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“Absolutely.”
“Then, thank you.”
Esme accompanied her to the front door. “Are there any nice walks around here? It’s something Hugh and I love to do.”
“Yes, there are. If you walk to our end of the village, there’s a footpath that leads across a couple of fields, and another into some woods. There’s a quarry, but it’s out of bounds now.”
“Is that where they found that poor boy? We saw it on the news just after we’d bought the house, they mentioned a quarry outside Markham.”
“Yes.” Iris nodded. “That’s where it happened.”
She didn’t tell Esme that it was Gabriel who found him.
10
Gabriel stuck the spade into the ground and took off his gloves, pleased with the progress he’d made on the walled garden. It had taken him a couple of days to actually get started, but after a week of pulling out weeds, digging over soil and picking out stones, about a quarter of the plot had been transformed into something that looked as if one day, it could be filled with vegetables or flowers.
He was surprised at how good he felt, not just physically but also mentally. He had Beth to thank for that; she had already phoned twice to see if he was keeping to their pact and he was determined to impress her when she came back in August. Not only that, but with each day that passed, he’d found himself worrying less and less about his colleagues at the surgery, and about the patients he’d abandoned. Because that was how it had seemed at the time, that he had abandoned them.
He took out his phone, and moved to the old wooden bench that he’d dragged into the garden so he’d have somewhere to sit. He needed to try Pierre again; he still hadn’t been able to speak to him. All he’d received in response to the numerous voicemails he’d left for his friend was a second message—I appreciate your concern but I havenothing to say for the moment.I’ll call in a few days.That had been three days ago and it had left Gabriel bemused and frustrated, a frustration he’d had to put aside, because when Pierre had asked him about Charlie, he’d said more or less the same thing, that he didn’t want to talk about it, and Pierre had respected his wishes. Now, he owed it to Pierre to do the same. But at least he had answered Pierre’s calls.
He called Pierre’s number, not really expecting him to pick up.
“Gabriel.” Pierre’s voice came down the line.
“Pierre, thank God.” Gabriel took a moment to rid his voice of reproach. “It’s good to hear from you. How are you?”
“Not great.”
“No, I can imagine.” Gabriel paused. “Is there anything I can do to help?”
“Thanks, but it’s something I need to sort out for myself. You’re already helping by having Laure to stay with you. How is she?”
“Hurt. Confused. You need to talk.”
“We will.”
“You could come here.”
“Maybe. But not yet. I need some time.”
“Then call her.”
“I will.”
“How about I come to Paris?”
“No, please don’t. Sorry, but I don’t want to see anyone for the moment.”
“Okay. But if—”
“I have to go,” Pierre interrupted. “I’m at work.”
“All right—make sure you keep in touch.”
But Pierre had already gone. Gabriel cursed under his breath at the feeling of a missed opportunity. He’d hoped that Pierre might tell him something that he could take back to Laure, but all he’d learned was that Pierre wasn’t ready to talk, and that he didn’t want to see anyone. On the other hand, having nothing to tell Laure meant that he didn’tneed to go and find her yet. Beth had been right; the walled garden was proving to be a great refuge.
Perhaps he was being harsh, perhaps it was normal that her every conversation was about Pierre. If he was honest, it wasn’t all bad having her around because she was filling the space between him and Iris, a space he himself had created by not opening up to her about what was troubling him. He wanted to, but before he did, he needed to reconcile himself with the decision he’d made that day in the quarry. It had seemed the right thing to do at the time. Sometimes, though, he imagined Charlie turning in his grave and sayingYou bastard.
