Chapter 13
Chapter Thirteen
Pippa and Theo pushed open the door to Clockmaker’s Cottage, arms full of shopping bags from Puffin Pantry. Wet coats and boots were discarded by the door and then they headed straight for the kitchen.
‘Okay,’ Pippa said, putting the bags on the table. ‘This is a good haul.’
‘Let’s get this lot away.’ Theo started unpacking. ‘I still don’t know why you insisted on buying three types of cheese.’
‘Because cheese is important,’ Pippa said, then scrunched her nose. ‘That one’s yours, though. Blue cheese should be illegal.’
He scoffed. ‘It’s the best kind.’
‘No. It smells like something that’s gone wrong in a fridge.’
‘It’s strong.’
‘It’s rotten,’ she said. ‘It tastes like someone dared milk to survive a disaster.’
Theo grinned. ‘You don’t have to eat it.’
‘I won’t,’ she said. ‘But I’m judging you for liking it.’
‘That’s fine. I’m judging you for calling cheddar “fancy”.’
‘It is fancy! It’s mature.’
‘I know who isn’t!’
Pippa swiped him with a tea towel.
They kept unpacking, putting bread in the bread bin, quiches in the fridge, pies stacked on the shelf. It felt normal; no fuss, no awkwardness. Every now and then their hands were close, but neither of them mentioned it.
Once everything was put away, Theo dusted off his hands. ‘All done.’
‘I’ll make the coffee.’ She paused, noticing that he suddenly looked puzzled. ‘What’s that look for?’
‘Listen…’
Pippa stood still. ‘What am I listening for?’
‘That faint ticking sound and none of these clocks are working.’
They followed the ticking to Pippa’s bag. ‘It’s my watch.’ She pulled it out. ‘It stopped earlier and now it’s started again! Wait until I tell my dad. This is the watch he gave me on my wedding day. It’s very temperamental…’
‘Just like its owner!’
‘Oi!’
She placed the watch on the table and returned to the kitchen to make the coffee.
Theo picked it up. ‘Wow! This is … exquisite.’ He turned it over in his hands, examining it from every angle. ‘The detailing is so fine, and I’m almost certain those are diamonds on the bezel. Tiny ones, but real. Has your dad ever had it valued?’
‘Not that he’s ever said,’ Pippa replied. ‘It used to belong to my grandfather who passed it on to my dad. It wouldn’t surprise me if it was expensive. My grandfather wouldn’t have skimped on cost for something special.’
Theo turned the watch slowly in his hand again, studying it with a more focused look.
‘There’s no identification stamp,’ he murmured, frowning thoughtfully. ‘No maker’s mark when usually something like this would carry a signature or initials. It looks oldish … but without a stamp, there’s no telling how old or who made it.’
He gently tapped the side of the case with his thumb.
‘There are only a handful of clockmakers who could have produced something like this. The craftsmanship is too precise, too delicate. You don’t learn to do this kind of work unless you were trained by the best.’
He paused, then continued, thinking aloud.
‘Maybe someone from Northbridge Clockmakers? They were known for jewel-set pieces… Or one of the old Westhaven Horologists, the family workshop that specialised in pocket watches with diamonds? There were also the Rochester Makers with their tiny workshop. Their finishing ability was incredible.’ He glanced up at her, the watch still resting in his palm.
‘A piece like this … it definitely didn’t come from a market stall or a random jeweller.
Whoever made it knew exactly what they were doing. Honestly, I’d get it valued.’
Pippa took a closer look. ‘I will.’
‘You said it belonged to your grandfather?’
She nodded. ‘Yes.’
‘Was it ever mentioned where he bought it?’
‘Not to me, but I can ask, my dad might know. My grandfather is in a care home. Dementia. Some good days, some bad.’
‘I’d love to know who made it.’ He placed it back on the table.
‘What do you think of this place?’ she asked, looking around the living room.
‘I love it; it’s quirky and full of character. I know we’re in the middle of July, but given it’s grey and miserable out there, how about I light the fire? I love a real fire.’
‘Me too.’
‘I’ll get it going.’
Pippa lingered by the doorway, watching as he rolled up his sleeves and began to layer kindling that he took from the basket next to the fire.
She noticed the concentration in his brow, the way he seemed at home in the cottage.
She would love to live in a cosy place like this.
Rob’s flat had always felt … temporary. It was tasteful but sterile, like it had been staged for a magazine shoot rather than to be lived in.
She’d told herself she liked the clean lines, the monochrome cushions, but this was how she’d always imagined home would look and feel.
Theo didn’t look up, but he somehow knew what she was up to. ‘You’re watching me.’
She crossed her arms. ‘I’m admiring your kindling technique.’
