The Perfect Hero (33 page)

Why was she so surprised to see just a regular suitcase? There were a couple of neatly folded t-shirts, an ancient pair of jeans, and a couple of rugby shirts. She closed her eyes for a moment. What had she expected? What did she think she could find that was going to make the slightest bit of difference to her relationship with Oli? Closing the suitcase up again, she sank down onto the carpet and sighed.

It was then that she noticed a notebook she’d previously overlooked. It was on the window seat and was half-hidden by the curtain but, sitting on the floor, Kay had a perfect view of it.

‘It won’t be anything,’ she said, getting up off the floor and dusting herself down. Still, it would be silly not to take a peep now that she was here. It was a small notebook, just a cheap spiral-bound one that you could pick up in any stationery shop and it was scuffed at the edges as though it had been endlessly put in and taken out of pockets and suitcases. Kay flipped it open and saw Oli’s scrawling handwriting. The first page was a To Do list and Kay couldn’t help smiling as she read through it.
Laundry. Order take-away. Pack script!!! Ring Mum. Tell neighbour not to overfeed the fish. Ring
Teresa
.

Ring Teresa. It could’ve been a professional call he had to make but Kay got the feeling that it wasn’t. She flipped over to the next page and read the name Captain Wentworth. What had gone through his mind when he’d written that, she wondered. Was he thinking about the character he was going to portray? She flipped to another page and, as she did so, something fluttered to the floor. Kay bent down to retrieve it and saw that it was a photograph of a little girl on a swing. She looked no more than four years old and she had bright blonde pigtails. There was only one girl it could be.

‘Annabel,’ Kay said, sinking down on the window seat.

And there was only one reason he’d keep a photograph of Annabel in his possession and that was because she was his daughter.

Chapter Forty-Two

Adam had made a quick visit to the Cobb after he’d parted from Gemma but had left before the excitement with Oli and Teresa and headed home. As he pulled up in his driveway, a familiar head popped round the gate.

‘Nana!’ Adam cried, getting out of the car quickly. ‘What on earth are you doing here?’

‘I wanted to see you,’ she said, sounding horribly out of breath. ‘You didn’t return my phone call.’

‘Yes I did.’

‘Well, not to my satisfaction,’ she said. ‘Now what’s been going on with you and that bed and breakfast girl?’

‘Kay.’

‘Yes, Kay.’

‘Come and sit down first. How did you get here, anyway? I hope you didn’t walk.’

‘Well, I didn’t fly, did I?’

‘But you’re not meant to walk so far.’ He gave her attire the once-over. She was wearing a scarlet jumper, a pair of floral trousers in blue and white and bright pink wellington boots.

‘Not walk so far! I used to walk miles and miles in my time – further than any of you youngsters nowadays. Anyway, I had my stick with me and had a nice little rest by that stream.’

‘Where’s your stick now?’ Adam asked, wanting proof.

Nana Craig nodded towards the hedge and Adam saw the candy-striped aid.

‘Come on,’ he said, shaking his head and ushering his nan into the house. He put the kettle on and reached into a cupboard for the biscuits. ‘Here,’ he said. ‘You must be starving.’

Nana Craig peered inside the Charles and Diana tin with a frown.

‘I think you have some specimens in here from about the time of their wedding,’ she said.

‘Nonsense,’ Adam said, ‘I replenish that tin every week. Or so.’

Cautiously, Nana Craig chose a Fruit Shrewsbury, giving it a sniff before eating it.

‘So what is so urgent that you have to walk halfway across Dorset to tell me?’ Adam asked, placing two mugs of tea on the old kitchen table and pulling out chairs for them both.

‘A walk can’t kill me. I need to keep moving at my age or I’ll seize up and solidify.’

‘But you shouldn’t take risks when you don’t have to. I worry about you,’ Adam said, placing a hand on hers.

‘And I worry about you too which is why I came over here. Anyway, it’s nice to get out and talk to somebody even if it is only to Sir Walter,’ she said as the cat came waltzing into the kitchen in case he was missing out on anything. ‘Now, what on earth is going on?’

Adam sighed. ‘I told you – Kay’s in love with that actor.’

‘Yes, but I didn’t like him,’ Nana Craig said, dipping her hand into the biscuit tin and chancing another Fruit Shrewsbury.

‘I’m afraid it doesn’t matter who
you
like. It’s who Kay likes that matters.’

‘So you’ve said nothing,’ Nana Craig said, biscuit crumbs cascading down her chin.

‘I told you, there was nothing to say. She’s in love with Oli Wade Owen.’

