‘It’s not you,’ Gabe said, his voice gentle once more. ‘It’s Phil. He’s not who he says he is. He’s Daisy’s ex-boyfriend Aaron who’s trying to pay her back for leaving him when he got a bit too…’ He tried to think what to say without frightening her. ‘Intense.’
‘Intense?’ she glared at him. ‘What’s that supposed to mean? He’s been caring and interested in what I’ve been doing, but that’s because he likes me. I wouldn’t call that intense.’
Gabe wished he didn’t have to go into detail about Daisy’s past, but needed Fi to listen and grasp what sort of guy she was getting herself involved with. He contemplated for a few seconds how much he should say next. ‘I don’t know what Daisy has told you about her reasons for leaving Devon, but they have a lot to do with Aaron.’
Fi narrowed her eyes. ‘You mean Phil. Go on.’
‘His real name is Aaron, whatever you choose to believe,’ he said, becoming exasperated at her determination not to take in what he was trying to tell her. ‘He and Daisy had known each other since they were teenagers but had been seeing each other as a couple. Daisy had been gaining more recognition for her paintings and eventually was given her own exhibition.’ He wished he didn’t have to go on and hoped that Daisy would understand why he was confiding so much in Fi.
‘Go on,’ she said, nibbling at one of her fingernails.
Relieved to finally have her full attention but not daring to go any further with Daisy’s story, he said, ‘Put it this way, he ended up becoming violent and did somethings that made it impossible for her to stay in her hometown. Her mother felt the same way and persuaded Daisy to leave without him knowing.’
‘Violent? What did he do?’ Fi frowned.
‘You’ll need to ask her, but he eventually made a spectacle of himself in front of a room full of others at an exhibition, not just in front of Daisy, so it isn’t just her word against his. I’m afraid you’re going to have to ask her the rest. It’s her story to tell and I think I’ve said enough. I just need you to listen to me and be warned about this guy.’
Fi sighed. ‘I suppose if you’ve been speaking to my brother about this then you really are concerned about me.’
He nodded. ‘I didn’t mean to go behind your back but I was worried that unless someone intervened you could get hurt.’
Fi nodded. Her shoulders drooped and she crossed her legs, resting her elbows on her knees. ‘If I’m perfectly honest I think I knew deep down that he was too good to be true, but didn’t want to hear it. I feel stupid for not believing Daisy.’ She looked up at him. ‘Daisy isn’t a liar. I should have accepted what she told me instead of listening to that creep.’
He stood up, walked around to her side and rested his hand on her shoulders. ‘Don’t be too hard on yourself. Daisy said he was very convincing when he wanted to be. She doesn’t feel badly towards you, just concerned that he’ll push things too far and you’ll get hurt.’
Fi shook her head. ‘I feel such a fool.’
‘Don’t. We’re just relieved you’re listening and are now aware of what he’s up to.’
She stood up and gave him a brief hug. ‘Thanks, Gabe, I really appreciate you bothering enough about me to contact my brother and speak to me like this.’
‘No problem at all.’ He stepped away from her and held openthe office door. ‘Now you’d better get back to reception and let Daisy know you’re aware about Phil, or Aaron, or whatever he’s calling himself now.’
‘I’m a little nervous,’ she said. ‘He knows I’m working a shift now and might come here to find me.’
‘It’s fine. Once you’ve spoken to Daisy I’ll give you a lift home. He won’t expect you to be there and you can lock yourself in until your brother returns. I’m only down the road and a phone call away, and can come over at any time if you need me to.’
16
DAISY
Later, Daisy greeted Gabriel with a kiss on his cheek. He took her hand, and not wishing to appear uptight she forgot about the staff and let him lead her away from the hotel. They walked down the drive and along the road, crossing a short while later to the headland with the beach below.
‘Fi phoned from her brother’s home to let me know she was OK. Did you get hold of Sebastian?’ she asked, intrigued to discover what had been said.
‘I did, eventually. He’s travelling back from the South of France and wasn’t impressed with what I had to tell him.’ They walked down several steps onto the fine golden sand. Daisy and Gabriel took off their shoes and left them behind a rock.
‘Will he be returning here soon?’ she asked, concerned at the thought of Fi being alone in the house with Aaron out there somewhere.
‘Sebastian said he was just outside of Dinard, so near to the ferry. He should be back soon and said he’d come straight here. Apparently he has a butler at the house who’ll keep an eye on Fi, so we shouldn’t worry too much.’ Gabriel looked down at her and gave her a reassuring smile. ‘I got the impression the butler might be getting on a bit, but that he’s more than capable of handling most situations.’
Daisy sighed with relief. ‘Good, because I can’t imagine her letting me back into the house. She really wasdisappointed in me, Gabe. It was horrible.’
‘If you think I should pop round there and check up on her, tell me and I will.’ He gave her hand a gentle squeeze. ‘Sebastian did reassure me though. I spoke to Fi a little earlier at the hotel and she’s tougher than you think, despite believing that slimy boyfriend of hers up until now.’
‘Do you mean you told her all about him and she believed you?’
He nodded. ‘She was a little embarrassed too, so be prepared for her being a tad uncomfortable around you for a bit.’
