Second Time Around Page 24

  When Will had finally hung up, Giles looked with distaste at his plate and, taking it into the kitchen, dumped it in the sink and ran water on it. As he stood watching the ice cream disappear the telephone rang again. This time it was Tessa.

  ‘Has Will phoned?’ she asked. ‘Did he tell you about this awful man who’s going round robbing people?’

  ‘He did.’ His heart was pounding and he could hardly keep from smiling as she talked indignantly into his ear. ‘I’m going to check out the office.’

  ‘Bea’s trying to think of a way of giving him a fright, since he can’t be stopped legally. Isn’t it infuriating? Oh, when I think of poor Mrs Carrington …’

  ‘How are you?’ he asked at last when she’d talked herself breathless.

  ‘OK.’ Suddenly she sounded shy. ‘It was fun, wasn’t it? Our trip to the cove with Sidney. He’s settled in wonderfully which is just as well since they won’t have him back. Apparently he’s very happy in the cove.

  ‘I’m not surprised,’ said Giles lightly. ‘I could be very happy in the cove myself.’

  ‘Yes,’ she said—and there was a long silence.

  ‘Tessa,’ said Giles gently, when the silence had really said it all, ‘this may not be fair or gentlemanly or whatever—but I have to say it. I love you.’

  ‘I think I guessed,’ she said faintly. ‘Oh, Giles …’

  ‘Don’t worry about it,’ he told her. ‘Just think about it sometimes. ’

  ‘I think about it all the time,’ she said almost inaudibly, ‘but there’s nothing I can do about it. I can’t let the Andersons down.’

  ‘I understand how you feel,’ he said calmly. ‘Try not to worry. I just want to be sure you know. It’s important, although I don’t want to make things difficult.’

  ‘Of course it makes things difficult,’ she cried almost angrily. ‘But I don’t want you to stop,’ she added, suddenly forlorn.

  ‘I shan’t stop,’ he assured her.

  She hung up abruptly and he sat for some time, staring at nothing. He knew that, whilst her engagement stood, Tessa would find it impossible to tell him that she loved him but Giles was in no doubt of it; he felt moved and elated by the exchange. Presently he stopped thinking about Tessa and concentrated on Adrian Pearson. Slowly but gradually an idea began to take form.

  Twenty-eight

  TESSA DROVE SLOWLY UP the lane and parked the car on the wide grassy space at the top. Here she could look up at the high hills of the moor to the west and away across the misty valleys to the thin line of sparkling sea to the south. Already it was hot although it was barely half-past seven. Tessa released Romulus and Remus and wandered down the lane towards the field where the grass had recently been cut for silage. It was good to get the two old dogs out on to cool grass before the sun’s heat became unbearable. She sniffed, luxuriating in the warm-scented summer smells, and smiled to see the two labradors going down the field at a gallop in pursuit of a rabbit. She pulled on her old denim sunhat and followed them slowly.

  In the stillness of the morning a lark rose up somewhere close at hand, the cadence of his song falling back to earth in clear flutelike notes. Small brown moths fluttered lightly in the tall feathery grasses below the hedge; above them a bee, droning heavily, lumbered amongst the delicate flowers of the convolvulus. A rabbit raced across the grass, white scut bobbing, and vanished into a hole almost hidden in the twisted roots of a great beech tree. Strolling down the field, Tessa wondered why her problems seemed so much easier to handle when she was out in the open air. Here it became possible to confront Sebastian and tell him that she had made a terrible mistake; simple to explain the situation to Mrs Anderson and Rachel. In these sunny spaces, with the green springing turf beneath her feet and the blue sky arching into eternity, everything was possible … Everything was possible until she saw Sebastian in the flesh or heard Mrs Anderson’s voice on the telephone asking if they had made any plans for the date of the wedding.

  Fortunately Sebastian had refused to be pinned down to this. There was talk of a staff job in Washington which he was keen to pursue though not, it seemed, as a married man. He had been rather cagey about it when he telephoned Tessa, reluctant to tell her too much, anxious to indicate that it would be difficult to arrange the wedding before he took up the post. Mrs Anderson had been plainly embarrassed by his reluctance and was quick to talk about career structures and dedication to the service, lest Tessa should be hurt. There had been some kind of personality clash, apparently, and Sebastian was in the right place at the right time to be hurried out as a replacement.

