Chapter 13
Daisy forced a smile on her face to greet the group of new arrivals entering the hotel. Gabe had been gone for over two weeks and she was still expecting to see him appearing around the hotel. Fi had just gone to fetch them both a coffee. It had been a busy morning, and she was glad not to have too much time to wallow.
She’d noticed that her father and his family had left a few days earlier than she’d expected. He hadn’t said goodbye, but it was a relief not to have had to go through the charade of being nice to him in front of his wife and son.
When everyone was checked in and given cards to their rooms, the guests left her to accompany the porters up to their relevant floors. She noticed a lady, whom Daisy assumed must be nearly eighty years old, standing with a much younger man.
‘Sorry for keeping you waiting,’ she said. ‘Can I help you?’
‘Yes, I’m Dolores Mulroon,’ the lady said. She had an American accent with a slight southern twang to it that Daisy loved. ‘My friend and I have booked adjoining rooms for one week.’
Daisy was used to seeing older women with younger men, and vice versa, but this couple really did have a large age difference. She tapped the woman’s name into the computer system and called up her details and then her friend’s. ‘Mr Swinton?’ The man nodded. ‘Yes, we have the rooms you requested, overlooking the garden at the west side of the hotel. Can I take a credit card and your passports, please?’ She pushed two forms and pens towards them. ‘And if you’d please fill these in and sign them.’
The lady handed Daisy her credit card. ‘Thank you, Mrs Mulroon,’ she said.
‘Call me Dolores,’ she said. ‘Everyone does.’
‘Thank you, Dolores,’ Daisy said, taking the card.
All the formalities completed, Daisy nodded for the concierge to come and take over with their luggage and any restaurant bookings they might wish to make.
As soon as they’d gone into the lift, Fi arrived back at the desk carrying a tray with their coffees on it. ‘Blimey, good for her,’ she said.
Daisy frowned at her colleague. ‘Stop making assumptions. They could simply be friends for all we know.’
Fi blew on her coffee. ‘Surely you’re not that innocent,’ she said. ‘Right, never mind them – I want to invite you to something.’
Daisy sat back down at her desk, intrigued. ‘Go on then, what is it?’
‘You know my brother’s fiancé Paige is a shoe designer?’
‘Yes, and?’
‘Well, there’s a fashion show being held at Elizabeth Castle next week. It’s for charity and Paige’s shoes are being featured. Seb has offered us tickets. What do you think? Want to come?’
Daisy didn’t have to consider the offer; she’d never been to a fashion show before. ‘I’d love to go, thanks.’
Fi smiled. ‘Cool, I’ll let him know.’
Daisy glanced at the calendar. She hadn’t returned to Lydia’s garden since seeing Gabe there the day before he’d left the island. The thought of going there and knowing he’d gone didn’t appeal to her. Thankfully the hotel was full, so she’d been able to work extra shifts and keep busy. Unfortunately her painting was a little behind because of her working hours and she needed to rectify that if she was to build up enough canvases to exhibit somewhere.
‘Don’t suppose you have any ideas for where I can go and paint?’ she asked Fi.
‘Um, millions of ideas,’ Fi said. ‘Like what sort of thing are you looking for? Beach views, landscapes, fit blokes jogging?’ She giggled.
Daisy couldn’t help smiling at her friend. ‘Somewhere I haven’t been before.’ Daisy tried to be more specific. ‘I was thinking of a wooded place, or somewhere with water.’
Fi laughed. ‘Er, we’re surrounded by water, or hadn’t you noticed.’
Daisy picked up her notepad and swatted Fi with it. ‘Are you going to be helpful, or not?’ she teased.
‘How about Queen’s Valley?’
Daisy shrugged. ‘What’s it like there?’
Fi took a tentative sip of her coffee and sat back in her chair. ‘If you ever watched Bergerac then you’ll remember he had a farmhouse in a valley.’
‘I’ve caught it on TV a couple of times.’
‘Well, that farm was in Queen’s Valley. In the late eighties, or maybe the early nineties, the authorities flooded the area to make a reservoir.’
Daisy was fascinated. ‘So, is his farm still there? Could I visit it?’
Fi shook her head. ‘No, it’s underwater now, which I think is a shame. I sometimes see re-runs of the series and like to see how the island has changed since it was filmed. I’d have loved to go to that farm and have a nose about.’
Daisy agreed. ‘There must be other locations to visit that are still around though,’ she said. ‘Maybe we could go and see a few of them when we’re next off work together?’
Fi nodded. ‘Great idea, I’d like that.’ She thought for a moment. ‘Francesca was telling me one day how people used to come here and try to find out where they were filming the series. I think she was in a couple of episodes and I know Rick sang in one or two of them.’
