Beach Combing (6 page)

Chapter Thirteen

It was the last week of August but it felt more like November. The rain had been falling steadily for days and Oxford was grey and miserable.

Lara
and Alfie had been in the city of dreaming spires for nearly a week now. Filming had started on
Henry
, Jago’s new movie about the early life of Henry VIII, so he had booked the top floor of a pretty boutique hotel on the High, the long street running between Carfax and Magdalen Bridge. Alfie had kicked up a huge fuss about leaving Cornwall but Jago put his foot down and said he had to come.

Lara
didn’t have any choice in the matter at all, but deep down she was on Alfie’s side. At St Grace, the little boy had the beach and the sea and the whole of The Captain’s House to run around in whereas in Oxford he was cooped up like a caged tiger. At least Lara knew Oxford well – she’d grown up thirty miles away after all – so she took him to her favourite childhood haunts. They’d walked through University Parks in the rain, played Pooh Sticks on Magdalen Bridge and had a go at punting on the river.

But
Lara missed the freedom of Cornwall, and she was certain that Alfie did too. They hadn’t even seen much of Jago because he left for the film set at dawn and didn’t return till Alfie was tucked up in bed at night.

Today
was different though. Sensing that Alfie wasn’t as enamoured of Oxford as he’d expected, Jago had fixed for them to visit him on location. Actually, Alfie had visited loads of Jago’s film sets so he wasn’t bothered about the expedition. Lara, however, was beside herself with excitement.

At
six am a gleaming silver Mercedes with blacked out windows drew up outside the hotel, then whisked them through the sleeping streets of Oxford. They headed out through Summertown and north to Blenheim Palace, where the actors were filming. It was only as the driver signalled left and drove through Blenheim’s imposing gates that Alfie finally sat up and paid attention.

‘That’s
the biggest house I’ve ever seen,’ he announced when he caught sight of the huge mansion at the top of the drive.

‘I’m
afraid we won’t be going inside,’ said Jago. ‘We’re shooting outside today. But there are acres of parkland to run around in and Lara will take you to the maze. Just make sure the pair of you don’t get lost.’

First
stop was Jago’s trailer, which was parked under an old chestnut tree a couple of hundred yards from the set. To Lara’s surprise it was far bigger than her London flat and, equipped with a sofa-bed, kitchen, bathroom and flatscreen TV, a million times more luxurious.

‘I’ve
got to go straight into hair and make-up,’ said Jago, yawning lazily. ‘But you two should go and get something to eat. You can get breakfast in the marquee over there, Lara. Alfie knows the ropes.’

Lara
and
Jago
Alfie
ran
through the rain and dived into the warmth of the marquee. Inside, the tent looked more like a stylish Shoreditch café than a makeshift canteen. At one end a couple of chefs were serving bacon and eggs, croissants and coffee while at the other actors and crew tucked into their breakfast at long wooden tables.

Alfie
was overcome with giggles when he spotted what some of the actors were wearing, especially the men in doublet and hose.

‘They
look funny,’ he told Lara at the top of his voice.

‘Ssssh,
they might be upset. And I’ve got a feeling that your dad will be wearing something like that too, so don’t laugh at him.’

They
helped themselves to croissants and fresh orange juice and then found a bench in the middle of the marquee.

Lara
was about to take a bite of her croissant when she heard someone calling her name.

She
put her hand to her mouth to stifle her amusement. It was Ollie, but he looked completely different from when she’d last seen him. His face, so bronzed in Cornwall, was caked in white foundation and his fair hair had been dyed brown. As for his outfit, it was extraordinary. Ollie wore a padded burgundy jacket with gold brocade piping, voluminous knee-length breeches and a white ruff around his neck.

‘Oh
my God, Ollie,’ giggled Lara. ‘I nearly didn’t recognise you. I don’t think you’d get away with that outfit in St Grace.’

Ollie
did a mock bow and then twirled on his heel to show off the full ensemble.

‘Like
it?’ he demanded.

Lara
tried to keep a straight face. ‘It’s original, I’ll give you that. But what are you doing here?’

‘I’ve
had a career change,’ said Ollie, a hint of pride in his voice. ‘Do you remember Francesca? Her dad is Jago Dunlop’s agent.’

Lara
nodded. ‘Of course. I met her at Jago’s party. Just before we left Cornwall.’

‘Well
, Francesca told me that her dad was on at Jago to get her a part in his new film. So the next morning I texted her and asked her about it. I think Jago had been fobbing her dad off but Bertie Brown’s a persistent bugger and the upshot was that the casting director agreed to see Francesca in London. To cut a long story short, I persuaded Francesca to let me go with her. And guess what?’

