An Ocean Apart (56 page)

“Okay.”

Jennifer came across and touched his arm. “Are you all right?”

He smiled. “Silly question.”

“Yeah, sorry.”

She reached up and gave him a kiss on the cheek, then, putting her arm through Sophie's, they walked together back out into the garden.

David picked up the telephone again and dialled the number for Inchelvie. It rang six times before finally being answered by a very faint, quavering little voice. “Hullo, Inchelvie?”

“Effie, it's David.”

“Oh, Mr. David, have you heard the awful news?”

“Yes, Effie, I have, and I'm coming straight home tonight with the children.”

“Oh, thank goodness! It's so awful, Mr. David. Your poor father!”

“I'm just so sorry I wasn't there.”

“Aye, but you'll be coming home now, Mr. David. That's the main thing.”

“Listen, Effie, I need your help. Do you think you can do something for me?”

“Certainly. Will I be needing a piece of paper and a pen?”

“Yes, I think you might.”

“If you could just hold the line a wee minute then.”

He waited until he heard her voice again.

“I'm ready, Mr. David.”

“Okay. I'll go slowly, but if you want to stop me at any time, just say so. First, I want you to go to the top drawer of my father's desk. In there, you will find a black book with the words ‘Glendurnich Telephone Numbers' written on it. Now, it has all the home telephone numbers of those who work in the distillery in it. Have you got that so far?”

“Yes, Mr. David.”

“Right, I want you to find the numbers for Dougie Masson and Archie McLachlan.”

“Dougie … Masson and Archie … McLachlan. Yes, I have that.”

“Well done. Now, our plane gets into Glasgow at seven-ten tomorrow morning. Ring Dougie Masson first and tell him the time of the plane, and then I want you to ask him to hire two cars from Gillespie's Garage in Grantown and to put it on my account. Have you got that?”

“Heavens, what a lot to write!”

David suddenly had a vision of the little housekeeper writing feverishly in her loopy writing.

“I know. I'm sorry, Effie, but you're the only one who can do this.”

“That's all right. I have it so far.”

“Next, get Dougie to ring Archie. They can arrange with each other for the cars to be picked up and I want them to meet us at Glasgow tomorrow.”

“Is that it, Mr. David?”

“That's it. Do you think you have that all?”

Effie went back through the list without fault.

“Well done. Just one final thing. I'm going to get Archie to bring the children straight back to Inchelvie, so they should be with you about mid-day. You will be there?”

“Yes, of course.”

“Thank you so much, Effie. I'll see you sometime tomorrow, then.”

“Very good, Mr. David.”

He put down the telephone and let out a deep sigh, then turned to start packing up his belongings in the little house that had come to mean so much to him.

The limousine had already arrived at Barker Lane by the time he got there, and he felt quite thankful to see that it was Dan himself who was going to be driving them. The children were milling around, all looking a little bewildered by what was happening. As he opened the door of the car, Dodie jumped out to welcome Benji and Charlie, who came rushing forward to meet David.

“Do you really have to go, David?” Benji asked in a soulful voice.

“Yes, I'm afraid so, Benji. Now, come on, you two can give Dan a hand to get my things into the car.”

As the two boys began to pull his suitcases out of the back seat, David walked over to the front door just as Jasmine and Jennifer came out.

“You got hold of Richard all right, then?”

“Yup,” Jennifer said, handing a child's haversack to Dan. “Everything's arranged.”

David nodded sadly. “Right. Well, I really think that we should just get straight off.”

“Benji and I are coming too,” Jennifer said quietly.

He looked at her, startled. “Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

David nodded. He bent down and scooped up Dodie, then walked over and handed her to Jasmine. “Jasmine, could you look after Dodie until this evening?”

“Of course.” She sighed deeply. “I was so sorry to hear about your father, David. I'll pray mighty strong for him. But I have to say I'm also real sad ‘bout you all goin'.”

David moved towards her and wrapped his arms around her ample shoulders, giving her a tight hug.

“Goodbye, my dear friend, and thank you for all you've done—for me and for my children.”