Daisy decided she should pay more attention to the programme when she next caught an episode on television. ‘I suppose having worked here we might actually recognise some of the actors, or the extras, if we look really hard.’
Two more guests arrived and cut short their chat, but Daisy couldn’t help thinking that her and Fi’s friendship was probably going to get stronger. She liked the prospect of having a close female friend.
‘Good morning, girls.’ Lydia walked into the hotel, a smile on her face and a bunch of freesias in one hand. ‘I thought these would smell lovely behind the counter on your desk.’
Daisy took the flowers and sniffed. ‘What a gorgeous scent,’ she said. ‘Thank you.’ It was good to see Lydia again and she immediately felt guilty not going up to see her at the house. All she’d thought about was missing Gabriel. It hadn’t occurred to her to think of Lydia and how she’d feel without her grandson there to keep her company. ‘I’m sorry I haven’t been around lately.’
Lydia shook her head. ‘Don’t be silly. It would be lovely to see you painting in the garden again at some point though,’ she said. She turned her attention to Fi. ‘This young lady is an excellent artist. Did you know that?’
Fi shook her head. ‘I knew she liked to paint, but I haven’t seen any of her pictures yet,’ she said, in a mildly accusatory tone. ‘I thought we were friends.’
‘We are, but I’m not so sure I’m happy enough with what I’ve done yet to show anyone.’
‘Rubbish,’ Lydia said. ‘The problem is that your comfort zone is here.’ She held her hand next to her own stomach. ‘But in order to succeed you have to force yourself to work outside your comfort zone, here.’ She moved her hand further away from her stomach. ‘Trust in yourself and take a chance. After all, art is subjective. Not everyone will like your work, but having seen it, I can’t imagine that many won’t. It’s excellent.’
Daisy could feel her face reddening at the compliments coming from Lydia. ‘Thank you,’ she said. ‘Maybe I should take your advice and be a little bolder.’
‘Of course you should,’ Fi said. ‘I’ve always thought that if someone doesn’t like me, or something I’ve done, then it’s their problem. You should feel the same way about your pictures.’
Lydia laughed. ‘Yes, Fi. However, you’ve been blessed with an inordinate amount of self-confidence and not all of us are lucky enough to have that.’
‘Maybe not,’ Daisy said, taking in what the two women she liked best in the world had said to her. ‘But I like the notion and think I’m going to start following both your advice, starting from now.’
The phone rang and Fi answered it. She began typing information into the computer system and Lydia leant closer to Daisy. ‘Good,’ she said smiling at her. She lowered her voice and added, ‘You’re growing more confident and with it, more lovely each day. It’s wonderful to see.’
Daisy had never received such a heart-warming compliment before and it felt wonderful. ‘Thank you,’ she said. ‘That means a lot.’
Lydia smiled. ‘I’d better get on; Francesca is waiting to talk to me about something. I have a feeling it’s to do with Gabriel and his project.’
Her mood dropping, Daisy nodded. ‘I hope he’s able to find a way to sort things out.’
Lydia nodded and walked away to the door leading to the back of the hotel and Francesca’s office.
Fi finished her call. ‘What was that all about? Something to do with Gabriel?’
Daisy took a sip of her coffee. ‘She’s worried about him.’
‘She’s so lovely,’ Fi said. ‘I wish I had a grandmother as caring and as glamorous as Lydia.’
‘So do I.’
They became lost in their own thoughts, drinking their coffee and making the most of a quiet period.
‘Let’s go to Queen’s Valley this afternoon anyway,’ Fi suggested. ‘I can go for a run around the dam and you can paint. The reservoir is really picturesque. What do you say?’
‘I’d love it,’ Daisy said.
As they drove along the east coast towards Gorey, Fi told Daisy about her new boyfriend. ‘Well, he’s not a proper boyfriend, but we’ve been out a couple of times for a drink and once for a meal. He’s not like my usual bloke, you know, always wanting to talk about himself. Phil is interested in what I’m doing and my job at the hotel,’ she said, grinning. ‘He’s hot, too.’
Daisy opened her window a little further. It was so warm and the air did little to cool them. ‘I’m pleased for you,’ she said, enjoying seeing Fi so excited about this new relationship. ‘He sounds lovely.’
‘He is.’ She took the sharp turning up Gorey Hill, turning left a minute or so later and left again at the end of the road. ‘It’s just down here,’ she said, making yet another turn. ‘I hope you’ll be able to meet him soon.’ She giggled. ‘Hey, maybe he’s got a brother or a friend for you.’
