TEN

Monday evening, continued

He released her but continued to hold her eye. One side of his mouth twitched into a smile of satisfaction. He didn’t need to say it. His hold on her arm was a foretaste of what he had planned for her later that night.

Still in that soft voice, he murmured, ‘Mrs Abbot, your speech is slurred, your behaviour far too loud. You have obviously had too much to drink. You will leave with me when I am ready to go. You can choose to go quietly or, if you try to make a scene, I will tell the waiter that I am taking you away to a safe place where you can sober up.’

She had had only one sip of wine all evening, but if he claimed she was drunk and incapable and insisted on dragging her out to his car, then any protest she might make would be put down to the drink she’d supposedly taken.

She leaned back in her chair and considered her options. She saw now that Cyril was exactly like Benjy – or rather, that Benjy was like his uncle. They both believed in force if charm didn’t do the job. If Bea left in Cyril Trescott’s car she’d be completely at his mercy and she didn’t like to think where he might take her or what he might do to her. If she used any of the self-defence methods Bernice had mentioned, she’d probably just fall over her own feet, because she’d never seen them done in real life.

Her arm was on fire. She wanted to rub it, but wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of showing that he’d hurt her. He gestured to the wine waiter to fill Bea’s glass with the replacement wine. Bea shook her head. ‘I prefer white when I’ve eaten fish.’

‘You will drink it to please me.’ Again, the words were only meant for her to hear.

She could do just that, of course. No, she couldn’t. He’d regard it as a victory for his side, and she refused to give him even that much ground. She said, ‘I regret. No.’

He said, ‘I hear you’ve been a very naughty little girl. Naughty little girls need to be smacked and stood in the corner till they apologize and promise to behave in future.’

What exactly had brought this on? From being charm itself, he had turned into a bully. Why? She tested a theory. ‘You seem to be upset about something. Is it because Piers can’t fit you into his schedule at the moment? You can’t dictate when and where an artist will work.’

‘Oh, I think you could manage it.’

Could she? She thought about that. Could she really make Piers do something he didn’t want to do? In everyday life, possibly. In his artistic life, no. She said, ‘I don’t say it’s impossible for you to make him work for you, but I think you’d be sorry for it if you did. At the moment he sees you as a hungry wolf, and he wouldn’t be able to paint you any other way.’

‘A hungry wolf?’ He was amused. A little. But still angry and still intent on getting his own way. ‘Oh, believe me, I can think up several ways of getting him to do what I ask. I understand he doesn’t own any property or even a car, and dosses down on other people’s beds …’

And here he narrowed his eyes at Bea. So he knew Piers was sleeping at her house?

He said, ‘There are always methods one can use, if one wants it enough.’

Was that a threat of physical harm? What a pity this conversation was not being taped!

She considered the meaning behind the words. ‘You are threatening to arrange for someone to beat him up? How very obvious. I thought better of you than that. And there’s a problem. If Piers were attacked physically he’d lose his ability to paint, and then you’d have lost him for good. There are other portrait painters, some better known and more … more malleable. Why not try one of them?’

He grinned. ‘He’s the one I’ve chosen. I like the idea of being painted as a hungry wolf … in which case, my dear, you will have to substitute for … who? Little Red Riding Hood? No, that role has already been assigned to Bernice. You can be the granny, who meets with a sticky end.’

Bea winced. ‘I bet your Nanny used to tell you, “Now, Master Cyril, don’t you eat that unripe pear, because it’ll give you tummy ache.” I bet you went ahead and ate it anyway, and denied you had tummy ache afterwards. Surely by now you’ve learned from your mistakes? Not everyone will roll over and play dead if you frown at them.’

‘I don’t make mistakes. However, I understand that you’ve made plenty in your time. You haven’t kept a close enough eye on your toy boy. You do realize he’s still playing around with other men’s wives?’

She felt a shock run through her. Could it be true? No, no and no!

Or … could it? No. Piers wasn’t like that. Yes, in the past he’d been promiscuous and she knew why and to a certain extent could understand and forgive. But he hadn’t been like that for some considerable time. For years, if not months.

She didn’t know what he’d been up to on his forays abroad, did she?

Oh, no! No. No! Surely not! She clutched at the edge of the table to steady herself. Suspicions whirled around in her head … and settled.

She took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. Even supposing Piers was still at it – and she was pretty sure, almost sure, that he wasn’t – then it really didn’t alter the situation between them. He loved her. He wanted to be back in her life.

And she? She loved him, and she wanted him back in her life.

