Please Don't Stop The Music (32 page)

‘
I
knew there was something up. Why is Rosie so off with you tonight?
You haven’t made another pass, have you?’

But
he didn’t rise to the humour. Instead, he stared out into the
gathering dusk, more focused than I’d ever seen him when he wasn’t
working. He looked even more Johnny Depp-like than usual. Still
didn’t fancy him, though.

‘
I’ve come to care about you and Rosie like the sisters I
never had,’ he said at last.

‘
You’ve
got
sisters, Jason, you hate them
both.’

‘
Yeah, that’s why I care about you two.
You’re the
nice
sisters I never had.’ A brief smile flashed in oncoming
headlights. ‘An’ I am really worried about Rosie. She’s told me
some stuff – look, she
had
to
, all right? It was eatin’ her up and
you’ve got your own stuff goin’ down an’ I found her – doesn’t
matter. Promised I wouldn’t tell ya, so, you know how it
goes.’

‘
Not
really. Surely if it’s that bad –’

‘
You’re keeping Ben’s secrets, aren’t you?’

‘
It’s not my secret to tell.’

‘
There y’go then. But I will tell you this. We gotta get
Saskia and Rosie away from each other.’

‘
I’m all for that. She’s ruining Rosie’s
life with her constant orders. Trouble is Saskia is her only
customer now, she’s had to drop everyone else but because Saskia
pays so well it’s all been fine. What would she do if Saskia
did
stop
ordering?’

Jason shrugged. ‘She’d survive. Maybe the two of you could
set up together?’

‘
Great idea, but you’re missing the fact that eBay have still
got me banned and the whole of York regards me as marginally less
marketable than typhoid.’

‘
It’ll straighten out. Now you’ve got Ben.’

‘
I’m
not going to be living off him, if that’s what you’re thinking.’
Even the thought of being financially dependent made my breath
thicken in my throat. ‘I’ve got plans. Well, sort of. I’m planning
to get Saskia to tell the Board of Trade members to start stocking
me again and that’s a start.’

‘
Just get Rosie out from under, Jem. Whatever it
takes.’

I
shook my head in the darkness, forcing my breathing to steady. In,
out. Don’t panic. ‘I’ll do what I can.’

‘
Great.’ We walked along elbow to elbow for a bit. Then Jason
broke the silence. ‘I’m going back to the States in a couple of
weeks. I need to know –.’ He cleared his throat. ‘I need to know
Rosie’s okay before I go.’

‘
Jase, you old dog, do you fancy our Rosie?’ I prodded him
with a finger. ‘Why don’t you ask her to go with you? I’m sure
she’d love to see New York and it would be great for Harry. Plus it
would get her away from Saskia – I mean, her kind can’t cross
water, can they?’

I stopped teasing suddenly. There was an
expression that I’d never seen before on Jason’s handsome face. A
kind of longing. ‘I would
so
love to do that.’ Even his voice was different,
softer. ‘I asked her. But she wouldn’t come, Jem. She said, maybe
one day, when she’s got stuff sorted … but I need to go now. Can’t
stand around and watch – ach, still not my secret to
tell.’

We
both focused on the headlights approaching. Even before I could see
the big silver car, I recognised its growl. ‘Here’s
Ben.’

‘
Yeah.’

‘
Jason …’ But he’d already turned away and folded the darkness
around himself like a blanket.

* *
*

I
climbed into the Audi but Ben didn’t immediately screech away from
the kerb. ‘It’s lovely out here,’ he said, buzzing down the
driver’s window. ‘Smells fresh. Like childhood.’

‘
You
are such a romantic, aren’t you?’

‘
Never used to be, but, yeah. Maybe I am now.’ He opened the
door and slid long legs out onto the kerb, the streetlamps strobing
across his face and making him look like a manga character, all
limbs, eyes and hair. ‘Let’s walk, Jem.’

‘
What, back to York?’

I
got a well-worn sort of look for that. ‘Romantic, remember? Just,
around.’

I
reluctantly climbed back out again and stood next to him on the
pavement. ‘Dead romantic this. I’m sure I can smell
tomcat-pee.’

‘
Probably romantic if you’re a lady cat.’ An arm looped around
my shoulders and he drew me into a slow walk. ‘It’s so quiet.
Perfect place for a studio.’

‘
A
studio
? What are you going to do, go
into pornographic movies?’

