‘We want the best people,’ said Sarah. ‘We can pay, if necessary.’ God knows how, but they’d find the money. Sell a painting. She’d sell her soul if necessary.
‘You don’t need to worry about that just yet. She’s in the best hands at the moment. Although there is more.’ He cleared his throat and Sarah looked at him. Somehow she knew this was going to be the bad bit. ‘Her face is badly lacerated. There’s a very nasty cut on her left cheek. She may well have to have some cosmetic surgery.’
‘Oh God,’ said Sarah. ‘She’s getting married in November.’
‘We’ll do our very best for her.’ He paused. ‘Look, there’s a lot to take in, and we don’t know yet which order we are going to be doing things. But in some ways she’s been very lucky—’
‘Lucky?’ Sarah looked appalled. Beautiful Alice, who was the least vain person Sarah knew.
‘We should tell Hugh,’ said Ralph. Hugh had gone out for fresh air. He said he was feeling odd after the crash. But he’d probably gone for a cigarette.
Sarah stiffened slightly at the mention of Hugh’s name. ‘It’s all his bloody fault.’
‘Darling. It was an accident. Black ice …’
‘Yes.’ Sarah didn’t sound convinced.
‘It must be awful. Imagine how he feels.’
‘He drives too fast. I know he does.’
More than once Sarah had had to brake in her Polo, meeting Hugh coming the other way in the narrow lanes leading to Peasebrook.
‘Boys will be boys.’
‘How can you say that?’
‘Come on. We should be celebrating the fact that she’s not got a brain injury—’
‘As soon as she comes back from X-ray, you’ll be able to see her,’ said the consultant.
‘She’s going to be as right as rain. I know it,’ said Ralph. ‘She’s made of stern stuff, my daughter.’ He managed a smile. ‘Like her mother.’
Sarah looked up from her seat in the waiting room when Hugh walked back in, smelling of freshly smoked cigarette and Wrigley’s. He gave a tentative smile. He was, quite rightly, wary of Sarah.
‘The nurse just told me. She’s going to be all right—’
Sarah cut him off.
‘You were driving too fast,’ she said flatly.
‘Sarah!’ Ralph stood up.
Hugh looked down at the floor, then sighed.
‘I know I was,’ he said, quietly. ‘And I’ll never forgive myself. But there’d been a bit of an incident in the pub. I was trying to get Alice home as quickly as I could.’
‘What do you mean – incident?’
There were fisticuffs in the White Horse sometimes. Not often, but it was inevitable sometimes after a few too many beers.
‘It was your gardener chap. He was being a bit … aggressive.’
‘Dillon?’ Sarah was incredulous.
‘Yes,’ said Hugh. ‘I should have taken him outside, but I didn’t want trouble.’
‘What do you mean – aggressive? That doesn’t sound like him.’
‘Everyone’s different after a few.’ Hugh put on a pained expression. ‘I think he’s got a bit of a thing about Alice. It was pretty embarrassing. He was following us. In his car. I put my foot down to get away from him. It was just instinct.’
Sarah shook her head. ‘I don’t believe you. Dillon wouldn’t put Alice in danger.’
‘Well, I can assure you it happened.’
‘Following you and then what, exactly? What was he going to do then?’
Sarah was staring at Hugh, her eyes hard. He shrugged.
‘I don’t know. Beat me up? I think he’d had a few too many. Maybe I should have reported him. Stopped him from driving. In retrospect, that would have been the responsible thing to do—’
‘I don’t think any of this is true.’
Ralph stepped forward. ‘Darling, I don’t think this is the time.’
Hugh looked distressed. ‘I’m sorry. I was trying to protect Alice. And yes, I put my foot down on the gas—’
‘So it was your fault.’
‘Sarah – this isn’t an inquisition.’
‘I want to get to the bottom of what happened. And I’m not convinced Dillon had anything to do with it. It sounds completely out of character.’
Ralph and Hugh shared a complicit look.
‘Oh, Sarah,’ said Ralph. ‘You always see the best in everyone.’
‘Not everyone.’ She looked at Hugh. ‘I don’t always see the best in everyone.’
Hugh attempted a disarming smile. ‘Look, we’re all a bit upset. We’re bound to be. The great thing is Alice is going to be all right. Let’s not lose sight of that.’
‘All right?’ said Sarah. ‘She’s going to be scarred for life.’
‘Sarah.’ Ralph’s tone was sharp. ‘This isn’t helping.’
The door swung open and the three of them looked towards the nurse. She was smiling.
‘If you want to come and see Alice, just for five minutes …’
‘Just me,’ said Sarah. ‘I want to see her. Three will be too much for her.’
Neither Hugh nor Ralph dared to remonstrate.