She turned a radiant smile on Cyril Trescott. ‘You are a clever man, but perhaps not quite clever enough to understand people like me and Piers. Perhaps you only see what you want to see? Perhaps that single-mindedness has made you what you are. I don’t suppose you have ever trusted anyone long enough to get them to love you.’

Here she looked across at April, who was holding a glass of the rich red wine to Leon’s mouth, and coaxing him to drink. April was acting on Cyril’s instructions, to ensure that Leon was as putty in their hands. Bea averted her eyes. Leon was a lost soul. She couldn’t help him. Or could she?

Bea spoke across the table to April, but made sure Leon and Cyril were listening. ‘They tell me that poisoning is a woman’s game. Leon, did you know that April uses drugs to control her niece? Don’t you worry who she might target next? What she might put in your food?’

Cyril Trescott’s voice rose. ‘That’s an actionable statement.’ But his eyelids fluttered. He knew – or perhaps it was better to say that he guessed – Bea had spoken the truth. For the first time, she had pierced his armour.

She felt a moment of triumph. She said, ‘That statement is not actionable if true. Mr Trescott, I don’t think you murdered your brother—’

‘What?’ A deep flush rose up from his neck. ‘WHAT!’

‘No, I don’t think you yourself would kill someone who stood in your way. But you might recall King Henry II who, having quarrelled with an old friend, said to the world at large, “Who will rid me of this pesky priest?” One of his trusty knights went forth and slew said pesky priest as he stood in front of the altar in the cathedral at Canterbury. Henry never laid a finger on the man but everyone knew he was responsible and he had to do penance for it.’

Now Cyril was coldly furious and containing his rage with some difficulty. ‘You cannot possibly be accusing me of murder!’

‘Certainly not,’ Bea picked up her handbag and tried to rise.

He grabbed her arm again, forcing her back into her seat. He kept his voice low, but the words were spat out. ‘Enough! I will give you twenty-four hours to persuade Piers to report for duty. In the meantime, I’m going to look into the Hollands’ crazy notion of making Bernice your ward, because you are so clearly unfit for the job. The girl will be better prepared for her future in other hands, and I am going to set proceedings in motion to do just that. You understand?’

His grip on her arm was excruciating. She told herself to move and failed to do so. She knew she was in shock. What he was proposing was evil! Bernice, to be handed over for indoctrination to someone like the Trescotts?

God help me! I can’t breathe! If he were to take Bernice away from me … I couldn’t bear it! And when I think what he could do to her …!

He saw he’d knocked the breath out of her. He smiled and withdrew his hand. ‘Now, sit down and drink your wine till I’m ready to leave.’

I’ve got to keep going. I’ll think about what he said later. Keep going. Keep moving. I’m not going to pass out. No.

Somewhat shakily, she managed to get to her feet a second time. ‘Forgive me, but I must go to the toilet. Something I’ve eaten, perhaps … Leon, April. Please excuse me. Which way is it to the ladies’? I’ll have to enquire.’

It was one of the most ancient of excuses but it worked. Cyril Trescott moved aside to allow her to leave the table. She forced herself to walk slowly and carefully across the room to the reception desk, and then slipped out of the door and on to the pavement outside. Taxis slowed and stopped, delivering more diners to the restaurant. She took the first and gave directions to home. She was trembling. Angry. Disturbed. And yes, feeling rather unwell. She hadn’t made that excuse up. She wasn’t going to be sick. No. But, she felt disconnected from the world around her. She felt hot tears on her cheeks. She brushed them away.

She was being stupid. No, she wasn’t. That man was threatening everything that she had and loved.

Dear Lord, help me. Keep Piers and Bernice safe. Tell me what to do.

Bea let herself quietly into the house, silenced the alarm, and set her back against the front door. There were sounds of merriment from the living room. The scent of cheese and tomato advertized that a meal of pizzas had been dealt with. Piers’ voice rose in triumph over some point won in the game, followed by a yell of ‘My turn!’ from Bernice. A game of some sort was being played?

Bea reset the alarm on the front door. She brushed more tears from her face. She couldn’t join the others and pretend nothing was wrong. As she passed the half open door to the living room she called out that she was back but rather tired and going straight up to bed. She pulled on the banister to help her up the stairs. There was a sour taste in her mouth. The taste of defeat.

She dropped her evening bag and fell face down on the bed. And lay there. Immobile.

She hadn’t the strength to turn over, or to put the bedside light on.

There were no more tears. She stared into the future. It was a dark pit, filled with crashing noises and a seething tangle of snakes. It was more real than her bedroom. It horrified her. She couldn’t look away.

She couldn’t even pray.

Someone came up the stairs, treading lightly. She didn’t want to see him. She didn’t move when he spoke her name.