‘She
thinks
she’s in love with Oli Wade Owen and she probably only thinks that because she hasn’t been given a choice.’

Adam shook his head at his nan’s logic.

‘She doesn’t know what’s on offer,’ Nana Craig continued. ‘It’s rather like the contents of this biscuit tin. If there was more on offer than these rather soft Fruit Shrewsburys, I might have made a different choice.’

‘I don’t think it’s that simple,’ Adam said but Nana Craig just shook her head.

‘You’ve got to tell her, Adam. It’s the only way.’

There was really nothing more Adam could say to convince his nan and, luckily, he didn’t have to because it was then that his phone rang.

‘Hello?’

‘Adam? It’s Gemma.’

‘Gemma!’ Adam said. ‘Don’t tell me – you’ve changed your mind about the Hollywood film?’

‘I’m afraid not,’ she said. ‘It’s Kay.’

‘What about her?’ Adam interrupted quickly.

‘Something awful’s happened. I think you should make sure she’s all right.’

* * *

Somehow, Kay managed to get through the rest of the day. After replacing the photograph of Annabel in Oli’s notebook, she’d got on with her chores, moving through the bed and breakfast like a domestic whirlwind. She vacuumed and mopped, scrubbed and polished, and tucked and folded until there wasn’t a single square inch that had been neglected. And then she went shopping, replenishing her cupboards with everything that a guest could possibly request and a few other items that she knew she might need to console herself with once the guests had gone. She filled every second with activity because, that way, she didn’t have to think.

Before she knew it, it was evening and the cast had returned to the bed and breakfast. Well, most of them had. Oli and Teresa were noticeable by their absence and it was soon assumed that they’d found a room together elsewhere. It was a little after seven o’clock when a man turned up. ‘Bill Arnold,’ he announced. ‘I’m Ms Hudson’s Production Assistant. Here to collect their things.’

Kay nodded and led him up the stairs to show him to their bedrooms. ‘Did they send any message?’ she dared to ask him.

‘Not via me,’ he told her. ‘I was only told to collect their things.’

‘Where are they staying?’

‘Just outside Bath, I believe,’ he said politely.

So he’d gone. And without even saying goodbye.

Kay watched as the man did a very thorough job of emptying the wardrobes and drawers, packing everything neatly away.

‘I think that’s about it,’ he said at last.

‘Yes,’ Kay said quietly. ‘It really is.’

She followed him back downstairs and he nodded politely to her as he left. And that was it. No message, no forwarding address, she didn’t even have his mobile phone number. Captain Wentworth wouldn’t have behaved in such a manner, Kay felt sure of it, and Mr Darcy’s good opinion would have been lost forever at such behaviour.

Kay walked through to the living room where Sophie and Beth were sitting with Les Miserable and offered everyone dinner. It was eagerly accepted because everybody was too tired to bother going out to dinner that evening. Kay was relieved because that meant she’d be kept busy and have company too.

She was just walking back to the kitchen when she heard Beth groan loudly.

‘God! Can you believe that today?’ she said. ‘Oli and Teresa! I’d never have guessed that in a million years.’

‘Well, you’d better start believing,’ Sophie said. ‘I hear they’re getting married.’

Kay’s hand flew to her mouth to stifle a scream.

‘Well, all I can say is it’s about bloody time,’ Les Miserable said.

‘You knew they were a couple?’ Beth said.

‘Of course I bleedin’ knew.’

‘How?’

‘I’ve been working with Teresa for years. It’s been a well-kept secret from the media, I warrant you, but industry insiders have known what’s going on for ages.’

‘Blimey,’ Sophie said.

‘Well, I wish someone had told me,’ Beth said. ‘It might have saved me hours of flirting.’

‘I reckon you would have flirted anyway,’ Sophie said.

‘And who could blame me? They’re not married and what sort of relationship is it anyway if they don’t want anyone to know about it?’

‘A private one,’ Sophie said. ‘Not everybody wants their love lives to be fodder for the national press.’

‘Well, I think it’s really weird. Besides, Oli’s been messing around for years.’

‘Not any more,’ Les said. ‘Not if Teresa has anything to do with it.’

There was a pause for a moment before Beth spoke again. ‘Oh my God! Do you think Annabel is his daughter?’

‘Of course she is,’ Sophie said.

‘But she called him Oli all the time,’ Beth said.

‘Maybe she doesn’t know,’ Sophie said, ‘or maybe she’s under strict instructions
not
to call him Daddy. If I was Teresa’s daughter, I’d do
exactly
what I was told, wouldn’t you?’

‘God!’ Beth said. ‘How can Oli be in love with Teresa of all people?’