  For the first time for several weeks Tessa saw a ray of hope. She told Mrs Anderson that she quite understood the position and, gathering all her courage together, suggested that perhaps she and Sebastian should rethink the whole thing; perhaps they’d rushed into it … ? Before she could finish Sue Anderson was protesting strongly: … never heard so much rubbish in her life … break Sebastian’s heart … simply a question of patience … Tessa must go out to Washington to stay … such fun … By the end of the conversation Tessa had felt convinced that she would never have the courage to tell the Andersons the truth.

  Later, Sebastian had rung again. He was charming and persuasive and Tessa guessed that his mother had been talking to him. She suspected that Sebastian knew that Washington would be more fun if he were single and his mother had taken him to task over it. Tessa decided to test him a little and, heart in mouth, had asked if it wouldn’t be possible to have a simple ceremony before he flew out or perhaps on his first leave? Instantly he became defensive and even a little sulky; he didn’t want any hole-and-corner business, he said, and his mother and Rachel would be so disappointed if they were denied all the panoply of a proper wedding. Moreover, it was absolutely essential that he gave all his time and energy to this important job which would almost certainly lead to promotion if he played his cards right.

  Now, as she watched Romulus and Remus panting towards her, Tessa wished that she’d had the courage to be honest with him. Then had been the moment in which she could have pointed out that she wasn’t prepared to wait two years for him. Perhaps she had hesitated because Sue Anderson’s voice was still too clear in her ears. She suspected that, should she really make a stand, the Andersons would bring pressure to bear on Sebastian and she would find herself married to him after all and flying out to Washington with him.

  She bent to stroke the two golden heads and turned back to the gate. As one dog they panted their way to the corner where, for most of the year, there was a standing puddle. The hot spell, however, had dried it to a hard mud bed at which they sniffed, puzzled. Tessa lifted the tailgate and produced a big plastic bowl and a container. She stood the bowl on the grass and filled it with water for them and they stood side by side, lapping gratefully. As she waited for them to drink their fill she thought about Mrs Carrington and how difficult it had been to see her again knowing, as she now did, about Adrian Pearson. Anger rose within her. It was one thing unwittingly to find a bargain or make a reasonable profit but to set out deliberately to cheat the weak and vulnerable made her speechless with fury. She decided to say nothing to Mrs Carrington; better that she remained in ignorance than to know that she had been duped.

  ‘In you get, boys,’ she said. Already the brief courage she had experienced in the field was deserting her. How could she reject Sebastian without hurting his family or losing their love and respect? Guilt settled back like a cloud, obscuring the bright morning. Reversing the car, she headed off back down the lane.

  FAR OUT AT THE edge of the cove, Will swam in the cold sparkling water. Despite it being past midsummer and hot into the bargain, the water of this coast remained breathtakingly icy. Nevertheless, Will swam as often as the weather allowed. As he pushed through the gentle swell he finally made up his mind. As soon as Isobel had seen Helen and sorted things out with her daughter, he intended to ask her to marry him. Just as he had wondered if he should exploit Isobel’s loneliness by offer
ing her love and support, so now was he tempted to take advantage of her happiness. She was so warm, so affectionate; a hundred times he had been on the brink of proposing marriage to her but always, at the last moment, he had held back. He knew in his heart that it was unfair to her; that he should wait until she had come to terms with what might lie ahead before she should be asked to take such a decision.

  Will rolled over on to his back and floated, allowing the tide to take him. Part of him still recoiled at offering himself to her. He was so much older; his muscles flabby, his hair thinning. She seemed unaware of these things. They swam together, lay in the sun and talked, walked on the cliffs. She had never by glance or word showed that she found him repulsive. A summer in the cove had made him hardy. He had trimmed off any surplus weight and was deeply tanned and looked better than he had for years. As her affection and friendliness grew, so did his confidence. The one thing that remained a real problem was the effect of this—should Isobel accept him—on Bea. He could not decide how much she relied on him. He spent even more time with Bea than he did with Isobel and they had developed a relaxed easy companionship which was important to both of them. If he moved across the cove, how would Bea fare alone? Of course she would hardly be alone with he and Isobel so close at hand but he had the intelligence to realise that three single people do not add up to the same sum as two married people and one single person. He wondered if she would be as contented as Mathilda had been; after all, Tessa would be coming home often. Of course, once Tessa was married it might become a little more complicated …

