Chapter 8 #2
‘But I felt…’ Horace hesitated, the words catching.
‘I felt that if we wanted the business to keep moving forward, we both needed to be in the capital. I went, and once I did, it became harder and harder to bridge the gap. Designs and instruction manuscripts being sent between the two of us don’t keep time the way a pendulum does.
Weeks would slip by. Walter was all right with things as they were, but I … I wanted more.’
Pippa’s heart gave a strange twist. She’d expected some dramatic feud, a shouting match, maybe even betrayal.
But no. It wasn’t scandal that had pulled the Vale Brothers apart, it was something far more ordinary and, in some ways, sadder.
They were simply two men who had once built their world side by side, and then found themselves with different maps – one chasing opportunity in the city, the other rooted firmly in the community of Puffin Island.
It was the kind of story that felt almost romantic in its simplicity.
No villains. No thieves in the night. Just life pulling them in opposite directions.
Up on the stage, Theo leaned in. His voice was careful, respectful, but edged with curiosity. ‘So the split was over … creative differences?’
Horace gave a single, measured nod. ‘That’s all it was,’ he said quietly. ‘Nothing more.’
Before Theo could respond, a scraping noise cut through the air.
Sebastian was now sitting up straight in his chair, looking angry. ‘That’s not quite true though, is it?’ he said loudly.
All heads turned in their direction.
Horace squinted, his eyes settling on Sebastian. ‘Excuse me?’
Sebastian stood, dramatic as ever, his voice booming like he was auditioning for a West End revival.
‘You blamed an innocent man for your own indiscretions, which led him to be an outcast for the rest of his life, and Walter didn’t agree with how you handled things.
Wasn’t that the real reason the partnership broke down?
You pinned that evidence on him, knowing he was keeping the biggest secret of all for you.
You just wanted him silenced. You made him the scapegoat. You should be ashamed!’
Pippa felt her heart begin to race. What innocent man? What secret?
The eyes of the crowd darted between Sebastian and the stage, moving back and forth as if at a frenzied tennis match.
Pippa spotted the journalist, the same one Sebastian had slipped that note to that morning, filming everything on his phone.
Her stomach churned and her pulse ramped up as she caught Theo’s gaze. He looked stunned.
‘This is your chance to tell the truth. To hold your hands up and take accountability,’ Sebastian continued. ‘You know what you did.’
Gasps erupted like fireworks through the hall and Horace’s face flushed bright red. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out.
Theo stepped in, taking control. ‘Sebastian, that’s enough. I think it’s best if you leave.’
But Sebastian wasn’t finished. ‘Tell everyone your secret, Horace Vale. Tell everyone what you really are.’
‘This is ludicrous. Sebastian, please leave,’ Theo ordered.
‘The truth will come out, but it would have been noble if you were the one to share it.’
‘And you are?’ Horace’s stare was now steady, sharp, and left no doubt he wasn’t impressed.
‘Sebastian Worthington-Frost,’ he said, holding Horace’s gaze without faltering. ‘And I believe the truth matters. Even when it’s inconvenient.’
‘I’ve never heard of you. Are you here for your fifteen minutes of fame? You seem to have come with a very particular version of events. Based on rumour, no doubt. Gossip. Things said behind hands and over half-empty gin glasses.’
Awkward laughter swept the room but Theo looked horrified. Pippa couldn’t tear her eyes away from the unfolding drama.
Sebastian didn’t stop. ‘You are a crook Horace Vale. Shame on you for letting an innocent man take the blame.’
Pippa gave a tiny gasp. What the hell was going on here?
Theo gestured towards Dr Mirian Bowes, who was now walking towards Sebastian with a local police officer in tow.
‘Don’t worry, I’m going, but I won’t rest until the truth is told.’
Horace’s lips thinned.
Sebastian glanced towards the journalists at the back of the room. ‘I hope you’re going to dig deeper, and I’ll welcome any more information that you might uncover.’ With that, Sebastian turned and walked out of the hall, like a man whose mic drop had landed perfectly.
Horace looked down at his lap, then reached for a glass of water beside him. For a moment, the room was silent except for the soft ticking of the antique clocks lining the walls.
‘Unless we’re opening the floor to more aggressive interrogations, I’d rather continue this conversation with someone who actually enjoys clocks,’ Horace finally said.
The audience broke into applause, scattered at first, then building like a rolling tide.
Theo cleared his throat, his voice slightly shaky. ‘Yes, let’s continue…’
* * *
Thirty minutes later, when Theo finally brought the conversation to a close, Horace once again had everyone in the palm of his hand. When the old man stood, the whole hall rose with him, the applause so loud it drowned out the torrential rain that was still soaking the island.
Theo stayed close as they exited the stage, guiding Horace down the steps and out through a side door, where a car was already waiting.
Pippa noticed that Pete had slipped from the seat behind her, and she watched as he climbed into the car alongside Horace.
The doors closed, the engine hummed, and in seconds the taillights were blurred by the rain.
Pippa sat there, head spinning. Had that really just happened?
Had she really just witnessed Horace Vale – the Horace Vale – telling stories about his life on Puffin Island, the dizzy heights of London, and his passion for clocks – and then being interrupted by some accusation thrown at him by Sebastian?
As Theo paused near the exit, he glanced back into the hall and their eyes met.
His eyebrows lifted in question, his eyes dark and furious.
Pippa’s stomach dropped. She knew exactly what he was thinking.
He thought she’d known, that she’d been somehow involved in Sebastian’s ridiculous little stunt, that they’d planned it.
The last thing she wanted was a row, especially not here, not now.
She wasn’t a mastermind in some sabotage plot; she was as blindsided by the outburst as Theo had been.
But the look on his face made it clear this wasn’t going to be easy to explain.
Somehow, she just knew it was going to take more than a quick ‘I swear I didn’t know’ to convince him.