Murder In Bloom Part 4

Libby went up to The Manor the following morning after driving Adam back to Creekmarsh Place, and asked Hetty where Ben was on the estate.

'In the office, gal.' Hetty looked at her oddly. 'You can go on in.'

'Thanks, Hetty,' said Libby, her solar plexus fluttering like a teenager's. She walked along the dark pa.s.sage and knocked on the green painted door.

'Lib?' Ben looked up in surprise. 'What are you doing here?'

'I um well, I've come to ' Libby paused and took a deep breath. 'I've come to apologise.'

Ben stood up. 'What for?' He came round the old partners desk and pulled up a chair. 'Sit down, for goodness' sake. Do you want coffee? I'll ask Hetty'

'No, of course not.' Libby sat down feeling distinctly uncomfortable.

Ben went back behind the desk, which made her feel like a naughty schoolgirl in the headmaster's office.

'What's up, then?' he said, after a long silence.

'You weren't happy last night.' She swallowed. 'Adam says I haven't been fair to you, and I quite see what he means.'

Ben smiled slightly. 'Well, I would have preferred you to have realised without your son's intervention, but you can't have everything.'

'Oh, Ben.' Libby looked up. 'This isn't like us. Can't we go back to being normal?'

'Normal? On your terms?' Ben sighed. 'I suppose if I want to continue seeing you, that's the way it'll have to be.'

'I thought you were happy with the way things were,' said Libby, the little worm of doubt and fear growing bigger inside her.

'In a way,' said Ben, 'but both I and my Mother have tried to persuade you to come and live here, haven't we? Didn't that give you a clue? And I have, I'm sure, mentioned it several times.'

'Well, yes, but not seriously,' said Libby, 'and I remember you telling me all about the LAT relations.h.i.+ps and saying you were happy with it. That was just after your mother asked if I wouldn't be happier moving into The Manor.'

'I was trying to put our relations.h.i.+p on some kind of formal footing,' he said, leaning back in his chair. 'But that was nearly eighteen months ago. We'd only been together six months less, actually.'

Libby nodded and looked down at her hands. 'So what do you want to do?'

'Nothing right now,' said Ben. 'I want you to go home and see if there's any chance of our relations.h.i.+p lasting without either of us having any rights in each other's lives. Think about what you want from it.' He stood up. 'Go on, off you go. I'll do the same and perhaps we could meet up in the pub this evening?'

'This evening?' Libby frowned. 'Not lunchtime?'

'I'm working, Lib,' Ben said gently. 'Come on. I'll see you about seven, unless you've got something else on?'

Libby stood up and turned to the door. 'You know I haven't,' she said.

Hetty was in the hall as she went out.

'All right, gal?' she asked, flicking a duster over the carved door-frame.

'Yes, thanks, Het,' said Libby. She turned and frowned at her. 'Did Ben tell you Fran and Guy are getting married?'

'Yeah. Makes yer think, don't it?' She gave Libby a penetrating look and stuffed the duster in her ap.r.o.n pocket.

'Mmm.' Libby smiled and nodded and started down The Manor drive feeling like the victim of a natural disaster. When her mobile rang in her pocket, she answered it thankfully, glad to take her mind off her unexpected romantic problems.

'Hey, Ma, it's me again.'

'Ad? What's up?' Libby slowed to a stop.

'I don't suppose you could pop over here again, could you? Lewis wants to talk to you.'

'Lewis does? What on earth for?'

'He's being very secretive about it, but I think it's something to do with the body.'

'Then he should tell your friend Big Bertha, shouldn't he,' said Libby, wondering what Ben would say about this new development. She straightened her shoulders and decided he couldn't tell her what to do. He had no right. She bit her lip. 'Yes, definitely,' she went on. 'He should tell the police.'

'I don't think it's quite like that, Ma,' said Adam. 'Just come over and have a word with him. Please. Unless you've got something else to do?'

Libby thought. 'Not really,' she said. 'I suppose I could, but Ben won't like it.'

'Come on, Ma, what's it got to do with Ben? I'll square it with him, if it's that important.'

'Remember our conversation about him last night?' said Libby. 'I've just spoken to him.'

'And?'

'He wants me to think about our relations.h.i.+p.'

'Ah.' Adam was quiet for a moment. 'Well, I think you ought to, as well, but meanwhile, pop over here and let Lewis give you some lunch. Just see what he wants.'

Libby sighed. 'OK,' she said. 'I've got to go home and clear up first don't forget I drove you over at the crack of sparrow's fart then I'll make myself presentable. I'll ring you when I'm on my way.'

'Great.' Libby could hear the bounce in Adam's voice. 'See you later.'

It was half past eleven when Libby drove down the lane towards Creekmarsh Place. Wondering whether to drive right up to the house, she was glad to see Lewis coming towards her down the drive.

'Leave it here, Mrs S,' he said. 'It's a bit boggy up near the front door.' He held the door open for her and waited while she locked it.

'Thanks for coming.' He stared down at his boots as they walked towards the house. 'After what Ad said I thought you'd be the one to talk to.'

'But I'm not police,' said Libby, casting him a worried glance, 'or a private investigator or anything.'

