Chapter 5
Chapter Five
As they walked towards the island’s hall, Pippa peeped out from underneath the hood of the raincoat. This was the first time she’d seen the bay since arriving, and it nearly stopped her in her tracks.
‘Wow! What a view. Bit of a contrast with Cambridge, isn’t it?’ she said.
Blue Water Bay stretched out before her, the surface of the shimmering water rippling under the steady downpour.
The rooftops of the nearby buildings glistened darkly, their gutters overflowing, while the harbour reflected the grey sky in shifting shades of silver.
At the bottom of the jetty, The Sea Glass Restaurant bobbed gently on the rain-dappled water, its lights glowing warmly in the gloom, looking like something straight out of a film set.
Tonight, she would be dining there, and if the food was even half as good as the view, she was definitely in for a treat.
‘This must be the island’s hall.’ Her attention was caught by the banner hanging across the entrance reading: Welcome to the Puffin Island Horology Convention! She pushed the door open and Sebastian trailed in behind her.
A flutter of nerves rose in her chest. She had no idea how Theo would react to seeing Sebastian, or to the sight of the two of them arriving together.
The last thing she wanted was for him to think it had been some kind of scheme to unsettle him ahead of his big interview.
It wasn’t. She hadn’t known Sebastian would be here any more than she’d expected to run into Theo.
Inside, the hall was busy and alive with chatter.
Long tables lined the walls, displaying everything from cuckoo clocks to marine chronometers.
The crowd was exactly what you’d expect: men in wool waistcoats clutching pamphlets like sacred manuscripts, and women dressed in tweed with brooches shaped like pocket watches.
The one notable difference was that there were more members of the press than Pippa had ever seen at one of these conventions before.
Cameras flashed, microphones hovered, and a journalist who clearly wasn’t used to this level of niche enthusiasm was looking supremely bored as he pointed a mic at a man waxing lyrical about verge escapements.
The air carried a faint mix of the smell of leather briefcases and pipe tobacco, underpinned by the steady hum of scholarly gossip.
To Pippa, it all sounded like a cuckoo clock slightly out of sync – odd, eccentric, but in its own way …
kind of wonderful. She took out the pocket watch to check the time but was disappointed to see it had stopped working again.
She slipped it back into her pocket and checked her phone instead.
Pippa scanned the room. ‘There’re so many members of the press.’
‘Unsurprising given Horace Vale hasn’t appeared in public for decades. The whole world, or at least the very niche and wildly passionate world of horology, is waiting to hear what he says. It’s about time, I say.’
Once again, Pippa noticed the venom in Sebastian’s voice. She narrowed her eyes as she watched him closely. She tilted her head. ‘You think he might talk about the reason why the Vale partnership broke down?’
Sebastian gave a half-shrug as he smirked. ‘You’d hope that he would actually tell the truth after all this time. That man has no backbone.’
Pippa looked directly at Sebastian. There was no mistaking the flash of anger in his eyes now. ‘That sounded a little dramatic. What am I missing?’
Sebastian gathered himself quickly. ‘I’m just saying that the truth always comes out.’
She watched him closely. This was the second time she’d seen him rattled in the last hour.
‘What truth? Horace has never publicly acknowledged there was even a falling out with his brother, even though we all know something must have led to the break-up of one of the most famous partnerships in the history of timekeeping.’
‘Like I said, the truth always comes out, no matter how hard you try to cover something up. It’s likely why Theo accepted the interview.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘He’ll want to stop the truth coming out. He’s also got a knack for clinging to the coattails of genius, hoping it rubs off.’
Pippa was baffled. This was clearly about so much more than an old academic rivalry. Had Sebastian thought he was in the running to do the interview? No, that couldn’t be it.
At the registration desk, a lanky young man with wire-rimmed glasses and a tie patterned with tiny hourglasses asked Pippa who she was, then handed over her name badge along with one of the welcome packs that were laid out on the table.
Inside the pack was a lanyard, a map of the island marked with various horological points of interest, and a programme of the weekend’s events; everything you’d need for forty-eight hours of clock-related bliss.
After taking off her raincoat Pippa placed it over her arm and attached the name badge to the lanyard. She spotted Theo across the room. He hadn’t seen her yet as his back was to her, and he was deep in conversation with a woman holding a pamphlet open between them.
She was holding the same pamphlet in her hand, and took the opportunity to glance over the programme. Her thoughts were interrupted by Sebastian.