‘There’s nothing stranger than love and I’ve never seen such a passionate kiss in my whole life,’ Sophie said.

‘Don’t!’ Beth said. ‘It was disgusting.’

‘You’re just jealous that he wasn’t kissing you.’

Kay couldn’t bear to hear any more and hid in the kitchen to prepare dinner and then spent the rest of the evening cleaning pots that didn’t need cleaning before going to bed and crying herself to sleep, putting a merciful end to what was probably the worst day of her life.

When she drew her curtains the next morning, she wished she could go straight back to bed. She didn’t want to face the day ahead because it was the day that everyone was leaving. This was the last breakfast she would prepare for the actors and then they would be gone. If she wanted to see them again, she’d have to hire their films or watch them on television but they’d never sit on her sofa again or pop their heads round the kitchen door asking for more coffee.

Breakfast was a quiet affair that morning. Les Miserable looked as glum as ever and Beth looked pouty and petulant.

‘I don’t want to go to Bath,’ she complained, pushing the remains of her toast away from her.

‘I thought you’d like the shops,’ Gemma said. She’d come in late the night before and Kay guessed she’d been with Rob. ‘And there’s that marvellous Champneys where you can be pampered to your heart’s content.’

‘Well, I suppose there is that consolation. But why can’t we film it in London?’

Sophie looked at her as though she was quite mad. ‘You have read
Persuasion
, haven’t you? You can’t make a film version of
Persuasion
and not shoot in Bath.’

‘Oh, don’t be so exact. It doesn’t have to be Bath does it, Les?’

‘Of course it has to be bloody Bath, you idiot. Jane Austen
is
Bath. You don’t hear of bloody Jane Austen’s London, do you? It’s Jane Austen’s Bath, isn’t it?’ he said and Sophie and Gemma couldn’t help giggling.

Beth tutted in annoyance.

Kay left them to their debate.

‘Kay?’ a voice said about half an hour later. She turned to see Gemma standing in the kitchen doorway and knew it would be for the last time. ‘We’re ready.’

Kay nodded and joined everyone in the hallway. ‘You’ve been the best host ever,’ Sophie said. ‘I wish we could take you with us to Bath.’

Kay smiled weakly. She’d wanted to go with them as well until yesterday. Now, the thought of seeing Oli again was too much.

‘I’ll miss you, Sophie,’ Kay said. ‘Come back and visit, won’t you?’

Sophie nodded and gave her a big hug.

‘Bye, then,’ Beth said, giving Kay the briefest of hugs.

‘Take care of that ankle, won’t you?’ Kay said.

‘There’s nothing wrong with my ankle!’ Beth said.

Les Miserable moved forward and extended a hand. ‘Thanks for putting us up and putting up with us,’ he said without a glimmer of a grin.

‘You’re very welcome,’ Kay said.

And then there was Gemma.

‘I feel like Dorothy in
The
Wizard of Oz
when she has to say goodbye to her new friends,’ Kay said with a sad smile.

‘Oh, don’t,’ Gemma said, ‘or you’ll start me off !’

The two of them hugged and Kay could feel tears threatening to spill.

‘Come on, come on,’ Les said. ‘Got to get a move on or we’ll all be in trouble with you-know-who.’

‘Take care of yourself,’ Gemma said.

‘You too,’ Kay said. ‘And keep in touch, won’t you? Come and visit if you’re ever in Lyme Regis.’

‘I will,’ Gemma said.

Sophie, Beth and Les were already out of the door and, when Gemma was quite sure she had a moment’s privacy, she doubled back.

‘Kay,’ she said, ‘Oli gave me this to give you, the rat!’ She handed her a little envelope. ‘I told him the least he could do was to give it to you himself but he refused. Do you want me to stay whilst you open it? I could give him your reply if you want.’

Kay shook her head, knowing that whatever was in there would probably make her cry and Gemma had already seen enough of her tears.

Gemma gave her shoulder a quick squeeze. ‘If it’s any consolation, I told Oli exactly what I think of him.’

‘GEMMA!’ Les’s voice bellowed from outside. ‘Get a bloomin’ move on!’

‘Got to go,’ Gemma said and Kay gave a little smile and watched as she left. She then looked at the envelope with her name scrawled across it in blue ink and felt that there was something inside it – something round. Her heart skipped a beat for a moment and her imagination whirled in a direction she could hardly hope was real. Oli had left her a ring and a note of explanation. The whole scene on the Cobb with Teresa had only been an elaborate cover to fool the press. But it
wasn’t
Teresa he loved – how could it be when he was in love with Kay?