‘What?’
asked Lara.

‘Francesca
only got a part as an extra. But the casting director took one look at me and said I’d be perfect as one of Henry VIII’s servants.’

‘So
you got the part?’

‘Yeah.
I still can’t believe my luck. I’ve only got a couple of lines and they might end up on the cutting room floor – but, well, it’s a start, isn’t it? Actually, Francesca was a bit pissed off but we’ve been seeing each other on and off… and I think she’s forgiven me.’

Lara
was struggling to take all this in. It was hard to believe that the laid back surfing instructor she’d met in Cornwall had metamorphosed into an actor.

‘And
what about your business? What’s happened to the surf shack?’

Ollie
shrugged his shoulders. ‘What about it? My brother’s running it for the next few weeks – and after that, who knows what will happen?’

Alfie
took a noisy slurp of his orange juice and stared at Ollie.

‘You
look like my friend Ed,’ he announced. ‘Ed is La-wa’s friend too.’

‘Yeah,
I do,’ agreed Ollie. ‘And do you know why?’

‘Why?’
repeated Alfie.

‘Because
he’s my big brother.’

Lara
did a double take. Of course… Why the hell hadn’t she seen the resemblance before? Ed was taller than Ollie and his hair was slightly darker, but now she thought about it they did look alike. No wonder they were at loggerheads the whole time. There was nothing like a bit of sibling rivalry to stir things up.

‘H…how
is Ed?’ asked Lara, trying to sound casual.

‘He’s
fine,’ said Ollie. ‘He’s doing a lot of surfing. And I think he’s got a new girlfriend as well, so everything’s tickety-boo as far as he’s concerned…’

Chapter Fourteen

Two months later…

The window was open a fraction and Lara could smell the sea the instant she woke up. While London smelled of traffic fumes, cheap perfume and burgers, Cornwall smelled fresh and clean and slightly salty. Lara jumped out of bed and drew back the faded floral curtains, beaming at the view over the rooftops to the sea. A lone seagull perched on the next chimney pot and a fishing trawler with peeling red paint chugged into the harbour.

Lara
had left the hustle and bustle of London behind the day before and arrived in St Ives at midnight. She was weary after the nine-hour coach ride but nothing, not even the cramp from being scrunched up in her seat for so long, could dampen her spirits at being back by the sea.

Her
friends had told her she was mad to come all this way ‘You can easily do your research in the library and on the internet,’ they’d said. But she’d been adamant. She needed to be in St Ives.

Lara spent the morning at the Tate taking copious notes about the St Ives artists. Then, with her arm aching and keen to get some sea air in her lungs, she bought a carton of coffee and wandered down to Porthmeor Beach.

The
town was less hectic and less crowded at this time of year, but she preferred it that way. Even though the sky was a glorious cornflower blue there was a chilly north wind and the sea was a riot of white horses. The beach itself was completely deserted – apart from a few surfers enjoying the rolling waves and a lone artist sketching on the promenade.

The
surfers reminded her of Ed and she wondered how he was. Immersed in his work and his new girlfriend, no doubt. She had met Ollie in London a couple of times but he was so full of his acting exploits that he hadn’t mentioned Ed at all – and Lara couldn’t bring herself to ask. To her amazement, and no doubt Bertie Brown’s too, Ollie’s unexpected career change had reaped dividends. His blond hair, good looks and sunny disposition had caught the eye of a model agency in Covent Garden and the last time she’d heard from him he was filming a TV ad for breakfast cereal.

All
of a sudden the wind intensified and Lara grabbed a woollen jumper from the depths of her bag.

As
she pulled the sweater over her head, appreciating its warmth, a shadow loomed in the sand in front of her. When she saw who it was her heart did a somersault of joy, then plummeted with regret.

It
was Ed – the person she most wanted to see in the world and also the person she least wanted to see. Worst of all, he was arm-in-arm with a stunning brunette.

‘Lara.
Why aren’t you in London?’

‘I…
I’m working on my university dissertation. I’ve been doing some research in St Ives.’

As
Lara got to her feet, Ed dropped the girl’s hand and gave Lara an awkward hug.

Lara
stood motionless, scared to hug him back in case she betrayed how she felt. His skin was ice-cold from the sea and he smelled faintly of lemon soap.

‘It’s
wonderful to see you, Lara. I thought… I thought I’d never…’

He
stopped in the middle of his sentence and turned to the girl next to him.

