Man of the Trees (18 page)

‘No—why?’

‘He—he came in this morning with the D.O. Then Ross wanted to see you.’

Gareth’s eyes narrowed. ‘I see. There was some talk last night of arson. I suppose Hamilton is looking for somebody to blame—that’s it, is it? And I’m the first person he thinks of. Well, he might find the tables turned on himself.’

Ruth felt herself go deadly cold. ‘Gareth, why do you say that? Has Jill told you anything?’

‘What should Jill have told me? Do you know something about all this?’

She shook her head vigorously, but the fear in her eyes gave her away.

Gareth took her by the shoulders. ‘You do know something, don’t you? What were you looking for last night? Did you see some incriminating evidence you wanted no one else to see?’

She stared at him. ‘What makes you say that? Gareth—oh, Gareth, tell me it wasn’t you, tell me it wasn’t you who took Ross’s pipe and then—’

She waited breathlessly for his denial, but instead saw his gaze shift.

He stood up and his eyes were blazing with dislike. ‘No, but I know who did.’

‘Oh, do you?’ It was Ross’s voice, cold as ice. He stood in the doorway and looked from one to the other, his face dark. ‘There’s been a nice little conspiracy going on here, hasn’t there? A clever idea, having a team. That way, it makes it difficult to pin anything down to any particular person.’

Ruth stared at him, horrified at the implication of what he was saying. ‘Ross, I swear to you—’

‘Don’t bother,’ he ground out, fixing his steely gaze on Gareth. ‘I should have known. You wanted my job and all that went with it, including this house, including Ruth. Well, you’re welcome!’

Gareth moved swiftly and Ruth thought he was going to strike Ross.

‘You’re darned right I did. But I’m a Forester, just the same as you are, and if there’s one thing I don’t stoop to it’s burning down trees. Sure, I knew something of what was going on, but you don’t have all the answers by a long chalk. I was in the Club when both those fires started, Ruth will testify to that—and she doesn’t lie. You were somewhere with Linda. Did you go for a walk in the Inclosure and have a quiet smoke?’

Ross went white. His glance flicked to Ruth, then back to Gareth. ‘Come outside and repeat that,’ he ground out.

But as they had been speaking the telephone rang, and before Gareth could take up the challenge from Ross, Jill called up the stairs.

‘Ross, it’s for you. The D.O.’

He left the room without another word. Ruth felt drained and exhausted. From what Ross had said, he believed there had been a conspiracy and that she was a part of it. Suddenly, it was all more than she could bear. Not only did Ross not love her, he thought her capable of doing him actual harm.

‘Oh, God, I wish I’d died when Father did!’ she burst out distractedly, her whole body shaking with uncontrollable sobs.

‘Ruthie—darling, what the hell—’ Gareth rushed to her side and put his arms around her. ‘Don’t upset yourself about it all, don’t, please. What the hell does it matter who was responsible? It’s
done
now, and as far as I’m concerned, if Hamilton likes to leave because of it, that will suit me fine.’

‘I’m sure it will,’ came Ross’s voice harshly from the doorway.

Ruth tried to extricate herself from Gareth’s arms, but he kept a tight hold on her, simply turning his head to look at Ross.

‘Ruth—’ he said in a cold, hard voice, ‘if you’re fit enough I’d like you to leave. Don’t be here when I come back. Don’t ever come back. I’ll have your things sent on to you to the new house until you make other arrangements. As to you, Williams,’ he said to Gareth, ‘When you’ve finished here the D.O. wants to see you in the office.’

He went out, and a few seconds later came the sound of his car starting up.

Waves of utter despair washed over Ruth. He never wanted to see her again. The thought went round and round in her tortured brain. How was she going to live without him.

‘Blast the man!’ she heard Gareth say. ‘I wish to goodness he’d never come here. I hate to leave you like this, darling, but Jill will look after you. Go home with her and stay with us for a few days.’

He kissed her and was gone before she could ask him who it was who had taken Ross’s pipe. She tried to think. Who else, apart from himself, had had the opportunity of taking it from the ashtray downstairs? She drew a swift breath. Linda. The only other person was Linda—apart from Jill. But neither made sense. Jill wouldn’t do a thing like that. Neither would Linda. She was going to marry Ross. Only one thing made any sense. Ross wanted her out of here. He never wanted to see her again.

She was in the act of getting out of bed when Jill came upstairs.

‘And where do you think you’re going?’ Jill asked.

‘I’m getting up.’

‘Oh no, you’re not. You look terrible. Stay where you are for a bit.’

‘I can’t. Ross told me he wants me out of the house. He never wants to see me again.’

‘What? Nonsense, you’re overwrought and he’s upset. I heard an argument. What was it about?’

Glad to talk, Ruth poured it all out, including the way she felt about Ross.

‘I must get away, Jill, I must. I must get away from the New Forest altogether if he’s going to marry Linda. I—I just simply couldn’t bear it. In any case, for the time being I must go back to Mrs. Smith’s.’

Jill shook her head. ‘Look, sweetie, you’re in no fit state to go anywhere for an hour or two at least. Ross won’t be back until evening, anyway. I’ve got some shopping to do. Suppose you get back into bed and try to sleep, and when I come back we can collect a few more of your things and you can come and stay with us for a few days. And this time I’m listening to no arguments.’

For once, Ruth made no resistance. She was feeling exhausted, and unable to think clearly any more, unable to shed any more tears, aware only of a sense of desolation.

