2010
Tabby collapsed on a stool and Natalie put her arms around her. Tears glistened on her cheeks and Natalie passed her a tissue, before turning her attention to the vicar. Eyes closed, he was mouthing what she took to be a prayer and his face was grey with what looked like exhaustion. She waited until his eyes flicked open.
‘Are you all right, Mr Ayres? Would you like a drink?’
‘A cup of tea would be most welcome, thank you. I must sit down, I’ve quite tired myself out.’ He managed a smile as he perched on a stool.
Natalie put the kettle on and made tea for all.
‘I can’t thank you enough, vicar, for what you’ve done. To see my…my mother was so moving and…and healing. We didn’t get on, you see, and I’ve felt so guilty about it.’ Tabby dabbed at her eyes.
‘I’m delighted to have helped. Angry souls do not make for peaceful houseguests and your mother needed to pass on too. A terrible business,’ he said, shaking his head.
Natalie handed round the tea, suggesting they sit outside. The warm, salty air was refreshing after the earlier oppressiveness in the kitchen and Natalie felt the tension in her shoulders ease at last. Seeing that monster Bill so clearly had been frightening. She hadn’t expected that. And poor Olive! She’d looked so thin and unkempt.
‘I will say a prayer by the grave, before I go. To make sure Olive has moved on. I would hope you will no longer be troubled by dreams or visions, Natalie, but if you are, you only need to call me.’ The vicar’s colour had returned and he looked more rested as he drank his tea.
‘Thanks. You’ve been wonderful, just as Jeanne said you’d be. I…I had my doubts about calling you, as I’m not a big fan of religion, but I’m glad I did.’
Tabby, smiling, nodded.
Mr Ayres finished his tea and stood up. Natalie and Tabby walked with him to the grave and stood back while he prayed. Natalie closed her eyes and heard a voice say ‘Thank you’.
Opening her eyes, she saw Olive, smiling, standing next to Tabby.
She blinked. Olive was gone.
***
Stuart saw the vicar drive off and, impatient to know what had happened, walked across to Natalie’s.
‘Hi, come on in. Tabby was about to fetch you. Would you like a drink? I’ve opened a bottle of wine but you can have lager if you prefer?’ Natalie ushered him in, and headed for the kitchen.
‘Lager, please. How did it go?’ He looked around, half-expecting to see the aftermath of a battle between good and evil. Instead, all looked normal as Natalie took a can from the fridge.
‘Fine, we think. Tabby’s outside, she’ll tell you all about it.’
He followed her to the terrace and his mother stood up and hugged him. She looked a lot happier than she’d done earlier, which was good.
Stuart listened with a growing sense of unreality as Tabby described what had happened. Perhaps he should have been there, but…the sceptic in him had won out. He looked from his mother to Natalie, and again saw a change. Natalie had appeared nervy and tense earlier, and now she looked at ease, as if she’d let go of some heavy load. He smiled. Whatever had happened, no matter how bizarre it sounded, at least some good had come of it.
‘I’m glad for you, Mum. If it’s set your mind at rest and you’ve stopped feeling so guilty about Olive, that’s good.’ He turned to Natalie. ‘Do you feel he’s gone? The angry ghost?’
She nodded.
‘Yes, I do. There’s a change in the atmosphere already. The vicar blessed the house before he left, so…’ she shrugged, ‘I can look forward to enjoying my home at last. All I want now is the police to say we can fill in the…the grave so Matt can finish the garden, and I’ll be happy.’
Stuart sipped his drink, wondering if she’d had time to consider what he’d told her. And if so, what was her answer? If it was no, he didn’t think he could go on living next door. It would be too painful.
A few minutes later, Tabby stood, saying she wanted to get back to phone Alan, and would see them later. Natalie offered him another drink and he accepted gladly. Good, she might want to talk.
On her return, she handed him the can and filled up her glass. She twirled the wine around before looking up at him. His stomach clenched. She was going to turn him down! He knew it.
‘I’ve been thinking about what you said, and if I’m honest, I was upset about you not being able to have children.’ She took a sip and he waited for the punchline. ‘But it wouldn’t necessarily mean we couldn’t have a family one day, if…if we were together. And again, being honest, I’m not entirely sure if I do want children.’ His heart skipped a beat. Was she…? ‘So why don’t we see how it goes between us? If we do decide we love each other enough and want to be together, then great. If not, well…’ She smiled. Her beautiful smile.
‘May I kiss you?’
She nodded.
He stood and pulled her up and into his arms. Then, taking her face in his hands, he kissed her. A long, lingering kiss.
***
Natalie woke the next morning after the best sleep she’d had for weeks. And she knew why. The kiss with Stuart had led to some pretty amazing love-making in her bed, and she uncurled with pleasure at the memory. It was only a shame he’d had to go home instead of spending the night with her. But it didn’t seem fair to leave Tabby on her own after such a momentous evening. And they had all the time in the world…
Before leaving for work Natalie rang her parents to tell them about the vicar’s visit and the successful outcome. They listened in on speakerphone and Natalie heard her mother gasp a couple of times. Before she could end the call, Molly chipped in.
