Faith (60 page)

She paused to catch her breath. ‘Obviously the hearing was successful or you wouldn’t be out here,’ she said. ‘I read in the paper about Stuart being stabbed by Belle. I wanted to get in touch then, but I didn’t think you’d want to know me any more. Then Stuart rang me last night and told me about the hearing today. I wanted to be there to give you some support, but I got held up in traffic.’

Laura felt a sort of inner glow to be once again listening to Angie’s breathless explanation. She had always been that way, always late, always rushing, yet she never failed to look as if she’d just stepped off the pages of
Vogue
. The pale blue Chanel-style suit she was wearing had been Angie’s mother’s; Laura remembered helping her to alter it. That was at least five years ago, but it looked as chic now as it had then.

‘It’s good to see you again, Angie,’ Laura said, and moved nearer to give the younger woman a hug. ‘I understood how it was for you, too much poison was dripped out for anyone to believe in me. This is my sister Meggie. We were just going to get some coffee. Why don’t you come with us?’

She glanced down at Angie’s suitcase. ‘Or are you going off somewhere?’

‘Oh no.’ Angie smiled. ‘These are things for you. Stuart knew I’d stored your things and he asked if I could dig some of them out as you wouldn’t have any clothes.’

‘My clothes!’ Laura exclaimed in delight. ‘Wonderful! I thought I’d have to borrow some of Meggie’s.’

‘I’m afraid they aren’t actually yours.’ Angie looked a bit crestfallen. ‘You see, your stuff is at my mother’s, and I couldn’t go there last night. So I raided the shop, and got you some new undies and things this morning. I hope you don’t mind?’

Laura smiled. She didn’t really care what she put on. To be out of prison was more than enough for now, and she was so touched Angie had gone to all that trouble. ‘You always had good taste, so I’m sure they are lovely.’

‘I’m so relieved to see you are still the same size.’ Angie looked at her appraisingly. ‘Stuart said you were, but men don’t always see things as we do.’

Laura picked out a coffee bar in Princes Street which was over a shoe shop. The windows were huge, giving a great view of the Castle and Old Town, plus people out shopping. She eagerly bagged a table by the window and Meggie and Angie went to get the coffee.

‘Isn’t it a beautiful city?’ she said as they came back. She waved her hand at the view. ‘You’d think I would be disenchanted with it after all the nasty things that have happened here. But I still love it.’

‘I was kind of hoping you’d get to love London again so Ivy and I could spend more time with you,’ Meggie said. ‘But it sounds like your heart is here. Maybe after the appeal Ivy, Derek and the kids and me could come up for a holiday and find out what’s so good about it.’

‘You’ll have your own place to stay in,’ Laura said, but when she saw Meggie’s puzzled expression, she realized Goldsmith hadn’t yet told her about Jackie’s will. She couldn’t tell her now, not in front of Angie, so instead she pulled the suitcase close to her and opened it just enough to peep.

On the top was a dark red velvet jacket, and she knew without pulling it out properly that it would be fabulous.

‘Oh, Angie,’ she sighed. ‘You can’t imagine how good it will be to put on nice clothes again, thank you so much. But what do I owe you?’

‘Nothing, of course.’ Angie looked embarrassed. ‘It’s the very least I can do. You let me take over the shop, and we never sorted out a price. When you are finally acquitted we must have a talk about it and come to an agreement. I’ve been putting money away for you in a savings account, but it may not be enough.’

‘Angie, you were there for me the whole time I was on remand,’ Laura said reprovingly. ‘I know it must have been tough for you to keep the shop going with all the bad press. I’m not going to come back and try to snatch it from you. I told you it was yours two years ago, and I meant it.’

‘But you’ll need money,’ Angie insisted.

‘I still have my savings.’ Laura shrugged. ‘And I didn’t even spend all the wages I got inside. The other women spent theirs on ciggies and sweets, I hoarded mine. I’m probably the only woman ever to come out of prison richer than when I went in.’

Laura slipped off to the toilet, and when she came back Angie and Meggie were laughing about something. ‘What have I missed?’ she asked.

‘We were just discussing how gorgeous Stuart is,’ Meggie giggled. ‘We think you ought to get round there right now and make him forget his aches and pains.’

‘I wish I could,’ Laura smiled. ‘But that isn’t on his agenda. He’s rescued the damsel in distress, and as soon as he’s well he’ll be off on to some other mission.’