He struck a match, a slow smirk tugging at his mouth. ‘It’s one of my many hidden talents.’
‘Can you believe we’re going to be rained in together?’
He looked over his shoulder and shook his head while smiling.
‘A couple of days with me and you’ll be wishing it was forever,’ she joked.
‘The universe clearly thought I hadn’t suffered enough this lifetime.’
Pippa laughed. ‘Don’t be cheeky! And how have you suffered? Doctor Blake has everything going for him,’ she shouted as she returned to the kitchen to make the coffee.
Two minutes later, she sat down on the sofa, pulling her knees up under her.
‘Do you reckon Agatha used to sit and watch Walter light the fire like this?’ she said, watching him work.
Theo didn’t look up straightaway. ‘Probably.’
‘I can’t believe we’re actually sitting in the Vales’ family home. It’s surreal. I wonder if Horace has driven past and taken a look at the cottage while he’s on the island?’
‘With the weather like this, and the fact he’s headline news today, he’s most probably left the island.’
The logs caught quickly, and by the time they had finished their coffee, the room started to warm.
‘We should head to dinner soon, right?’ said Theo.
Pippa scrolled on her phone. ‘Yes. I’ve already taken a look at the menu and there are so many dishes I’d choose.’ She stared at her screen, a frown marring her face. ‘The Horace Vale interview is turning up on quite a few news and social media sites.’
Theo groaned. ‘I bet Horace wishes he’d never agreed to participate. Sebastian has got a lot to answer for … in many ways…’
‘What do you mean?’
Theo remained silent, staring into the flames, and Pippa could tell by the look on his face that there was something he didn’t want to get into. The fire crackled steadily, filling the moment of silence.
‘Oh, I forgot to tell you something. I found a book at lunchtime in The Story Shop.’
‘That’s a funny place to find a book, in a bookshop.’ He smiled as he sat down on the armchair.
Pippa rolled her eyes and reached for her bag. ‘This book is a little bit of a mystery. I took it to the till, and when Amelia, the shop owner, tried to ring it up, she found that it didn’t actually belong to the shop.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘Possibly someone has planted it to make sure it was found and read?’
‘Why would someone do that?’
‘Your guess is as good as mine, but it’s a book about the Vale Brothers, and it’s written by A. Wetherby who was…’
‘Horace Vale’s apprentice,’ Theo finished off Pippa’s sentence.
‘That’s why you got a first and I got a second,’ she joked. ‘It took me a minute to realise who he was.’
He grinned.
‘Here.’ She took the book out of her bag and handed it to him.
‘There was a scandal around this man,’ said Theo. ‘I can remember a conversation taking place in my kitchen when I was a boy between my grandfather and my father, but obviously that would have been years later.’
‘Can you remember what it was?’
‘I know I shouldn’t have been listening,’ Theo said. ‘I still feel guilty about eavesdropping, but…’ He looked into the fire, his brow furrowed as he tried to remember. ‘You must remember this case. I know it was before our time, but you do call yourself a Vale fanatic.’
‘I was interested in their designs more than their personal life.’
‘There was some talk about a secret commission. A high-profile client.’
Pippa frowned. ‘What would that have to do with anything?’
‘I’m not sure,’ he admitted. ‘But Andrew Wetherby was accused of stealing and convicted for the crime. Items taken from the Vales’ workshop were found at his home, but the actual commission went missing and was never recovered.
He always protested his innocence, though other stolen pieces turned up too, so people assumed he’d sold it on.
After that, it was never mentioned again. ’
‘What about Wetherby?’ Pippa asked.
‘Kept his head down, but looks like he self-published this book.’ Theo nodded towards it. ‘I wasn’t aware of that.’
‘Do you think this has anything to do with what Sebastian was implying? What he said about an innocent man?’
‘Wetherby wasn’t innocent. He did actually steal from the Vale Brothers.’
‘Why would Sebastian bring it up then?’
‘He was just probably trying to grab some limelight. You know what they say about any type of publicity.’
‘Well, I can’t wait to dive in. It’s going to make for some interesting bedtime reading.’
‘But first we get to dine in the floating restaurant in a rainstorm.’
‘Do you think they’ll provide life jackets?’
‘We’re going for food, not a swim in the ocean,’ he teased.
Even with the thought of their evening at The Sea Glass Restaurant ahead of her, Pippa couldn’t shake the pull of the book.
There was something about it – the mystery, the timing, the feeling that it held some sort of scandal that could explain what had led to the feud between the brothers.
She turned Sebastian’s words over in her mind.
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 was itching to start reading, already imagining curling up under the duvet later, bedside light on, and diving into Wetherby’s forgotten words. Were Sebastian’s outburst and this book linked? What if Wetherby had revealed the truth that Sebastian was so hellbent on uncovering?