Into Temptation (Spoils of Time 03) (92 page)

‘Which? Friends or relatives?’

‘Both. Actually. Yes.’

‘Dear oh dear. I’m not sure I can allow this. You walking around all on your own in the dark.’

‘But – but I really need to get there. It’s important.’

‘So’s your safety. How old are you?’

‘Six – seventeen,’ said Jenna staunchly.

‘Oh yes. And my name’s Father Christmas. Where’s your mum?’

‘She’s – she’s dead,’ said Jenna and burst into tears.

Charlie lay in the bath, contemplating his future. It was going to be pretty good, but there would be problems. He hadn’t really thought them all through. Hadn’t had an opportunity, really. Diplomatic relations with the trustees would definitely be broken off; Jenna was very cute, she’d work out that things had changed. He might even leave New York, move over to the West Coast or something, where he could really start again. Jenna was growing up fast, she’d be going to college soon, and she was so independent, much more so than Cathy. She wouldn’t need him. She wouldn’t need anyone. He didn’t like that thought very much. But it was true. And there were all those Lyttons and Millers, and Elliotts, of course, they’d look after her. She’d be fine. Wouldn’t she? Of course she would. There was a knock at the door; he felt his stomach lurch. Who could that be, at six in the morning?

He got out of the bath, saw a newspaper pushed under his door. That was all right then. But he realised he was actually feeling a bit jumpy. All his icy cool of the day before seemed to have deserted him. They’d had a while to think now, to plan; who knows what they might do? Maybe he’d cut breakfast. Just check out, take a cab, head straight off to the airport, see if he could get on an earlier flight.

Yes, that’s what he’d do.

‘Right, I’ve located him for you. But you won’t be able to see him. Not now.’

Elspeth licked her dry lips. The morgue, she was going to say the morgue, of course she wouldn’t be allowed to see a corpse, a corpse that was – had been – Keir . . .

‘He’s on Men’s Surgical.’

‘So – he’s not – not dead?’

‘Dead? Of course he’s not dead. They wouldn’t keep him if he was, we have quite a lot of pressure for beds you know.’

‘Of course,’ said Elspeth humbly, ‘I’m sure you do. Er – where is Men’s Surgical?’

‘It’s on the second floor. But you won’t—’

Her voice tailed away; Elspeth was gone, running towards the lift.

Izzie woke up feeling terribly sick. She knew why she felt sick, it was excitement. This was the day she was going to see Ann Thynne, to arrange to have her tubes checked. She might even be able to do it in the next day or two. And Nick had agreed to come with her, to meet Mrs Thynne so that she could explain to him exactly what the situation was, and what Izzie’s chances were. Nick wasn’t exactly looking forward to it, he said he preferred the old way, of babies flying in with the stork, but if it was going to make Izzie happy, then he’d do whatever she wanted. Especially, he added, if it meant extra sex.

She turned over to him, kissed him.

‘You all right, Princess?’

‘I’m fine. Yes. Well—’

‘What?’

‘I feel a bit sick. I need a cup of tea.’

‘That’d be nice. Make one for me while you’re about it, would you?’

‘Nick! I thought you might get it. Just for once.’

‘OK.’ He sighed. ‘OK. Just give me a minute or two. Do I get a reward for it?’

‘If you mean what I think you mean,’ said Izzie, kissing him again, ‘you might. Providing I feel better.’

‘You’re a hard woman, Miss Brooke.’

‘I know.’

‘Very hard.’

‘Well – you knew that when you took me on. Please, Nick. And could you bring me some water as well. I’m really thirsty.’

‘Anything else? Cookie, peanut-jelly sandwich?’

She shuddered.

‘No thanks.’

Five minutes later Nick reappeared with the tea. Izzie took a gulp of it, stared at him for a moment and then fled to the bathroom. She came back looking rather green.

‘Sorry. It must have been that salmon mousse of Venetia’s last night. I thought it was very rich. I’ll be all right in a minute.’

‘No reward then?’

‘No reward, sorry. But I do feel better. Maybe later. Let’s go back to sleep.’

‘Tell you what,’ said the policeman.

‘What?’ said Jenna warily.

‘I’ll come with you. To the Savoy. See you safely in. See you right up to your stepfather’s room.’

‘Oh, but—’

‘It’s either that, or I take you to the police station, get you sent back to your folks. Or your friends, or whatever they are.’

‘All right,’ she said with a sigh, ‘thank you. Thank you very much.’

