27
‘Ben?’ I walk to the bottom of the stairs to greet him. ‘What are you doing here? And Orla!’ I say as I spot her standing next to Ben. ‘Why are you here too?’
‘I’m just here to support Ben,’ Orla says in her usual calm manner. ‘This is a big day for him.’
I wonder what she means.
‘I see you’ve all discovered the office,’ Ben says, looking as far into the room as he can from his viewpoint.
‘We have, but what do you know of it?’
‘Probably a lot more than I should. Could we possibly continue this conversation up here?’ Ben asks. ‘These stairs look a bit uneven for me, and as you’ve probably noticed, I’m not as steady on my feet as I used to be.’
‘Of course.’ I look back at the other two.
‘Let’s go up to my flat,’ Adam says. ‘I don’t want to have to carry Ben up the stairs if he gets stuck down here.’ He winks at Barney. ‘No offence, Ben!’ he calls up the stairs.
Ben calls back to him, ‘None taken, young man! Good thinking.’
Luckily the stairs up to Adam’s flat are much newer and deeper than the uneven, narrow stairs down to the basement office, so Ben is able to make his way slowly, but safely, up them.
‘I hope you don’t mind, Adam,’ he says as he arrives at the top.
‘I let myself into the shop downstairs before. I still have a spare key from when Gerald was here.’ He hands a bemused-looking Adam a brass key as he makes his way through to the lounge area.
‘So,’ Ben says, as finally we all get settled back in Adam’s flat.
Ben and Orla on the sofa, Barney in his chair, and myself and Adam sharing one of the armchairs.
‘You’re probably wondering what I have to do with all this, and as I said before, the answer is a lot more than I should.
’ Ben smiles at us all. ‘It’s a long story. ’
‘We’ve got all night,’ Adam says. ‘Take your time.’
‘Should I begin, Orla?’ Ben asks, turning to her. ‘Or would you like to? I’m afraid my voice might give up before the end otherwise.’
‘Shall I fill them in on the history side of things and you do the other bits?’ Orla asks gently, leaning towards Ben and putting her hand on his arm.
I look between the two of them. What is going on here? What has Orla to do with all this now?
Ben nods. ‘That’s a good idea.’
‘Right, then, let’s give it a go.’ Orla looks around at us all.
‘As you probably know, Clockmaker Court has stood on this spot in Cambridge for many hundreds of years. It was built around the old oak tree that stands in the middle of the court out there. That ancient tree, and its predecessors before it, have stood here for many more centuries than this court has.’ Orla pauses to see if we’re taking all this in, then, happy we are, she continues.
‘The court was built with twelve buildings originally. Even more than it is now, the number thirteen back in the day was considered extremely unlucky, so twelve buildings were built, and because they resembled a clock face, it was eventually named Clockmaker Court. Twelve is also a very common number for units of measurement – have you ever stopped to notice just how many things are counted in twelves?’
She looks around at us all.
‘For example, a dozen eggs, the twelve days of Christmas, twelve inches to a foot, twelve months in the year and even, historically, twelve ounces to a pound. They are all measured using the number twelve.’
‘So why is there a building missing?’ Adam asks. ‘Why are there only eleven buildings now if there were originally supposed to be twelve?’
‘For as long as anyone can remember, building number seven has been missing. But there’s a reason for this – because building number seven marks the exact spot of a portal.’
She pauses to judge our reaction to this word.
Adam looks immediately sceptical. Barney’s eyes light up. Ben’s expression doesn’t change, and I … well, I’m just wondering what on earth is going on.
‘The portal,’ Orla continues, ‘has been on this very spot for millennia. Before the buildings, possibly even before any of the oak trees. The current oak tree was planted to mark the spot when the previous tree died away.’
‘What are you talking about when you say a portal ?’ Adam asks suspiciously.
‘A portal is a gateway into another world,’ Orla says without a hint of hesitation. ‘Like I suggested to both you and Eve when you were outside examining the oak tree, remember?’
‘How could I forget,’ Adam says, raising his eyebrows. ‘Is everyone else hearing this like I am? Eve?’ he asks, looking at me.
‘It does sound a little strange, Orla,’ I say almost apologetically.
Orla nods. ‘That’s because it is strange. It’s a phenomenon few get to experience.’
‘So where do we all come into this phenomenon ? And Ben too?’
Orla looks to Ben. ‘Would you like to come in here, Ben?’
