When Russ eventually got back to the big house, the two women were waiting for him.
‘We phoned Simone to tell her not to come and why,’ Elizabeth said.
Henrietta looked at him. ‘Tell us exactly how it happened, please. Every detail.’
So Russ went over it all again, ending, ‘I did try to revive Lance, I promise you, but he never showed the slightest sign of responding.’
She patted his hand. ‘I’m sure you did your best. Lance has been looking ill for a while. I’ve wondered about him. It may sound fanciful to a young man like you but you’ll learn as you get older and see it a few times – some people get a faded, almost translucent look around the eyes when 260they’re approaching death, a natural progression towards death, I mean. I’ve seen it many a time in the very old. Lance has had that look for some time even though he wasn’t all that old. It was one of the several reasons I didn’t prosecute him the last time he stole one of my silver pieces.’
She sighed and stared down for a while, then looked across at Russ. ‘I’m being very remiss as a hostess. Would you like something to eat or drink?’
‘Not really, thank you. I’d like to go and explain it properly to Simone, if you don’t mind. And be honest, I’m sure you’d rather not be entertaining guests at present.’
‘You’re right. I have to call Lance’s son and tell him. Sadly, I don’t think he’ll be desperately upset.’ She paused then added as if thinking aloud, ‘It always seems worse when a death doesn’t upset the closest relatives.’
‘It must have been hard for Kit having a father like that.’
‘It certainly was. There’s never been much love lost between the two of them. Well, Lance was more absent than present as far as his son was concerned, even before he and his wife split up, and he barely kept in touch afterwards, either. Gambling was always his first love.’
After another sigh, she added almost as if speaking to herself, ‘I did wonder if Lance really was Kit’s father. There isn’t the slightest resemblance between them, you know. Which would mean that Kit wasn’t really related to me. Not that it matters either way. I like him – and his wife. Young couples who are happy together give us all hope for the future, don’t you think?’
‘Yes, I do.’
She fell silent and Russ waited until she looked across at him again to take his leave, holding her hand in both 261of his for a moment, then patting it and moving away.
As he was going he saw her pick up the phone, take a deep breath and prepare to do her duty.
Kit answered his phone straight away.
He listened to Henrietta and gasped, ‘No! I can’t believe it!’ loudly when she told him the news. His workmates looked across at him with concerned expressions.
‘Who should I contact?’
‘The local police gave me a number.’ She read it out to him.
He thanked her and ended the call, then phoned his wife. ‘It seems my father dropped dead this morning.’
‘What?’
‘I have to go and identify the body, do the paperwork.’
Mags was startled at the news. ‘Do you want me to come to the police station with you, love?’
He shook his head automatically, remembered she couldn’t see him and said, ‘No. I’ll do this. But if you could come home again and be waiting for me, I’d be grateful for your support.’
‘I’ll do that, darling.’
Kit was home later than he’d expected, having had to go through the various tedious formalities prescribed by officialdom.
The officers spoke to him in hushed voices and acted as if he was deeply upset, only he wasn’t. When he made the mistake of telling them that, they looked at him as if he were a monster. Sometimes you couldn’t win.
Once he got home, Mags came running to meet him at the door. He gave her a big hug, rocking to and fro for a few moments, breathing in her perfume, thankful for her 262mere existence. When he pulled away he asked for a drink. ‘I need to brace myself before I call Mum.’
‘Oh my, yes. She won’t be upset either but she’ll go on and on about it.’
‘She’ll expect me to arrange a fancy funeral with all the trimmings, but I’m not doing that.’ He looked at her sideways and said, ‘After they’ve established the cause of death, I’ll get the funeral company to take care of the body without any fuss or ceremony whatsoever. I’m not going to be a hypocrite about how I feel, not even now. Anyway, he always refused point-blank to talk about his wishes concerning a funeral, said it’d be a long time before that was needed.’ He grimaced. ‘Once she realises she’ll have to arrange and pay for the funeral if she wants it done in style, Mum will stop complaining. She wouldn’t want to waste her money on him either.’
‘No one’s going to miss him, are they?’
‘No. No one that I can think of, anyway.’
‘That’s sad.’