‘God,
how bloody rude of me. Lara, this is Kitty. She’s my…’

But
Lara cut him off in mid-flow. She knew exactly who Kitty was and she didn’t want to hear him say the words ‘… she’s my girlfriend.’

‘You…
you’re wearing a different wetsuit,’ she muttered, then checked herself crossly for sounding so crass.

‘Yeah,
I bought a new one.’

He
stared at Lara again, then back at Kitty. ‘Can I catch you later, sweetheart? I need to talk to Lara.’

‘Course,’
said Kitty, and with a little wave, ambled along the beach.

Lara
stared after her, green with envy. Kitty was tall and statuesque and gorgeous. If she looked that good in a wetsuit, thought Lara, she must look like a supermodel in everything else.

‘So
how are you, Lara?’

‘I’m
fine. You know, busy, busy, busy. I’m back at uni and it’s my final year, so I’ve got loads of work to do.’

She
was gabbling but it seemed safer to fill the space between them with words that didn’t matter.

‘And
how about Alfie. Do you see much of him?’

Lara’s
face softened at the thought of Alfie. It had been a real wrench saying goodbye at the end of the summer but at least she got the chance to babysit now and then.

‘He’s
good. Really good. His mum is back in London so he spends half his time with her and the other half with Jago. I miss him though…’

Her
voice trailed away miserably. It wasn’t until her summer job ended that she’d realised quite how fond she’d grown of the little boy. She’d never have imagined that a five-year-old could be such good company till she met Alfie.

Ed
couldn’t bear to see the sadness etched on her face. He stepped towards her and tenderly brushed a strand of her hair behind her ear.

‘Don’t,’
snapped Lara.

‘Why
not?’ said Ed. He was taken aback by her vehemence.

‘Because
it’s not fair. It’s not fair on me. And it’s not fair on Kitty either.’

A
bewildered look appeared on Ed’s face.

‘What
the hell has Kitty got to do with anything?’

‘For
God’s sake, Ed, don’t make out you haven’t got a clue what I’m talking about. She’s got everything to do with it.’

Ed
was starting to feel irritated but he forced himself to keep his temper.

‘Look,
Lara. You’re talking in riddles. If I’ve offended you in some way then I’m sorry. All I can say is that I’ve wanted to ring you a million times. I think you’re the most amazing girl I’ve ever met and if I could go back to that day we spent together on the beach at St Grace and start all over again I’d do it like a shot.’

Lara’s
heart was beating so fast now that she was sure Ed must be able to hear it.

‘But
now you’re with Kitty, so it’s too late.’

Ed
was so taken aback by her words that he burst out laughing.

‘Oh
Lara, I can’t believe what you just said. Don’t you know who Kitty is?’

‘Yes,’
said Lara sulkily. ‘She’s your girlfriend.’

Ed
threw back his head and laughed even more when he heard this.

‘What
is it about you, Lara? First you don’t realise that Ollie is my brother. And now you can’t believe that Kitty is my sister. The three of us are as alike as peas in a pod – same blue eyes, same nose, same olive skin. Can’t you see the resemblance?’

Lara
gaped at him in astonishment. ‘But she can’t be. She’s got brown hair. And Ollie told me you had a new girlfriend.’

‘Oh
for goodness sake, Lara. Ollie talks a load of bullshit. He probably saw me chatting to a girl at the Turtle one night, then put two and two together and made a hundred and three. I mean, I’m devoted to my brother – well I am most of the time – but he’s not the sharpest knife in the box.’

Lara
was trying to get her head round what Ed had just said.

‘And
why are you at the beach?’ she said suspiciously. ‘You told me you’re an art teacher. Why aren’t you at school? Or is that something else I’ve got the wrong end of the stick about?’

A
flicker of amusement appeared on Ed’s face.

‘What’s
the date, Lara?’

‘Er,
October the 29th.’

‘So
what does that mean? I would have thought you’d know, being a head’s daughter.’

‘Ex-head’s
daughter,’ said Lara, correcting him. ‘But I see what you mean. It’s half-term. That’s why you’re out surfing.’

‘Exactly,’
smiled Ed. ‘And now I’ve got a question for you.’

‘What?’

‘What do you think of this?’

Before
Lara could say anything he stepped towards her and took in his arms.

‘Tell
me what you think, you darling girl,’ he whispered into her hair.

‘This
is what I think,’ murmured Lara, kissing him on the mouth.

‘That’s
what I hoped you’d say,’ said Ed as they both came up for air. ‘And now can you tell me again?’