New beginnings by the su.., p.5
New Beginnings by the Sunflower Cliffs, page 5
‘Nothing.’ She forced a laugh. ‘I just don’t feel like it for some reason.’
‘Is everything okay with you and Harry?’
Shani nodded. ‘Yes, he’s great. I adore him.’
‘So why do you look so miserable whenever you think no one’s watching?’
Shani narrowed her eyes at Bea. ‘You don’t miss much, do you?’
‘Well?’
‘Nothing. Eat yours and then we’d better get to the polo match. You can’t be late if you’re presenting a trophy, then you’ve got your date with Tom to look forward to.’
Bea popped a forkful of cake into her mouth and studied her friend. ‘You’re sure everything’s okay?’
‘Yes. Too much sex has probably just turned my brain a little, that’s all.’
5
SPRINKLING OF SAND
Bea was glad she’d worn a sleeveless cotton dress and gladiator sandals. The heat was tremendous. She re-tied her ponytail, slid her sunglasses over her eyes and waited for the teams to come out. Grateful to be one of the VIPs for the day, she took a sip of her champagne cocktail and smiled at Shani. ‘You glad you came?’
‘Hell, yes.’ Shani leant in and lowered her voice. ‘You didn’t tell me we’d be getting free drinks and mixing with the nobs, though.’
‘I didn’t realise. I only checked the invitation on our way here to make sure we had the correct time.’ Bea walked out onto the balcony reserved for the invited guests. ‘Bloody hell.’
‘What?’ Shani looked out to the beach below. ‘Luke Thornton. You never mentioned he played polo.’
Bea felt the familiar contraction in her stomach muscles. Aunt Annabel would have approved, she thought, smiling and feeling more cheerful than she had all day. ‘I didn’t know.’
She watched as the horses and riders moved into their teams and halted in front of the balcony to be introduced. Luke patted his horse’s sleek neck. He looked up and his gaze immediately met Bea’s. He smiled and gave her a nod.
‘He’s gorgeous,’ Shani whispered, sounding as if she was in pain. ‘I thought he had money worries, though? How can he afford polo ponies?’
‘I was thinking the same thing,’ Bea admitted, raising her glass to him slightly.
Watching the chukkas took Bea back to when she’d been taken to England by her aunt a couple of times. This time though, with the waves lapping the beach behind the marked-off arena and the sand being thrown up by the horses’ hooves, it was different.
Luke came on with a different pony for his third chukka and she watched him stroke the grey neck, slowly calming the agitated animal down as best he could. The ball was rolled in and the players went after it. She stifled a scream when one of Luke’s opponents bumped into his pony’s shoulder a little harder than she thought acceptable, but watched as, unfazed, Luke chased after the ball. They swung their mallets and Luke’s connected with the ball first. He scored. A horn sounded, terminating the chukka.
‘Yay, he’s done it!’ screamed Shani, jumping up and down with Bea, both forgetting where they were in their excitement.
Bea shook her hand to get rid of most of the drink she’d spilled on her arm.
‘Wow, I didn’t know it was such fun to watch. We’ll have to come again next year.’
‘You’re not kidding.’ Bea laughed. Maybe it had been the best thing to do, coming here. At least now she could think of polo without feeling miserable. ‘Aunt Annabel would have been in her element here.’
‘She’s not the only one.’
An official came up behind Bea and cleared his throat. ‘Mrs Porter, it’s time to present the trophy to the winning team.’
Bea handed her drink to Shani and followed the official down the steps to the beach. She waited as they announced the winning team and was handed the heavy trophy just before the team captain’s name was called out.
Luke stepped forward and Bea couldn’t help smiling up at him. She held out the trophy and congratulated him. Luke held it up in the air and the crowd cheered for their local winners.
‘Please step this way for photos.’ The photographer from the Gazette arranged them in position, and Bea and Luke smiled and shook hands once more for the camera.
Luke bent down and kissed her on the cheek. ‘I didn’t expect you to be here, but it was great to see you and your friend up on the balcony.’
Bea couldn’t hide her happiness. ‘I haven’t been to a polo match for a few years, and never one on a beach. I didn’t know you played.’