‘It’s his own fault. He was a horrible man.’
She gave his cheek a quick kiss. ‘We’ll be the ones who have to clear out his flat, then, I suppose.’
‘I’m not even thinking of that yet.’ He went over to get a bottle of chardonnay out of the fridge, ignoring her disapproving look. ‘I’m not going to get drunk, love, just take the edge off things. And let’s order a takeaway tonight. It’s my turn to cook, but I can’t be bothered and I bet you can’t either.’
‘Good idea. Indian?’
‘Yes. A nice hot curry to take away the bad taste in my mouth.’263
After she’d ordered it, Kit said suddenly, ‘I’m going to ask Fern to clear out the flat. I can’t face doing it, just can’t. She’ll let the rest of the family know what’s happened, too. She’s good at stuff like that.’
He picked up the phone, saying grimly, ‘And if she won’t do it, I’ll pay a junk dealer to go and clear it out. I am not going near his place.’
With a firm, satisfied nod at a difficult decision taken and admitted aloud, he called Fern and by the time that conversation ended, the food had been delivered.
When Russ got back to the leisure village, Simone came to her door and beckoned to him. ‘You poor thing! What a terrible day! Come into my house. I can feed you if you’re hungry.’
‘I’m not hungry, but I’d really welcome some company. It upset me to see someone die right at my feet.’
‘It’s so horribly final, isn’t it?’
‘Mmm. Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean to stir up bad memories for you.’
‘It’s all right. My husband passed away four years ago and I’m used to it now. And he didn’t drop dead at my feet.’
Russ followed her inside and she put her arms round him because it felt to be the right thing to do. He held onto her for a few moments in silence, as if she’d guessed correctly and he welcomed the warmth and comfort of her embrace.
She pulled her head back to look at him but didn’t move away. ‘Was it very bad?’
‘It was brutally sudden. Shocked us all, even the two thugs who were quite literally chasing him for payment of a gambling debt. Why he was trying to attack me I haven’t 264a clue. But I hardly knew Lance, so I don’t have a burden of personal sadness to carry, just general regret about anyone’s death in such circumstances.’
‘How did Henrietta take it?’
‘Quietly. She must have experienced a lot of deaths in her long life, in her job as well as in her family and friends. I think she was more accepting of Lance’s passing than anyone, had guessed he was growing weaker. Even she didn’t like him. Did anyone?’
‘I doubt it. How sad to be so alone emotionally. Now, would you like a drink?’
‘Yes, please.’ He plonked a kiss on her forehead. ‘I’m glad I’m not alone emotionally at the moment and I hope that will continue.’
She didn’t know what to say, managed a tentative smile and poured him a glass of wine. She had one herself as well, sipping it and watching him stare down into his glass for a while before taking a gulp.
When he’d finished, she asked quietly, ‘Do you want to go up to the hotel for a meal or shall I put something simple together for us, like an omelette?’
He stood thinking. ‘Will you think me heartless if I say that I’d like to be among people tonight not shut away quietly? But I still want to be with you, that most of all.’
‘You’re not the heartless type so I doubt I’d ever think it of you. We can stroll across there together after you’ve freshened up a bit. I’ll give them a ring and book a table.’
He looked down at himself in faint surprise. ‘Goodness, I am badly crumpled, aren’t I? Comes of lying and crouching in the undergrowth photographing creatures, then kneeling down trying to resuscitate Lance. I won’t be long.’265
At the hotel he was quiet until she got him talking about what he had seen at dawn, and what he’d like to do tomorrow.
She almost invited him to spend the night with her, but something made her hold back. She might be starting to care about him, but she was trying not to care too deeply.
He looked at her as if he was thinking the same thing, but in the end they each went into their own house.
She’d expected to have a wakeful night, but although she did rouse a couple of times, she slept fairly well. She had grown used to the day-night schedule here now, and had always been a sound sleeper.
As she snuggled down, she wished she’d asked Russ to stay with her.
What a pity his life was as closely tied to England as hers was to Australia. Fate was sometimes very unkind. And to make matters worse, he hadn’t even had a good experience in Australia, wasn’t eager to go back there.