Page 53 of New Beginnings At Pencarrow Bay
‘Didn’t say his name,’ Gary replied, ‘but he’s been in before– maybe he has a holiday place here.’
‘Oh, okay,’ she said. ‘Anyway, thanks, Gary,’ she added, before he had a chance to probe further.
Exiting the shop, she wondered,Does Gary know something?She wasn’t comfortable any more, she found, even with idle chatter. Because how could she tell if the person asking, ‘How’s it going?’ wasn’t the same person who was trying to ruin her life?
On the way up the hill, her mobile buzzed in her pocket. It was not a number she recognized, but she swiped the screen to answer, anyway. The male voice sounded self-assured, with a slight Essex tinge to his accent. ‘Hello? Is that Peggy Gilbert?’
Suddenly anxious that the call might relate to the emails, Peggy took a steadying breath as she told the caller, warily, that it was.
‘I got your number from the post office,’ he told her. ‘You’re an English teacher, right?’
‘I am, yes.’
‘Good news. My name is Barry Conway. Our fifteen-year-old is doing his mocks in the autumn, and he’s way behind in English– can hardly spell, poor boy. Bit like his dad, I’m afraid.’ Barry gave a low chuckle. ‘We’ll be down here for the summer as usual– July onwards– and I thought some tutoring might come in handy.’
This is a man used to getting what he wants, Peggy thought. He sounded confident that she wouldn’t turn him down. For a moment, she hesitated, yearning to help his son, knowing she could. But she also knew what would happen if she took the job. Within a short space of time there would be another email. And another person connected to the village would have been fed the lie.
‘Right,’ Peggy replied abstractedly. ‘The thing is, I’m not planning on working this summer. I’m sorry to disappoint you. I’ve just taken down the ad in the post office.’
‘That’s a shame,’ said Barry. ‘Are you sure? I pay well and it would only be a few hours a week. He’s a great lad, Ben. Just not so hot at the schoolwork side of things.’
Again, Peggy hesitated. ‘I’m sorry,’ she repeated, firmly. ‘I’ve got some personal stuff I’m dealing with.’
Barry was silent for a moment. ‘I hear you. Sorry about that. But if you change your mind… I’ll ping you my contacts and you can get in touch.’
She thanked him and said goodbye, her heart heavy as she continued up the hill.
No one was in the hatch when she arrived at Henri– it was late and there were no customers. Looking around for her partner, she saw him at the corner table, sitting with Lindy. His hand rested intimately on her arm, and they were deep in intense conversation.
She havered, wondering if she should interrupt, when Lindy spotted her, her gaze distinctly troubled, and she felt she should go over. As she approached, Ted quickly withdrew his hand from Lindy’s arm.
‘Peggy…’ Lindy greeted her distractedly.
Peggy glanced at Ted as he said hello. He seemed uneasy.
‘Everything all right?’ she asked, not feeling quite welcome, although Ted pulled out a chair.
Neither reacted, initially, beyond a vague nod.
Ted finally managed a smile. ‘What have you been up to?’ His question was like his smile: unfocused.
‘I was just offered a job,’ Peggy said, addressing Ted, wanting to sit down with him and have a proper chat,alone.‘I turned it down. Don’t want anyone else targeted with the email.’
‘Who was it?’ he asked.
‘Barry Conway.’ She turned to Lindy. ‘You probably know him? He wanted me to tutor Ben.’
Lindy seemed to pull herself back from somewhere far away. ‘I adore that boy. He’s a first-class sailor and so charming, like his father.’ She gave a fond smile. ‘He may not be academic, but I’m sure he’ll go far.’
Peggy didn’t know what to add, twitching at the slightly hyper, edgy atmosphere around the table. She felt uncomfortable, like an intruder. ‘I should get on,’ she said.
Ted gave Lindy a querying glance. After a slight hesitation, she nodded. ‘Sit, Pegs,’ he said. ‘Something’s happened.’
She did as he asked, looking from one to the other, wanting to be anywhere else.
‘Felix has been violent.’
As he spoke, Lindy gingerly inched up the long sleeve of her pale pink T-shirt, exposing a nasty bruise– tinged purple and red– circling her left wrist like a band.
