‘If she is, it’ll be down to you.’
‘No, it’ll be down to the pair of us. You need to take the credit for what you did.’
He put a hand to his mouth to stifle a yawn, which had the effect of making Jenna yawn as well.
‘Time for me to leave you in peace,’ he said, getting to his feet. ‘Try and get some sleep, won’t you?’
She stood up next to him. ‘You too. And thank you again.’ She kissed him on the cheek and smiled shyly. ‘My hero.’
He smiled. ‘Don’t suppose you’d give this so-called hero a lift back across the river, would you?’
‘Of course.’
Chapter Forty-One
Alastair couldn’t believe what had happened.
In all the years the children had spent here at Linston End, not once had they ever gone out late at night on the river after drinking. Not even Orla had encouraged an act of such reckless folly. It was the one and only house rule. ‘Break that rule,’ Simon had often thundered, ‘and the holiday’s over!’
Alone in the sitting room, everyone else having drifted back upstairs, he alternated between pacing the floor and staring out of the French windows, anxious to hear from Simon and Sorrel, but also dreading the exchange. He knew they would hold him indirectly responsible for what had happened. The accusation flung at him would be that had he not brought Valentina into their midst, along with Nikolai and Irina, Rachel would never have got herself into the situation she had. Or if the accusation wasn’t made aloud, it would be what they were thinking and would become an impenetrable barrier between them. The awful thing was Alastair wouldn’t blame them; in their shoes he would probably feel the same way.
He’d been staring morosely out of the window when he started at a hand pressing down on his shoulder. He spun round to see Valentina.
‘Sorry,’ she said, ‘I didn’t mean to surprise you.’
‘That’s all right, I was miles away.’
‘Worrying, I expect,’ she said.
‘Yes,’ he replied.
‘Any news?’
He shook his head.
‘I’m sure Rachel will be fine. She’s young and strong.’ When he didn’t respond, she said, ‘But that is not what is really tormenting you, is it? You’re concerned more with how this will reflect on us, aren’t you? Or more particularly, me.’
He wanted to lie, but he couldn’t, not when he knew she was too astute to be fooled so easily. ‘As a parent yourself,’ he said carefully, ‘you know better than me that a parent’s love is ferociously protective when it comes to a child.’
‘Yes,’ she said with a small nod of her head, ‘even to a stepmother like me. But I also know that there comes a time in a child’s life when he or she has to take responsibility for themselves. Simon and Sorrel may not want to admit it, but their daughter is an adult and must therefore take responsibility for her own actions. Ah,’ she said after a pause, ‘I see I have shocked you with my frankness. I have yet to learn the English art of keeping quiet, of keeping to myself those things which would be better not said. I’m sorry.’
‘Don’t be,’ he said, putting his arms around her, and breathing in the potent and reassuring smell of her perfume. He needed her certainty more than ever before. ‘This will all blow over once the shock has receded,’ he continued, trying to sound more upbeat. ‘It’s just that nothing like this has ever happened before. For the life of me I can’t understand why Nikolai and Irina felt the need to go into the broad in the first place. Wanting to see where Orla died is too macabre for words.’
‘But the young have no regard for such sensitivities. Death fascinates those who don’t think it will ever happen to them, and the young believe they will live forever.’
After tonight they might well think differently, thought Alastair.
Tilting her head back from him, Valentina said, ‘I want you to promise me something.’
‘Go on.’
‘I want you to promise that you will not allow Nikolai and Irina to be blamed for this. They did nothing wrong.’
‘Nobody is going to be blamed for anything,’ he said. ‘It was an accident.’
‘Of course it was,’ she said, ‘but I don’t think your friends see it that way. I saw the way Simon looked at Nikolai and Irina, and it was not pleasant.’
‘He was upset, not in full control of his emotions.’
