The Daughters Of Red Hill Hall (34 page)

By the time she’d finished showering she’d formulated her plan in detail. She knew she had to put it into action immediately, before she lost her nerve. She tugged on some clothes and rummaged in her jewellery box for her engagement ring, which she slipped on. She threw Ben a hasty kiss. ‘See you later, love you.’

‘Jeez, what’s the hurry, Gem? We just got engaged; can’t we have breakfast together?’

‘Gotta rush. Stuff to do before work. Sorry,’ she said, charging out of the door. ‘We’ll celebrate this evening – come to the museum at six, OK?’

‘Sure, will do. Don’t do anything stupid, will you?’ she heard him call after her.

As she hurtled down the stairs and out of the front door she pulled out her phone and called Roger. ‘Roger? Hey, it’s me. Listen, I’m going to be a tiny bit late today. There’s something I have to do. Sorry, I know. I’ll make up the time. I wouldn’t normally do this – you know that – but this is urgent. No, I’m all right. More than all right. Ben and I have got engaged again. Yeah, I know! Brilliant, isn’t it? OK, see you soon. Cheers, bye.’

There was something she needed to buy before going to work. Surprisingly, it didn’t take as long as she’d anticipated. With her purchase tucked safely in her handbag she arrived at the museum only twenty minutes late, to quizzical looks from Roger. She spent the morning cataloguing, but also managed to track down Rebecca and Charles de Witt at Carlstone Hall on the 1841 and 1851 censuses. She smiled as she made a few notes about her latest findings. Rebecca’s story had a happy ending, despite what had happened in the cellars of Red Hill Hall. Would her own story end happily as well? There was a chance it would, if she could pull off her plan.

She looked at the clock. It would be tight to achieve all that she needed to in her lunch hour but if she was late back she’d just have to make yet more excuses to Roger. It wasn’t as though she made a habit of being late. She’d only have to do this once, then Nat would be gone for good. On the dot of twelve she grabbed her bag, jumped in her car and headed over to Nat’s mother’s flat. She just had to hope Nat was in. Ideally without her mother being there; if not, she’d have to find some way to get Nat alone.

But it was Nat’s mother who opened the door. ‘She ain’t here. She won’t want to see you, neither. Piss off.’

Gemma rammed her foot in the door before it was slammed in her face. ‘Where is she? Tell me, Mrs Heller, then I’ll leave you alone.’

‘Gone for a job interview, ain’t she? As a barmaid. Bet she won’t get the job though. Up at that big place – hotel I think it is. Red Hall, or somefink.’

‘Red Hill Hall? Right. Thanks.’ Gemma spun on her heel and left, running along the walkway, down the stairs of the block of flats, and out to her car.

Fifteen minutes later she pulled into the car park of Red Hill Hall, switched off the engine and took a deep breath. This was it. Now she just had to find Nat and confront her. Just as Rebecca had confronted Sarah. Their showdown had been in the cellars. This time it would be different, although if things went the way Gemma had planned, the outcome would be much the same and Nat would be gone for good.

If the interview was for a position working in the bar, she could reasonably assume that’s where the interview would take place. She went through, and sure enough there were a few people in smart clothes sitting at a table with no drinks, looking nervous. Nat was amongst them. She was wearing ripped jeans and her hair was unwashed. Not the kind of look Don would be after for his classy hotel, Gemma thought. She caught Nat’s eye and was pleased to see the colour drain from her face.

‘We need to talk. Now.’ She nodded towards the entrance.

‘I’m waiting for a job interview,’ Nat said, her voice whiny.

‘You won’t get it. I know the manager here.’ Gemma stood back and waited for Nat to stand up.

Eventually with a dramatic sigh and roll of her eyes, Nat stood and followed Gemma out to the grounds of the hall. Gemma led her around the back to the old kitchen garden, which was secluded and not overlooked. Set into the wall of the hall was the old door, now almost completely hidden by overgrown vegetation, which led down to the cellar. It seemed a fitting place for what had to happen – just yards away from Rebecca and Sarah’s showdown.

‘What the fuck do you want, Gemma?’ Nat spat.

‘I think you know. You were at my flat last night. You tampered with the gas cooker and turned it on. I could have been killed.’

‘What? I did no such thing. You’ve no proof,’ Nat said, but her eyes dropped to the floor, and her heightening colour betrayed her.

‘My downstairs neighbour saw you. You know the code to my key safe and I could tell someone had used it.’

