‘What did you hope to gain by getting us over here?’ she asked. William said nothing. ‘Oh, come along, there must have been some ulterior motive, knowing you.’
‘It was your husband I wanted,’ William replied wearily.
‘Good God, why?’ she asked.
‘I wanted to humiliate him, make him a social outcast, like he did to me.’
‘Really? And how were you going to do that?’
‘Catch him in the act, with his trousers down, photograph him.’ He told her about the hidden cameras and the way the island had been set up. ‘Laura and Justin agreed to give me explicit footage of your husband, the Baron and Baroness, the Hangerfords, every guest in fact, including their children.’ He sighed and stood up. ‘I know it all sounds petty, but for a while I was unbalanced. It seemed everyone was against me and I contemplated suicide. Everything in my life had turned sour, and you’ll be amused to know that even making money had lost its appeal. I have never known such loneliness.’
Angela put down her cup. All she could think of was her lovemaking with Laura. ‘You have all the rooms fitted out with hidden cameras?’ she said.
‘Yes.’ William flushed. ‘Only now I see it wasn’t really set up for me at all.’
Angela tried to make sense of what he had just said, but all she could think of was the video of her. What would her husband say when he found out? ‘Were you going to blackmail us?’ she asked.
‘It had nothing to do with money. I simply wanted everyone who had made me feel like a worthless piece of shit to know what it felt like. If I chose to, I would be able to make headlines in every paper, especially with your husband being who he is. Can you imagine what his competitors would have done to get their hands on a single photograph? They would have had a field-day with it.’ William took a deep breath. ‘Now I know that what was really going on was a lot more devious and dangerous than anything I could have dreamed up.’
‘What do you mean?’ Her chest felt tight.
‘It’s Laura and Justin Chalmers. This is their revenge.’
Angela was now very scared. ‘Why should they want revenge?’
William took out his wallet and passed her some newspaper cuttings. ‘Because of these. Read them for yourself. Most importantly, see the name of the young journalist. Your husband built his reputation on the exposure of those two poor kids.’
Angela began reading, then looked at William. ‘This can’t be the reason, for God’s sake! These are years old. And if Humphrey had anything to do with this, don’t you think he would have remembered them?’
‘He obviously didn’t. As you said, it was a very long time ago, more than twenty years. Why should someone like him remember? They were probably just a step up the ladder. He must have hurt a lot more on his way to the top.’
‘Like you,’ she snapped, and he turned on her, his face pale with anger.
Before he could reply, a nurse tapped lightly on the door and peered in. ‘May I speak with you for a moment, Sir William?’ she said, and held the door ajar.
William got up and walked out. In the hospital corridor she told him to call the coastguard station immediately.
Laura was growing impatient. There was still no word from Justin and it was now after two. She had been down to the jetty three times. She knew Matlock would be drugged by now and that Justin should be returning for the final part of the game. She was worried that, if they left it any longer, she and Max would not get away. She had forced herself not to go to him, but had occupied herself with her packing, her obsessive method of laying a sheet of tissue paper between each garment, tucking it into sleeves and around collars. Now her case was ready. They would soon be together.
At four, she saw the fishing-boat return and hurried down to the quayside. Justin stepped off the boat alone.
‘Where is he?’
Justin hooked his arm around her. ‘You want the good news or the bad?’
‘What happened, Justin? Don’t play games with me. You said twelve thirty. I’ve been waiting and waiting,’ she said.
Justin withdrew his arm. ‘What the hell has got into you lately, huh? You’re so impatient.’
‘I’m sorry, but I’ve been here all by myself.’
‘William’s back,’ Justin said flatly.
‘Where’s Matlock?’
‘Probably on his way to see William.’ Justin laughed, reached into one of the cool boxes near the edge of the quay and opened a can of Coke. ‘I just wish I’d had a camera because it was worth seeing. But at the same time there was nothing I could do. William contacted the goddamned coastguards to take Matlock off the boat to go and see his son in the hospital.’ Justin gulped the Coke and burped. ‘Well, dear Humphrey will be in hospital now, close to his beloved son. You should have seen it — he was all bloated and green in the face—’
‘Is he dead?’
‘Yes, and I’m sorry. I know what it meant for you to be in at the kill but it just couldn’t be helped. I had to do it myself.’
‘So, it’s over,’ she said softly. She hugged her slender body and snorted with laughter.
‘Yes, he’s gone. They’re all gone, all the bad people, darling, all gone.’
Laura gave a soft sob, and spread her arms wide. ‘I feel like I could fly now it’s all over.’
‘I guess it is, bar the diamonds,’ he said, moving close to her and rubbing her neck.
Laura looked at her watch. Four fifteen: only two hours to go before she could escape. She had never felt so in control of herself. ‘When is William going to show up?’
His hand felt warm and comforting but Laura winced as he gripped her tightly. ‘I dunno — but I’m starving. You want to grab a bite to eat with me?’ He nuzzled her and kissed her softly, but laid his hand firmly on her neck.
‘No, I’ll stay here.’
She inched away from him but Justin drew her closer. This time he kissed her mouth, then broke away and withdrew his hand. ‘We’ll leave this place soon and go back to the villa. I’ve missed Marta, missed our home.’
‘Me too,’ she said. Justin was all hands, touching her, needing her. He wouldn’t leave her alone. He cupped her face and kissed her lips again. She felt as if she was suffocating.
‘We’ll be able to live easy now. I’m sorry about you not being there, but maybe it’s for the best — it looked accidental. And with old Willy back, you know what a fuss-pot he is... Still, he’ll have some exhilarating home movies to watch.’
She held him tightly. ‘I love you, Justin, I always will.’
He stepped away from her and looked at her. The way she had said ‘I love you’ hadn’t sounded right. It was as if she had been saying it for the last time. ‘And I love you, Laura, and only you, always. We’ll always be together, won’t we?’
She nodded. ‘Nothing will ever come between us. Whatever happens.’
His eyes narrowed. He could feel how tense she was, and his concern deepened. ‘Maybe you should lie down. Have you been taking your medicine? I mean, do you think you need it?’
‘I’m fine, just...’ She plucked at her skirt. ‘Maybe you’re right. I’ll go and lie down. Join you later.’
Angela had been given a sedative, but was adamant she would accompany William to identify her husband’s body. He suggested that to keep the media at bay they tell no one until the body was ready to be flown back to England. There would be an inquest and the usual documentation to deal with, all of which William promised to handle. At first he was shaken when he heard of Matlock’s death, then afraid to ask for details: he was so sure he had been murdered. When the police told him it was an accident, he was relieved. When they said Justin had risked his life trying to save Matlock, he was puzzled, but then even more relieved because he must have been wrong about him... and he hoped desperately that he had been.