‘Joss? Where are you?’
There was no warning, no sound of steps, just the sudden firm, violent push from two hands squarely planted in the small of his back as with a shout of surprise and fear he felt himself hurtling down the steep bank and into the water. No longer glittering gold, it was brown, sandy, cold and very very deep. His eyes open, he found himself staring round the murky depths of the lake, then, arms flailing he fought his way to the surface, choking, feeling the weed and lily stems clutching at his legs, pulling him back. As his head broke the surface he took great gulps of air, clawing at the leaves around him. ‘Christ Almighty, Joss, what did you do that for?’ He was apoplectic with anger and fright. ‘You could have drowned me!’
‘Luke? Luke, what happened?’ Joss was standing a few yards away. Her face was white. ‘Here, catch my hand.’ She stepped gingerly down towards the water and stooped towards him.
He grabbed her fingers and hauled himself dripping onto the bank. ‘I suppose you think that was funny?’ He glared at her, shaking himself like a dog. ‘For pity’s sake, Joss!’
‘I don’t think it was funny at all,’ she retaliated. Then her mouth twitched very slightly at the corners. ‘Oh Luke, but you did look funny, suddenly hurling yourself into the water. What on earth made you do it? Did you slip?’
‘Slip? You know bloody well I didn’t slip. You pushed me.’
‘I didn’t.’ Her face was a picture of injured innocence. ‘How could you think such a thing?’
He was taking deep breaths, trying to catch his breath. In the cold wind, he was suddenly shivering violently. ‘Well, I’m not going to argue the toss now. If I stand here much longer I’ll get pneumonia.’ He turned towards the house and strode away up the lawn. Joss stood still, looking after him. Her sudden hilarity had gone as swiftly as it had come. She hadn’t pushed him. She had been standing several yards away from him when he had suddenly given the surprised shout and hurtled forward into the water. He hadn’t slipped; he hadn’t jumped. He looked as if he had been pushed. But if she hadn’t done it, who had?
She shuddered, looking round. The moorhen had disappeared. The bright autumnal sun had vanished behind a cloud and the garden was suddenly very bleak and cold.
She watched as Luke disappeared round the side of the house towards the kitchen, then she turned and looked back at the dull black surface of the lake, the lake where Sammy had died and she shuddered violently. Dear sweet God, it was starting.
Lyn was in the kitchen making pastry when Joss made her way in through the back door and hung up her jacket in the hall. She glanced up at Joss over the rolling pin and raised an eyebrow. ‘Luke is pretty pissed off with you,’ she said. Beside her, Tom, his sleeves rolled up was kneeling on a kitchen chair rolling out his own small piece of dough. He was covered in flour. ‘What on earth made you do it?’
‘I didn’t do it, Lyn.’ Joss went to the stove and lifted the kettle. She reached for a mug. ‘I wasn’t anywhere near him.’
‘So he jumped in by himself?’
‘He must have slipped. Do you want some coffee?’
Lyn shook her head.
‘Daddy all wet,’ Tom observed. He stuck his thumb into his dough and made two eyes. Then he gouged out a smiling mouth.
‘I’ll take him up a hot drink.’ Joss spooned coffee into two mugs and stirred the hot water. She added milk. ‘I didn’t do it, Lyn,’ she repeated firmly. ‘Really I didn’t.’
Luke was running a bath. He was tearing off his sodden clothes as Joss came into the bathroom. ‘Here,’ she said. ‘Coffee, to thaw you out. Are you all right?’ There was a long bleeding scratch on his leg.
‘Yes, I’m fine.’ He lowered himself into the hot water and reached for the mug. ‘Sorry to be so cross, but it wasn’t my idea of a joke, Joss.’
‘Nor mine.’ She sat down on the lid of the lavatory. ‘I didn’t do it, Luke. Honest. You must have slipped. I was miles away from you. I saw you just take off suddenly.’
He leaned back and closed his eyes, sipping at the hot drink. ‘If you say so.’
‘Luke, I think we should leave Belheddon.’
‘Joss.’ He opened his eyes and looked at her. ‘We’ve discussed this before. I’m sorry, but it’s impossible. Even with the money from the wine. You must see that. The terms of your mother’s will say we can’t sell it; we still need to earn a living, and our only chance is to persevere with my restoration and with your writing. Well, I suppose you can do your writing anywhere, but the cars, no. I need space for that. Space and covered accommodation, and now I need Jimbo. That lad is worth his weight in gold. He has a real feel for old cars. And here I can put the fiasco of Barry and H & G behind me. They’re never going to catch the bastard. It’s no use me thinking they will. I needed a new life, Joss. And here we have room for Lyn too. It’s perfect in every way.’ Putting down his coffee he reached for the soap and began lazily to lather his arms. ‘I know you’re nervous about the stories about this house, but they are so much crap, you must know that at heart. You mustn’t let people wind you up. People like David.’ He glanced at her again searching it for any reaction and his face relaxed into a smile. ‘I’m glad in a way you thought it funny, watching your husband hurtle into fifteen feet of ice cold water. I haven’t seen you laugh for a long time.’
‘I didn’t laugh.’
‘Well, smile, then. Joss, I know it hasn’t been easy, love. Coming here, with all the memories and stories about your family. I do understand.’
‘Do you?’ She stared at him thoughtfully.