‘I think I’d better. You’ve done a great job at explaining it so far though, Orla, thank you.’
Orla smiles serenely.
Ben looks around at us all. ‘My name is actually Benjamin Johnson, and I was born in 1894 during the reign of Queen Victoria.’ He pauses to get our reaction to this.
Poor Ben , I think immediately. Is he getting a bit confused? Maybe Orla should have carried on for him for a while longer. But something about Ben’s face suggests he knows exactly what he’s saying and I feel the hairs on my arms begin to prickle.
‘I know you’re old, Ben,’ Adam says, his eyes shining. ‘But you look damn good for …’ He quickly does the maths. ‘One hundred and thirty years old!’
Ben just nods calmly. ‘Like I said, I was born in Cambridge in the Victorian era.’
‘I’m sure you told me once you were just a boy after the Second World War ended …’ I think about this for a moment. ‘Yes, you did! You said you could remember queuing up outside Fitzbillies for Chelsea buns when you were young.’
‘That is correct; I did do that,’ Ben says without hesitation.
‘But you just said you were born in 1894. If that’s true, then you’d have been fifty-one at the end of the Second World War.’
‘Why don’t you let Ben tell you his story, Eve,’ Orla says gently. ‘All will become clear in time.’
‘Sure.’ I sit back in my chair with Adam. I feel Adam’s arm go protectively around me and I’m really glad he’s here.
‘I came to Clockmaker Court in 1944 when I was just ten years old. Where I met my soon-to-be best friend, George, who was your grandfather, Adam. I also met Archie and Dotty too.’ He turns to me.
‘You remind me so much of her, Eve. Not only your looks – you both have the same kind yet determined spirit and you’re fiercely protective of what is important to you. ’
‘Thank you,’ I reply, a little taken aback by this. Ben knew Dotty too? All this time and he’s never said anything to me before. But why?
‘Archie and his wife, Violet, kindly took me in when I arrived and I grew up alongside George, who was a little older than me at the time, but still a young boy. As I’ve told you before, George and I used to spend a lot of time here in Clockmaker Court when we were young.
At first we’d come to Archie’s shop to read the comic books when he was working with Dotty.
And then when Archie disappeared, and Violet, his wife, continued to care for us both, we would still visit, and Ozzie, who you remember I told you about before, would look after us.
Both George and I loved our comic books. ’
He pauses to remember.
‘Hang on a minute,’ Adam says, interrupting his memories. ‘Those dates just don’t add up.’
‘Please, Adam,’ Orla says. ‘It’s important you all listen and understand. Ben will explain everything to you if you’re patient.’
Adam sighs with frustration, so I put my hand on his leg and give it a squeeze. In turn he rubs my shoulder to show he’s understood. I’m desperate too to find out more about Dotty and what Ben knows. But we must all be patient with him while he tells us in his own way, and in his own time.
‘When I became old enough,’ Ben continues, ‘I too took a shop here in Clockmaker Court. It had become clear by now that it was simply a waiting game and I wanted to be close by when it happened.’
Adam opens his mouth again, but Orla silently puts her finger to her lips.
‘George by then had his career at the bank – he wasn’t interested in being in Clockmaker Court.
I think after what happened to his father, he wanted to get away from it, to be honest, and I can’t say I blame him.
His family still owned the bookshop, of course, but, by now, Gerald, who you knew, Eve, had taken it over from his father.
Sarah, Eve’s grandmother, came shortly afterwards, opening her antiques shop.
We were the only ones who knew the secret and as we all grew older, we knew we had to put in place plans in case we all passed away before the time came.
Your parents had sadly passed by then, Eve.
So your grandmother was the only one in your family that knew, and your mother had also left us by then, Adam. ’
Adam and I glance empathetically at each other, while Ben pauses to take a sip of the whisky Adam poured for him earlier.
‘So,’ Ben continues, ‘we set about planning a series of clues and guides that would, we hoped, lead you to uncovering the secret when the time came. We had to be secretive – no one else could uncover this accidentally. It would be catastrophic if they did. I’m the only one left now of the four of us and it’s wonderful to see that everything George, Sarah, Gerald and I put into place has led you both here to this moment – the books, the letters, the grandfather clock, and the painting.
George did that, you know. He was quite talented artistically, but he loved his numbers more. ’ He stops to remember again.
Adam holds up his hand. ‘Can I please ask a question now?’
‘Yes, of course,’ Orla says. ‘I’m surprised you only have the one, though, at this stage?’