Anna woke late. Despite the scented bath that promised a relaxing night’s sleep, she had tossed and turned thinking of Gary and then Julius and somehow they morphed into the same person and she couldn’t recognise either of them.
Having Freddie, who usually woke with the birds, she had not had a lie-in for years. She got dressed quickly and called Lucy, hoping that Freddie and Benny had not exhausted her.
‘I hear you caught a thief,’ Lucy greeted her excitedly. ‘The news is all over the place; you’re quite a star. Freddie can’t stop talking about it and wants to go to the police station to see what the thief looks like.’
‘It was just luck that I went into the dining room, but what a mean thing to do, gate crash a happy event to rob people,’ Anna said.
‘That’s what Colin says, but anyway you caught her and with luck she’ll be put behind bars for some time,’ Lucy said vehemently. ‘But how are you feeling? Did you sleep?’
‘Not too well, I’ve just woken up and I’m coming down to relieve you of Freddie. I expect you’ve lots to do,’ she said, ‘but thanks so much for having him, let me have Benny too for a while.’
‘We love having Freddie, he and Benny get on so well, he’ll miss him when he’s gone,’ Lucy said. ‘But maybe he can come to you later, as he’s got some holiday homework to do and I might get him to do it if he knows he can play with Freddie once it’s done.’
‘I’ll come now and fetch him,’ Anna said. Freddie had some reading to do and if he knew Benny had schoolwork it might make it easier to persuade him to do it. Having a mother as a teacher didn’t make it any easier to get one’s own child to get down to it.
Lucy went on, ‘All the Gateaux des Rois are gone, but I’ve kept one for us so I hope you and Freddie will come for tea, we’re longing to hear how you caught this woman.’
‘How do you all know about it so soon?’ Anna asked, wondering who could have told her.
‘Oh, Luke told Colin; he came to help him dismantle some cupboards in the shop. He’s very proud of you, as we all are,’ Lucy finished.
‘I just did what anyone would have done,’ Anna said. ‘Anyway, I’ll be with you shortly. Bye then.’ Anna rang off.
Just as she was about to go out of the door, her mobile went and it was Julius.
‘I hope you slept well after your ordeal yesterday.’ He sounded concerned.
‘Sort of,’ she said, ‘but I’m fine.’
‘Good, I’ll come up and take you to the police station to give a statement, we’ve got to go over to Bury St Edmunds, that’s the closest. Are you ready to come now, or…?’
She felt a jolt to her stomach; surely it wouldn’t be necessary for her to go to the police station to be interrogated now? The woman had been caught red-handed and was known to the police. They might want to talk to her later, but with any luck she’d be long gone by then.
‘Surely I’m not needed, and anyway I’m just leaving to get Freddie. He’s been staying with Lucy and Colin and they have things to do now, and Benny has some schoolwork,’ she said.
‘They do need to see you, Anna, and probably the sooner it’s over, the better for everyone,’ his voice was gentle. ‘We could collect Freddie on the way and I could watch him while you make your statement, I’m not far from you now, I’ll come and pick you up.’
She sighed, ‘OK, if I must. Thank you, I hope it… making the statement, I mean, won’t take long. I’m a bit nervous about it,’ she said, thinking of crime programmes she’d seen on television. She wondered if she’d somehow mess up and the woman would be set free. She recalled her hard expression, her air of contempt when she’d faced her. Might she send her partner in crime to duff her up? All sorts of lurid thoughts tangled in her mind and hastily she pushed them away, she must not let her imagination run away with her.
She was ready when Julius rang the bell shortly after.
‘I’d offer you a coffee, only we’d better collect Freddie, Lucy’s got things to do,’ she said as Julius came into the house, quickly followed by Felix.
‘How did you get out, you bad dog?’ Julius turned to him. ‘I thought I shut the Land Rover door.’
‘Don’t worry, I expect he’s hoping Sidney and Philly are back and is disappointed we are still here.’ Anna watched Felix doing the rounds of the flat, and then finding they were not there he lay down morosely in the hall.
‘They’ll be back soon, but he likes you and Freddie really. I think Philly feeds him treats behind my back and it’s that he’s after.’ Julius smiled at her. ‘Let’s get this over. It’s all right, yours is not the only evidence.’ He studied her with concern and she had a ridiculous urge to be held close to him.
‘No,’ she said more forcibly than she might. ‘I… mean, I’d just like to forget about it, but I know it has to be done, though as I was the only person who saw her stealing I still feel rather unsure about it, even though we did find her bag full of stuff.’
‘You’ll be fine, Anna,’ he put his hand on her arm and it felt comforting and safe there. ‘She’s done it before and there are other incidences which were not discovered in time to catch her, so it’s not just your evidence that will convict her.’ Seeing her coat hanging on a peg by the door, Julius fetched it and held it open for her to put on. ‘It’s pretty raw out there so wrap up warm.’
She felt an overwhelming urge to lean against him; she forced herself to move away. ‘I… I’d better take another jersey for Freddie,’ she dashed into his room to fetch one.
Felix reluctantly got back into the Land Rover and Anna got in the front beside Julius and they headed down into the village.
‘So will you miss us, when you leave?’ Julius turned to her, smiling. ‘Are you missing your life… your friends back home?’
She had a feeling that he was asking more intimate things, perhaps if she had a boyfriend, someone special waiting for her. ‘I do miss them, but two of my best girlfriends and Freddie’s godmothers, Daisy and Grania, have been here and I’m waiting for Francy, the third godmother, to appear any time.’
‘They’ll be pleased to have you home though, I’m sure,’ he said. ‘You’ll leave a large gap behind when you’re gone.’ He turned to face her, slowing the Land Rover as they neared Lucy’s house. His look was soft, almost caressing her face, she looked away not knowing how to handle her feelings.
