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“Is it time for dinner?” he asked, wiping his brow with his forearm.
“Almost.”
“Beth at Esme’s?”
“Yes.” Iris met his eye. “She didn’t come in until after one o’clock in the morning. I met Hugh in town and he mentioned that he and Esme were in bed by ten.”
“Meaning?”
“That she was with Marcus and Joseph. It seems they get on very well. Apparently, she’s been good for Joseph since Laure died.”
Gabriel’s eyes widened. “Hugh said that?”
“Yes.”
“Do you think he was trying to tell us something?”
“Such as?”
“I don’t know. That Joseph and Beth are closer than they should be?”
“I think if he had any real concerns, he’d just come out and say it. But we need to keep an eye on things. She’s around there a lot.”
Gabriel ran a hand through his hair. “Is that why she spends so much time with them, do you think? Because he’s there?”
“Maybe. But mainly to get away from us. Let’s face it, we’re not much fun to be around, are we?”
She left, and Gabriel went back to digging, the thud of the spade hitting the earth echoing the thud of his heart.
61
“Can I talk to you and Dad a moment?”
Iris looked up and saw Beth hovering uncertainly on the terrace, her hair still damp from her shower.
She pushed away the present she’d been wrapping, a beautifully carved Noah’s Ark, a gift for Hamish. “Of course.”
“As long as it’s not to tell us that you’ve decided against university altogether,” Gabriel joked, wiping his hands on his jeans. “Actually, even if it is, I’m not worried. You’ll make your own way in life, I know that.”
“Thanks, Dad,” Beth said, coming over to give him a hug. “I’m still intending to go to uni, but I do want to speak to you about my future. My immediate future,” she added.
“Oh, right.” Gabriel smiled at her. “How can we help with that?”
“I’ve decided to go traveling.” She pulled out a chair and sat down opposite Iris, and Gabriel did the same. “See something of the world before I go to uni.”
“Traveling?” Gabriel asked. “Where? I mean, have you got it all planned or is it something that you’re thinking of doing?”
“I’ve got it more or less planned. It’s just that I feel like getting away for a while.”
“I can understand that,” Iris said. “You’ve been through a lot lately, and your dad and I aren’t much fun to live with at the moment.”
“That’s not why,” Beth said quickly. “I love being here with you and Dad. But it seems a bit of a waste to stay in Markham for a year when there are so many places to see.”
“So where are you thinking of going? Europe?”
Beth shook her head. “No, Asia. Then maybe South America.”
“Asia?” Gabriel jumped on the word. “Where in Asia?”