Daisy shook her head. ‘No thank you,’ she said, not wishing to be with anyone apart from Gabriel, even if he was unavailable. ‘I’m quite happy as a singleton.’
‘Suit yourself.’
Fi took another left and drove slowly into the Queen’s Valley car park. ‘Here we are,’ she said, parking the car and getting out. ‘I thought we could walk round until you found the best place to set up your easel, and I can have a run while you paint.’
‘Brilliant.’ Daisy unloaded her easel and paints from Fi’s Golf and sighed. ‘You drive like you’re racing,’ she said, glad to be out of the car after Fi’s erratic driving through the narrow Jersey lanes. ‘I think I’ll get the bus back to the hotel afterwards,’ she teased.
‘You will, if you’re not going to appreciate my driving!’ Fi laughed. ‘I’d love you to meet Phil though, Daisy,’ she added. ‘Seb is always such a misery when it comes to meeting men that I like.’
‘He’s probably only being protective,’ Daisy said, struggling to lift her rucksack onto her shoulder when it caught on a beach bag in the back of Fi’s car.
‘Here, let me.’ Fi picked up the easel and closed the car boot. ‘Come on, it’s this way. This is actually two dams joined together, I think. I’ll also take you to Val de la Mare on the west side of the island some time; that’s a beautiful dam with lots of trees and pathways to explore.’
They walked through the gate and along the pathway. Fi hadn’t been exaggerating – it was beautiful with the blue of the sky reflected in the dark expanse of water. The reservoir was larger than Daisy had expected and surrounded by trees and bushes. Daisy commented on how quiet it was on their walk.
Fi checked her watch. ‘I think it’s probably the school run at the moment so parents will be collecting their kids, but it’ll probably be a bit busier later when they come out to walk their dogs. I’ve nearly tripped over quite a few of them when I’ve been out here running.’
They’d been walking about twenty minutes when Daisy stopped. ‘I think I’ll set up here,’ she said, taking in the view across the dam. ‘You go for your run.’
‘I was going to show you round a little further,’ Fi said.
‘No, this is fine. You get on, then maybe later we can go and have a better look around.’
Fi put down the easel and stretched her legs a little more. ‘Great. I’ll see you in twenty minutes or so. I can come back for you later if you’d like to stay on.’
Daisy had been painting for a few minutes when she sensed she was being watched. Surely no one could know she was here? It wasn’t as if they’d been followed, she was certain of that. She surreptitiously surveyed the area across from where she was standing but couldn’t see anyone at all. Then checking behind her, she spotted an elderly couple walking their Jack Russell on a lead.
‘Paranoid,’ she said to herself. She was standing right out in the open, on the wide walkway, so it wasn’t as if anyone could creep up on her. She shook her head to dispel the ridiculous thoughts coursing through her head. She needed a few early nights then maybe this paranoia would go away.
She took a deep breath and continued with the first touches of her painting. Within what seemed like seconds, Fi jogged up to her, only slightly out of breath.
‘How’s it going?’ she asked. ‘Phil’s just called me on my mobile and asked if I could meet him down at Gorey for an ice cream. You can come too, if you like, or I could collect you in about an hour. It’s up to you.’
Daisy didn’t want to intrude on Fi’s unexpected meeting with her new man and was perfectly happy working on her painting. ‘No, I’m fine here. I can meet you back at the gate in about an hour, or whatever suits you best.’
Fi narrowed her eyes. ‘I don’t have your mobile number. If you give it to me, I’ll call you when I’m leaving and that’ll give you a chance to walk back to the car park to meet me.’
Daisy grimaced. ‘Sorry, I don’t have one.’
Fi laughed. ‘Who doesn’t have a mobile now? That’s so odd, Daisy.’
‘I did have one, but I lost it,’ she said, not wishing to continue with the conversation.
‘I had a friend who was standing outside a café down in Rozel when a seagull took her phone out of her hand, I think it thought she was holding up a piece of bread or something. She screamed but it dropped it in the sea and she never got it back. Bloody birds.’
Daisy smiled, unsure what to suggest. ‘I can always catch a bus back to the hotel, rather than you coming back to fetch me,’ she suggested.
Fi shook her head. ‘No, it’s fine. I’ll go to meet him and jog back here to fetch you when I’m done. The exercise will do me good.’
‘That’s perfect, thanks,’ Daisy said, grateful for the extra time to continue with what she was doing. ‘I’ll see you when you get back.’
‘Great,’ Fi said, turning to leave and texting as she walked away.
Daisy pushed a stray strand of hair away from her face and began working on her painting once again.