  He pulled up his knees sharply, disappeared briefly beneath the surface and then began to swim back strongly to the shore. Sidney, watching anxiously from the beach, wagged his tail with relief as Will waded out, wiping the wetness from his eyes, water streaming on to the hot sand. He picked up his towel and gave Sidney a pat. Bea had gone into Kingsbridge early to the library and Isobel was at the bookshop. He was at liberty to spend the morning how he chose. Before he could decide exactly how he should employ his time, he heard a car’s engine in the track. Tying his towel around his waist he waited to see who his visitor might be.

  He smiled to see Tessa’s old Peugeot bump into sight and park behind the house. He and Sidney went to greet her.

  ‘No dogs?’ He bent to peer in at the back.

  ‘Too hot,’ she said, hugging him. ‘I’ve left them in a nice cool kitchen. Anyway, it’s not fair to Sid. This is his territory now. How are things, Sid? You’re looking good.’

  ‘Which is more than can be said for you,’ said Will bluntly. ‘You’ve lost weight.’

  ‘You sound like Bea.’ Tessa laughed a little but she was grateful that he cared enough to notice. ‘I couldn’t resist hopping over to see you all. How are things?’

  ‘Not bad at all. Look, let me get dressed and then we’ll have a nice cold drink and exchange all the gossip. Yes?’

  ‘Sounds wonderful. I’ll stay out here if that’s OK.’ She looked about her, breathing deeply and visibly relaxing. ‘It’s lovely to be back.’

  ‘Shan’t be a moment.’

  He hurried indoors, leaving her in possession of the beach, but reappeared in record time, a rug over his arm and carrying a tray.

  ‘Been talking to Giles,’ he told her, placing the tray with its burden of two glasses and a jug of fresh lemonade in the shade beside a rock. He spread the rug on the sand. ‘Bright lad, that. We’ve thought up a pretty good plan for Mr Adrian Pearson.’

  Tessa, whose heart had bumped erratically at the mention of Giles’s name, sank down on the rug. ‘Tell me,’ she said. ‘I’d do anything to frighten the wits out of that little toad.’

  ‘I’m glad to hear you say that,’ said Will, filling her glass and passing Sidney a Bonio. ‘You may have to. I have to say that Giles and I are counting on you’

  He grinned at her surprise and, whilst she sat in the shade of the cliff and sipped her cold lemonade, he explained the scheme that he and Giles had planned so carefully together.

  SUE ANDERSON CURSED AS the telephone rang for the fourth time in ten minutes, dumped the laundry basket on the step and hurried back into the house.

  ‘Yes?’ she cried impatiently. ‘Oh, sorry, darling. It’s been one of those mornings. How are you? Still in the dockyard?’

  ‘Yes. Still here. Sorry to spring this on you, Mother, but I’ve got to talk to you.’

  ‘Talk to me about what?’ Sue’s heart sank at his serious tone. ‘What’s the problem? Not another enormous mess bill? Oh, Sebastian, you promised me you’d make an effort—’

  ‘It’s nothing to do with my mess bill,’ he interrupted impatiently. ‘It’s just that I’ve been thinking about this posting to Washington and, honestly, Mother, I think it’s wrong to ask Tessa to wait until I come back before we get married.’

  ‘Well,’ Sue perched on the chair beside the telephone and pushed the hair off her face, thinking furiously. ‘It would be the most awful rush but we could probably get something sorted out before you go. After all, Tessa’s got hardly any family to worry about so that side would be quite simple. We’ve agreed that she’s got nobody to arrange a wedding for her. She feels that it would be a bit much for her elderly cousin. Do you want me to start organising?’

  ‘I think so. What I feel is, that if we don’t do it now then it will never happen. I’ve got the most terrible attack of cold feet. I know it’s unforgivable but I think that I got carried away and now I’m scared to death I’ve got it wrong.’

  ‘Oh, darling.’ Sue clutched the receiver. ‘Oh hell. Look, most people get terrified at some point or other, you know. It’s a big step but you know Tessa so well and she absolutely adores you.’

