Secrets From the Past (15 page)

As I slipped the key into my jeans pocket, my cell phone began to vibrate against my other leg. I pulled the phone out, opened it, placed it against my ear.

‘Serena here.’

‘It’s me, Serena.’

‘Hi, Harry! And good morning. How’s little old London town?’

‘Still standing,’ he answered swiftly, and hurried on, ‘Is this a bad time? Do you have a few minutes to talk?’

‘I’m fine. I was just waiting for Cara and Zac to come back from their jogging. Actually, I was looking around Dad’s studio. It’s just the same.’

‘I’m sure it is. Listen, I’ve a problem, and need to discuss it.’

‘Tell me what’s wrong.’

‘As you know, I’d asked Geoff Barnes to fly to London and hold the fort for me for a couple of days, before flying off to LA. Well, now he’s not going to LA and I wondered—’

‘Not going to see Martha and Chloe? Why not?’ I cut in, sounding surprised.

I heard Harry’s long sigh, and it spelled trouble, but before I could say anything, he continued, ‘It’s Martha. She doesn’t want him to come. At least not to stay for a month. A quick visit to see Chloe, that was always okay. But when he said he was taking a month off to be in California, and also that he wanted her to move to London with him, she said she couldn’t do that, and that he shouldn’t come to see them. Or rather, he could come for a couple of days for a visit, but that was all.’

‘There’s another man!’ I exclaimed, instantly convinced of this. What else could it be?

‘Well, aren’t you the smart cookie!’ Harry responded. ‘Trust you to figure it out in an instant.’

‘So I’m right?’

‘You are. Naturally, he’s hurt, and obviously it came as a surprise. And this is my problem … I don’t want to leave him alone in London over a holiday weekend. Annie Stewart says she can handle the office perfectly well, and I was toying with the idea of bringing Geoff with me to Nice. How do you feel about that?’

‘It’s all right with me, Harry, and I don’t think the girls would object. Friday is a special day for us, of course, remembering Dad. But Geoff’s part of the Global family. And anyway he knew Dad for years. So my answer is yes, bring him with you.’

‘I was pretty sure you’d say that, and thanks, Serena.’

‘Is he very upset?’ I asked, frowning to myself.

‘Hurt, as I said before, and taken aback. But, as I pointed out to him, he has been divorced from her for quite a while. So to be honest, I was a bit surprised by the way he reacted. After all, he’d been making
assumptions
they could get back together.’

‘And how! And creating his own scenario – daydreaming, in a way. Poor Geoff. Well, we’ll cheer him up. So when will you be here? Shall I come and get you?’

‘I’ve ordered a car to meet us at Nice Airport, so you don’t have to, Serena. And we should arrive about three o’clock. So we’ll be at the house around four thirty or five, depending on the traffic.’

‘I’m so happy you’re coming, Harry, and so are Jess and Cara. It’ll be like old times …’ I stopped as I said this, annoyed with myself. ‘Well, not quite,’ I muttered miserably.

‘No, not quite that, darling, but it’ll be comforting, being together. And we’ll remember Tommy with a lot of love in our hearts, and fantastic memories of him, and Elizabeth, too. She’s part of all this, part of Friday’s celebration of Tommy’s life.’

I went and sat on a chair under the pergola, thinking about Geoff. It was astonishing to me the way people behaved. Geoff was smart, down-to-earth and dependable. And yet he had held a strange fantasy in his head – the idea that his ex-wife would come back to him if he changed a dangerous job for a safe one.

Martha had been terrified he would get killed as a combat photographer, and I understood that perfectly well. But there were obviously other reasons for the divorce, not just the one thing. Separations between couples were caused by many things as a rule. And why wouldn’t there be another man looming on the horizon? She was young, good-looking from the photographs I’d seen of her, and she was exceptionally bright, according to Geoff. But then he was prejudiced. And delusional perhaps?

My thoughts were interrupted by Cara shouting out, ‘Coo-ee! Coo-ee!’

I looked up and saw her flying down the hill pell-mell, a slender figure in a black tracksuit, her black hair held back with the usual scrunchie. As she drew closer I saw that she was perspiring heavily. Behind her, a bit in the distance, I spotted Zac trailing along, looking totally depleted.

As she drew to a standstill, Cara fumbled in her pocket, pulled out a tissue, wiped her face. ‘That was a helluva run. I hope I haven’t been too excessive with Zac.’