‘I rang the bell and when there was no answer I left. Sorry you had a gas leak. Could have been nasty.’ Nat smirked. ‘Shame it wasn’t.’

‘What have you got against me, Nat? All the things you’ve done, starting with turning Ben against me. I could go to the police!’

‘What, and tell them your boyfriend dumped you and you blame me? Ha. Like they’d be interested.’

‘You fraudulently used my credit card. You extorted money from my parents. You entered my flat and tried to cause a gas explosion. I have enough evidence. You’d be convicted of attempted murder and go to prison for a very long time.’

Nat laughed. ‘No, you don’t have enough evidence. You have nothing.’

Gemma sighed. ‘Nat, just tell me why? We were friends, we did everything together and then suddenly you turn against me and try to destroy me. I don’t understand. And I need to, before…before I…’

‘Before you what? Try to destroy me in return? I’d like to see you try. Ha. You’re weak, Gemma Rowling. Too nice to be able to hurt anyone or do anything decisive.’

Gemma pressed her lips together. Just you wait, Natalie Heller, she thought. If only the door to the cellar could be opened. She could just shove Nat down there and leave her to rot. If Don hadn’t planned to renovate the cellars, Nat would never be found.

Nat smirked at her. ‘But you want to know why I did all this? Isn’t it obvious?’

‘Tell me. Explain everything. Give me a reason not to fucking kill you!’ Gemma felt her blood boiling. In her pocket she closed her fingers around the one thing she had that could remove Nat from her life for good.

‘Kill me? Now you’re being a bit melodramatic. Gemma, you’re right, we were friends once, and it was good. But then I gradually realised that it was an uneven kind of friendship. You had everything – I had nothing. You couldn’t see that, and it made me mad. You have your kind, supportive parents, whereas I have an alcoholic mother who hates me and a father who’s pissed off to the other side of the world. You have your amazing job, which you love, with your eccentric but lovable boss. I have – no,
had
– a shit job I hate with a bitch of a boss. You have your pretty little flat, rising in value, with an easily affordable mortgage, and I have –
had
– a grotty rented place with mould in the bathroom. Then I got chucked out of that.’ Nat took a deep shuddering breath. ‘To top it all, you had a lovely fiancé and the prospect of a dream wedding ahead, and a cottage with roses round the door and a clutch of cute children. I have no prospects ahead of me. You had it all.’

‘You were jealous?’ Was that really all that was behind it? But then, jealousy could be a powerful force. Sarah had tried to destroy Rebecca’s life due to jealousy as well.

Nat rolled her eyes. ‘That makes it sound as though we’re kids, and you’ve got the better Barbie doll. It’s a bit more than that. You have everything. You probably felt sorry for me – poor little Nat with her shit life. Let’s take her out, once in a while, show her how good life can be if you’re one of the lucky ones. You rubbed my nose in it, all the time. Look what I’ve got, more than you, Nat, but I’ll condescend to share just a tiny bit with you. Not too much, just enough so you can see what you could have had, who you could have been. Well screw you, Gemma Rowling. I just tried to take away a bit of your luck, to even out the cosmos a bit. Show you what life’s like when luck is not on your side. That’s all.’ She folded her arms and glared defiantly at Gemma.

Had she done that? Had she been condescending? Rubbed Nat’s nose in her own good fortune? Gemma’s mind frantically went back over the years, looking for evidence. No. She hadn’t. They’d been equals. They’d shared everything. They’d been
friends
, Goddammit!

She glared back at Nat. ‘You went too far, messing with my gas cooker. Ben was with me and you could have killed us both if there’d been an explosion.’

Nat’s eyes widened and she gasped. ‘Ben was with you?’

Gemma nodded, and flashed her left hand at Nat. ‘We’re back together. He proposed again this morning, and
this
time you won’t get in our way.’

‘He could have been mine. If I’d met him first. It was only luck that he met you first and asked you out, not me.’

Gemma shook her head. ‘You’re deluded, Nat.’

‘Can’t believe that he’s gone back to you. He could have been hurt. I wouldn’t have wanted to hurt
him
.’ Tears were streaming down Nat’s face. Good, Gemma thought. She’s finally beginning to realise what she’s done.

‘I’m not going to let you hurt either of us again,’ she said quietly. ‘I want you out of my life, for good.’

