Chapter 34
Briony glanced over at Clarissa, who was putting the red ribbon back across the door after they’d removed it to get inside. As she walked amongst the crowd, looking for Troy, friends congratulated her on the completion of the outbuilding and thanked her for inviting them to a wonderful beach party.
Briony remembered to take photos. There were a few people she didn’t recognise who didn’t appear to be with any of the people she’d invited. She imagined that they had wandered up the beach to see what the music and festivities were about. Briony invited them to help themselves to food and non-alcoholic drinks. They were there, and there was plenty of food, courtesy of the Wolf Girls Club, who had brought the party nibbles, and Sam and Sebastian, who had brought along all the barbecue food.
Briony glanced at her watch. It was now mid-afternoon. She was looking forward to the sun setting and the lanterns being lit. But first she needed to find Troy.
Up ahead, she spotted him standing with Sam, their backs to her. As she approached, she overheard Sam say to Troy, ‘When are you going to tell her?’
‘I don’t want to.’
‘What if she finds out?’
‘Hey, Briony – how’s things?’
Briony whirled around at the sound of a voice behind her. ‘Ah, Peter. Are you enjoying the party?’
‘I am. It’s wonderful. You know it reminds me of those parties your great-grandparents used to throw right here at The Beach House.’
‘You went to one of those?’ Briony eyed Sam and Troy, who still had their backs to her, but she could no longer hear their conversation as they walked over to the barbecue stand.
‘I did indeed. I wasn’t really a guest, just a friend of a friend of Blythe’s.’
‘Oh really?’ Briony raised her eyebrows. ‘Did you know Fr—’
‘Hey – where did the boat go?’ Peter suddenly exclaimed.
Briony pursed her lips. ‘So, I take it that it wasn’t you who shifted it?’
Peter adamantly shook his head. ‘Nope. I left it here with the tarpaulin over it.’
‘Yes, that’s what I said to Clarissa when she noticed it was gone.’
‘So, where did it go?’
‘It’s a mystery, I’m afraid.’ Briony’s eyes roved over to where she’d last seen Troy. He wasn’t with Sam at the barbecue. Glancing around, she spotted him walking into The Beach House. She turned to Peter. ‘Excuse me, there’s something I need to do.’
As Briony walked over to the kitchen door, smiling and nodding at the guests, she did notice that one person she’d invited was missing. So far, Reggie hadn’t made an appearance. He’d promised he’d come. And he had said that her grandmother’s piano was due for a tune.
Briony opened the kitchen door, expecting to see Troy helping himself to the party food. He wasn’t in the kitchen or the lounge. She called out his name as she walked up the stairs, wondering if he’d gone to use the bathroom. At the top of the stairs, she noticed that the bathroom was free – the door was wide open.
She was about to make her way back down the stairs, thinking he must have gone out front to his van, when the door to the small bedroom where she slept opened. Troy walked out, looking surprised to see her at the top of the stairs.
‘Ah, I came up to use the bathroom.’ He looked flustered. ‘Wrong room.’
Briony frowned. Anyone could see the bathroom at the top of the stairs, especially as the door was wide open. Perhaps he was trying to find her, and thought he’d see her amongst the crowd of people if he popped upstairs and looked out of the window.
She was about to ask him when she thought, What does it matter? She had something else on her mind. This was her chance, the only time she could speak to him today when they were alone.
‘Look, Troy, things are not going to work out.’
‘What are you talking about?’
Briony took a deep breath. ‘You and me.’
‘I don’t understand.’ Troy shook his head. ‘How come?’
She looked through the open doorway of the small bedroom, with the view of the beach, the sea, and the renovated outbuilding. How had she thought she could stay there, with Troy? The fact that she’d kept her secret, had basically lied to him from the beginning, was probably going to sound the death knell for what might have been between them.
For the first time since she’d arrived, she wished she’d never overheard her mum and dad rowing about the letters that had come from her grandmother. She’d then never have found the letter in the bin, read it, and come here, and met Troy. And Sebastian. And lied to everyone. She’d be home right now, and Freddie and her parents would know she was pregnant.
She knew it was time to tell everyone the truth. Briony looked at Troy, and decided telling the truth started here.
She was just about to tell him she was pregnant when he said, ‘Oh, I know what this is about.’ He followed her gaze out of the window. ‘I saw Sebastian waving at you.’
Briony looked at him, confused. ‘So?’
Troy stepped towards her. ‘Do I really have to spell it out?’ He did it anyway. ‘I’ve seen you two together, talking animatedly. Seriously, Briony, you do not want to get involved with Sebastian.’
‘By getting involved, do you mean like a relationship?’
‘Of course I to do. You do not want to go down that road. He’s got a string of failed relationships behind him. Everyone leaves him, and some even leave him holding the baby.’
‘You’re talking about Willow.’
‘Her mother left him when she found out. She returned to her high-flying job as an international buyer for a fashion chain. A child didn’t really fit in with her career – she travels a lot to trade fairs and exhibitions abroad, so Sebastian is raising her. She visits Willow whenever she’s back in England. I always know when she’s been, because Willow has lots of new presents from her mother’s travels around the world.’
Briony had always wondered about Willow’s mother, but just then her focus was on Sebastian. ‘Found out what?’
‘That there were three people in their relationship. You’ll find that out too, soon enough.’
Briony looked at him, perplexed.
‘I’m convinced his heart belongs to another – god knows who, though.’
‘The person who holds the key to his heart,’ Briony mumbled under her breath.
‘I’m sorry, what?’
Briony was thinking of the shell box. ‘Oh, never mind. Look, I told you before, there’s no reason for you to feel jealous of Sebastian. But there’s something I want … need to tell you. Not about Sebastian,’ she quickly added.
‘Save it!’ Troy headed back down the stairs, leaving her standing on the landing outside the bedroom door.
‘Troy!’
She heard him open the front door. She rushed down the stairs, intending to stop him from leaving. She heard Troy exclaim, ‘Oh, sorry, didn’t see you there.’ He stepped aside to let someone in, then closed the front door behind him.
At the bottom of the stairs, Briony came face to face with Reggie.
‘Oh, Reggie, I’m so pleased you came.’ She hugged him, with one eye on the door. ‘Look, I must nip outside—’
‘I’m not really here on a social visit.’
Briony was about to open the front door. She looked at Reggie. ‘But you’ve come to my party …’
‘I’m here to tune your grandmother’s piano. It’s long overdue, and I wanted to get it done for her before she comes home.’
Briony smiled at him. ‘You’re a good friend, Reggie. I’ll be sure to tell her when I visit her next. At least stay for some party nibbles, or a burger from the barbecue. I’m afraid the party is non-alcoholic drinks only, though.’ She was sure Reggie wouldn’t mind.
‘I’m not in the mood.’
‘Oh, you soon will be. Just step out on to the beach. It’s quite something. So many people came. It’s a lovely atmosphere.’
Reggie looked her up and down. ‘Well, if it’s so lovely, what are you doing in here?’
Briony was used to Reggie’s sarcasm. It was normally friendly, and well-meaning, but this time his tone was different, brittle. There was an edge to his voice.
He immediately dropped his eyes to the floor. ‘Sorry, that was uncalled for.’
Briony touched his arm. ‘Reggie, what’s going on?’
He shook his head. ‘You’ve got enough on your plate with your grandmother being ill. I can’t burden you with this.’
Briony linked her arm in his. ‘Oh, yes you can. What are friends for?’ All these people she’d got to know had gone out of their way to help her out. Now, it was her turn.