‘Don’t be daft,’ Meggie said stoutly. ‘He’s still got the hots for you.’

‘Of course he has,’ Angie agreed. ‘I could tell just by the way he spoke about you last night. I didn’t know that he was an old flame until Meggie told me, but I can tell you, the flame hasn’t gone out.’

Laura shook her head. ‘I’m not what he needs. I’m all used up now and too old. What I want is a quiet life on my own, books, a dog perhaps, maybe I’ll take up gardening too. I haven’t got any passion left in me, it’s all gone.’

Angie got into a taxi when they left the coffee bar. She had to go back to the shop in Morningside. Meggie and Laura walked back up to the Old Town to meet Stuart.

‘I’m so excited about seeing him again,’ Meggie admitted. ‘He was so nice that day he came to see me. He’s one of those rare people who is capable of putting himself in others’ shoes without judging them. I ended up telling him stuff I’ve never told anyone else.’

‘That was my biggest mistake with him,’ Laura sighed. ‘Not telling him everything about myself when I first met him. I spent a lot of time inside thinking over why I lied and kept on lying. I thought I had good reason at the time, but now, after all that’s happened, it just seems such a waste. If I hadn’t been so stubborn and afraid I could have had you and Ivy close to me.’

‘Lots of sisters aren’t close even when everything is completely normal in their families,’ Meggie said evenly, catching hold of her sister’s hand and squeezing it. ‘At least we have always really loved each other, and besides, none of that matters now, we’ve got the rest of our lives to catch up.’

‘You took your time!’ Stuart said accusingly as he opened the door of his flat to them. ‘I’ve been watching the clock, afraid that something had gone wrong and they didn’t give you bail. I was just about to ring Patrick.’

‘We went to have a cup of coffee with Angie,’ Laura said apologetically. ‘It never occurred to me you’d be waiting and worrying.’

Stuart smiled. ‘You’re here now, that’s all that matters. I just wish I’d felt strong enough to get up to the court.’

‘Is it still painful?’ Laura reached out and gently touched his chest. She could feel the bandages beneath his shirt.

‘It’s okay unless I move too quickly. I have to put my arm back in a sling sometimes to rest it. But it’s the feeling weak which bugs me. I’m not used to that. Enough of that now! Hello, Meggie, in all the excitement I’m guilty of overlooking you.’

‘It’s good to see you again, Stuart,’ Meggie said shyly. ‘But you’re alone! Where are your friends?’

‘Gone down to have a look at Holyrood palace,’ Stuart replied. ‘We didn’t think it was a good thing for the kids to be here when you called, too much like Bedlam. But David and Julia are sorry not to be able to see you both. Now, how about a drink?’

Despite a very welcome gin and tonic, which ought to have relaxed her, Laura felt awkward with Stuart. She didn’t know if it was because Meggie was there, because he was hurt, or just that she was overwhelmed by her new freedom, but she didn’t know what to say to him.

There was just
too
much to say, she supposed. Her gratitude, remorse at hurting him in the past, how it felt to be free again, even how good the coffee in Princes Street tasted and how thrilling it was to see Edinburgh again. She wanted to ask him so many questions about what happened to him in Crail. And about his plans for the future. But although she was saying all this in her head, hardly one word was coming out of her mouth.

Meggie had no such problem. She was rattling away about another property she and Ivy had bought that they were converting into three flats.

‘You are very quiet, Laura,’ Stuart said after a little while. ‘I hope that’s not because we’re boring you?’

‘No, of course not,’ she said quickly. ‘I guess I’m just a bit stunned at being here with you both. It’s a bit odd thinking I’m going to be staying in London too.’

‘Would you rather have stayed here in Edinburgh?’ Stuart asked.

Laura didn’t know how to reply to that. Edinburgh was home, at least in her heart, and Stuart was here too. But she couldn’t say that, it would make him feel awkward and hurt Meggie’s feelings too.

‘No, I wouldn’t want to stay here. I want to be with Meggie, but I’m just a bit nervous about London, it’s a long time since I was last there.’

‘You’ll soon adjust,’ Meggie said, looking at Laura anxiously. ‘Are you hungry? Maybe we should go and get something before we go out to the airport?’

Stuart got up. ‘I’d clean forgotten,’ he said. ‘Julia made a lasagne for us. I’ll go and put it in the oven to warm through.’

‘I’ll do that,’ Meggie said. ‘You sit down and talk to Laura.’