Sometime later while taking a break, she put her hand up to the back of her neck when suddenly another hand rested itself on top of hers. Daisy shrieked and spun round, horrified to see the one man she’d been avoiding for the past two years. He was standing so close to her she could feel his warm breath on her face.
‘So this is where you’ve been hiding,’ he said. ‘You ran away from me once, to Vietnam of all places. I told you then that you wouldn’t get away from me twice. You did try though, didn’t you?’
She could barely catch her breath, the shock of seeing him standing in front of her was so great. It was like being in a nightmare. ‘Aaron, I…’
‘You what, Daisy?’ he asked, breathing heavily, his voice calm yet with a suppressed rage she knew only too well could be unleashed at any second. ‘You were looking for me here? You hoped I’d find you?’ He raised a thick dark eyebrow. ‘You thought you’d hide here away from me, didn’t you? Admit it.’
She didn’t know how to react. If only she’d agreed to go with Fi instead of standing here by herself. Why hadn’t she listened to her instincts and not stayed out here where she could be watched?
‘Even your hair’s different,’ he said. ‘All those years dying it and cutting it short. Look at you now with your long, curly blonde hair.’ He moved even closer, so his nose was almost touching hers. ‘I’d recognise you anywhere, though.’
She swallowed in an attempt to moisten her dry mouth. Summoning up her courage, she braced herself. She was determined to brazen out this confrontation, however much she wanted to cover her face with her hands and cry. Hopefully someone would come by here soon, she thought. Hadn’t Fi said that after the school run people would be bringing their dogs here?
Bolstered by that thought, she cleared her throat. ‘We agreed things weren’t working between us, Aaron,’ she said, trying to keep her voice as strong and adamant as possible. Even saying his name out loud made her want to throw up. Everything he represented frightened her. So much for starting a brand-new life in Jersey.
The beautifully shaped lips she’d once found so attractive pulled back in a slow sardonic smile that chilled her to her core.
‘I told you before your mother died that our relationship was over when I said it was, and not before.’
‘You knew she died?’ Daisy couldn’t understand how. It wasn’t as if her mother’s death had been recorded in the local papers.
‘I was at her funeral,’ he said. ‘Didn’t you see me?’
She shivered. Thinking back to the rainy day when only a handful of kindly neighbours and her mother’s nurse had attended the brief service before her body was cremated, she realised he must have been watching her then, too.
She stifled a cry. ‘No, I didn’t,’ she admitted, wishing she could believe he was bluffing. The day had been a mixture of emotions with Daisy’s heartache, and yet at the same time the relief that her mother was no longer suffering.
It dawned on her that he was waiting for her to say something, but what could she say? He always liked to think he was so clever, she mused, aware that she was trembling. Then it dawned on her. ‘How did you know I was in Jersey?’ she asked, unable to help feeling intrigued as well as terrified. If she was going to find a way to be rid of him then she needed to discover how he worked.
He tapped the side of his nose with one of his fingers. ‘Now that would be telling,’ he said, smiling. ‘So, aren’t you going to give your childhood sweetheart a kiss? Or is there someone else who you’ve been snogging behind my back?’
She moved her hand to behind her where her palette knife rested in her back pocket and touched the handle for comfort. ‘I’m not seeing anyone and I’m not giving you a kiss,’ she said, summoning up all her bravery to stand up to him. ‘You might not like to think that our relationship is over, but it is. You shouldn’t have raised your hand to me and now Mum’s dead there’s no one you can threaten to make me keep seeing you.’
‘You came back from your jaunt to the east when you found out I’d been in touch with her though, didn’t you?’
‘You might have frightened Mum with your antics, but you don’t scare me any more,’ she lied, unable to hide her irritation with him for manipulating her sick mother.
‘We both know that’s crap,’ he said looking smug. ‘You soon came running back when your mother’s neighbour asked you to, didn’t you?’
‘Yes,’ she said, sickened at the triumphant tone in his voice. ‘But only because I suspected she’d taken a turn for the worse, which she had, thanks to your threats. Now why don’t you leave me alone and find someone who suits you far better than I ever did.’
‘You loved me once, you can love me again.’
‘Before you became controlling and tried to dictate everything about how I should behave,’ she said, forgetting what he was capable of for a moment.
He touched her face with the tips of his fingers. She recoiled without thinking.
Aaron narrowed his eyes and stared at her. He bent his head, resting it hard against her forehead, and whispered, ‘You’re lucky I’ve got to leave now, but don’t think you can tell me what I will and won’t feel about you. You’re mine. You always were, and don’t you forget it.’ He stepped back. ‘I’ll see you again, but right now I’m supposed to be buying ice creams.’