‘Shall we get a drink?’ Luke handed the trophy over to his teammates and accompanied her back into the hotel. ‘They’re not my ponies,’ he said, pulling a sad face. ‘I wish they still were. I had to sell mine when the financial situation with my business became untenable. I couldn’t owe people money and keep such a luxury for myself.’
‘So, who do they belong to?’
‘A friend of my father’s. He’d seen me play on them and knew they were good. He made me an offer and I couldn’t refuse.’
‘So, why didn’t he ride them today then?’
As they walked onto the balcony, Luke took two glasses of champagne from a tray held out by a waiter. ‘His son was supposed to, but he broke his wrist falling from one of them a week ago and when they asked me to step in, I was only too pleased to do so.’
‘You were great,’ Shani said, smiling widely. ‘Where did you learn to ride like that?’
Luke laughed. ‘When I was a kid at my dad’s farm in South Africa. It’s very popular over there and not such an elite sport as it seems to be in the UK. Would you ladies like to join me tonight? The team are going out for something to eat first and then on to a club.’
Bea wished she could accept his offer, but felt unable to let Tom down. ‘I’d love to, but I’m already doing something, sorry.’
‘I’m meeting Harry, so I won’t be able to either.’
He shrugged. ‘Never mind, maybe next time. I’d better go and catch up with the others.’ He kissed Bea on the cheek once more and smiled at Shani. ‘Have a lovely evening.’
Bea couldn’t shake off the image of Luke playing polo and wished she was looking forward to an evening with him rather than Tom. She was pleased Tom didn’t still hold her decision to leave him for Simon against her.
‘You look very glamorous.’ Tom said, dabbing at his mouth with his napkin. ‘I thought you’d enjoy the view here.’
Bea looked out of the large picture window across to Gorey Castle and the long stretch of Grouville beach beyond. ‘It’s fabulous. I haven’t eaten here for ages. It’s good to be back.’ Bea sighed heavily. ‘I don’t think I’ve eaten so much in years.’ She took a sip of her wine. ‘I can see now why they have such a good reputation here.’
‘I’m glad you’ve enjoyed it. I used to bring my son and daughter here for the children’s lunches on a Sunday, when things were friendlier between me and Vanessa,’ he said. ‘Now, though, I seem to see them less and less.’
‘That’s so sad, Tom.’ Bea reached out to touch his hand. ‘I do hope things get sorted out soon.’
Tom nodded. ‘Me too.’ He sat quietly for a moment, returning to the present when the waitress asked them if they wanted coffees or liqueurs. Bea nodded. ‘Coffee for me, please.’
‘Make that two,’ he said before looking across at Bea. ‘So, who’s doing the work on your house?’
‘He’s someone Mel’s fiancé suggested, Luke Thornton. Do you know him?’
‘A friend of yours, is he?’
She was a little taken aback by the sudden change in the tone of his voice. ‘An acquaintance rather than a friend,’ Bea explained, aware she was doing her best to keep her voice light. The waitress arrived with the coffees, and Bea stirred the muddy-coloured liquid unnecessarily. ‘He gave me a good price, which is a relief because I don’t really have much money available for the work.’
Tom stared into his cup for several seconds.
‘What is it?’ Bea asked. ‘Tell me.’
Tom looked around the room and then moved a little closer to her. ‘I shouldn’t really confide in you about this, but you’re a trust officer, so you’ll understand how these things work.’ Bea nodded. It niggled a little that Tom was a director already, even though their qualifications were the same and they had been in the business almost the same length of time. ‘I look after a couple of companies for Luke’s partner.’
Bea tried to steady her breathing. She could sense she wasn’t going to like what was coming next. ‘Go on,’ she whispered.
‘They’re both under investigation.’
‘For money laundering?’ she whispered. It changed everything. Damn Tom for telling her this confidential information. Now she was aware Luke was under investigation she would have to watch every word she said to him.
‘Sorry, Bea, but I couldn’t let you, in your professional capacity, get close to someone who was being investigated. You know that if you let slip that this is going on, you could get a maximum sentence of five years in prison, and any criminal record will make a big difference to your career.’