'No, I know. Ad told me all about the other stuff, like that woman at your theatre and your mate's auntie.'

'Yes, well, they were things that involved me personally,' said Libby.

'But that other theatre business where was it?'

'The Alexandria in Nethergate.'

'Yeah, that one. And that body on the island. They weren't nothing to do with you, were they?'

'Well, no. And strictly speaking, I shouldn't have been involved. My friend Fran was asked to look into them, really.'

'She the Mystic Meg?'

Libby looked amused. 'You could say that.'

'Don't think I need that,' said Lewis, pus.h.i.+ng open the heavy oak door. 'Come up to me sun room.'

He led her up a beautiful staircase, already restored, she noted, and through another oak door.

'It's a solar!' she said delightedly. 'I didn't notice it from outside.'

'It's not right over the front door like some of 'em,' said Lewis. 'Least, that's what I've been told. My favourite place.'

He went to the window and Libby followed him.

'I can see why,' she said. 'That's the river Wytch down there, isn't it?'

'A little bit of it,' said Lewis. 'That's just a what-d'yer-call-it from it.'

'A tributary? No, that wouldn't be it. An inlet.'

'Inlet, that's it. Goes just to the sailing club. I'll take you down there, if you like.'

'Lovely,' said Libby.

'Come and sit down, then.' He seemed suddenly nervous as he turned sharply and made for a chair beside a desk, where a slim silver laptop sat, open. Libby took the chair opposite.

'Wanna drink? Ad's coming up about one fer some lunch if you want to stay.'

'If I'm still here,' said Libby, 'and yes, a cup of tea would be nice.'

'Nothin' stronger?' Lewis got up and went to the door. Libby shook her head. He opened the door and stuck his head out. 'Can you stick the kettle on, Katie?' A m.u.f.fled shout answered him.

'I'll pop down in a minute and get it,' he said, returning to his chair. 'They all say I should get used to Katie looking after me, but I can't be doing with it.'

'Who's Katie?'

'My well, housekeeper, I suppose. Katie North.' He grinned. 'Minder, more like. She organises everything. Great girl. I met her when we was doing the telly.'

'Aren't you still doing the telly?' asked Libby.

'Oh, yeah. I meant when I was doing that Housey Housey one.'

'Oh, where you were discovered,' Libby nodded.

'Yeah. Right laugh, that was. I mean, who would of believed it?'

'That you were discovered?'

'Yeah.' Lewis looked uncomfortable and s.h.i.+fted in his seat. 'Hang on, I'll go and see about that tea.'

'No need,' said a voice, and a tray came into the room followed, Libby presumed, by Katie North. Who was a shock. Somehow, the name had suggested someone young and slim in a cropped top and a mini-skirt. And Lewis had said 'girl'. Katie, however, was a stout middle-aged matron, who would have been right at home in the sort of book Libby had read as a child.

'I put coffee and tea bags there, lovey,' she said, for all the world as though Libby still was a child. 'And that there's boiling water in the flask. Staying for lunch?'

'Oh yes, please,' said Libby.

'You said you didn't know,' said Lewis, looking put out.

'I do now,' she said, turning to him with a bright smile.

'I'll yell when it's ready,' Katie said and disappeared.

'I like her,' said Libby, helping herself to a tea-bag and boiling water.

'Everyone does,' said Lewis. 'She's like everyone's mum.'

Libby nodded and leant back in the carved wooden chair. 'Go on, then,' she said.

'It's a bit difficult,' said Lewis, after a long pause. 'See, I wasn't actually "discovered" on Housey Housey.'

'No?'

'No. It was a bit of a set-up.' He sighed and poured himself coffee. 'I'd been doing this house up in Hampstead for this bloke, see. Not on me own, with a team. Worked for a subcontractor, didn't we, specialising in posh houses, and we'd been there weeks.' He took a breath. 'Well, I got on well with this bloke and once or twice he asked me to stay behind for a drink.'

'Weren't you driving?'

'Didn't matter. I don't drink.' Lewis grinned at Libby's surprise. 'And anyway, I didn't just stay for a drink.' He looked down, then up under his eyebrows. 'You shocked?'

'Should I be?'

'Ad says you've got best mates who got hitched.'

'Civil partners.h.i.+p, yes. I was their best woman.'

'So you're not shocked.' He nodded. 'Good. Well, see, this bloke is married and no one knows he's gay. Mind you, I bet there's a b.l.o.o.d.y regiment out there who really do know. You can't keep it that quiet. But on the surface, let's say, the great British public don't know. So it's all very hush-hush. I only stayed when the wife wasn't there.' He took another mouthful of coffee.

'Anyway, he reckons I'm a bit of a jack-the-lad, and he's got contacts with this telly company, so he gets me this interview with 'em, and next thing you know, I'm on Housey Housey playing the c.o.c.kney cheeky chappie with an 'ammer in me 'and.'

He smiled ruefully and looked out of the window. 'Shouldn't mock. It's got me all this, ain't it?'

'Has it?' said Libby. He looked at her quickly.

'Yeah, that's the problem, see. Somewhere along the line, I realise that I'm being set up for this other show. It was all a bit too too what's the word I want?'

'Pat?'