‘I’m sure. If I keep it, it will bother me all day, and I already have three boxes of missing Puffin bookmarks to hunt down and an online order that thinks I live in Kent,’ she shared, rolling her eyes. ‘Please remove the mystery book from my premises.’
Pippa laughed and tucked it into her bag. ‘Thank you.’
‘Don’t thank me, thank… whoever “A. Wetherby” is,’ Amelia said. ‘Or possibly question them. Why write a book about the Vale Brothers and then make it impossible to buy? That’s marketing chaos.’
‘Maybe it’s a limited edition?’ Pippa guessed. But something about this felt decidedly odd. Like the book had been waiting to be found.
‘Well, enjoy it, and if it turns out to be worth a fortune or uncovers anything it shouldn’t, I want to know about it. Oh! And enjoy the Horace Vale interview.’
‘Did someone mention Horace Vale?’
The door of the bookshop opened and in walked an old man with a big, welcoming smile. His hair was flecked with grey beneath a tweed flat cap, and a lightweight raincoat hung comfortably from his shoulders.
‘We did. Can you believe after all this time he’s coming back to the island?’
‘I can’t, but it will be good to see him.’
‘You know Horace Vale?’ Pippa was in awe.
‘Let me introduce you,’ Amelia offered. ‘Pippa, this is Pete, known as Puffin Pete to most as he’s in charge of the puffin count. He was once the local vet, and a heart-throb pop star back in his day, and he’s one of the island’s eldest residents.’
‘But still very much young at heart.’ Pete held out his hand.
‘Pippa Bell, clock restorer and runaway bride, but primarily here to witness Horace Vale’s first interview in years.’
Pete raised an eyebrow. ‘Bell. A very fitting name for a clock restorer.’
‘It was just meant to be.’ She gave Pete a firm handshake.
‘I grew up with Horace. It’ll be good to see him as it’s been a while. I was wondering whether he would cancel as the weather is fierce and we’ve just had word from the coastguard that there is a high possibility the causeway will close.’
‘I was thinking the same,’ said Amelia. ‘The visibility is getting worse and the rain isn’t letting up.’
‘What happens if the causeway is closed?’ asked Pippa.
‘You’ll be stranded. There are boats, but no one risks the water in a storm. At least you’ll be okay staying in Clockmaker’s Cottage,’ said Amelia.
‘You’re in Vale’s Cottage?’ asked Pete.
‘I am. There was a competition run by the horology society and Horace Vale, and though I entered at the last moment I got lucky and won the stay. I’ve been obsessed with the Vale Brothers’ work since I was a little girl.’
‘History was made in that cottage. I saw that one of the early pieces they developed there sold for hundreds of thousands in a London auction recently.’
‘I saw that,’ added Pippa. She took her chance. ‘You know Horace, Pete, so… Have you any idea why the brothers’ partnership broke up?’
‘I’ve been asked that question many times over the years, but it’s not for me to speculate or spread rumours. After all, the brothers and Agatha were good friends of mine.’
‘It was worth a try.’ Pippa smiled and reached into her bag. ‘I’ve just bought… well, actually I haven’t, as we don’t know how this book got on the shelf…’ She placed the book back on the counter. ‘This book. I thought I knew and had read everything written about the Vale Brothers but this is new to me. Are you familiar with an “A. Wetherby”? The name seems familiar.’
Pete glanced at the book, picked it up and turned it over in his hands. ‘Yes, unfortunately I’m familiar with this book. I didn’t realise there were still copies circulating. A. Wetherby is Andrew Wetherby?—’
‘Ah! Horace Vale’s apprentice, back in the day,’ supplied Pippa.
Pete hesitated. ‘Andrew Wetherby was charged with stealing from the Vale Brothers.’
Pippa’s eyes widened. ‘Yes, I remember now. He was the disgraced apprentice.’
‘This book was self-published, and I believe the aim was to discredit Horace and Walter. It’s a sort of tell-all book about life working for the brothers. I’ve never read it, on principle. That man wronged my friends.’
