Peter could truthfully say that he was just as surprised as everyone else, and frankly he knew nothing. ‘We’ll all miss them. The choir, the embroidery group, the youth club . . . the church. They’re a great loss even though they’ve been here such a short time. I’m sorry I can’t help.’
It was only when he opened his post later that morning that he found himself to be the one in possession of the true facts. Well . . . almost the true facts. There was a letter for him from Ford and Mercedes, and enclosed was a cheque, which was made payable to him for . . . £10,000!
Dear Reverend,
You will be surprised to receive this letter and I am just as surprised to be having to write it. Mercedes and I have had to go to an unknown destination. Someone has found out where we live and they are hounding us night and day about the past, so we have to hide again. I can’t tell you details. Suffice to say it is to do with my previous occupation.
We are being continually pestered by threatening phone calls and mysterious anonymous letters with sly references to our past, and I need to get Merc away before she finally collapses under the strain. She is heartbroken and so am I. We wanted to stay in Turnham Malpas for ever but it is not to be.
We know we can trust you completely so the cheque is in your care for you to deal with as you see fit. First, Merc’s embroidery needs posting to us and it won’t be cheap to do that. Love and thanks to Evie for all her support and that of her class. They were all great chums for Merc, and she loved every one of them.
Secondly, I want two thousand pounds to go to the youth club to complete the programme of events we set in motion. I would have loved to have seen more of them, but it isn’t to be.
Thirdly, tell Craddock Fitch I hold no animosity towards him for what has happened. I honestly don’t think he intended things to go this far.
Fourthly, the rest of the money is for the church to be invested or used as best fits the situation at the moment, and I leave that entirely to your discretion.
I’m not particularly religious, but the hours I spent singing with the choir have been the most wonderful in all my life, and your understanding and compassion towards everyone has helped convince me I should do better in the future than I have in the past.
Glebe House will be sold as soon as possible. I sincerely hope that whoever lives in it will love it as we have, and live there longer than we have been able to.
Please let the embroidery group know that this week’s tip is Swindlerspride, 3.30, Sandown, Saturday. Thank you. Bless you and yours.
Sincerely,
Ford and Mercedes Barclay.
There was no address at the top of the letter but when Peter turned the last page over he found an address which was described by Ford as an ‘accommodation address’:
Frank Buchan, 29 Glyde Grove, Birmingham (no post code).
Peter rang Turnham House immediately to enquire if Mr Fitch was at home. He was, so he called out, ‘Dottie! I’m going up to see Mr Fitch. Bang the front door shut when you leave if I’m not back.’
‘Will do. What about lunch? Shall I make some for you?’
‘Yes, please. Thanks.’
On his way up the drive, Peter wondered what on earth Craddock had done to bring about the hurried departure of the Barclays. Was he truly instrumental in making them run, or was it simply an idea of Ford’s? For that matter, what the blazes had Ford done?
Seated comfortably in one of Craddock’s sumptuous leather chairs with the door firmly closed, Peter asked him outright what he had done.
Thinking Peter meant what he had done to make them disappear, Craddock told his part in the tale. ‘But, Peter, believe me, I have plans in hand for the destruction of this supposed golfing friend of mine. I had a lot of respect for Ford. He sized me up and told me what he thought of me. I’m not accustomed to that, and I had to admire him for it although he made the biggest gaffe by assuming Kate was my daughter, which annoyed me beyond belief.’ He grinned. ‘Was I mad! I raged about after they’d gone until Kate fell about laughing, and her laughing always makes me see sense.’
‘But what did
Ford
do to make them have to run away like this?’
‘Ah! Well, he was obviously involved in some sleight of hand to do with scrap metal. Very dodgy business, is scrap metal, difficult not to get caught up in theft and what-not. He made his fortune and retired quick to Turnham Malpas, but this so-called friend of mine began sniffing around. They’ve obviously panicked.’
‘He says he bears you no animosity at all; he believes you didn’t mean to ruin him.’
‘That’s generous of him. I didn’t mean it to go this far. Can I have his address?’
Peter shook his head. ‘No. If you wish to write to him you’ll have to give the letter to me and I’ll address it and post it for you. He’s given me two thousand pounds to complete the youth club’s planned activities, and almost eight thousand pounds for the church. Amazing generosity.’
Craddock toyed with his silver letter-opener for a moment and then said, ‘Tell him I’ve matched his contribution to the church, pound for pound.’ He snatched up a cheque book and wrote out the cheque there and then. ‘There we are. That decorating you want to press ahead with can be done now.’
‘You must understand I didn’t come begging.’
‘You never do. It would be beneath you. I give this cheque willingly. You see, I feel a little guilty that I influenced his decision to run. Kate almost scalped me for what I did and I can’t have that. I love her more than life itself. Daft thing for an old chap like me to be saying but I know it won’t go further than these four walls.’
Peter stood up and reached across Craddock’s impressive desk to shake his hand. ‘You’re a kinder man than you seem. Like me you’re very much in love and it’s a splendid state of affairs for a man to be in.’
With a wry smile on his thin, white face, Craddock replied, ‘Don’t you tell anyone. It wouldn’t do my image any good at all.’
The businessman was back, and Peter took his leave. The following day Craddock put a sealed envelope through the Rectory letterbox, to be forwarded to Ford at his secret address, and that night he told Kate what he had done.