She felt close to him being enclosed together in the car and then she remembered there was a question she wanted answered and everyone she’d asked so far had fudged it. She said, ‘People seem so grateful that I’m here so Philly and Sidney can go to visit his father, but I just feel there’s more to it.’
They’d reached Lucy’s house and Julius pulled over and turned off the engine. He stared out in front of him. ‘Well, yes you’re right, though no one talks of it.’
‘I’m sorry, I’m just being nosy, you needn’t tell me,’ she said, her hand on the door handle ready to get out.
‘I don’t see why you can’t be told, I’m sure you won’t gossip about it, you might hear bits here and there anyway.’ He turned to her. ‘The autumn before last, Sidney fell for a younger woman, much younger in fact, who lived locally. It was all rather sad and embarrassing, and Philly got breast cancer.’
‘Oh, how dreadful, Daisy never told me,’ Anna was horrified.
‘Fortunately I think it was contained, she’s fine now though still taking drugs for it, but she gave him an ultimatum. She loves it here and has lots of friends and interests and she said she would stay here but he must finish with this woman completely, or leave.’
‘So he stayed?’
‘Yes. The woman was not popular, or anyway with the women around here, which was hardly surprising. She seemed to get a kick from seducing other women’s men, made fools of quite a lot of people.’ He looked away and Anna wondered if he was one of them, but she wasn’t going to ask. ‘They decided to take a break from here and to go and visit his father, in the US.’
‘Well, I’m glad I came then so they could go away together,’ Anna said.
‘So am I. You and Freddie, and not forgetting Ozzie.’ Again his glance gentle on her face, she longed for him to kiss her and may have moved fractionally towards him. For a second she felt he’d take her in his arms, then he said briskly, ‘Well, we’d better get on.’ He got out and came round to open her door.
‘How long have you worked at the castle?’ she asked, to dispel the desire she felt for him, wanting to hide it from Lucy.
‘Oh…’ he thought back, ‘eight, nine years now. I used to be in the army and came out twelve years ago and got a job in an office but found it too constricting.’ He smiled.
‘I suppose you would after an exciting life in the army.’ She wondered if he’d been in a battle zone but felt it better not to ask.
‘You’re right and I love it here working among history and the open air instead of being cooped up with masses of other people fiddling with figures, though of course figures are needed here to try and keep us solvent.’
The front door opened and Colin greeted them. ‘Come in both of you. I hear you saved the castle’s reputation, Anna,’ he greeted her.
‘I wouldn’t say that,’ she laughed, hugging Freddie who ran up to her.
‘Did she have a gun and a huge bag of stolen things,’ he asked excitedly.
‘No, it wasn’t nearly so dramatic,’ she ruffled his hair.
‘Dramatic enough,’ Julius said as the whole family crowded round, throwing questions at them.
At last they managed to leave, Benny grumpy at having some schoolwork to do, as he wanted to come to the police station with Freddie. Colin told him it was not possible. Lucy stepped in, reminding them of the invitation to tea later and included Julius too, if he were free, and they would see who found the king and queen in the Gateau des Rois, for today was the feast of the Epiphany.
‘Of course. I forgot the feast of the three kings going to the manager. We’d love to come, thanks,’ Anna said, and Julius said he would pop in if he could.
‘Can I come into the police station?’ Freddie asked as Julius drove them away.
‘You can come in, but your mother must see the police alone to give her statement,’ Julius said. ‘You and I and Felix could go for a walk.’
‘But we can go in first?’ Freddie persisted.
‘Yes, we’ll drop her there and then go back for her,’ Julius smiled at Anna sitting beside him, but she didn’t smile back, butterflies doing a cancan in her stomach.
‘I just hope I don’t make a mess of it, forget something vital,’ she said with concern.
‘You’ll be fine. I gave my statement first thing this morning, we found the stuff on her and she’s admitted it, so it won’t be like those television dramas where they try to trick you.’
She wished he could come with her, sit there by her side, but then what would Freddie do? And anyway, wasn’t she being a bit drippy, she only had to confirm what she saw.
They arrived at the police station in the ancient town of Bury St Edmunds. On the way, Julius had told them the East Anglian king, Edmund, was beheaded and his remains taken to the abbey here.
‘The abbey gardens are beautiful even in winter, though sadly I haven’t time to take you there today, but another time. Now, here we are.’ He parked the Land Rover. Freddie was eager to get out, Anna, less so. Felix disappointed to be left behind while they went into the police station. Julius put his arm round her shoulders as they went, Freddie jumping beside them.
There was not much for Freddie to see inside, just posters and advice about keeping property safe and drink driving and one policeman, who appeared when they rang a bell. Freddie had hoped to see lots of police and perhaps a few criminals too…
The policeman asked Anna to follow her. Freddie was disappointed he couldn’t go with her.
Julius bent over and kissed her cheek. ‘You’ll be fine,’ he said, ‘just tell it how it was.’
It was the third kiss he’d given her, if she counted the obligatory one at New Year. Though that one could be counted as two, even three. She could still feel the warmth of this one on her cheek. He was just being kind, giving her courage, and then all thoughts fled as she was summoned into a room to face a couple of policewomen.
Anna made her statement and it was quite painless, the policewomen easy to talk to. When it was over, Anna went back to the hall and sat and waited for Julius and Freddie to return.
She saw them crossing the road towards her, Julius putting his hand on Freddie’s shoulder to warn him to wait until they were sure the road was clear and then they came. Freddie dancing beside him, looking up at him, excitedly telling him something, Julius looking down at him, listened intently, then laughed, and Freddie caught that laughter, happiness lighting his face. He took Julius’s hand, holding it as if he was part of him, someone to keep him safe.