Chapter 26
Chapter Twenty-Six
The next morning arrived bright and calm – a welcome change after a week of steady rain.
Pippa stepped out into the courtyard garden of Clockmaker’s Cottage with a plate of croissants from Beachcomber Bakery, the pastries still warm.
Theo followed behind her with two mugs of coffee, the steam curling lazily into the air.
The courtyard was one of her favourite places she’d discovered here.
Wisteria hung in long, delicate strands from the oak beams attached to the back of the cottage, the faint scent drifting whenever a breeze passed through.
Pink roses climbed the stone wall, spilling gently over the edges, and beyond the low white picket fence at the end of the garden the sea glimmered peacefully in the distance.
Even the potting shed, leaning at an angle that suggested it might fall over at any time, looked charming in the sunshine.
They settled at a small metal table – the paint chipped in places, its legs slightly wobbly – and Pippa slid a croissant towards Theo.
‘Breakfast in the sunshine,’ he said. ‘We’re living the dream.’
Pippa nodded. ‘It’s such a gorgeous morning.’
She tore off a piece of croissant and popped it into her mouth, closing her eyes briefly to savour the buttery crackle. The birds were out in full force, cheerful and energetic, and there were gulls circling in the distance.
Theo cleared his throat slightly. ‘I hope I didn’t keep you awake last night. I know I was tossing and turning. Did you sleep?’ he asked.
‘A bit,’ Pippa replied. ‘But my mind was buzzing after everything yesterday.’
‘Same. I kept replaying everything Sebastian said, especially about the fact it was his grandfather who was the creative genius behind the Vale masterpieces. It was a lot to take in.’
‘It really was,’ Pippa agreed, wrapping her hands around her mug. ‘They’re big claims, and he was drunk, but … he seemed so certain.’
‘He did. It was enough to make me wonder … but I still don’t think my grandfather has anything to do with anything.
He’s honest through and through.’ He ran a hand through his hair.
‘But he definitely knows all about the secret commission. I wish I could get him talking about it, so we could at least get the whole picture.’
Pippa was quiet for a moment. ‘After everything Sebastian told us, I feel a bit guilty that we didn’t share what was in Agatha’s letter or in the ledger.’
‘I do too, but I want to try to see what else we can find out first. If we had mentioned it, Sebastian might have forced his way into the cottage, demanding to see the evidence. None of us knows what happened between those men, but if Sebastian’s right and his grandmother suffered because of something my grandfather played a part in, I won’t hide anything. ’
Theo showed no defensiveness or any sort of denial. All he wanted was to discover the truth. Pippa admired him for that.
‘So, what do you want to do?’ she asked.
‘I think the next step is obvious. We need to speak to Horace while he’s still on the island.’
Pippa’s eyebrows lifted slightly. ‘Today?’
‘Yes, today.’
Pippa nodded slowly. ‘Do you think he’ll talk?’
‘I don’t know,’ Theo admitted. ‘But we have to try.’
Pippa tore off another piece of croissant. ‘Whoever said clockmakers were boring? Every one of us seems to have been involved in some scandal!’ She gave Theo a mischievous grin.
He laughed.
‘You’re handling Sebastian’s accusations very well,’ she added softly. ‘If it were my grandfather being accused of something awful, I’d probably be flapping.’
‘Oh, I’m flapping internally,’ he replied. ‘Even more than those puffins up on the cliffs. I’m just doing it quietly.’
Pippa smiled. ‘I think that’s called maturity.’
Just as she was about to take a last sip of coffee, there was a knock on the front door.
‘I hope that’s not Sebastian,’ she said, standing up.
‘I don’t think he’s worked out yet where we’re staying … though I don’t think it’ll be long before he realises.’
They both slipped back into the cottage and opened the door, and were relieved to find Clemmie standing there. ‘Morning, you two!’ she said brightly. ‘I’ve come bearing news.’
‘Come on in.’ Pippa opened the door wide. ‘We were just out in the garden.’
Clemmie gasped approvingly the moment she stepped into the courtyard. ‘Oh, this is gorgeous! Look at that wisteria and those roses!’
‘You want coffee?’ Pippa asked, holding up her own empty mug.
‘I wouldn’t say no,’ Clemmie replied, settling into a chair.
Two minutes later, Clemmie wrapped both hands around her coffee mug. ‘Right. News! Firstly, the causeway will open again tomorrow afternoon. The tide’s behaving at last.’
Pippa felt a slight dip in her mood. She knew it would happen, but she didn’t want it to happen just yet.
‘Granny has been reliving the events of July 1965 when the causeway was closed for forty days because of the rain. She said we need to be grateful that the sunshine is back.’ Clemmie glanced up towards the cottage.
‘There’s so much history here… But that leads me on to my second bit of news.