Meggie went off to the kitchen and Stuart sat down again on the settee.

‘How long will it be before you can work again?’ Laura asked.

‘I should be fit for project managing in about two weeks,’ he said. ‘As long as that doesn’t entail doing any manual work myself. I thought I might sign up for a computer course or something in the meantime. Once David goes back to London it’s going to be very boring here on my own.’

‘What if you came to London too?’ Laura said. ‘Maybe Meggie could do with a project manager?’

‘Does that mean you’d like me to come to London? Or are you just concerned that I’ll shrivel up and die of boredom up here alone?’

‘Of course I’d like you to come to London,’ she said, and giggled because he was looking at her so intently. ‘But I suppose I’d like to see you putting your own life back together. One way or another I’ve kind of buggered it up again, haven’t I?’

‘No, you haven’t. It might be true that I came back here because of you, but I don’t feel you’ve buggered me up in any way. It was all my own idea to go over and see Belle, and even if I am a bit stuck now because of the wound, I do at least have the satisfaction of knowing it changed things enough to get you out of prison.’

‘You’ve been wonderful, Stuart,’ she said softly. ‘I was trapped in a very black hole until you turned up and dropped a rope ladder down to me. I can never thank you enough for what you’ve done. You’re such a big man, with an even bigger heart. I didn’t deserve help, not from you.’

‘You have a worrying tendency to always think you aren’t worth anything,’ he said, looking straight into her eyes. ‘It isn’t true of course, it never was. When I first went to work for Jackie in London I was very bitter and sad. Jackie pulled me up about it once. She said, “Never mind that she did the dirty on you. Think about what she gave you.” I couldn’t see what she meant at the time, but I do now.’

‘What?’ Laura asked. She didn’t remember giving him anything other than grief.

‘You opened my eyes to a wider world than Edinburgh,’ he said. ‘You gave me the ability to stand on my own feet, and the determination to make something of myself. But best of all you made me believe I could do anything, and that, Laura, has been the very best thing of all.’

‘You would have got all those things without me,’ she said.

Stuart shook his head. ‘No, Laura. If I hadn’t met you, I might have drifted off on the hippy trail for a while, but I’d have come back to Edinburgh and got work and stayed. No doubt I’d have married, had kids and all that stuff, and probably have been happy enough, but I wouldn’t have achieved my full potential, seen the things I have seen.’

Laura shrugged. It was nice of him to credit her with improving his prospects, but she didn’t believe it was down to her.

Laura told Meggie about Jackie’s will while they were sitting waiting at the airport for their flight to be called. Not surprisingly she was overwhelmed at such generosity from a stranger, and she shed a few emotional tears.

‘What on earth will Ivy and I do with a guest house?’ she asked, wiping her eyes. ‘We wouldn’t have a clue how to run one.’

‘You don’t have to,’ Laura said. ‘You could just sell it and share the money, or get it converted into flats or something. People who work in St Andrews at the university are always after places in Crail.’

‘Are you going to live at Brodie Farm?’ Meggie asked.

‘I couldn’t bear to after what happened there,’ Laura said sadly. ‘I always loved the place, and Jackie knew that, and I’d like to be close to Barney too, but well, I’m sure you know.’

‘Jackie must have cared an awful lot for you to give it to you, and to want us to have the other place so we could all be close,’ Meggie said thoughtfully. ‘But it does feel just a bit like she wanted to control us.’

‘Just a bit,’ Laura agreed. ‘She did like to do that, and I suppose I always let her. I’m going to miss her so much now I’m out of prison. She played such a huge part in my whole adult life. I can’t imagine not being able to tell her about a new job, clothes I’ve bought or where I’m living.’

‘You’ve got me and Ivy for that now,’ Meggie said, slipping her arm through her sister’s and cuddling up against her shoulder. ‘And I’ll be tucking you into bed in my spare room, making you breakfast, and asking you what you want to watch on telly. That is, until Stuart comes down to London and takes over.’

Laura sniggered. ‘You are seeing things that aren’t there, Meggie. He didn’t even hug or kiss me today.’

‘His chest hurts, and anyway, he didn’t get any encouragement from you. You were like an icicle.’

‘I wasn’t!’

‘You were. You sat on the other side of the room. Even when I went into the kitchen to heat up the lasagne, you didn’t move to sit beside him.’

Their flight was called, interrupting the conversation, but once they were on board and waiting for takeoff, Meggie began again.