‘How are you going to do that? Police won’t listen to you, and you know it, for all your threats. Your so-called evidence won’t stack up. I’ll have explanations for everything. And you’re too soft to try to hurt me.’

‘There are other ways.’ This was it. The moment from which there’d be no return. Gemma took her hand out of her pocket, pulling out her purchase from that morning that she’d been clutching while they talked. Nat frowned in confusion as she passed it to her. ‘Here. Take this.’

Nat opened her mouth as if to speak, but took the envelope and opened it. Her eyes widened as she saw the contents. ‘What’s this? I don’t understand…’

‘It’s what it looks like. A plane ticket, in your name, to Sydney, Australia. That’s where your dad lives, isn’t it?’

‘It’s one way,’ Nat whispered.

‘Yes. You go, stay with your dad till you get yourself established. Find a job. Your dad’s Australian so you can get Australian citizenship easily enough. You make yourself a new life out there. You never come back here or contact me or Ben again. Never.’ Gemma held Nat’s gaze. ‘This is your chance, Nat. You always said you’d move to Australia if you could afford to go. Now you can go. I’ll even pay off your fucking debts as well. I just want you gone, out of my life for good.’

‘What if I don’t go?’ Nat’s voice was shaky.

‘Then I definitely go to the police. Your fingerprints will be all over the flat and the key safe. Along with my neighbour’s evidence, the letter you wrote to my parents and the credit card bill, it’ll be enough. Take the flight. It’s booked for tomorrow so you’ve just got time to contact your dad and pack.’

Nat was silent, her gaze alternating between Gemma and the ticket. Gemma watched her carefully.

‘You’ll pay off my debts as well?’

‘If it’ll get rid of you, yes.’

‘Looks like I haven’t much choice, then. I’d better go and pack. I’ll post you the details of my debts.’ Nat turned away, then said, over her shoulder: ‘I didn’t intend to hurt you. The gas thing, I mean. It was…stupid.’ Then she strode off across the gardens towards the car park, her head held high, the ticket in her hand.

Gemma watched her go. She hadn’t expected any thanks for the tickets, and those last, unexpected words were the nearest she’d get to an apology. She committed the sight of Nat walking away from her, denim jacket flapping open in the summer breeze, a hand pushing her hair away from her face, to memory.

Just before Nat reached the car park she turned and stood for a moment, gazing back towards Gemma, as though she’d wanted one last look at her friend. Gemma watched, blinking back tears, as Nat raised a hand in a gesture that could have meant goodbye, or thank you, or perhaps even sorry.

It would be the last time she saw her oldest friend; Gemma knew that. She wiped away a tear with the back of her hand. This was what she wanted – no more Nat. But she’d given her a chance to start again. It was up to Nat, now.

When Nat was out of sight Gemma went around the hall and back into the bar. She needed a few minutes, and possibly a stiff drink, before going back to work. There were still a few interviewees waiting their turn, but not as many. As she ordered a small white wine, Don entered the bar, shaking the hand of the last person he’d interviewed.

‘Gemma! What brings you here? Not after a job, are you?’

She laughed. ‘Already got two, thanks. I was, erm, meeting someone. But hey, now I’ve bumped into you, fancy coming into town for a drink with Ben and me this evening? At the Men At Arms. We’re celebrating.’

‘Sure, I’d love to. But, erm, my other half’s arriving later this afternoon.’

It was news to Gemma that he had a partner. ‘No worries, bring her as well if you want.’

‘Ahem. Him. Not her. Peter’s been contracting in the States for the last six months, but he comes back today.’ Don looked excited and nervous. Gemma supposed it was a long time to be apart.

‘Ah, right. Well, I guess he’s not going to want to go out on his first night back. Don’t worry – we can catch up another time.’

‘No, he’d like to come, I’m sure, if you don’t mind. And anyway, I’d love you to tell him all about your research about this place. I kind of bought it for him, in a way…’

‘How romantic, you old softie!’ She laughed and he blushed.

‘See you later then. About seven?’

‘Great!’ She gave him a thumbs up and left him to his interviewing, taking her drink to a small table outside, on a terrace overlooking the parkland. She smiled to herself. It had been difficult, but the showdown with Nat had gone the way she wanted it to. Nat would take that flight to Sydney and be out of her life very soon. Had Rebecca sat here on the same terrace, after disposing of Sarah? Had she felt euphoric, or regretful? Or terrified she’d be found out? Thank goodness there had been a better way to be shot of Nat!