‘Good morning,’ Elspeth smiled at the nurse; she did not smile back. She was very young and carrying a jug of water and a bedpan; she looked harassed.

‘You shouldn’t be up here,’ was all she said.

‘Shouldn’t I? I’ve just been told my husband’s here. He was brought in last night, after a motorbike accident, I’ve only just heard, couldn’t I see him, just for a moment?’

‘Would that be Mr Brown?’

‘Yes. Yes that’s right.’

‘I really can’t allow that, I’m afraid.’

‘Oh please! Please, please. I don’t even know what happened, just that he was hit by a motorbike.’

‘Well, I can tell you that. He’s got a fractured femur—’

‘What’s that?’

‘Thigh bone.’

‘Oh my God.’

‘Yes, quite nasty. He had to have it set in theatre. And he’s got a broken wrist as well, and a few cuts and bruises. But he’s fine. Nothing to worry about. You can come back and see him at visiting time, I’ll tell him you were here.’

‘When’s that?’

‘Six o’clock.’

‘Six! What, this evening? But that’s nearly twelve hours away.’

‘I know that,’ said the nurse patiently, ‘but those are the rules. I’m sorry. I’ll tell him you came, shall I? Now—’

‘Nurse Hall! Quickly please. Mr Jackson needs that bedpan urgently.’

‘Yes, Sister.’

Nurse Hall flashed Elspeth an apologetic smile and moved off for the delights of Mr Jackson and his bedpan.

Elspeth could hear what must be official footsteps approaching along the corridor; she looked wildly round, saw a sign that said ‘Gents’ and shot into it. An elderly man in pyjamas sat in one of the open cubicles, smoking. He whipped the cigarette behind his back.

‘You a nurse?’ he said anxiously.

‘No,’ said Elspeth, ‘don’t worry, I won’t tell. Er – are you on Men’s Surgical?’

‘Yes. That’s right.’

‘My husband came in last night. He’s called Keir Brown. He’s quite – young. Broken leg. Do you know him?’

‘Oh yes. Nice young chap. Lost his temper with Sister, though, when she wouldn’t let him have a cup of tea soon as he came round. Not a good idea.’

‘That sounds like Keir. Well – where is he? In the ward, I mean?’

‘Oh – by the window. Right-hand side. You going in?’

‘Yes.’

‘Well, you’d better watch it. Sister’ll have you in terrible trouble. Take you to Matron, I wouldn’t wonder.’

‘I think I can handle that,’ said Elspeth. She opened the door again, slipped out and looked into the ward. By the bed, which she now knew contained Keir, stood a doctor and someone who was clearly Sister; she ducked back quickly into the Gents.

‘Not quite the right time,’ she said. ‘Could I possibly have one of your ciggies? I’ll bring you in a whole pack this evening.’

Charlie tried to cancel the breakfast, but they said it was too late, it was already on its way. Well – he could use a coffee at least. And they weren’t really likely to try and arrest him or anything. In fact, it was extremely unlikely. He held too many of the cards.

There was a knock at the door. Another lurch of the stomach; he opened it slowly. He was beginning to feel very nervous. The waiter trundled in the trolley, started removing the lids of salvers as if he was doing conjuring tricks, revealing sausages, bacon, eggs; and then there were small rolls of butter, toast, fruit juice, marmalade.

It was a terrible temptation, but – it would all take time. He should never have told Jenna where he was last night—

He signed for the breakfast, seized a couple of the pieces of toast and made a bacon sandwich, took a gulp of coffee and picked up the leather bag. He wanted to get out of here. Fast.

‘Well, where is she, for heaven’s sake?’ said Venetia. ‘She can’t have just vanished in the middle of the night.’

Since this was exactly what had happened, Cathy felt rather irritated.

‘I don’t know,’ she said again.

‘Does anyone know?’

Cathy shrugged. ‘I don’t know, I haven’t seen anyone else, have I? Why don’t you ask them?’

She was a lot less sweet when her father wasn’t around.

Venetia glared at her and slammed the door, went along the corridor, knocking on doors. Where was Jenna, did anyone know, had anyone any idea? No, she wasn’t downstairs, yes, she might have gone for a walk, but surely not at six-thirty in the morning and without leaving a note, yes, she was sure there was no note.

She went downstairs to tell Boy; he said they should maybe give it another thirty minutes and then phone the police. He was just picking up the phone to do so when Lucas appeared.

‘I think she might have gone to the Savoy,’ he said.