I laughed, mostly because she looked so worried, and obviously she knew very well she had overdone it with him.

‘He’ll live,’ I told her, my eyes focused on him. ‘But he doesn’t look so good at this moment.’

‘Oh dear,’ Cara muttered, and turned around, stared at him.

A second or two later, Zac finally joined us. He was soaked to the skin, I could see that, and he looked unusually pale, and rather diminished.

I jumped up and took hold of his arm. ‘Are you all right?’ I asked anxiously, peering at him.

‘Exhausted. But I’ll be okay,’ he answered in a mumble, forcing a smile. ‘She’s pretty damn fast, that sister of yours!’

‘I’m sorry, Zac,’ Cara said, smiling at him somewhat ruefully. ‘I didn’t mean to take you through your paces quite as fast as that.’

He nodded, and began to walk towards the house.

I followed behind him with Cara. I said, at one moment, ‘How about some hot coffee and breakfast, Zac?’

‘God no! I’m wet through and as sticky as hell. I’d like a shower first and a bottle of Evian. Then I’ll have breakfast with you.’

‘It’s a deal,’ I said.

‘I’ll join you now,’ Cara said. ‘I need to talk to you about something.’

W
henever Cara announced that she wanted to talk to me about something, I usually became instantly alarmed, especially when she spoke in a sombre tone, as she had just now. Inevitably, she had bad news to impart. And I wasn’t in the right frame of mind to hear that this morning. I sought peace and quiet.

I followed her into the small alcove that adjoined our large, country-style kitchen; it was a comfortable spot to have a drink, a snack or read. We both sat down on the banquette and put our mugs of coffee on the oak table.

Immediately, I said, ‘I have something to tell you, Cara, so I’ll speak first, if you don’t mind.’

‘Go ahead. What do you want to say?’ she asked, looking across at me, lifting her mug, drinking the coffee eagerly.

‘Harry called me just before you two got back. He wants to bring Geoff Barnes with him tomorrow. I said that was okay, and I hope you agree.’

I then went on to explain about Geoff, Martha and the situation that had apparently just developed in LA.

Once I had finished, Cara said, ‘I don’t know him, but it’s all right with me,’ and then she jumped up, went into the kitchen, saying over her shoulder, ‘I need a glass of water. Back in a minute.’

I sat relaxed on the banquette and bit into a croissant, enjoying it, because for once I’d spread butter and raspberry jam on it. To hell with my diet this morning – I needed a treat once in a while.

When she returned with her glass of water, Cara picked up where we’d left off. ‘As I said, I certainly don’t mind Geoff Barnes being here for Dad’s memorial evening tomorrow. If I remember correctly, he’s been part of the Global team for years.’

‘What do you think Jess will say?’

‘There’ll be no problem, Serena.’ After finishing the glass of water, she continued, ‘Actually, it’s Jess I want to talk to you about.’

There was such a strange look on her face when she said this, I peered at my sister intently, then quickly asked, ‘Is there something wrong?’

‘I don’t know, there could be … as far as her health is concerned.’

‘What are you getting at?’ I was suddenly worried, and pressed, ‘Is she ill? What’s the matter with her?’

‘I suspect she might have the same rare osteoporosis that Mom had,’ Cara announced, leaning back against the cushions, and staring at me knowingly.

‘But Jessica’s not pregnant. Or is she?’ I gave her the benefit of a long, hard stare, knowing she would tell me the truth. She never avoided being the bearer of bad news.

Cara claimed she had to be absolutely honest, couldn’t pull any punches, and this was the truth, she never did. Nonetheless, it seemed to me that she derived a certain pleasure from bringing unsettling news to us all.

‘I’m certain Jessica’s not pregnant,’ Cara murmured finally, answering my question. ‘She would have told me. But lately she’s complained of aching bones, tiredness in her legs, and don’t forget that fall she had in the auction rooms recently.’

I leaned forward, focused my steady gaze on Cara, and said pointedly, ‘But she didn’t break anything, and if she has that kind of osteoporosis, surely she would have broken at least one bone, don’t you think?’

‘I do, yes, there’s some truth in what you say, Serena. But she has complained a lot about her aches and pains, and so I want you to do something—’

I cut in, ‘What do you want
me
to do?’

‘Talk to her. You are always able to get through to her. So please, ask her to have a few tests, X-rays, that sort of thing. And before you say
I
should do it, I want you to know she doesn’t listen to me about anything, not any more.’

