Chapter Thirty
The One When the Going Gets Tough
Anna exchanged a puzzled look with Bella. ‘How on earth did that happen?’
‘Anonymous tip-off, they said.’ Kate blew out a breath. ‘But that’s it. We’ve run out of road.’
Some colour had returned to Bella’s pale skin. ‘Do you know why the Tremaynes changed their mind? I don’t have a high opinion of them, but it seems a bit odd at such short notice.’
Kate hesitated, unwilling to cast shade on anyone.
‘Kate?’ Anna prodded.
With a sigh, she pushed back in her seat, clasping her hands in her lap. ‘Retaliation.’
Anna’s mouth opened slightly, then closed with a snap as understanding dawned. ‘That latest deal. The one Matty did.’
‘I’m sorry, but yes. A good deed that led to a foul one.’
Bella’s amber eyes flashed again. ‘This sounds like the hallmark of Alex Tremayne.’
Anna explained to Bella as succinctly as possible Oliver’s not-for-profit organisation and its purpose, and Alex’s refusal to sell any Tremayne properties to it, hence Matt – unknown to Alex as a connection – going in to seal the deal.
‘To be fair to Mr and Mrs Tremayne, they had little choice. Since the retirement, Alex has full control of all decision-making, even though he never comes here.’
‘Thank God for small mercies,’ Bella muttered. ‘Bastard.’
Kate and Anna exchanged another look, and the latter eyed Bella with curiosity. ‘You know him well , don’t you?’
‘I thought I did, once.’
‘Is it any consolation if I say I went there too, for a while?’ Anna pulled a face.
‘I suspect we are two of many.’
Something had been niggling at Kate’s memories, and realisation suddenly came. ‘Was this when you came down for the caravan holiday, about ten years ago?’
Bella didn’t speak for a moment, then nodded. ‘It was.’
‘Nicki told me about it when explaining how she met Hamish.’ Kate tried to recall the detail. ‘She never mentioned Alex, talked more about her cousin – Ellie, was it?’
Bella nodded. ‘Ellie’s one of my best friends. We met at uni, and when we finished eight of us booked a couple of vans for the sumner. One of the girls dropped out, so Ellie invited Nicki. God, it was a laugh!’ Then, she sobered. ‘The aftermath, not so much. At least, it was great for Nicki. The rest of us… well, it’s ancient history, for Ellie and I especially.’
‘Have you never been back since?’ Kate picked up her phone. She really needed to message Dev to give him the heads-up on the journalist.
‘Nope.’ Bella finished her tea and stood. ‘I resisted Oliver’s offer for weeks, trying to gauge if git-face was ever at home. Back when I met him, he worked for the family in the estate agent office in the village. When it was clear he never visited, I took a gamble, especially as it’s summer. He made it very obvious when we were together he couldn’t stand Polkerran in tourist season. Look, I’d best get back to work.’
‘I’m so sorry,’ Anna said after Bella left the room. ‘Matty will feel terrible when he finds out.’
‘He already knows,’ Kate reassured her. ‘He’s okay – feels bad but ultimately, there’s nothing any of us can do about it.’
The postman called as Kate prepared to leave for work, and Anna’s giddiness was heartwarming when she opened the packages of baby clothes.
‘I’d better get all this upstairs to the nursery before Oliver catches me. He already thinks we’ve bought enough to last the babies until they start school.’
‘I’ll give you a hand.’
‘We’re going to move down from the top floor once the babies move into their own room,’ Anna advised as she nudged a door on the first floor open with her knee.
It was the room Mollie had stayed in when they’d first come to Polkerran Point, and Kate placed her boxes on the already-built changing unit and walked over to the window, trying her hardest not to look over at Harbourwatch. She failed. Miserably.
Clamping down on her emotions, Kate turned away, walking over to admire the cute baby clothes in Anna’s hands.
‘I can’t believe I get to have two babies at once.’ Anna’s eyes shone with delight and, impulsively, Kate hugged her.
‘You deserve it. You waited long enough.’
Unanticipated emotion gripped Kate’s throat as she spoke the last word and she ducked her head, placing a hand on the soft fabric of the little Babygro.
‘Hey,’ Anna spoke softly, resting her own hand on Kate’s arm. ‘You okay?’
Kate sniffed back unbidden tears, dredging up a weak smile. ‘Yes, sorry. No idea where that came from.’
Liar.
The thing was, she desperately wanted to confide in someone about Hugo’s great deception. But Anna wasn’t the right person… at least, not right now.
On Wednesday, Mollie went on the village youth club’s annual jaunt – this year, a day trip to Bodmin Moor to visit Jamaica Inn, incorporating a talk about Daphne du Maurier and the local inspiration for her works followed by a ramble around Cardinham Woods.
Kate had been in early for a breakfast meeting, so she packed up her desk after lunch, with plans to do a couple of hours work at home. It was a beautiful summer day. She’d go home, enjoy a cuppa on the terrace and then get on with a few emails before tackling the much neglected housework. Perhaps the physical exercise would help her think about something – anything – but her current dilemma.
‘I don’t know who you think you’re fooling,’ she admonished as she walked up the lane to The Lookout. ‘It’s not the fayre consuming your every thought. Drop the wishful thinking and channel some positive energy!’
