Читать книгу Creatures of the Chase - Yusuf - L. M. Ollie - Страница 11

August 22nd, 1981

Churchyard, Cavendish Hall

Carl Emery’s relief was almost palatable as he watched Alan Rose make his way through the crowd standing on the lawn outside the chapel. He would pause now and again to shake a hand or brush a kiss across the cheek of some of the women who knew him and loved him.

By the time he reached Carl his natural conviviality had peaked so their reunion was a warm one; almost like family really which isn’t surprising since Carl thought of Alan Rose as almost his natural son perhaps because both Alan’s parents were dead.

Tall, athletic with a crop of light brown hair that was always too long and always unruly, Rose had the natural grace, good looks and charm to not only pass inspection as Develin’s godson but he looked like an escapee from the Kennedy clan. He was twenty-eight years old and a doctor of clinical medicine.

They embraced briefly before Carl stepped back smiling as he checked Rose over, top to toe. ‘Good to see you lad. You look well so obviously the jungles of Peru haven’t done you any harm.’

Rose returned Carl’s smile. ‘Good to be back and yes, it’s been an awesome experience. Seefan,’ he exclaimed as he enfolded her in his arms. ‘Imagine you an old married lady.’ She put her hand to her lips to hide the giggle as she retreated closer to Carl.

The smile on Rose’s face remained even while he scanned the immediate vicinity but it began to fade as his search failed to find what he was looking for.

‘Where is she, Carl?’

Carl nodded towards the mausoleum. ‘Why don’t you go and say hello - to both of them,’ Carl suggested, ‘and baby Richard too of course.’

‘Yeah,’ Rose replied although he seemed almost hesitant as he looked towards the entrance way into the Develin family crypt. ‘How is she?’

‘Well ah … let’s just hope that you prove to be the perfect tonic.

‘Look,’ Carl paused, ‘I need to talk to you as soon as possible. With all the travelling you’ve been doing, I’ve not had a chance to bring you up to date with what’s been going on around here since …’ He tried to smile but failed miserably. ‘Sarah’s been through a hell of a lot lately so …’ He swallowed hard. ‘As I said, we need to talk.’

*****

Sarah was on her knees in front of Develin’s tomb holding baby Richard in her arms, rocking him gently as she talked to her first husband and the child’s father in a hushed voice tinged with such an overwhelming sense of sadness that it should more correctly be simply called grief.

‘Hello Sarah,’ Rose whispered.

Sarah pulled the child closer then stood up ram rod straight before turning around. She stared at Rose with eyes that were filled with tears. She blinked several times trying to clear her vision, sending tears down either cheek. ‘Doctor Rose,’ she said. ‘What … what are you doing here?’

‘Well,’ he began with a nod towards Develin’s tomb, ‘he was my godfather for starters and well, I guess your being here was all my idea.’

‘Your idea?’

‘It’s a long story.’ His voice faltered. ‘He loved you Sarah from the very first moment he saw you.’

*****

Doctor Bryan walked with Alan Rose back to the house. While they walked Rose explained to Bryan just who he was since they had never met.

‘Sarah worked for me in a way, or rather for the research laboratory under my care. It was part of the university really so it seemed natural enough. The poor girl had very little money thanks to her father. Most of the time I had no contact with her whatsoever but upon occasion we would meet and chat. She was not only broke but lonely and I think, very unhappy.

I must have somehow managed to project my concern for her because she began to open up a little. She was studying medicine and doing extremely well. Then one day she told me that she would be leaving Harvard because her father was no longer interested in funding her education. Apparently he had enrolled her in a Medical Secretary course at the local community college and come the New Year, she would find herself back at home living with a father she hated.’

They were almost at the house by then. Rose stopped and looked around him. Finally he rounded on Bryan. ‘That was when I called Richard.’