‘I’m aware of my duties, thank you, Tom. Tipping off is one of the worst offences I could be caught doing.’ She sighed. ‘And if you hadn’t told me, then I wouldn’t have known, or been in the position where I could do so.’
Tom sat back in his chair and folded his arms. ‘Ahh, yes, I see what you mean.’
‘You shouldn’t be discussing your clients with me. This matter is confidential, you know that.’
‘Yes.’ He took her hands in his. ‘But would you prefer I kept it to myself? If he were to discover he was being investigated, you – as an employee of the trust company – would be an obvious suspect to have tipped him off, and we both know how difficult it would be to prove you didn’t say anything.’
‘True.’
‘At the very least you’d probably stand to lose your job.’
And then how would I afford a mortgage for my house? Bea thought. ‘What about him working at the house, though?’
‘Just try to get him to finish what he’s doing as soon as you can. It would be even more suspicious if you suddenly cancelled everything.’
‘Do they really think he’s capable of money laundering?’
‘You know as well as I do that the first thing we’re taught in anti-money laundering training is that they don’t look a certain way. They can be anyone, from any walk of life. So, who knows?’ Tom shrugged. ‘He and his partner have made vast amounts of money through real estate and development over the past few years. They made a lot of money very quickly.’
The waitress placed a silver tray on their table with their bill and a couple of dark chocolates. Tom picked up the bill thoughtfully. ‘They were school friends and although Luke is probably less likely to be involved in this, the fact that they are partners means he’s involved in some way.’ He frowned and looked across at her. ‘I’m sorry, Bea, but I thought you should know.’
Bea nodded. ‘You’re right, thanks. It just makes things a little awkward, that’s all.’ She still wished she hadn’t been told. It changed everything.
‘Don’t just sit there, pedal. Faster.’
‘Shut up, Paul, I’m only here because you wouldn’t stop nagging.’
‘You haven’t been to the gym for over a year now and you can’t keep making excuses.’
‘I think you’ll find I can,’ Bea grumbled, deciding that as soon as she was out of Paul’s studio she would not be returning.
‘So how was the date?’ asked Paul, running on a treadmill that looked to Bea as if it belonged on Star Trek.
‘It wasn’t really a date, more like two old friends catching up.’
‘Sounds a bit more like a date to me.’ He pressed a few buttons and the machine sped up. ‘Come on, you, keep going.’
‘Bloody hell, Paul, I’m going to die here.’
‘You’re not. Now pedal.’ She sat up for a moment and wiped her sweaty forehead with her T-shirt. ‘Do you think there’s something odd going on with Shani?’
Paul frowned, but continued running. ‘No, what do you mean?’
Bea thought for a moment, then picked up her bottle of water and took a sip. ‘I don’t know, I thought she was acting a little odd the other day when we went for tea and cake.’
‘Nah, she’s fine. I’d have noticed if she wasn’t.’ He shook his head at Bea. ‘Stop trying to distract me. You’re going to do at least three miles. Get on with it.’
Bea groaned. This was so boring! No wonder she hadn’t been to the gym in so long. ‘I didn’t tell you about my visit to Mr Peters at the bank, did I?’ she puffed, resting forward on the handlebars.
‘No, but you can tell me without stopping for yet another breather.’ Paul winked at her. ‘I suppose this is because you received another letter from Simon?’ He waved at her to keep pedalling. ‘Go on, what did he say?’
‘I couldn’t really put it off any longer. I explained everything to him and he asked to see my credit card statements and gave me an application form to complete. He was lovely,’ Bea said, thinking back to the man she’d met the day before.
‘What happens next?’
She shrugged. ‘He’s going to check out my figures. He doesn’t think it’ll be good news for the entire amount Simon wants.’
‘Why not? You earn a decent wage, surely?’
‘Not that good, obviously.’ Bea stopped pedalling again. ‘He’s sending out an estate agent to value the house and they’ll be able to make a more informed decision after that. I should know later this week, hopefully. At least then I’ll have a better idea about what I’m dealing with.’
‘Good for you. I’m sure it’ll be good news. And if it isn’t you’ll just have to try at another bank.’