He turned and walked away, laughing. Amused by his own actions as always, Daisy thought, nausea rising. How was she ever going to be truly rid of him? she wondered, panic-stricken. Spots danced in front of her eyes and her head pounded. For a moment she thought she was going to pass out.
She put her paintbrush down on her easel and went to sit on a nearby grassy verge. She bent forward and lowered her head between her knees. How had he found her here? She took a few deep breaths and wondered if maybe Jersey was too small a place for her to lose herself. She needed to go somewhere huge. A big city, perhaps? Wherever she chose it would have to be a busy place and somewhere he’d never think of looking for her.
Two women with small boys and a dog each walked up to her. ‘You OK, love?’ one of them asked, looking concerned.
Daisy forced a smile onto her face. ‘Yes, thank you. Just a bit overtired maybe.’
‘We’ve got a bottle of water if you need a drink,’ offered the other woman.
‘No, thank you. I’ve got a bottle in my bag,’ Daisy said. She stood up as if to reassure them that she was fine, and satisfied they both continued with their walk.
Checking around her to see that Aaron wasn’t coming back again, she picked up her paintbrush and palette and set to work on her picture. She didn’t want anyone knowing what had happened. It was far too humiliating. She decided that the best thing to do was to carry on with her painting, so that she could have something to show for her time here when Fi did return to collect her.
Her hand was shaking, so she took a few deep breaths to try and calm down so that she could have control over her movements on the canvas. Why couldn’t he just leave her alone and move on? she wondered. Hadn’t they endured enough dramas together for one lifetime? She swallowed the lump forming in her throat and tried not to give in to the despair that seeing him once again had made her feel.
She focused on the view ahead and her half-painted canvas and it seemed like no time at all when Fi ran up, causing her to jump and drop her paintbrush on the grassy pathway.
‘Oh, sorry, Daisy,’ Fi said. ‘I didn’t mean to give you a fright. You must have been concentrating hard not to hear me calling you.’
The thought that she’d not heard bothered Daisy. If only she could manage to paint and stay remotely in the present to be able to hear what was going on around her, she thought. ‘Sorry, I tend to become so involved in what I’m painting that I have no idea what’s going on nearby,’ she said, noticing how radiant Fi looked. ‘You obviously had a lovely time with your new man.’
Fi nodded. ‘I did,’ she giggled. ‘He’s so hot and very naughty. We had an ice cream.’
Daisy wiped her brush on a piece of paper towelling, amused by her friend’s enthusiasm. ‘Getting an ice cream doesn’t sound that naughty to me,’ she said, unable to help smiling.
Fi winked at her, helping her pack up her things. ‘I can’t wait for you to meet him, he’s gorgeous.’
They arrived back at the hotel and Fi dropped Daisy off and left to return to her brother’s home. ‘Don’t forget you said you’d come to the fashion show tomorrow,’ she said.
‘Won’t you want to take Phil instead of me?’
Fi shook her head. ‘No, I can meet him afterwards,’ she said. ‘I doubt he’d appreciate the fashion as much as you would. Anyway I want to chat about Paige’s designs with you afterwards. I’m thinking of asking her to make me a bespoke pair.’
‘How can I help?’ Daisy asked, lifting her easel box and rucksack from the back of the car. ‘I don’t have any upmarket shoes.’
‘Maybe not,’ Fi said, glancing down at Daisy’s flip flops. ‘But you’re creative and know colours, so you should be able to help me put together some ideas before I speak to Paige.’
Daisy liked the idea. ‘Great, I’d love that,’ she said. ‘Right, I’ll catch you later. I’d better take this painting to my room and let it dry if I’m not going to smudge it,’ she said, relieved to have some time alone in her room where she could sit quietly and muse over her confrontation with Aaron.
She unlocked her bedroom door and entered, almost slipping on a note that had been pushed underneath her door. Daisy put away her paint things and rested the wet canvas against the small inbuilt dressing table before bending down to retrieve the piece of folded paper. Opening the note, she read, I hope your friend was able to find you. It was signed by one of the receptionists who’d been on duty.
Daisy sat heavily on her bed. She was sure they weren’t supposed to give out staff details. She re-read the note, irritated that one of her colleagues had been careless enough to give a complete stranger details of her whereabouts, and decided to have a word with her when she next saw her. Now though, she needed time to gather herself and come to terms with the fact that Aaron had found her again. If he’d phoned here, then he knew she was living and working at the hotel. He was charming enough to glean information from the savviest of people, and Daisy decided that if she was going to get away from him, then she would need to find a way to do it that freed her from him forever.