Whether she had dozed off for a moment or two she did not know, but after a little while she heard the back door open and close and footsteps on the stairs. Jill returning from shopping, of course. But her heart seemed to leap into her throat as Ross walked into the room, his face dark.

‘Ross, I’m sorry,’ she began breathlessly, ‘but Jill—’

He came slowly towards the side of the big four-poster bed in which she was lying.

‘You have nothing to be sorry for,’ he said in a low voice. ‘The apologies are all mine.’

She stared at him wide-eyed, wishing she could stem her wildly beating heart. He sat on the bed and she panicked in case he should touch her.

‘It’s—all right,’ she told him. ‘I’m going as soon as Jill comes back.’

He gave her a long look, and there was something in his eyes she could not fathom.

‘I’ve been to see Linda,’ he told her.

‘Yes, I—I expect she’s worried about the fire and everything.’

‘She’s worried all right,’ he answered. ‘And so is her friend Jason.’

‘Jason?’ she repeated in bewilderment.

Ross nodded. ‘She paid him well.’

‘But—but I don’t understand.’

‘And you probably never will fully. Some people just simply can’t bear not getting what they want. Men like Gareth, women like Linda. You know the saying: “Hell hath no fury—” Linda wanted me, but I didn’t want Linda. She paid Jason to cause trouble.’

‘Like—opening gates, marking the wrong trees, putting vaporising oil in tins of white spirit?’ Ruth asked, her voice scarcely above a whisper, her senses reeling.

‘That’s right. And finally creating a diversion by giving a false alarm, followed by a real fire in the hope that yours truly would get the blame. It was she who took my pipe, Jason who placed it where he hoped it might be found.’

‘Then—then Gareth had nothing to do with it?’

‘Not with the fire, at any rate, but Linda tried to get him to help with the other things.’

‘And you thought that I, too—’

His hand reached out and grasped hers painfully. ‘I was driven half out of my mind in more ways than one—and I could have committed murder when I came up here and found you in his arms.’

She looked at him, bewildered. ‘But why, Ross? Why?’

‘Why?’ he repeated. He shook his head at her. ‘Just tell me one thing.
Do you love Gareth
?’

She shook her head, her wits scattered to the four winds. ‘No. No, I don’t. I—’

But she got no further. Suddenly his lips were on hers and he was kissing her like a man who has completely lost control. It almost frightened her, and ridiculously, she wanted to cry. He didn’t love her, he just wanted to kiss her. She wished he would stop. She could feel her own control rapidly breaking. Ross bent over her, both his arms about her, and one thought stood out above all others in the confusion of her mind. She wanted to be held like this for ever. She closed her eyes, savouring the feel of his arms, his kisses, strong and passionate on hers. Then suddenly her own control broke and she was kissing him madly, longing for him with every emotion she possessed. His hands slipped into the opening of her kimono and felt her bare arms. His touch was exquisite and she wanted him to tear the garment off her shoulders.

Then suddenly, as if coming to his. senses, he withdrew his hands swiftly. Ruth could feel him trembling and his face was taut as he struggled for control.

‘Ruth, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that. Forgive me—please—please.’

For a moment she did not know what to say. Why was he apologising? Was he regretting having kissed her?

He stood up. ‘I’d better go. Perhaps we can talk about things some other time. Stay until you feel better. I—I didn’t mean what I said this morning.’

But she simply could not let him go like this. She put out her hand to him.

‘Ross. Ross, come here. There are one or two things I want to ask you, too.’

He approached the bed again, but made no attempt to sit on it. She took his hand and patted the place where he had sat before.

‘Please, Ross.’ He sat down but withdrew his hand, and her heart sank. It was her love for him which gave her courage. ‘Ross, tell me. Why did you ask about my feelings for Gareth, and why did you kiss me like that?’

He stared at her blankly. ‘For heaven’s sake, surely you know?’

‘How should I? And what is it I’m supposed to know?’

He gripped her shoulders until they hurt. ‘Because I damn well love you, that’s why!’ he almost shouted.

Joy and laughter bubbled up inside her and burst out in laughter. He shook her violently and kissed her hard, his teeth biting into her lip.

‘So you think it’s funny, do you?’ he demanded.

Tears of laughter and happiness in her eyes, she shook her head. ‘It’s not funny. It’s not funny at all. I don’t know what’s the matter with you, Ross Hamilton. If you weren’t so blind, you’d know that I love you, too.’

He stared at her. ‘Say that again.’

‘I love you, love you, love you, you great big stupid man. I’ve loved you for goodness knows how long, but I thought you were going to marry Linda. You as good as said so that first night at the Club.’

He frowned and looked at her as though she’s taken leave of her senses.

‘My dear girl, I’ve loved you from the moment I first saw you leaning against that tree, and ever since then you’ve been fighting me.’

She gazed at him in wonder, her happiness so great she could scarcely speak. She put her hands on his cheeks as she had so often longed to do.

‘Oh, darling Ross. I had to fight you. I think I knew all along that I loved you.’

The intensity of his gaze as his eyes looked into hers almost frightened her. She could feel him trembling as he brought down his lips gently on hers.

‘Ruth, I must go, and I don’t want to see you any way except fully dressed until we’re married. I couldn’t trust myself. Leave all your things here. Just stay with Mrs. Smith until I get that marriage licence—and believe me, I shall lose no time.’

And with that he got up slowly from the bed and left her.