‘There he is. Go on,’ Sebastian murmured. ‘Say hello to your old friend. It must be a while since you’ve seen him. I bet the last thing he’s expecting is to see us together.’
‘I think I’ll just grab a tea from the refreshment stand,’ she said, hoping to delay the inevitable.
But it was already too late. Theo turned and his eyes landed on her.
For a heartbeat he smiled, warm and unguarded, as if he were genuinely glad to find her in the middle of the crowd.
But then his gaze slid to Sebastian beside her.
The change was instant. A flicker of disbelief, then calculation, then something that looked far too much like betrayal.
Heat crept up Pippa’s neck. She could probably guess what Theo was thinking, but she knew there was too much at stake for him today for him to let anything slip.
Theo would remain professional at all costs.
Sebastian, on the other hand, had never been good at that, far too ready to let his ego win over his good judgement.
But all she could do was stand there, clutching her welcome pack a little too tightly, silently wishing Sebastian wasn’t standing right next to her.
Sebastian walked towards Theo, and Pippa quickly followed.
‘Well,’ Sebastian said. ‘Doctor Blake himself. Congratulations on landing the Horace Vale interview. Quite the coup. Though…’ He tilted his head, as if pondering something far more scandalous.
‘One does wonder, was it your expertise that secured it, or simply that Horace needed someone … sympathetic? Someone willing to keep a few of his little secrets tucked safely away?’
Theo’s brow furrowed, confusion flickering across his face. ‘I’m not sure I follow,’ he said, his voice polite but edged with wariness.
Pippa’s stomach sank. Sebastian was acting very strangely and talking in riddles. If he wasn’t going to come straight out and say what was going on here, then all she could do was see what happened.
Sebastian smirked, clearly expecting Theo to bristle.
Instead, Theo tilted his head slightly, a courteous smile playing on his lips.
‘But thank you, it is quite the coup, and I’m sure Horace will appreciate that I plan to approach the interview with care and respect.
I hope you enjoy it. I know everyone in our field has waited a long time for this to happen.
’ The warmth and civility in Theo’s tone made Sebastian’s smirk falter for a fraction of a second.
‘All right,’ Pippa said, looking directly at Sebastian. ‘Why don’t we all focus on the thrilling world of antique gears and not who’s got the bigger—’
‘Pendulum?’ Sebastian offered dryly.
‘I was going to say ego,’ continued Pippa. ‘I’m not exactly sure what’s going on here but—’ She was interrupted by everyone beginning to take their seats.
‘I’m just going to nip to the bathroom.’ Sebastian slipped away as Pippa glanced at the vacant chairs.
In five minutes’ time, Dr Miriam Bowes was to take to the stage and welcome everyone to this year’s convention. Pippa was in a dilemma. Should she save a seat for Sebastian, or sit next to Theo? Before she could make up her mind, Theo spoke.
‘For what it’s worth,’ he said, without much preamble, ‘I’d assumed you were past the university politics. I didn’t expect to see you aligning yourself with him, especially here.’
‘I haven’t seen him since university – and is it really that surprising that he came?
This interview is important to every horology nerd in this universe.
Look, this isn’t the time … but for what it’s worth, I certainly didn’t do a runner from my own wedding to make your life a misery.
I have enough going on in mine. I merely bumped into him at the café when I was having breakfast. That’s all. ’
‘Okay, but we both know that back then he was always in the thick of things when it came to troublemaking. You don’t think he’ll do anything to sabotage this interview, do you?’
‘I don’t think so,’ she said, but remembering the venom in Sebastian’s voice, she wasn’t convinced.
‘And please tell me you aren’t going to invite him back to Clockmaker’s Cottage?’
‘Of course I’m not! Honestly, you’re reading too much into this.’
‘You’re honestly not here to sabotage me?’
‘No,’ she said firmly. ‘I’m here for clocks, Clemmie’s breakfasts, and possibly a fresh start. But mostly clocks.’
He exhaled and extended a hand. ‘Truce?’
She took it. ‘Truce. But I can’t say for sure what Sebastian is up to.’
‘I would never have put you two down as being friends.’
‘I think that’s stretching it a little.’
Theo’s face softened, but then he frowned. ‘Still, seeing him here makes me feel a little uneasy.’ He lowered his voice. ‘I’ve got a feeling he’s intending to make things difficult for me.’