‘Bea.’ He sat on the bed and gathered her into his arms. She didn’t respond. Couldn’t respond.

He held her close. Gradually the image of the snake pit receded. She could hear his breathing. Feel his warmth. She could breathe properly again.

He said, ‘Take your time.’

She counted her breaths. In and out. Longer breaths. His arms were strong. She felt secure in them, even though … no, what that man had said was not true. Piers did love her. She could feel it. She knew it. Had known it for a long time.

Her pride, her fear that he would betray her again, had caused her to keep him at arms’ length. But now?

She relaxed in his arms and worked saliva into her mouth. ‘When did you last have another woman?’

‘Mmm? What? Dunno. Four years ago, maybe? No, five. I looked at her and thought of you, and it just didn’t seem worth it. I always hoped that you would let me come back.’

She nodded, fractionally. She tried to lift her head to see his face. Failed. She said, ‘Yes. All right. If you still want it. No, what I mean is I’ll think about it. You’d be better off running for your life than hanging around me. Cyril Trescott is … he wants to …’ She couldn’t say it. She turned her head away from Piers and tried to free herself.

He let her go, moving her up the bed, packing pillows behind her back. ‘I thought you were dining with Leon?’

‘Cyril Trescott and April came, too. I left Leon with them. I shouldn’t have done. I should have torn him away from them, somehow, and brought him here. No, I should have taken him to a doctor to see what’s wrong with him. But they wouldn’t have let me, would they? And he didn’t want to leave. He’s sick. Being spoon-fed by April, who’s in cahoots with her brother. They were billing and cooing … ugh! It’s so unlike Leon! He might be dead tomorrow. I feel so guilty, but what could I have done?’

She knew she wasn’t making sense. She tried to push her brain back into gear.

Piers said, ‘Cyril Trescott. The Silver Fox? He was there as well? What did he want?’

‘To get me to toe the line. To make you paint his portrait. He’s the great big wolf, and I’m the granny who gets gobbled up. Bernice is Little Red Riding Hood. He’s going to take her away from me. I’m an unfit person to be her guardian. And you …? He thinks that yes, you’ll come to heel, too, because everyone always does.’

He stroked her face. ‘I’d paint him for you, but … no. That wouldn’t work. Even if the urge to paint took over and I managed something halfway decent, I wouldn’t do it. Because if he got to you by threatening me, then he’d do it again. You say he’s threatened to take Bernice away from you? Hmm, he’s got a nerve.’

She found a tissue and blew her nose. Wiped her eyes. ‘I won’t give in. I’m not letting Bernice go. Suppose she ended up as the ward of the Trescotts or their like? Heaven forbid! I do understand that if they bankroll high-flying lawyers and it goes to High Court, I’d be hard pushed to it to come up with an equal amount of cash. I can’t compete with Trescott money. But I’ll go down fighting, even if I have to sell the house and move out to the sticks and start up again there. If I can only keep her with me till she’s sixteen or seventeen and on her way to uni, she’ll have a fair chance of growing up straight and true. I wonder how much I could mortgage the house for? And I could sell the car. I hardly use it anyway. And the mews property. That might do it.’

Piers kissed her nose. ‘I love it when you turn to fisticuffs. Count me in. I’m fond of the Brat, as you know. I’d hate to see her turned into another Evie.’

‘What was that?’ Bernice was standing in the doorway. ‘I’m not turning into anybody but myself. Is that what Leon said? That I’ve got to go and live with the Trescotts? Fat chance!’

Bea reached out to the girl, who came and sat beside her on the bed. Piers laid his hand on Bernice’s shoulder, and she didn’t throw him off.

Father, mother, child. Not by birth, but through love.

Bea tried to explain. ‘When I arrived at the restaurant Leon was already there with April Trescott hanging on to his arm. Leon’s acting like Evie did when she first came here. Doped to the gills. I wonder if the Trescotts have somehow managed to get him on to the same drug? He’s not an epileptic. He’s never suffered from nerves. But now … he’s not himself. She was all over him, and he was letting her pet him. Ugh! Horrible!’

Bernice said, ‘Uncle Leon’s never ill.’

Bea shuddered. ‘She gives me the creeps. She’s got her claws into Leon, and I’m so afraid of what she might do to him. I’m wondering if Trescotts aren’t just interested in a merger with Hollands but are aiming for a takeover. If Leon falls victim to them, then that might well happen. Bernice, you are vulnerable because without Leon standing up for me, Cyril might well have you removed from my guardianship. I’ll fight it, but …’

‘I will fight beside you,’ said Piers. ‘Don’t forget the foot soldiers.’

‘Me, too,’ said Bernice. ‘I know I’ve been lucky to have landed up with you. Two fingers to the Trescotts. I’m not going to be handed around like a parcel.’