“I've done nothin' special.”

“Oh yes, you have. More than you can ever imagine. In a way, I feel I owe you my life.” He felt himself begin to choke up, and cleared his throat. “And look after Jennifer, won't you? You realize that she now knows all about Alex.”

Jasmine nodded. “Mm-mm. She told me.”

“Things will work out. I know they will.”

Jasmine grinned at him. “Yeah, sure they will—if you've had a part to play in it.”

David turned towards the limousine. “All right, everybody in the car!”

The children clambered in, Benji and Charlie letting out a loud exclamation of glee as they simultaneously discovered the television and the drinks icebox. David stood aside to allow Jennifer to get in before him. At that moment there was a sound of crunching gravel at the top of the drive, and a dark blue Mercedes came speeding down towards the house. Jennifer groaned audibly, one foot in the car, and watched it come to a halt beside them.

Alex opened the door and got out, flicking off his sun-glasses and sliding them into the top pocket of his shirt. Benji, on seeing who it was, let out a yell of joy, and pushing his way past Jennifer, ran over and threw his arms around his father's waist.

“Hi, Dad! We didn't know you were coming today, did we, Mom?”

Jennifer smiled at him and shook her head. Alex gave his son a kiss on the top of the head, then looked up at his wife.

“Where are you going?” He directed his question to her alone.

“To the airport. David is returning to Scotland.”

“And you're going too?” There was a hint of uncertainty in his voice.

“To see them off, yes.” She looked at David and smiled. “David, I don't think that you have had the pleasure yet of meeting my husband, Alex, have you?”

David walked over to Alex and held out his hand. “How do you do, Alex.”

Alex slowly took hold of the offered hand and shook it once. “Hi.”

“I really can't tell you how much I've enjoyed working here. It's the most wonderful place. You must be very proud of it.”

Alex looked at him and then at Jennifer.

“In fact, you must be very proud of everything you've got. I can say quite categorically that I have never before worked for such a wonderful family. So thank you.”

Alex smiled bemusedly in acknowledgement of the remark, then looked at Jennifer. “When will you be back?”

“This evening.”

Alex nodded. “Great. I'll see you then.”

She climbed into the car, and Benji dived his way in after her, shouting out a loud farewell to his father. David glanced over at Alex, and then at Jasmine, blowing her a final kiss before getting into the car himself.

There was little said on the way to the airport, primarily because Charlie and Benji spent most of the journey trying to get the television to work, the reception being so intermittent that they had to press their ears to the speaker in order to be able to hear anything at all. Consequently, whenever anybody tried to talk, they were met by a barrage of hushing noises. Jennifer did ask for further details about what had happened in Scotland, but rather than explain, David simply handed her his mother's now-battered fax and let her read it for herself.

They arrived at the airport exactly two hours before the flight was due to depart. Dan parked directly outside the terminal and found a luggage trolley before taking his leave of them, explaining in his deep Bronx growl to “Mr. Costawfin” that it would be better if he stayed with the car in case he was moved on.

They were lucky in finding a queue for the check-in desk that wasn't too long, and having rid themselves of their suitcases, made their way across the enormous hall to the Departures gate, Benji and Charlie finding enough time on the way to have their photograph taken together in a booth.

Sophie was the first to say goodbye to Jennifer, holding on to her as if her life depended on it, and thanking her over and over again for her time in Manhattan. Then Harriet gave her a kiss, and pulled out from the depths of her haversack a scrumpled-up drawing that she had discovered on the way there, and asked Jennifer if she would give it to Jasmine. Charlie's farewell was more formal, a solid handshake which nearly took Jennifer's arm out of her socket, before he returned to giggle hopelessly with Benji over one particular photograph in which they both had their tongues sticking out.

“It's just me, then,” David said, standing in front of Jennifer.

“Yeah, it's just you.” She folded her arms and glanced around the huge hall, not really looking at very much in particular. “I'm so sorry that you have to go back like this, David. I really hope your father will be all right.”

David smiled at her and nodded.