‘I have,’ admitted Bea. ‘This is the third bank I’ve contacted. I did the other two online and spoke to someone, but they weren’t positive either. Mr Peters knew my aunt and I’ve banked with them since I was a teenager, when Aunt Annabel opened an account with them for me. I only looked at the online sites to see what I could expect. I didn’t think it was going to be so difficult. It’s not as if I owe money all over the place.’
Paul stopped his running machine and went over to sit at a torturous-looking contraption in the corner. ‘Did he remember you?’
Bea nodded. ‘He did. I was going to ask him if he recalled her mentioning anything about A Jersey Kiss, but he started chatting about Aunt Annabel and how they’d known each other since primary school, then he went off on a tandem and I stopped listening.’
Paul let the handle he’d been pulling on revert to its original position and stared at her thoughtfully, before bending over, laughing hysterically. He wiped his eyes before laughing again.
‘What?’ Bea frowned.
‘I presume you meant ‘tangent’.’
‘Sorry?’
‘Never mind,’ he said, starting his workout again and shaking his head. ‘You carry on.’
‘I don’t think he works full-time any more. He’s probably near to retirement age if he’s known my aunt for so long, and it seems fairly difficult to get an appointment with him, but I think he’s my best bet to get the mortgage secured.’
Bea took a few deep breaths to try and slow her panting. She couldn’t wait for her session with Paul to finish. It was one thing doing this exercise lark for fun, but another entirely when she had so much decorating work she should be doing during any free time. ‘That’s it,’ she said climbing off the bike. ‘I’m off for a shower and then home.’
The following lunchtime, Bea raced home with her shopping. She struggled into the house with three overflowing shopping bags and dumped them on the kitchen worktop.
‘You should have asked me to help you carry those,’ Luke said, poking his head around the kitchen door. ‘You don’t usually come home at lunchtime.’
Bea quickly unpacked the frozen vegetables and pushed them into her fridge freezer. ‘No, but today I’ve got to spend the afternoon with a client on his yacht.’
‘Sounds fun.’ Luke raised his eyebrows and smiled, catching a tin of soup as it rolled off the side.
‘Not really. He’s a nice bloke, but I’ve got so much to do back at the office that I really don’t need to take time out to sit and chat. But I registered his boat for him the other day and he isn’t often over in Jersey and wanted to treat me to lunch.’
‘On his boat?’
‘Yup,’ she said finishing packing away her food and turning to face him. ‘You don’t have to look so concerned, I’m a big girl and I’m more than capable of taking care of myself.’
Luke laughed. ‘I didn’t think you couldn’t. You seem pretty feisty for a titch.’
Bea placed her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes. ‘Really? Do you want to see how feisty I can be?’ He shook his head. ‘Anyway, Tom will be coming along.’
‘Tom Brakespear?’
Bea nodded, not letting on she was aware they knew each other. ‘He’s the director I report to at work.’
‘Right.’ Luke nodded thoughtfully. ‘Well, I suppose I’d better get on. I don’t want you complaining that you’re paying us to stand around gossiping.’
‘Haha, very funny,’ she said, noting the change in atmosphere. ‘Coffee?’ She wondered if it would be more sensible to terminate his contract with her. Then again, to do such a thing without any obvious reason would make him wonder why she’d changed her mind. She pulled off her black linen jacket, hanging it over the back of a chair. ‘I’ve got time for a quickie before I have to race off, and I’m too thirsty not to have one myself.’
‘Please,’ he answered, leaning back and half-sitting on the edge of the table, his palms resting on either side of him. ‘Are you still sure you want us to get on with the plastering in the hallway?’
She passed him his drink, studying his face to try and spot any hint of criminal behaviour. Idiot, she thought, what would a money launderer look like anyway? You and me, that’s what. She thought about her training for her trust exams and how the lecturers had emphasised the fact that it’s the people you don’t suspect that could be the criminals. It’s what made them so hard to spot. ‘I’d love to say leave it, but if anyone slams the front door, or even closes it with slightly too much force, plaster rains down on them, and it’ll only get worse. So if you can organise to have someone start as soon as possible, I’d be grateful.’