  ‘I know that.’ He sounded irritable and her heart sank even lower. ‘You and Rachel have been telling me that for the last five years. So now we’re engaged. If you don’t mind the rush then we’ll soon be married. Everyone will be happy.’

  ‘Are you saying that you don’t love her?’ asked Sue sharply, frightened by the heavily sarcastic tone of his voice.

  ‘I tell you I don’t know what I feel any more,’ he cried. ‘She’s a sweet kid. I’m very fond of her but I don’t know about love. What does it mean? All I’m saying is that if we don’t get married before I go then it won’t happen at all. I know that much.’

  ‘Oh, Sebastian. I … I don’t know what to say. If you don’t love her then you shouldn’t marry her.’

  ‘I don’t know whether I love her or not.’ There was a long pause and when he spoke again the aggression had vanished from his voice. ‘How do you think she’ll react if I back out?’

  ‘I don’t know,’ said Sue slowly, remembering her conversation with Tessa and how she’d suggested that she and Sebastian should rethink the situation. Sue had put it down to hurt pride because Sebastian was unwilling to set a date for the wedding but there might just be the faint chance that Tessa herself was having second thoughts. ‘Damn!’ she said, recalling her own remarks about how such a thing would break Sebastian’s heart. ‘What a muddle.’

  ‘Can I assume from this that you would not be suicidal if we were to call it off?’ he asked her. ‘I don’t understand women. You and Rachel were so excited.’

  ‘My dear boy,’ it was Sue’s turn to sound exasperated, ‘I love you and Tessa far too much to want either of you to be unhappy. I certainly don’t want you to marry Tessa because she’s been like one of the family. On the other hand …’

  ‘Quite,’ said Sebastian, correctly interpreting the pause, ‘if she does want the wedding to go ahead we’ve got problems. I don’t want to hurt her.’

  ‘You’ll hurt her more in the long run,’ said Sue, ‘if you don’t love her.’

  ‘I’ve told you,’ he said wearily, ‘I simply don’t know.’

  ‘Have you … you know … slept with her?’

  ‘Of course I have, Mother,’ he said crossly. ‘For heaven’s sake! She enjoyed it as much as I did. And yes, I took precautions. It was
good but then it’s been good with other girls.’

  ‘Oh, Sebastian,’ she said. ‘I’m sorry. I know it’s not my business. I was just thinking that if you hadn’t … with Tessa, then it might be quite sensible. Probably get your feelings sorted out more clearly. But since you have …’

  ‘Then it’s not going to help us either way,’ he finished.

  ‘You know the old test?’ she said at last. ‘“Do you want to touch her; do you want to see her; do you want to hear her”? I might have that the wrong way round but you get the sense of it. Do you?’

  ‘Not often,’ he said frankly. ‘Sometimes. Honestly, Mother, I can’t answer the only necessary question. So what do I do?’

  ‘You must go and see her,’ said Sue at last. ‘Go and talk to her and tell her what you feel.’

  ‘Shit!’ he muttered. ‘What if she … Oh Christ!’

  ‘I know. But you’ve got to,’ she said. ‘It’s the only way. I can’t help you except that we’ll try to back you up without abandoning Tessa.’

  ‘Thanks.’ He gave a short laugh. ‘Sorry about all this.’

  ‘Don’t give it a thought. I just want you both to be happy. When can you see her?’

  ‘We’re going down to Devonport next week for sea trials. She’s in Devon, too. I’ll see her then. No chance before. She’s up in Wales somewhere. If we do decide to go ahead would you be able to cope?’

  ‘Of course I could. Don’t worry about that but … Oh, Sebastian, I don’t know what to say. Stay in touch.’

  ‘I will. Thanks. ’Bye.’

  The line went dead and with a heavy heart Sue went to hang the washing out in the hot sunshine.

  Twenty-nine

  ON AN OVERCAST MORNING in July, Helen arrived at the cove. Since first light Isobel had been wandering about her cottage; tidying, smoothing, puffing up cushions, rearranging the roses in the living room, straightening pictures. Her fingers shook a little and she drank numerous cups of coffee and wished that she’d never given up smoking. Just before ten o’clock she saw Will and Bea emerge. She had taken Bea aside some days before and asked if it would be possible to have the cove to herself just for that particular morning.