‘Oh come on, Cara, I know she listens to you,’ I exclaimed. ‘You’re twins, joined at the hip; closer than any two people I know. It’s always been that way. I remember Mom once telling me that even as babies of only six months you were very aware of each other, that when she laid you side by side in a cot you held hands with each other.’

Cara shook her head. ‘It’s better you talk to her. She definitely pays attention to what you say. Look, she wouldn’t even listen to me about Allen Lambert.’

‘Who’s Allen Lambert?’ I asked, baffled.

‘Her boyfriend.’

‘Jessica has a boyfriend!’ I was genuinely startled, and I knew my voice had risen shrilly. Why didn’t I know about him?

‘Yes,’ Cara answered. ‘I can’t say he’s my favourite, though, and when I said I wasn’t so keen on him, she bit my head off and walked out of the room.’

‘She hasn’t breathed a word about him to me, and I must admit I’m surprised about that.’ I felt a small pang that she hadn’t confided in me.

‘So am I,’ Cara agreed, giving me an odd look.

‘How long has she been seeing him?’

‘About a year, but sort of off and on. He travels a lot and he’s not always around.’

‘But who is he? How does she know him?’ I probed, riddled with curiosity.

‘He lives here, and also in London, and she’s known him for about five, six years. But I guess she only started seeing him twelve months ago.’

‘What’s he like?’

‘Quiet, doesn’t say a lot – sort of wimpy, come to think of it. But rather good looking, in a blond, English way. He has some sort of PR company, or maybe he’s in advertising, I’m not sure.’

‘Has she invited him to Dad’s memorial evening?’ I wondered out loud.

‘I rather doubt it. I think she sees tomorrow night as a very personal dinner, just for family. It’ll only be the three of us, Zac and Harry of course. And now Geoff Barnes, but he’s from Global, kind of family in a sense.’

‘I understand. Perhaps I’ll meet Allen Lambert over Easter weekend … Look, Cara, I am going to tell her you mentioned him to me. Because I want to know more about him, and I’m going to ask a lot of questions.’

‘You can tell her. I don’t care; it’s not a secret that she’s seeing him. Maybe she’ll be more forthcoming with you.’

‘Do you think she’s really involved with him? You know, serious about him?’

Cara shrugged. ‘I’ve no idea. As I said, she doesn’t say much, plays it close to the vest.’

‘Is he available? He’s not married, is he?’

‘No, he’s not married. But he was. He’s a widower.’ Cara made a moue with her mouth, and shook her head. ‘His wife died in some sort of strange way … in Africa.’

I was about to ask more when Zac strolled into the kitchen. He had showered and shaved, and his hair was still damp. He was wearing blue jeans and a white T-shirt, looking fresh and well groomed, which pleased me.

I stood up. ‘Do you want me to make you some eggs, Zac? Or will you settle for a croissant with your coffee?’

He swung around when he heard my voice, and smiled lopsidedly. ‘A croissant’s fine.’ As he spoke he poured himself a mug of coffee, and reached for the milk.

Cara came strolling out of the alcove with her empty cup and glass, and after putting them in the dishwasher she said, ‘See you both later. I’ve got to clean up and go to the greenhouses.’

I nodded, watched her go. I couldn’t understand why she seemed disapproving of Allen Lambert. Did she know something bad about him? Had she been trying to warn Jessica about him? I was puzzled, and I aimed to find out more.

‘S
o you think Geoff has been deluding himself about Martha, and what she feels for him? Is that what you’re saying?’ Zac asked, half turned towards me in the car seat.

‘You’ve got it,’ I said, without taking my eyes off the road. I was driving into Nice, where Zac wanted to go shopping for a few items, and there was heavy traffic this morning. ‘He longed to be reconciled with her so much, he believed she wanted that too. But obviously her interests have turned elsewhere.’

Zac let out a long sigh, and remained silent for a moment or two. Then he said, in a low voice, ‘Poor sod. He’d set his heart on it, so it must have come as a terrible shock. And telling him over the phone. Jesus! That wasn’t nice.’

‘Remember, they are divorced, and have been for several years. He was living in a dream world, frankly. I think he’d convinced himself that she’d come back to him and start again, if he left the front line. But two or three years is a long time for a young woman to be divorced and alone,’ I pointed out.

‘You’re right, Serena, but I can’t help feeling sorry for him.’