*****

Knowing that Sarah would be joining them in about an hour Carl Emery, Scott Bryan and Alan Rose hurried to the Amber Room. Carl made certain that Rose and Bryan were both sufficiently fortified with large glasses of whiskey before he began. Bryan sat unmoving through most of it; adding very little especially about Develin’s treatment of Sarah early on in their relationship. Both Carl and Bryan agreed that on that particular subject, the less said the better.

Rose sat stone-faced throughout but when Carl finally admitted that Sarah had imprisoned Capritzo with intent, Rose was horrified. ‘She had no choice, Alan,’ Carl said in her defence. ‘Capritzo would have killed her and the child; of that I have no doubt.’

‘Capritzo … Merhot Capritzo was murdered by Sarah?’ He seemed almost in a state of shock. ‘But … but why would Capritzo come here; did he know her?’

‘Capritzo was Richard’s half brother. He ah … well he hired a lawyer to help him lay claim to the Develin estate. He knew it would take years to resolve so marrying Richard’s widow seemed to him to be the fastest way to achieve his goal.’

‘And Sarah agreed to this?’

‘Yes.’

Rose looked to Scott Bryan. ‘Sarah married Capritzo?’ Bryan nodded. ‘Was the marriage consummated? I mean did they …’

‘Yes, I believe so,’ Bryan replied sadly. ‘I ran all the tests for STD’s and she’s okay and by extension, so is the child.’

‘Please God I hope so,’ Rose said, trying desperately to rationalise in his mind the impossibly narrow odds of her contracting something so vague, so unknown and as yet, unnamed.

‘I need another drink,’ Carl said as he made for the bar. ‘Scott, want another?’ he asked holding the whiskey decanter in one hand; the stopper in the other. If Scott Bryan replied, Carl didn’t hear him as he stared at the stopper remembering another time; an eternity ago it seemed. Was Sarah fighting for her life then too?

Carl’s thoughts were interrupted by a light tapping on the door. Slowly it opened just wide enough to allow Seefan to slip through. She smiled. ‘Mrs. Develin, she looks for you now and wishes you to come to the party, yes.’

‘We’ll be right there, my dear,’ Carl replied. Seefan tilted her head to one side. She didn’t like Carl drinking; and he was drinking more and more these days. But now was not the time to speak of it she thought as she withdrew, closing the door behind her.

Carl frowned. He had been so busy with one thing and another he wasn’t sure were the party was even being held so he asked Doctor Bryan.

‘On the back terrace,’ Bryan replied with casual indifference.

But Carl could not be indifferent. He avoided the terrace whenever possible because of the memories associated with it. Two years ago now, almost to the day when he had stood on that same terrace beside Richard Develin and watch him murdered Tom Muldoon. Right up to that final split second, Carl firmly believed that Develin wouldn’t do it; scare him maybe but … then Develin raised the rifle and shot Tom right between the eyes.

‘Are you all right, Carl?’ Doctor Bryan asked.

‘Yes, yes of course.’ Carl finished his drink in a mouthful. ‘Well gentlemen, I think we should make an appearance.’

*****

Master Richard’s christening celebration was well underway by the time the three men arrived. Rose knew how important it was to appear as relaxed and casual as possible but no matter how hard he tried, when he finally looked at Sarah the smile on her face faded. ‘He knows’, she whispered in her mind.

She watched him as he shook Ian McIver’s hand before enveloping his wife Margaret in a bear hug which left her breathless and a little embarrassed. Mrs. Morris was delighted as he swung her around threatening never to let her go until she promised to organize a batch of butter tarts – his favourite thing in all the world he declared, to everyone’s amusement.

By two in the afternoon the party began to break up. Sarah had already left by then to rest at Doctor Bryan’s insistence. She lay across her bed with her hands folded across her chest, staring at the ceiling. Over and over in her mind she could hear Rose saying - he loved you Sarah from the very first moment he saw you. She rolled onto her side then pulled herself up into a foetal position. She could feel the tears coming.

‘If he did Doctor Rose, he sure had an odd way of showing it sometimes.’