‘I was going to ring you today as we saw Mrs Le Prevost last night at our meeting. She’s the lady who remembers Olive. In fact, so does her husband Charles, who worked for her at one time. She said they’d be happy to talk to Tabby and suggested tomorrow morning. They live nearby in Rocquaine. I’ll give you her number…’
Natalie wrote it down and said she’d talk later. Brilliant! She nipped across to Stuart’s house to tell them and Tabby was delighted, insisting that Natalie go with them. As Natalie left, a grinning Stuart followed her to snatch a kiss.
‘Mum’s going out with some old school friends tonight, so would you like to go out for dinner? Or I could cook?’ He held her so tight she had to break free, giggling.
‘Let’s go out. Crabby’s should be fun on a Friday night and it’s not far. My treat.’ She kissed him and dashed for her car as he tried to pull her back.
Laughing, she drove off, willing the hours to fly by.
Just before Natalie nipped out for lunch, her mobile rang.
‘Good morning, Miss Ogier. DI Woods. We’ve received the DNA analysis from the lab and it confirms the deceased was related to Mrs Peters and her son. So, we’ll inform the coroner and arrange the inquest. Just a formality, you understand.’
‘That’s great. Does this mean I can reclaim my garden?’
‘Yes, we’re not likely to find any evidence to identify the killer, so I’ll get my men to come and remove the tape and fill in the hole. I can’t let you keep the constable, I’m afraid.’
‘That’s okay, we’ll manage. And don’t worry about the hole, I’m having a pond installed.’
As she walked round the corner to Waitrose, Natalie phoned Tabby. She’d also heard from the police about the DNA, and Tabby said she’d agreed to visit the Le Prevosts at eleven on Saturday. Next call was to Matt, arranging for him to come round on Monday. Relieved there was progress at last, she joined the queue in the café for her usual sandwich and large cappuccino.
‘Good morning, sleepyhead.’
Natalie opened her eyes and smiled. Stuart stroked her face before kissing her gently on the lips. She flung her arm across his chest, moving closer.
‘Good morning to you, too. And what a lovely day it looks.’ She’d not bothered to draw the curtains and the sun poured through the open windows, a breeze carrying a hint of the sea.
‘Sure does. And we need to get up soon, it’s nearly nine. I think we, er, wore ourselves out last night, didn’t we?’ He grinned, his blue eyes hooded from sleep.
She giggled, remembering the passionate love-making, freed from the constraint of time. How wonderful it was to have the night together. With many more ahead…
‘Do we have time before…?’
‘Oh I think so, don’t you?’ he said, his hands stroking her breasts.
As they ate breakfast on the terrace, Natalie felt happier than she’d done for years. She could hardly believe how her life had changed in a matter of weeks, and gazed wonderingly at the man who’d wrought the change. Stuart looked equally happy, a permanent smile on his face as he sat opposite, his fingers stroking hers when he wasn’t eating. They probably looked like a couple of besotted idiots, she thought, sipping her coffee. But who cared? She was in love and it felt good. More than good.
‘Thought we all could go out for lunch after we’ve seen the Le Prevosts. I don’t want Mum to feel neglected.’
‘Good idea. She may be a bit emotional, too. They do good grub at The Imperial which is within walking distance.’ She bit into her toast and chewed for a moment, wondering if they would learn something it was best not to know. ‘Is Alan coming over soon?’
‘Yep, on Monday. Rose and co are leaving tomorrow, and from what Mum said, he’s relieved. He found the tension between Rose and Blake hard to handle without Mum there to keep the peace.’ Stuart sighed. ‘It reminded me of my relationship with Pam before she left.’ He gripped her fingers, saying, ‘I hope we can do better.’
She smiled.
‘I’m sure we can.’
The walk to the Le Prevosts’ cottage took ten minutes. Tabby, walking alongside Stuart, had winked at Natalie when they set off, making her blush. Thank goodness Tabby would be staying in a hotel with Alan when he arrived. It would be so embarrassing having her next door…
The door was opened by a short, tubby lady in her eighties, who smiled in delight when she saw Tabby.
‘I’d know you anywhere, Tabby. Those eyes and that hair!’ Her sharp eyes turned to Stuart. ‘And you must be Stuart, the image of your…mother. Come in, all of you. Charles is in the garden.’
They trouped through the small granite cottage and into a surprisingly large garden at the back. An enormous parasol shaded a table and chairs set on the lawn, on one of which sat a thin, bald-headed man of similar age to his wife. He nodded as they approached.
‘Please excuse me not getting up, but it’s me legs. Takes me an age to move, it does.’ They all shook hands and again, Tabby was under scrutiny. ‘I recognise you, Tabby. Not that we’ve seen you for many a year, have we, Elsie?’
‘No, we haven’t, but that’s no matter. I’ve made a pot of tea, if you’d like to be mother, Tabby, please.’ A huge pot sat on the table with cups and saucers. Elsie seemed to notice Natalie for the first time. ‘I’m sorry, where’s my manners? You must be the young lady as bought the cottage that was Beauregard Farmhouse. Natalie, isn’t it?’
