Up Close and Personal (36 page)

Over the days that followed, a team of fire investigators sifted through the charred remains of the lodge, quickly discovering that lighter fuel had been sprayed throughout the sitting room. Traces of it were also found on Nathan’s clothing. He’d removed the batteries from the smoke alarms too. The police found them in his trouser pocket when they went through his things at the hospital. The evidence was incontrovertible: Nathan had started the fire deliberately – and when the police interviewed Orla and the Fishers, they quickly established a motive for the arson attack: revenge. Knowing his days at the hotel were numbered, Nathan had hit back at the Fishers the only way he could – by destroying a precious piece of Ashwicke’s heritage. Whether he had meant to kill himself in the process – or whether it was simply a tragic accident – nobody would ever know for sure.

When the investigation was over and the ruined lodge had been bulldozed into oblivion, Juliet finally acknowledged to herself what she’d always known – that being at Ashwicke wasn’t making her happy. And so, with Dante’s wholehearted approval, she shut the doors of the hotel and sold the house – not on the open market, where it would doubtless have been snapped up by a developer for a tidy sum, but back to its previous owners, Piers and Eleanor Ingram, who would love it and cherish it the way Juliet never really had. Keen to start her life anew, she sold at a price considerably below the estate agent’s valuation, but the loss of profit didn’t concern her. She was free now; that was the important thing.

As soon as the Fishers moved into Laburnum Cottage, they immediately set about making it home: walls were stripped, a new bathroom installed and the roof lovingly
rethatched. There were other changes too. Although the sale of Ashwicke had left Juliet with a healthy bank balance for the first time in ages, she had no intention of taking things easy. As soon as she discovered that the estate agent who was handling the sale of Laburnum Cottage was looking for a full-time receptionist, she wasted no time submitting her CV. Two weeks later, the position was hers. Dante, meanwhile, had also been considering his future. Although he loved bar work, the hours were unsociable and, if there was one thing that mattered to him above all else, it was spending time with Juliet. With few qualifications to his name, however, he assumed his options would be limited.

It was Yasmin who spotted the ad in the jobs section of the
Sunday Post
: a local prep school was seeking a teaching assistant for their PE department. Despite his lack of relevant experience, years of skiing had left Dante in excellent physical shape. What’s more, his youth and easy nature were just what the interview panel was looking for. So now, not only did he have a job that offered him genuine career prospects, he also felt on an equal footing with Juliet for the first time in their marriage. For a proud man like Dante, it was a vital accomplishment.

As the couple embraced in the flickering candlelight, Jess emerged from under the dining table and nosed Dante’s hand. ‘Go away, girl,’ he said, cuffing her ear affectionately. ‘Can’t you see I’m busy?’

Outside, darkness had fallen and cold air rose from the earth. A taxi slid smoothly up to the kerb. The back door opened and Yasmin appeared in a flowing empire-line dress, which only served to accentuate her advanced pregnancy.

‘Isn’t this place gorgeous?’ she said, staring up at the cottage. ‘It’s like something out of a fairy tale.’

Rob finished paying the driver and came over to join her. ‘Stunning,’ he agreed. ‘They’ve got a good-sized garden too.’ He took her hand in his. ‘Come on, let’s get indoors. We don’t want you getting cold.’

They were halfway to the front door when a second car, a vintage Alfa Romeo, drew up. ‘Talk about perfect timing,’ Nicole said as she emerged from the car.

‘Blimey, Nic, how much stuff have you brought?’ Yasmin said, eyeing the bulging bag of baby things her friend was carrying.

Nicole grinned. ‘Let’s see … nappies, wet wipes, bottles, formula, gripe water … just the essentials.’

‘You two have still got all this to look forward to,’ said Bear, as he opened the back door of the car and began unstrapping Tilly’s car seat.

Yasmin patted her bump. ‘I know, and I can’t wait. The sooner she comes out the better. My back’s killing me and I keep needing to pee every five minutes.’

‘You’re still sure it’s a girl, then?’ Nicole asked, walking over to her friend.

‘Absolutely. Rob’s not convinced, though, are you, love?’