Pippa was surprised that Theo would confide in her, and she was secretly chuffed. ‘He does seem to be very agitated about something, but I’m not sure what.’
‘From the first week of university I felt him gunning for me, though I still don’t know what it is I’m meant to have done to deserve it.’
Sebastian had merely been sticking up for her when Theo had decided to announce that she wasn’t good enough to be at Cambridge, but she wasn’t going to get into that now. This wasn’t the time or the place.
‘I just need to successfully get through this interview, and then I’m going to chill for the rest of the weekend. Do you have the time on you?’ He grinned. ‘I know we’re surrounded by clocks, but I’ve left my phone at the cottage and forgot to put my watch on.’
‘And you call yourself a doctor of horology!’ Pippa went to pull out the pocket watch but remembered it had stopped working, so she pulled her phone from her bag instead and glanced at the screen. ‘It’s time the convention started.’ She pointed towards the stage, where she could see movement.
‘I have to go. I’m sitting at the front.’ He hesitated, then added, ‘Please don’t let him do anything daft.’ He nodded towards Sebastian.
Pippa held up her hands. ‘He’s nothing to do with me. I’m here for me and me alone. All we can do is hope that Sebastian will be hanging on to Horace’s every word just like the rest of us.’
‘I really don’t want Sebastian spoiling it, or trying to goad me into a debate and attempting to make me look like a fool.’
Pippa nudged his arm. ‘You’re not a fool.’
He arched an eyebrow. ‘You used to think so. I thought you considered me a walking ego with decent hair and a superiority complex.’
‘Well,’ she said, cracking a smile, ‘your hair is still excellent.’
He grinned. ‘High praise from someone who once threw an empty water bottle at me in a lecture.’
‘You were being insufferable.’
‘I was right, though.’
‘Ugh,’ she muttered, grinning. ‘There’s the Theo Blake I remember.’
They both laughed; quietly, gently. It felt oddly intimate, sharing this little moment before the convention began.
From across the room, Pippa noticed that Sebastian had taken a seat but was watching them with interest, his expression unreadable.
Pippa leaned in a little. ‘Well, if it makes you feel better, I definitely prefer you to him.’
Theo glanced at her sideways. ‘Is that a low bar or a real compliment?’
‘Take what you can get, doctor. Now, you’d best take your seat.’
Pippa sat down on a nearby vacant chair and glanced towards the tall windows.
Outside, rain slid steadily down the glass, the harbour beyond blurred into soft grey shapes.
Inside, the registration line had dwindled to a few stragglers shaking off damp coats and wringing out umbrellas.
At the front of the room, the convention chair, Dr Miriam Bowes, clutched the microphone with all the gusto of a cruise-ship host and boomed, ‘Time waits for no man, but today, Puffin Island is waiting for you!’
Everyone greeted her with a round of applause.
‘Welcome!’
As Miriam outlined the weekend’s programme with mentions of workshops, lectures, exhibits, and, of course, the much-anticipated interview with the elusive Horace Vale, a hum of anticipation buzzed through the room like an orchestra tuning up before a performance.
Pippa glanced sideways just in time to see Sebastian lean to one side in his seat and slip a folded piece of paper into the hands of one of the journalists.
What was all that about? She hoped he wasn’t trying to set up Theo in any way, because she would struggle to convince Theo it had had nothing to do with her.
She turned back to Miriam, who was now cheerfully outlining tomorrow afternoon’s ‘Hands-on Horology’ session. The workshop where complete beginners could learn to take apart a clock, Miriam explained, would be held right here in the village hall, with tea and homemade flapjacks provided.
Miriam then launched into a description of the weekend clock market at Puffin Island Lighthouse: a cosy maze of ticking treasures and polished brass beauties, with stalls selling everything from delicate carriage clocks to mysterious little boxes of cogs and springs.
It all sounded very local-festival-for-enthusiastic-tinkerers, and Pippa couldn’t resist a smile.
There was something comforting about the idea of it, like a church fête, only with more mainsprings and fewer Victoria sponges.
But while Pippa was listening to Miriam, her thoughts were firmly fixed on Sebastian and what he might be up to.
When Theo looked over his shoulder and gave her a smile, she smiled back, but her heart was pounding as she took another glance in Sebastian’s direction and saw the journalist giving Sebastian a discreet nod.
Pippa couldn’t fight the feeling that this afternoon was ticking towards something much bigger than clocks, and she worried she was somehow going to be right in the middle of it.