When I first heard this, you popped into my head,’ she said as she looked at Pippa.
‘Oh? I’m intrigued! What is it?’
‘I know you’re a complete clock enthusiast—’
‘That’s putting it mildly,’ teased Theo.
‘—but The Clock House has just come on the market. It’s the Vale Brothers’ original workshop!
Places don’t come up for sale on the island very often and I thought if you wanted a fresh start, on a beautiful island with just the best people, in a place that means so much given your interest in clocks, it’s worth taking a look.
Because as soon as that causeway is open, that property will not stay around for long. ’
Pippa couldn’t stop the grin on her face and blurted, ‘We know, and we’ve already been to take a look.’
‘Tell me more.’
‘It’s right up my street, somewhere I could see myself living—’
‘Your eyes are sparkling!’ cut in Clemmie.
‘I’ve put in an offer!’
Clemmie clasped her hands dramatically. ‘Oh, Pippa! That’s wonderful. Absolutely wonderful. The Clock House needs someone just like you. It’s perfect.’
‘I’m just waiting to hear if the offer is accepted.
It does feel like a quick decision, but you know what?
I’ve spent the last few years pleasing everyone else, always waiting around for what they wanted to do, and somehow what I wanted never seemed to happen.
So this time I’m choosing for me. When I walked into that place, I was blown away.
The history, the feel of it, everything …
just felt right. To be able to finally set up my own workshop is a dream come true. ’
‘This sounds like it was meant to be.’ Clemmie said confidently. ‘The villagers will be thrilled.’
Pippa glanced at Theo, who gave her an encouraging smile.
They chatted while finishing their coffee, and then Clemmie’s phone beeped. ‘It’s Granny… Oh! The causeway is apparently opening a little earlier than expected. I’d best get back as that will mean tourists will be flocking back in.’
‘Wait,’ Pippa said, ducking inside the cottage, ‘these are yours.’ She returned with the boots and the raincoat Clemmie had loaned her when she first arrived.
‘Oh, bless you!’ Clemmie said. ‘I’d forgotten all about them.’
After letting Clemmie out, Pippa returned to the courtyard and sat back down at the table. ‘If the causeway is about to reopen, we’re going to be kicked out of the cottage sooner rather than later.’
‘I know.’ Theo screwed up his face. ‘I’ve got quite used to being here.’
‘Me too, so until we receive the email kicking us out, let’s just stay,’ she suggested.
‘Let’s just not check our email.’
Pippa laughed. ‘That sounds like a plan.’
Theo reached for her hand and gently pulled her closer. She settled onto his knee as he wrapped an arm around her and kissed her.
‘I’m going to miss this,’ he murmured.
‘Me too.’
Theo rested his forehead gently against hers.
Pippa gave a small laugh. ‘I don’t want to think about leaving here just yet,’ she said. ‘What are we going to do with the rest of the day?’
‘Oh, I know exactly what I want to do,’ he teased, giving her waist a playful squeeze.
She nudged him with her elbow. ‘Be serious.’
‘I was,’ he replied, before his expression shifted into something more thoughtful. ‘If the causeway is open, our time is limited to catch Horace before he leaves the island.’
Pippa straightened slightly on his knee. ‘You really think he’ll talk to you?’
‘I hope so,’ Theo said. ‘He seems to like me.’ He gave a small smile. ‘I need to ask him about Sebastian’s claims. Properly. And if I get nowhere, I think I’m going to mention Agatha’s letter to get him to open up.’
Pippa nodded slowly. ‘As much as Sebastian has been … well, difficult, and as much as I don’t excuse anything he’s put you through, I do think there’s a kernel of truth to what he’s saying.’
‘I agree, but I do wish he’d mentioned something all those years ago instead of repeatedly blowing my world apart.
And even if my grandfather is involved, or knows anything, it’s still nothing to do with me.
We’re entirely different people!’ He shook his head.
‘But yes, if there’s even a chance the truth has been twisted all these years, someone does need to unpick it. It might as well be us.’
She pressed her forehead to his again, their noses brushing lightly. ‘Well,’ she murmured, ‘first things first. Let’s finish our morning, and then we’ll tackle the rest.’
He grinned, a spark lighting in his eyes. ‘I like the idea of that.’
Before she could say another word, Theo kissed her, soft at first, then with a sudden, unmistakable urgency that made her smile against his mouth. His hand slid into hers as he rose, tugging her gently but insistently towards the stairs.
They half-walked, half-ran up the staircase, bumping shoulders and stifling laughter, unable to stop kissing long enough to navigate properly.
When they reached the bedroom, Pippa clung to the front of his T-shirt, tugging him closer, feeling that unmistakable spark of lust that had been building since she’d first walked into Clockmaker’s Cottage, as they tumbled onto the bed.