‘Yes, you know my parents. And we do appreciate you agreeing to talk to us. Especially Tabby.’
‘Well, it’s a pleasure, I’m sure. I did hear about what’s been happening up at Beauregard, Tabby, and I’m sorry to hear about Olive. She didn’t deserve to die like that, she didn’t.’ She shook her head, a sadness falling across her face.
‘No, she didn’t, Mrs Le Prevost–’
‘Please, call me Elsie. That’s what you knew me by when you was little.’ Elsie waved her hand.
‘Right, Elsie. Had you been in touch with Mum before she…disappeared?’
The old lady bit her lip.
‘No, I’m sorry to say we’d had a falling out a few years before, hadn’t we, Charles?’ Her husband nodded. ‘It was over you, Tabby. I’d been telling her she ought to get in touch with you and let you know how she was struggling. But her pride wouldn’t let her.’ She shook her head. ‘Silly woman! She always was so stubborn. She’d told me you was married, that you’d contacted her, and you’d had a baby. But I don’t think she heard again and she said it wasn’t her place to get in touch.’
Tabby looked upset.
‘I…I should have phoned, she was right. But, but I didn’t. And I bitterly regret it now. How long had you known each other?’
‘Oh, since we was at school together. I was at her wedding to Bill, which, to be honest, was a poor affair. He was a skinflint, and no mistake. Among other things.’ She pursed her lips.
Natalie was bursting to ask questions, but bit her tongue.
‘Is it true Bill was violent to Mum?’
Elsie and Charles shared a look. He nodded.
‘Yes, he was. And he had a bit on the side, but Olive didn’t mind about that. Meant he left her alone. They didn’t get on, but I expect you knew that.’
‘Mum never said anything about him at all, but I guessed. And I…know about the German officer.’
Elsie’s eyebrows shot up.
‘How did you find out? Olive swore me to secrecy, so I thought I’d be the one to tell you now.’
‘It’s complicated. But I look like him, don’t I?’
‘You do, for sure. Bill would have known if he’d seen you. But he never did, of course. Although he knew about Olive and Wolfgang, that’s why he hit him and got arrested. He deserved it, after what he did to Olive.’
Elsie took a sip of tea.
‘Before Wolfgang turned up at the farm, Bill beat your mother badly, so badly she needed my help after. He’d…also forced himself on her, he was that angry about Wolfgang. A bit rich considering he’d been carrying on for years himself!’ She shook her head, her eyes unfocused, as if looking back to the past.
‘Oh!’ Tabby’s hand came up to her mouth. Stuart patted her shoulder, his face set.
Tabby asked more questions and Elsie told her what she knew about Wolfgang and Olive, saying she knew he had promised to return after the war. Instead, she’d received a letter telling her of his marriage to a previously unmentioned fiancée.
‘Olive was beside herself, she’d loved him so deeply. And you. But when he betrayed her, as she saw it, she lost heart and found it hard to love you. I did try to tell her, it wasn’t your fault, but she didn’t listen. I’m so sorry, Tabby. You were a lovely little girl, too.’ Elsie pulled out a hankie to blow her nose.
Tabby’s eyes glinted with tears and Stuart put his arm around her. Natalie watched, a lump in her throat as the sorry story unfolded.
‘Did…did anyone see someone near Beauregard on the day of the fire? We know now my grandmother was killed before the fire was started. And it’s likely to have been a man,’ Stuart said, looking from Charles to Elsie.
‘We heard tell a stranger had been asking questions about Olive, but we didn’t see him, did we, Elsie?’
‘No, and we didn’t think anything of it at the time. If we’d known poor Olive was killed…’ She patted her eyes.
‘I don’t suppose you have a photo of Olive and Bill’s wedding, do you? I don’t even know what he looked like,’ Tabby said.
Elsie’s brow was furrowed.
‘I might do. My father took some photos, they had no professional photographer. Let me think…’ She sat lost in concentration for a minute and Natalie and Tabby exchanged glances.
‘The only place it could be is shoved in the back of my old album of family photos. It’s in a box at the bottom of my wardrobe, if you’d like to fetch it, Tabby. It’s a wooden box, oak, that Charles made for me. You can’t miss it. Upstairs, first door on the right.’
Tabby left and Natalie offered to pour more tea. After topping up the cups, she sat down, her heart beating with anticipation.
Tabby returned moments later, bearing the wooden box, and placed it on the table. Elsie opened it and pulled out a faded leather photo album. Natalie moved the tea things to the side and Elsie spread it out, turning towards the back. A few loose photographs fell out. Tabby picked them up, handing them to Elsie, who flicked through them.
‘Here it is! Thought I might still have it. I nearly threw it away after Bill was arrested, but Olive looked so pretty then, I couldn’t. Here,’ she passed it to Tabby, who studied it for a long moment before handing it to Natalie.
She saw a young woman in a traditional white wedding dress holding a small bouquet of wild flowers, staring at the camera, a nervous smile hovering around her mouth. Her hair was long and dark and she did indeed look pretty, Natalie thought. Her arm was hooked through that of her groom, a tall dark haired man with the look and build of a boxer. A thug. And the man she’d seen in her dreams.
Bill.