Bea managed a smile. ‘Of course we’ll fight them off. But meanwhile, oh, I realize I may be taking things too far, but I’d advise you two not to eat or drink anything offered you by them.’

‘Ah-ha!’ said Piers. ‘So that’s what that was all about.’

‘What!’

‘The chocolate, you mean?’ said Bernice. ‘Naturally, I refused to accept it. No great hardship. I don’t eat much chocolate and I didn’t want it hanging around in case Evie were tempted.’

Piers explained. ‘It was while you were out, Bea. I was expecting the pizzas I’d ordered and instead the Trescotts’ chauffeur arrived with an enormous box of chocolates for Bernice from Benjy with an orchid and a card—’

Bernice grinned. ‘The card said I was bringing new interest into his life or something else equally ridiculous. Honestly, what a nerve! As if I’d accept anything from horrible Benjy. I told the chauffeur to take the stuff away and he said he couldn’t do that, so I tore up the card and told him to take the orchid and the chocolates to the nearest refuge for battered women, and he went all pop-eyed on me. We watched him from behind the curtains in the front window because he didn’t go back to the car but got on his phone. We suppose he was reporting back to Benjy. Then he took the orchid and the chocolates away with him.’

Bea said, ‘A pity, in a way. If he’d left them, we might have had them tested to see if they contained some noxious substance.’

Bernice frowned. ‘You think they were poisoned?’

Bea pulled herself more upright in bed. ‘I’m looking at what has happened to Evie and what is now happening to Leon. Evie was sick with grief, and the aunt says that Leon has had some sort of medical problem. She doses them both and they start behaving like zombies. It’s no great stretch of the imagination to think that they were given medication which rendered them helpless. Suppose, Bernice, you went down with a minor indisposition. Leon, acting under April’s influence, might suggest you see the Trescotts’ pet doctor, and you might be given something which removes the will to live.’

‘I wouldn’t take it!’ Bernice did her frown thing. ‘They’d have to force me. I know what I’m doing.’

Silence.

Bea said, ‘If they could manage it so that your behaviour got out of control and you were sectioned, then you wouldn’t have a choice in the matter. Evie didn’t have a choice, did she?’

Bernice blinked rapidly. ‘Evie’s been off the pills for a while. Just now, when we were playing Monopoly, she was so sharp she almost had me a couple of times.’

Piers said, ‘It’s true, Bea. I thought playing Monopoly might give Evie a chance to show if her brain was working again, and it did. She was calculating the odds faster than I could, and almost as fast as Bernice.’

There was a tap on the door and Evie floated in. ‘Talking about me?’ She was wearing her new party dress and silver shoes. She held the skirt out and did a twirl. ‘Have you a full-length mirror? Bernice hasn’t, and I want to see myself. I feel like a new person in this dress. Isn’t it lovely? And tomorrow I can have my hair done, can’t I? And my nails? I’ve never been to a beauty salon or visited a hairdresser. What sort of tip should I give? Do you think I should have a pedicure as well?’

Bernice said, ‘Drop that, Evie! This is serious. We know you’re not really that stupid now you’re off the drugs. We know you’re feeding information back to Auntie, telling her everything we’re doing, and it’s got to stop.’

Evie stopped swaying about in front of the mirror. Suddenly she looked older and yes, sharper. ‘You’re only being nasty to me because I said Benjy loved me first.’

Bea drew in a deep breath. What was going on here?

Had Benjy really gone after Evie first? And then given way to Joshua?

Piers got off the bed. ‘Evie, you’ve had a rough time. We all recognize that. But trying to hurt Bernice doesn’t help.’

Bernice snorted. ‘You think Benjy’s trying to make you jealous by giving me things? No. Why would he bother? That’s ridiculous.’

Evie’s head went down, and her shoulders fell forward. Her hair fell over her face. ‘I know. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. You’ve been so kind to me.’

Piers led Evie over to the dressing table and made her sit down. ‘You’re confused and it’s no wonder. Evie, look at me. That’s better. There’s a conflict of interest here. Your uncle Cyril is making things difficult for us and we’re having a hard time working out what to do.’

Evie nodded. ‘Yes, he wants you to paint him. Then later on, you’ll paint me and Joshua. I don’t see what’s wrong with that.’

‘I arranged to have the school holidays off, that’s what.’

‘Well, that’s not so very important, is it?’

‘Maybe not to you or to him, but I’ve worked non-stop since Christmas, I’d arranged to take a break and I’m not altering my plans for him or anyone else. That’s annoyed him and he’s made various threats to make me change my mind. Now, it’s understandable that you want to please your family. I know they want you to stay here till the party, but I’m not changing my mind about painting him, and if this is going to make things uncomfortable for you, then perhaps you can think of somewhere else you can go for a while?’