They had pulled the curtains round the bed; she slipped in, looked at him. He was lying on his back, his eyes closed, frowning. He looked terrible. His face was bruised, there was a cut on his forehead, his left arm was encased in plaster up to the elbow, his leg was in some kind of pulley arrangement, attached to the bed.

She sat down very gingerly on the edge of the bed; he frowned more ferociously, turned his head away from her. ‘I will not take that disgusting stuff,’ he said, ‘I want something for the pain and I want some tea. It’s not a lot to ask. I—’

‘It’s the way you ask it, though, Keir,’ said Elspeth, ‘that’s what makes the difference, don’t you think?’

He opened his eyes, saw her, frowned, clearly trying to focus, to establish whether she was really there or if he was hallucinating. She smiled at him, picked up the good hand, and kissed it, then leaned over him and kissed him very tenderly on the lips. And then sat back smiling at him. He continued to frown.

‘We don’t have long,’ she said, ‘so before I get thrown out by Sister, I want to tell you two things. I love you. And I’m very sorry.’

‘My God,’ he said slowly. ‘Oh, Elspeth, if you only knew—’

‘I don’t want to know,’ she said, ‘anything at all. It’s all irrelevant. Except this.’ And she kissed him again, felt his mouth move under hers, felt a great surge of love, and – rather surprisingly, under the circumstances – of longing. Well, that would have to wait awhile.

‘I love you,’ she said again.

The curtains were whisked aside. An outraged Sister stood there. Anyone studying her expression would have assumed she had caught them
in flagrante
, at the very least.

‘What is going on here?’ she said. ‘How dare you come into this ward, out of visiting hours, interfering with routine and important medical procedure. This is a seriously ill patient. I must ask you to leave at once. At once.’

The seriously ill patient spoke.

‘She’s just going,’ he said. ‘It’s all right. But I have to tell her something first. Two things. And then I’ll take that disgusting muck of yours. I love her too. Very, very much. And I’m very sorry too.’

It was only a hunch, Lucas said, but suddenly last night she’d asked him where the Savoy was, how far away and was it too far to walk. She’d seemed a bit agitated, he said, but once she’d looked out at the fog again, seen that there wasn’t even a single car or taxi on the street, she’d calmed down.

‘I’ll ring them,’ said Boy, ‘see if Mr Patterson’s there. If he is, we’d better get over fast. God knows what he might be up to now.’

He had paid the bill, was standing in the courtyard, waiting for the doorman to get him a taxi. It might take a bit of time, the doorman said, there still weren’t many around.

And then he saw the policeman. Turning into the Savoy courtyard. Walking rather purposefully.

‘Shit,’ said Charlie, ‘oh shit.’

And because there seemed nowhere else to go, he turned back into the hotel and headed for the cloakrooms.

He had been in there for about ten minutes, wondering how long it might be before he could risk going out again, when another man came in; a man who had been in the restaurant the previous night.

‘Great goings-on out there,’ he said to Charlie, ‘policeman, asking all sorts of questions, staff running about hither and thither, looking for someone. And a young girl crying. Crying her eyes out.’

‘What – what does she look like? The girl?’

‘Oh, pretty litttle thing. Sixteen or so, I’d say. Got red hair.’

Charlie hesitated: only for a moment. Then he walked out of the cloakroom, and up the steps into the main reception area. Jenna saw him and stopped crying, absolutely and at once. She went up to him and put her arms around him.

‘Hallo, Charlie,’ she said, ‘thank goodness you’re here. I’m
so
pleased to see you.’

‘You OK now, Princess?’

‘I’m fine. Yes. Thank you.’

‘Good. Mike, we’ll see you later. Got any plans for the morning?’

‘I thought I’d go for a walk on Hampstead Heath. Now the fog’s gone. I hear it’s really lovely.’

‘Great idea. If you see a stork, have a word with it for me, would you? I’d still kind of prefer it their way.’

‘Sure,’ said Mike.

Sebastian walked slowly up the road towards his house; he felt very tired suddenly. And rather alone. Very alone, in fact. God, he was going to miss her. Miss them all.

There was a house for sale, just two down from his own; it had been for sale for some time. It was very pretty and exactly like his own, only with a bigger garden. There was a man outside it, hammering an ‘Under Offer’ sign over the ‘For Sale’ sign. He supposed it had been bought by some young family. He hoped they would be nice: and friendly. He had no sooner had the thought than he realised he had never in his entire life taken any interest whatsoever in his neighbours, and certainly not to hope they’d be friendly. Rather the reverse.