‘Remember Ford and how angry I was about him thinking you were my daughter and that I was retired and living in rented property?’
Kate laughed. ‘Of course I do. I haven’t quite forgiven you even yet. Why do you ask me?’
‘I’ve done something about it. Written him a letter, today.’ He turned away and shook the ash from his cigar into the fire. ‘They’ve gone to a secret address known only to the Rector.’
‘Oh! Where?’
‘It wouldn’t be secret if we all knew, now would it?’ He grinned at her.
‘No, of course not. So what did you say in the letter? I hope it was full of apologies?’ Kate looked up at him from the rug where she was sitting beside her cats.
‘He’s forgiven me apparently, says I didn’t intentionally mean to hurt him and Merc by getting those damned scoundrels Nigel and Marcus to interrogate him and dig into his past.’
‘Peter told you that?’
‘Yes, it was in
his
letter.’
‘So what did you put in
your
letter?’
Craddock walked across to the windows, drew back the curtains and stood staring out at the dark sky, wondering if he truly deserved to be forgiven.
‘Well?’
‘Truth?’
‘Of course. What else?’
Craddock shuffled with embarrassment. Finally he muttered, ‘I’m buying his house for him, if he’ll let me.’
‘Buying Glebe House? Whatever for?’
‘Because I shall keep it for Ford and Merc so . . . when they want to come back they’ve somewhere of their own to go. I’ll rent it out in the meantime. Can’t have it standing idle not earning its keep, now can I? And what’s more, I’ve resigned my membership of the golf club. They’re a blasted lot of utter rogues there, and I’m having nothing more to do with them. Let’s face it - I never have enjoyed golf. Stupid game, really.’ Craddock turned to look at her at the moment she leapt to her feet. The cats scattered in shock at being so carelessly disturbed by their beloved owner, who apparently cared for nothing at that moment except Craddock Fitch.
‘Darling, I am thrilled. They were so right for the village, weren’t they?’
‘Rather more right than perhaps I shall ever be. I didn’t like the idea of them not being able to come back. Lovely people, and out of the same drawer as me, which was very pleasant.’ His arms slipped round Kate’s waist, and she kissed him and he kissed her.
‘All right now, Kate?’
‘Of course.’
Chapter 22
The next youth club outing was a weekend camping on the coast. There were ten of them, accompanied by Venetia and Kate, with Craddock in a nearby hotel as he couldn’t face the inconvenience of living in a tent. It proved to be a fantastic opportunity for Jake and Beth to get to know each other better, or so Beth imagined. What Jake didn’t know, until they were waiting for the minibus, was that Janey from Penny Fawcett had unexpectedly decided to go to even up the numbers - and that she was expecting to share a tent with Jake. Jake sat with Alex, feeling that was the easier though not the most exciting option.
At the campsite Beth and Janey paired up, as the others had come along with their own friends and it seemed the sensible option. Alex and Jake were left to share. Beth wasn’t at all sure that she liked the idea of sharing a two-person tent with someone she only knew by sight. But she decided to make the best of it and appeared positive and cheerful about the arrangements. The campsite had excellent shower blocks and Venetia had brought along some marvellous top-of-the-range cooking equipment. All they needed now was good weather.
They arrived on the Friday night and by the time the tents were set up and they’d been to the fish and chip shop for a takeaway supper, there was no time to go anywhere or do anything except sit round the campfire, competently organised by Jake and Alex, and talk and drink their cans of beer and soft drinks. They were well wrapped up, and it felt to be a wonderful evening, with a breeze blowing off the cliffs, a full moon and friends. They couldn’t ask for more.
Jake’s amorous intentions were binned now Janey was there. He’d had fantasies of wandering along the cliffs with Beth and finding a nice hollow out of the wind . . . but that was definitely off the agenda. In fact, he was in a situation so hot he couldn’t possibly have imagined it however hard he’d tried. He had his best girl’s brother in the same tent as himself, and his best girl was sharing with his ‘bit on the side’, as his mother would have said. She’d have laughed, would his mum, but he wasn’t laughing, not at all. It was frustration all the way. If Beth hadn’t been there . . . If Janey hadn’t been there . . . But they were and he’d have to spend a celibate weekend. Though he hadn’t intended to go the whole way with Beth. The Reverend’s wrath would be more than he could cope with. In any case, he was almost afraid to expect to go the whole way with her. She was so precious to him and nothing could be allowed to upset that state of affairs.
Alex crept into their tent and began getting ready for bed. God! Jake thought. Am I in a mess and it’s all my own doing. Damn Janey! Served him right really.
‘You know that Janey, do you, with her living in Penny Fawcett?’ Alex said.
Oh, hell. ‘Yes,’ Jake answered, cautiously. ‘Yes, I do vaguely. You’d best keep your hands off her, she’s dynamite.’
‘She looks hot stuff.’
Jake didn’t have a handy reply ready. ‘Yes, well, maybe you’re right. That’s what I meant actually. She is hot stuff.’
A torch shone at their tent door. ‘Venetia here. You two OK? Alex? Jake?’
They both answered, ‘Yes, thanks.’
‘Good. Sleep tight. Breakfast at eight-thirty. Departure for the boat trip at nine-thirty.’