‘You’re throwing me out.’ In a monotone.

‘No. We wouldn’t do that. Look, perhaps you should talk to your aunt about this. She can’t realize what a difficult position you’ve been put in. She is your guardian, isn’t she?’

‘No. It’s my uncle Constant who was my guardian. I don’t know who it is now he’s dead.’ Again, no signs of emotion.

There was silence while they all thought about that. Bea wondered if Constant had made a will. He would have made provision for Evie, wouldn’t he? Or would he? His death had been unexpected, so he might not have considered who should take responsibility for Evie in the event of his dying before she was eighteen.

Evie threw back her hair and straightened up. ‘It’s much easier to take the pills and not to have to think. Thinking hurts, here.’ She held on to her head with both hands as if it might fly off into the blue. ‘I’ve been trying not to think for ages. Sometimes I fear I’m going mad. They say this or that and I say, “Yes, sir; no, sir. Three bags full, sir.” It’s easier to go along with whatever they say, than to think about disobeying. Naughty girls are taken back to the clinic where they have to learn to behave themselves before they can be trusted enough to go back home. Or to school. And after all, they do have my best interests at heart, and I might really be ill and need the pills. Only, as time went on and I didn’t have any attacks, or any attacks that I could remember, I began to wonder if I really did have epilepsy … only thinking like that hurts. It really, really hurts.’

Bernice looked shocked. Piers and Bea exchanged looks. So was Evie really epileptic? Or was that the way they’d been controlling a girl who would eventually come into a lot of money?

Evie twisted a fold of her skirt and went on. ‘Every now and then I used to wonder what would happen if I stopped taking the pills. I mean, if I had a fit, then yes; I was epileptic and I must accept it. Only I was scared to try it. I knew the family would always look after me, no matter how ill I was. Just lately it occurred to me that perhaps I’d grown out of it and could do without so many pills. I told them so, and they were furious. I had to go back to the clinic and they gave me some new pills which I think were stronger than ever.

‘Then one day I couldn’t manage even the smallest sum in arithmetic, something I’d always been able to do off the top of my head. So I told Uncle Constant that I was worried about falling behind in my schoolwork. I said Daddy would have been so disappointed if he’d known. So Auntie arranged for me to go to the boarding school where I’m at now and because I had to have someone responsible to sleep in the same room, they arranged to give me Bernice as a roommate. And she’s so alive! It made me realize how dopey I’d got. And I watched her, and wondered what would happen if … I didn’t know if I could trust her, you see.

‘I couldn’t stop taking the pills at school very easily because the nurse used to give them to me twice a day. Sometimes I thought I could ask Bernice to help me, and sometimes I could see she was bored with me hanging around her and would have laughed if I’d asked her to cover for me. I could see she wasn’t frightened of anyone at school, not even those girls who tried to bully the others. So that made me a bit braver. Now and then I faked taking the pills at night-time. I put them in my cheek and pretended to swallow them and the nurse didn’t notice. I thought I’d get withdrawal symptoms but I didn’t.

‘I began to feel a bit more alive. I thought that one day I’d tell Bernice what was happening and ask her to help me. Then term ended and we were collected from school. Bernice even stood up to Auntie on the way back here! She didn’t let her get her down, even then. So I left her a message and oh, I hoped and prayed that she’d understand, and she did, didn’t she?’

Bernice looked at Bea, her eyes wide. Bernice was way out of her depth.

Piers said, ‘I found your message and took it to Bea. We didn’t know what to make of it.’

‘I know,’ said Evie. ‘It was feeble of me, wasn’t it? But then there was the most tremendous piece of luck. Well, not lucky for him. Uncle Constant died and Auntie sent me back here. I stopped taking the pills completely and nothing’s happened. I know it’s only been a couple of days, but I haven’t had a fit, have I?’

‘No, you haven’t.’ Bea was soothing. ‘But Evie, how can we judge your medical condition?’

‘Can you take me to a specialist? Let me take some tests? I mean, if I am ill then I’ll accept it, but … please!’

Bea said, ‘Oh, my dear! We can’t do that. You’re underage and … No, we can’t!’

‘Yes, you can, Bea,’ said Piers. ‘If Evie shows signs of a reaction to her medication, or if she has an accident or falls sick or whatever. April has given you the right to care for Evie while the girl is under your roof. At least, I think that’s right. We can check the legal position tomorrow.’

Evie gulped air. ‘If you won’t help me, what am I going to do?’