The sports editor shook his head. ‘Judging by the strength of his kick, I reckon it’s a boy – and he’s going to grow up to be a great footballer, just like his dad.’ He turned to Yasmin. ‘Did I tell you I once had trials for Southend?’

‘A million times,’ Yasmin said, patting his rear playfully.

Suddenly the front door of the cottage swung open. ‘Hey, guys,’ Dante said, raising a hand in greeting. ‘Why are you standing out there freezing your asses off? Come on in.’

In the sitting room, Juliet was waiting with glasses of mulled wine to take the edge off the winter chill.

‘I see you’ve been doing some decorating since I was last here,’ said Yasmin, settling into a squashy sofa.

Juliet nodded. ‘There’s only the kitchen left now and then we’ll be finished.’

‘I’m very impressed with your DIY skills, Dante,’ Rob said, running a hand over the wall, which was painted a soft eau-de-Nil to match the curtains. ‘This looks like a professional job.’

‘I can’t take all the credit,’ Dante replied. ‘Juliet’s done loads of stuff, haven’t you, babe?’

‘It’s so satisfying knowing we’ve done everything ourselves,’ Juliet said, resting her head on her husband’s shoulder. ‘And I have to say I think we make a great team.’

Rob took a seat beside Yasmin on the sofa. ‘This place is quite different from Ashwicke. Do you miss it at all?’

Juliet shook her head. ‘Not a bit – I only wish we’d made the move sooner. How about you, Yasmin? Are you going to carry on living in the apartment once the baby’s born?’

‘Uh-uh,’ Yasmin replied. ‘It’s completely impractical; I’d never get a pram in that lift.’

Rob put his hand on her thigh. ‘She’s moving in with me. My place is twice the size – and it’s got a garden.’

Juliet clasped her hands together in delight. ‘That’s brilliant news! I’m so pleased for you two.’

‘To be honest, I don’t think I’d be able to cope on my own,’ Yasmin said.

Nicole looked at her in surprise. ‘I never thought I’d hear those words coming from
your
mouth.’

‘Yeah, well, I’ve changed a lot over the past year.’ Yasmin smiled at Rob. ‘I fell in love, for one thing.’

Nicole turned to Bear, who was sitting in an armchair cradling a sleeping Tilly in his lap. They’d been a couple for six months, and living together for three. Long enough to have a rhythm, but new enough that her palms still tingled whenever he walked into the room. As she looked at him, Bear caught her eye and smiled.

‘You’ll be going on maternity leave soon, won’t you?’ said Dante to Yasmin.

‘Next week,’ Yasmin said. ‘But I won’t be going back to the
Post
.’

Nicole frowned. ‘I thought you loved your job.’

‘I do, but I guess my priorities have changed. I’m going to take six months off and then I’m going freelance. That way I’ll be able to work from home.’

‘I’ve told her she’s being hopelessly optimistic,’ said Rob. ‘She doesn’t realize babies spend the first six months of their lives crying.’

‘And sometimes it goes on even longer than that,’ said Nicole, looking pointedly at Tilly. ‘Poor Bear’s been trying to finish his piece on greenhouse gases for three days now. Still, at least he can go and work in the caravan if the noise gets too much.’

Dante raised an eyebrow. ‘You’ve still got the Airstream, have you?’

‘She’s parked in Nicole’s back garden,’ Bear replied. ‘The old girl and I have been through so much together I don’t think I could bear to part with her.’

‘I just hope he feels the same way about me,’ Nicole said wryly, prompting much laughter from the others.

‘And how’s
your
job going, Dante?’ Rob asked.

Dante grinned. ‘I love it. The kids are fantastic. We’re taking them on a camping trip next weekend. I can’t wait.’

‘It’ll be good practice for him,’ Juliet remarked.

‘Good practice for what?’ Nicole asked innocently.

Juliet smiled and put her hands on her stomach. ‘I’m pregnant.’

‘What!’ Yasmin cried. The next minute she and Nicole were on their feet and throwing their arms around Juliet.

As Juliet looked over their shoulders at Dante, she saw that his calm blue eyes were filled with tears. She knew then – as if she had ever doubted it – that she was in love with him. Not smugly or sloppily, but just with a thumping great visceral certainty.