It might well have worked, had there not been a packet on the floor in the hall when she walked in – re-directed from her parents’ house, but clearly addressed in Hugo’s flamboyant hand.
Curious, Kate tore the seal and pulled out the contents, then sank onto a sofa, hand trembling as she read the typed note: ‘You left these behind’, followed by a crying-with-laughter emoji.
Bitterness towards Hugo – the lies he’d spun, the deliberate false path he’d led her down – rose into Kate’s throat, and she dashed to the kitchen and hastily downed a glass of cold water, wishing she could wash away the memory of him so easily.
Pacing in the living room, her mind whirled in a cocktail of anger, despair and frustration. She needed to do something physical, find somewhere to channel her emotions before Mollie came home.
Snatching up the envelope and its contents, she shoved them into a drawer and hurried up the stairs to change into an old pair of shorts and a T-shirt that had seen better days. Fastening her hair with a clip, she stared at the hollow-eyed woman in the mirror. Where had the light tan gone? Kate placed a hand against her cheek, pale as a winter frost. Her skin was cold too, belying the white-hot anger simmering inside and, with a growl, she grabbed her sunglasses and fled the room.
A half hour of vigorous digging around the edges of the decking, and Kate had planted out several of the peony plants she’d picked up from the farm shop. They would create a beautiful border in late spring… if she – they – were still in Polkerran…
Normally able to compartmentalise problems she couldn’t immediately solve, Kate huffed out a breath as she stretched her aching back, removing her soil-covered gloves and walking to the edge of the deck. The burst of anger had subsided. She’d become conditioned to what Hugo had done during the last two difficult years. After all, what could she do about it? Absolutely nothing.
She breathed in deeply, then exhaled, welcoming a sense of calm and peace that she’d somehow found becoming part of daily life since the move.
Polkerran had taken a hold. Kate could feel it, and she pressed a hand against her chest. It was in her very core, her soul, she was certain, and unbidden, Dev’s face came into her mind. Hugging her arms around her waist, Kate turned into the breeze, closing her eyes and, for a nano-second, imagined being with Dev, of feeling those strong arms around her.
The squeal of a gull overhead banished the image, along with the growing heat in her arms, and Kate’s momentary happiness dissipated as fast as soft wavelets absorbed into fine sand.
What was she going to do? He was all she could think of and wanted to – if it wouldn’t be the most embarrassing of giveaways – talk about. The depth of her feelings for Dev had grown over time, subtly, quietly, softly, yet now they threatened to consume her. There was no future there, no life lying ahead of them… her… but she couldn’t stop hoping, dreaming. Yet remaining in the cove, should Leigh decide to come back, was unimaginable.
‘Enough!’ Kate exclaimed, sadness and despair mingling in her tired mind. She walked over to the edge of the wildflower garden, where there was a pile of discarded rocks, left over from the landscaping at the front of the property.
She needed to wear herself out. That way, she might find some sort of repose at night instead of tossing and turning like a boat freed of its moorings, failing to find safe harbour.
Forcibly ignoring the ache within her breast, Kate walked over to retrieve her gloves, picking up the shovel, but a faint sound forewarned her of someone’s approach.
‘Hey, I rang the bell, but no one answered.’
Oh no! Not now!
Kate sniffed, though she wasn’t sure why, adjusting the sunglasses on her nose, which had slid a little from the sweat she’d worked up, conscious of her untidy appearance, tattered brain and the direction of her thoughts.
Dev had been smiling, but now he looked uncertain and, despite the agitation, Kate summoned a weak smile.
‘Sorry. I didn’t hear.’
‘Your car was there…’ He gestured back around the side of the house. ‘So I took a punt…’
‘Of course.’ Kate couldn’t bear to look at him, her heart knocking against her ribs as though desperate to be let loose. ‘I… er, I’ve been gardening.’
Inane comment, you blethering idiot.
Looking down at her scruffy attire, the gloves and spade, Kate all but shrugged.
‘Can I help?’
She glanced up, but Dev had already taken the shovel from her listless grasp and walked over to the pile of rocks.
‘What look are you aiming for?’
Kate cleared her throat. ‘Oh, er, I was going to make a rock garden. Pile them in a bit more order, but not too much.’
She took a step back, stumbling in her anxiety to distance herself, but as she righted herself, her sunglasses flew off, landing with a clatter on the decking.
Dev picked them up and stepped over to hand them back, but then he stilled as his gaze raked her face.
‘You’ve been crying.’
The concern in his voice almost had Kate undone. She put a hand to her face, surprised to find wetness on her cheeks. When had that happened?
‘Oh!’ She sniffed again, then dug into her pocket for a tissue.
‘Can I help? Do you want to talk about it?’
She blew her nose as discreetly as possible. ‘It’s nothing.’
Dev sent her a quizzical look. ‘Forgive me for disagreeing.’
Kate chewed on her lip. She desperately needed to open up to someone. Aside from it being the wrong timing for Anna, and Mollie being too young, she knew instantly that there was no one else she’d rather talk to… and in that moment, the depth and undisputable solidity of her affection for him hit home. She was deeply in love with Dev, wholeheartedly. Passionately so.
And she would never be able to tell him.