“Will you write or call?” she asked. “I mean, just to keep in touch?”

He looked down at his feet. “I don't know. Maybe it wouldn't be a very good idea for a while, you know, at least until things are settled down with Alex. Maybe next summer you both could bring Benji over for a visit…”

He hesitated, noticing that Jennifer had looked round at him, a pleading look in her eyes.

“Well, just one call,” she said, “so that I know that you all got back safely. That would be all right, wouldn't it?”

David nodded. “Of course.”

Jennifer took in a deep breath and shook her head. “I really feel shell-shocked! What the hell is
happening?
Everything in my life seems to have gone completely upside down in the past twenty-four hours.” Her eyes suddenly brimmed with tears, and she walked towards him and put her arms around his neck and pulled herself close in against him.

“David, I can't accept that I'll never see you again,” she whispered into his ear. “I can't believe that you won't be just there—in my garden—in my life, ever again.”

“What? Like a gnome?”

Jennifer laughed against his shoulder and he felt her tears wet on his neck.

“Yeah, Supergnome.” Her voice choked. “Super, Supergnome! Oh, David, I just don't know how we're all going to cope without you!”

David pushed her gently away from him. “You will.” He kissed her on both cheeks. “I know you will.”

He smiled and stood away from her, then turned to his children. “Right, you lot, time to make a move.”

Benji heard the words, and for the first time the realization of what was happening hit him. He ran up to David and held tight to his arm without speaking. David tilted back the boy's head to look at him.

“Listen, Benji, I want to see you in ten years' time either as lead guitarist for the most famous band in the world, or playing tennis on the Centre Court at Wimbledon; otherwise I'll think all my expert tuition has gone to waste. Okay?”

Benji nodded.

“Good boy. And you never know—we might get you and Charlie together sometime during the holidays.”

Benji's expression turned to one of excitement, and turning to look at Charlie, he gave him a conniving grin. David reached down and gave him a pat on his backside that guided him towards Jennifer. “Now, you look after your mother, and tell her not to work so hard!”

He glanced up at Jennifer and gave her a wink, then taking hold of Harriet's hand, he walked with his family through the automatic doors, turning just as they were shutting behind him, to catch his final, fleeting glimpse of the two people who had helped, more than any, to give him back his life.

Chapter
  
THIRTY-FOUR

“Oh, it's raining, Dad,” Charlie said in a depressed voice, his face pressed to the glass of the window, as the plane broke through the clouds to begin its final approach into Glasgow.

David stopped writing and leaned forward in his seat to look out the window past his son. “Yeah, well, it might not be at Inchelvie. It looks quite clear over there to the north.”

“But it never rained in Leesport.”

David smiled and reached out and ruffled his son's hair, then, flipping over the cover of his writing-pad, he slapped his hand down on it in a gesture of completion. That was it. It had taken him the whole flight to work it out, but that was it. He had every piece of the jigsaw now in place, every one of those seemingly unconnected events linked perfectly together, running in sequence from the time that he had been asked to go out to America by Duncan right up to the present day.

There was no doubt now that it had all been a setup, all meticulously planned to take full advantage of both his father's age and his own inability to cope with the situation. In retrospect, maybe they had left themselves wide open for such a thing to happen, either through complacency or inefficiency, but nevertheless, the way Duncan and Kirkpatrick's had acted was, quite simply, heinous. But he did know only too well that that was how big business was conducted, slithering its way just above the threshold of legality, and giving scant consideration either to personal damage or to the consequences resulting. And this was now all too bloody apparent, with his father lying so critically ill in hospital.

The plane thumped down onto the tarmac, and the engines screamed violently as the pilot engaged reverse thrust. Harriet, who was sitting in the aisle seat next to him, instinctively reached out and grabbed hold of his hand. He held on to hers tight, smiling to himself as he remembered the last time he had done just that with the little Glaswegian tyke on his way across to America. God, so long ago. But now he was back. He gritted his teeth as he thought about his prepared show-down with Duncan. Yeah, now he was truly
back,
in every bloody sense of the word!