‘Sorry?’ Vince barks.
‘Osprey House. The big house out here. Lovely place, especially now they’ve knocked the gardens back into shape...’
Vince catches the man’s eye in the rear view mirror. ‘No, I’m actually, erm, visiting someone.’
‘Oh, right. Alice? Is she still there then?’
Alice? Is that the woman who’d kidnapped Kate at Euston station? ‘No, it’s someone else,’ he says vaguely, not wanting to get into the details with this stranger. Vince hopes that’s it for their conversation as the driver takes them down a narrow lane.
‘You mean Kate then?’ he asks.
‘Er, yes,’ Vince says with a start.
‘Hmm. I’m not sure if she’s still there. I know she was doing agency work...’
Agency work? What is this man going on about? ‘But she’s working at the bookshop now,’ he continues.
Christ, do people know everything around here?
‘Really?’ Vince manages, trying to sound casual.
‘Yeah. And she’s loving it. A natural with the customers and all those books. Made a big difference to Fergus, I reckon, running the whole show on his own...’
Fergus? Who’s Fergus? At the mention of another man’s name, Vince’s blood seems to chill.
‘Liv was helping out,’ he goes on, ‘but you know how the young ’uns are. Got their own thing going on – and there’s the kiddie of course. The wee man. Rory’s good with him but he needed to be with his mum really. Give him the best start in life. You know how it is – are you a father yourself? – those years flash by before you know it. My three, I look at them now and think, who are these strapping adults? It’s like, blink and you’ll miss it—’
‘So, d’you know where Kate might be right now?’ he cuts in, somewhat rudely.
‘Maybe here. Or at the bookshop?’ the man muses as a house comes into view. The vast, grey stone building has turrets and extensive grounds, and now Vince can make out a lake and a pale blue wooden summerhouse.
‘Is this it?’ he asks, sitting bolt upright now.
‘Yep. Here we are.’ The driver pulls up at the enormous wrought-iron gates. Quickly, Vince pays and thanks him and slings his small rucksack onto his shoulder. Then, just as the driver is pulling away, he runs back to the car and waves madly.
‘Can you wait? Just for a few minutes so I can see if she’s there?’
The man’s mouth twitches in a bemused way as he turns off the engine and drums his steering wheel, somewhat ostentatiously, with his fingers. ‘Sure. You go check the house. Me, I’ve got all the time in the world.’
Did he mean that or not? Vince doesn’t care as he turns away and virtually hurtles up the driveway towards the house.
He bangs loudly on the front door. A few moments later it’s opened by an elegant older woman with a silvery bob. She’s very neat and slender in black trousers and a pale grey turtleneck sweater. ‘Hello?’ she asks in surprise.
‘Hi, hi.’ Vince catches his breath, hoping he doesn’t look manic. ‘Sorry to disturb you. I’m... I’m looking for someone. Kate Weaver. I think she’s been here, helping you to clear out your, um...’
‘Oh!’ The woman frowns slightly. ‘There was a Kate here. But it wasn’t a Kate Weaver. It was Kate Harper. I booked her through an agency, and she did anincrediblejob—’
‘Through an agency?’ Vince exclaims. ‘No. No, Kate wasn’t with an agency. She said she met you at Euston, and you needed someone and that was that.’
The woman’s face seems to pale, and she takes a step back. ‘And... who are you, if you don’t mind me asking?’
‘I’m Vince,’ he says hurriedly. ‘Kate’s husband. She’d just, um... well, we’ve had a few problems and she needed a little bit of time away and—’ He breaks off. ‘Is she here now?’
‘No, she’s not,’ the woman says, rather curtly. ‘But let me get this straight. Are you saying Kate – I mean, the Kate who’s been here all the time, living with me – isn’t the Kate I’d actually booked?’
‘I don’t know!’ It comes out more forcefully than he’d intended. ‘I’m sorry. I don’t know anything really. Only that I need to see her and...’ He rubs a hand over his face. ‘D’you know where she is?’
‘Kate Weaver or Kate Harper?’ She purses her lips at him. ‘Sorry. I’m a bit confused...’
