Nicola Upson - Angel with Two Faces

‘So he did run away – but why now?’

‘You know he was in the churchyard on Sunday night?’

‘Yes.’

‘So was Harry. Christopher saw him come out of the church and go off into the woods.’

‘Good God – I’m not surprised he decided to disappear, then. He must have known how Harry would react to finding out that his little sister was pregnant. But surely this is good news for Loveday?’

‘What? That Christopher deserted her? There’s not much comfort in that. I can’t help thinking that Christopher could have saved everyone a lot of heartache if he’d been just a little bit braver.’

‘Oh Archie, he’s young – you can’t blame him for that. And let’s face it – being brave might have got him killed. Who knows what sort of state Harry was in? At least this way he’s still around to make it up to Loveday.’

‘Not exactly. From what the sergeant who questioned him told me, he’s got no desire to hurry back home. I think Harry Pinching unwittingly gave Christopher a taste of freedom. Falmouth’s hardly the other side of the world, but it must feel like it to someone who’s never been away from the Loe estate. And that will be such a blow for Loveday on top of everything else.’

‘She’s stronger than we think, though,’ Josephine said after a moment’s consideration. ‘And this could be the making of Christopher. There may still be a time for them to be together, but, if there is, I’ve no doubt it will be on her terms. If anyone’s going to be destroyed by Christopher’s new life, it’ll be Jago rather than Loveday.’

‘I know. And he blames himself, of course. I spoke to him earlier, and he’s torn between relief and regret. If he hadn’t been so set against Christopher and Loveday, things might have been very different – but he was making too many assumptions.’

‘Do you think he’ll ever tell Caplin or Christopher the truth?’

‘I’ve no idea, and that’s between them now. I feel I’ve interfered enough in the lives of people here.’ He spoke drily but it did not quite mask the tiredness and sense of regret in his voice, and Josephine wondered again how difficult he would find it to get over what had happened; unlike Loveday, Archie did not have the resilience of youth on his side. ‘Anyway, I’ve let William know about Christopher and he’s going to tell Loveday in the morning,’ he continued. ‘She’s sleeping now and she needs to rest.’ He paused for a moment and Josephine heard someone else in the room with him; when he spoke again, the vulnerability had vanished. ‘Sorry – I’ve got to go. I’ll see you later if you’re still awake – if not, we can talk in the morning.’

Josephine left the hall lamp on and went back upstairs. Determined to be awake when Archie finally got home, she settled down in a chair to read. When a faint smell of smoke drifted in through the open window, she thought at first that it was her imagination, the result of a traumatic day which still weighed heavily on her mind, but it only took a second or two to convince her that she was not mistaken. Please God, not more tragedy, she thought, hurrying over to the window, but the blaze was real enough. There was a circle of flames a few yards in front of her, floating on the water, and she realised that someone must have set light to the barge, creating a parody of the ceremony which was supposed to have taken place that night. In the glow from the fire, she could just make out that the figure standing by the boathouse was Morveth Wearne.

Quickly, Josephine pulled on a coat and went downstairs. As she walked across the gravel and down to the edge of the lake, Morveth turned to greet her. ‘Hasn’t there been enough destruction for one day?’ Josephine asked. ‘What exactly is this supposed to achieve?’

‘A fresh start,’ Morveth said simply. ‘Sometimes things have to be destroyed to begin again. Morwenna knew what she was doing when she set that fire.’

‘Of course she did. She wanted to obliterate everything, just like Harry did eight years ago. But that was about the past, not the future, so don’t try to give it a meaning which it could never have.’

‘There’s a meaning in everything, if you look hard enough,’ the older woman replied, still staring into the flames.

Josephine looked down on to the barge. The fire had not yet taken hold of the collection of objects which were piled up in the bottom of the boat and she recognised some of the photographs and trinkets from Morveth’s sitting room, as well as a bridle, and some clothing that might well have belonged to Morwenna. Clearly, this strange act of atonement held some meaning for Morveth as she struggled to come to terms with her own part in the tragedy, but Josephine remained unconvinced. ‘Tell that to Loveday while she’s trying to cope with losing the rest of her family,’ she said.

‘So what will your story be to get her through this?’ Morveth asked, her voice barely louder than a whisper. ‘First we die and then we rot?’

‘Of course not,’ Josephine said angrily. ‘But filling her head full of false hope is hardly going to help her in the long run. She needs to understand that there are no second chances – that way, she’ll make the most of the one life she has got.’

‘There are second chances if you’re willing to search for them,’ Morveth insisted, more to herself than to Josephine. ‘There have to be. Otherwise, how could you ever go on?’ Bending down, she took the rope from one of the poles on the landing stage and threw it into the water. The barge floated slowly out across the lake. ‘I’m not going to argue with you, Josephine,’ Morveth said. ‘You must believe whatever brings you comfort.’

She walked slowly away. Unsettled, Josephine watched her go, staring into the darkness long after the figure was out of sight. She looked back at the Lodge. It might be hours before Archie got back, and she was reluctant to return to the silence; unusually for her, she felt in need of company. William and the girls would probably still be up, so she left a note on the kitchen table and set off to Loe House. Several lights were still on, as she had guessed they would be, but she was surprised to see the soft glow of a lamp coming from the stables as well. Who would be there at this time of night? she wondered. Perhaps one of the horses was ill. Curious, she decided to stop there first and went quietly over to the door. At first, she thought there was no one there; then she saw Loveday, curled up on a pile of straw by Shilling’s stall. The girl glanced up, and smiled with relief when she saw who it was.

‘Loveday, what on earth are you doing here?’ Josephine asked, going over to her. ‘You should be tucked up in bed.’

‘I know, but I wanted to see Shilling so I pretended to be asleep and then slipped out. Mr Motley’s very trusting.’ She grinned, and Josephine had to admire her spirit. ‘That’s all right, isn’t it?’

‘I suppose so, but only for a bit. Shilling needs his rest, and so do you.’ She sat down on the straw next to Loveday, and put her arm around the girl’s small shoulders. ‘But as you’re here, I’ve got some good news for you. The police have found Christopher, and he’s absolutely fine.’ Loveday hugged Josephine in delight; when she eventually pulled away, Josephine was both touched and concerned to see the joy in her eyes. ‘He’s not coming home straight away, though,’ she said, anxious not to give the girl false hope. ‘I’m sure you’ll be able to see him when you’re better, but you’ll have to be patient. You’ve both been through so much.’

‘That’s all right – I’m used to being patient with Christopher,’ Loveday said. ‘But Morveth was right – she said I shouldn’t give up hope.’