounding headache and a mild fever.

  ‘Don’t worry,’ Bea reassured Anna on the telephone. ‘The twins have always been like that – one’s ill, the other comes out in sympathy. Louisa’s doing fine – they’re discharging her tomorrow and we’ll be home in time for supper.’

  ‘Is Felix . . .?’

  Anna had vowed to herself that she wouldn’t mention his name but, when it came to it, she had to know what was going on.

  ‘He’s been a star,’ Bea said. ‘Kept Charlie occupied and stopped him fretting – honestly, my kids! They fight like cat and dog and then, when something goes wrong, they’re closer than finger to thumb. But he’s gone now.’

  ‘Gone?’

  ‘Back to his new base, dear,’ Bea said. ‘For the parade and medals – did he not tell you?’

  ‘He mentioned it that day in your kitchen, but I didn’t know it was this week . . . but he’ll be back?’

  ‘I really don’t know, sweetheart,’ Bea sighed. ‘He mentioned that, after the parade, he might go up to Shropshire to see his brother – Oscar, isn’t it?’

  ‘Really? I didn’t think they were that close.’

  ‘I don’t know any details but, according to Charlie, he did say . . .’

  ‘Yes?

  ‘He said that really there was nothing for him to come back for any more.’

  ‘There it is!’ Shannon cried, jabbing a finger at the screen of her laptop a couple of days later. ‘No picture of him though.’

  ‘More than 600 Royal Marines paraded through Plymouth city centre yesterday following their return from a seven-month tour of duty in Afghanistan,’ Anna read. ‘The members of 45 Commando reformed after a spell of leave . . .’

  ‘So that’s that then,’ said Anna. ‘He’s gone back and he never even said goodbye.’

  ‘Maybe,’ Shannon suggested, ‘you should concentrate on this new guy – what’s his name? Hugo? After all, you can’t brood for ever, and if Felix hears that you’re with someone else, who knows . . .?’

  ‘Dream on,’ Anna replied. ‘But you’re
right. Felix is history. He always was. It’s just that I was too stupid to see it.’

  CHAPTER 17

  ‘You pierce my soul. I am half agony, half hope.’

  ( Jane Austen, Persuasion)

  ALTHOUGH ANNA HADN’T WANTED TO GO TO EASTBOURNE, now the time had come she was actually quite relieved to be leaving Kellynch. There was no point in hanging around at Marina’s cottage in order to be near to Hampton House in case Felix decided to see her. He wouldn’t and she had to move on. Her godmother, back from Madeira and full of a new gardening project to enhance the rockery at Magpie Cottage, made no secret of the fact that she thought it time that Anna left her old life behind her and ‘forged ahead’ as she put it, into pastures new.

  ‘I’ll miss you like crazy,’ Shannon said tearfully when Anna went to her house to say goodbye.

  ‘Hey, I’ll be back in two weeks,’ Anna reminded her. ‘We’ve still got that slot at Youth in the Park, remember? And Mia’s party. Not that Marina seems very keen to have me there.’

  ‘So come to mine,’ Shannon urged. ‘It would be perfect – Mum’s birthday’s that weekend and Clive’s still going on about taking her to Paris. She won’t go if I’m home alone, remember.’

  ‘Deal!’ Anna said, giving her a hug. ‘Tell you what – why don’t we organise a final get-together – you know, before we all go off to uni. Or in your case, the Royal College of Music! How grand does that sound?’

  ‘Brilliant!’ Shannon said. ‘And you can bring your new man to Mia’s as well.’

  ‘He’s not my man,’ Anna protested.

  ‘Yet,’ Shannon teased. ‘Actually, I’ve just had the most brilliant idea . . .’

  ‘No, no, no!’ Anna held up her hands in mock horror. ‘I’ve had enough of your brilliant ideas to last me for a very long time. Now can we just change the subject?’

  ‘OK,’ Shannon said, pulling a face. ‘Have you got any chocolate?’

  Anna had to admit that the apartment at Sovereign Harbour had a lot going for it. The vast, four-bedroomed penthouse overlooked the busy marina, crammed with yachts and motor cruisers of all descriptions. It was just a couple of minutes stroll from the Yacht Club, and close to all the upmarket boutiques and chandlers, restaurants and wine bars that now, at the end of August, were still packed with holidaymakers and residents. Her father was clearly well pleased with his new situation, eagerly showing off the wet room, the surround sound and the vast plasma TV that took up almost an entire wall in the sitting room. Anna, however, missed the garden and was thankful that the bedroom she was going to share with Mallory had a balcony, complete with marble-topped table and two wicker chairs.