‘
Music studio.’ I gave him a look. ‘I’m going to write with
Zafe. He’s the music man now but I’ve still got a shed-load of
tunes in my head. New material for Willow Down, stuff for the new
album – I dream it up and Zafe lays the track down. Plays it for
the guys and if they like it, they’ll record. And they do like my
stuff, least, they always used to, me and Zafe wrote most of the
tracks on the last two albums.’ Ben looked down the street. ‘Wonder
if that place is for sale?’

I
looked at the impeccably raked gravel drive half-hidden behind the
carefully trimmed yew hedge. ‘That’s Saskia’s place. You could make
her an offer; I think she’d take you up on just about
anything.’

‘
Looks cool. Plenty of space.’

The
moon made his eyes glow almost amber and his hair shone a tawny
leonine shade. He was so clearly enjoying himself, scouting out
locations for his future, I didn’t like to say anything which might
bring him down, so I just held his hand as he walked
closer.

We
stood for a while in the shelter of the big hedge and Ben wrapped
his arms around me. I had to admit it, it felt good, and I was
content just to lean into him, feel him breathe and smell the
expensive cologne that he used mingled with the scent of the night.
There was a strength to him now, a certainty.

Could I do it? Could I trust him enough?

Gradually though I became aware that Ben’s attention wasn’t
on me.

‘
Hey … fuck …
’ His
voice was little more than an exhalation.

‘
Your language has really gone downhill, you know? I used to
think you were such a gentleman.’

But he didn’t even realise I was speaking.
Head up, he was looking over the hedge towards the lit windows at
the front of the house. ‘So who is he … what is this
about
?’

‘
Ben?’ I touched his shoulder. Slowly his gaze came down to
mine.

‘
Saskia is …’ He raised his chin again. ‘She’s talking on the
telephone. Over there, in that room to the left.’

I
peered through the branches. Ben was a good six inches taller than
me and I couldn’t follow his eyeline but I could see a dim figure
moving around inside the house. Pacing, it looked like.

‘
She’s talking to … hang on … someone called
Dave. Who’s following …
who
? Turn this way, bitch, oh yeah,
following Alex. That’s her husband isn’t it?’

‘
Following? Like a fan you mean?’

But
Ben couldn’t hear me. He was too busy listening in his own way to
Saskia.

‘
She
wants photographs. Proof. Jem? Where are you going?’

I
turned so that he could read my lips. ‘She’s got it in for me and
Rosie already. I’m not going to let her get started on poor Alex as
well. This has all gone far enough.’

He
jogged to catch me up. ‘What are you going to do?’

‘
No
idea. We’ll make it up as we go along, shall we?’

In
front of the main door I hesitated for just a second, then raised
my hand to the huge bronze knocker which bore more scrollwork than
a medieval library.

‘
Jemima?’ Saskia’s face peered through the gap that the
security chain allowed. ‘What on earth are you doing here at this
time of night? I didn’t realise you were usually up so
late.’

‘
I
want to talk to you.’

‘
Have you been drinking?’

‘
No.
Well, yes, but only a bit. All right, half a bottle. Ish. And it
was only 12%, that rosé stuff that they sell in the
shop.’

‘
Ah,
yes. Cheap plonk.’ Saskia enunciated the words to give them an
extra helping of disgust. ‘What did you want to talk about? I
presume the state of the nation and the environment, the sort of
thing people like you rabbit on about when you’ve had too much
alcohol.’

‘
No.
Important stuff.’ My palms were sweaty now the initial adrenaline
rush had worn off. ‘Like, why you’re trying to work Rosie into a
nervous breakdown and then burning her stuff. Why you’ve told the
York Board of Trade not to touch my things.’

Saskia made a dismissive gesture through
the gap. It was truncated by the front door. ‘Your paranoia is
really
not
attractive.’

‘
All right. How about, why you’re having
your own husband followed? By a man called
Dave
? Just what the hell is
the
matter
with
you?
’

The
door closed for a second then reopened with the chain off. ‘You’d
better come inside.’

We walked into the impressive hall with its
huge oak staircase winding up to the first floor. The walls dripped
with tapestry and hangings, and tiny ornamental tables held
objets d’art
. Saskia’s
personal taste seemed to run to Hollywood
Medieval.

She
led us through into an office and sat on an overstuffed sofa, knees
together and her hands indicating that Ben should sit beside her.
I, evidently, could stand wherever I wanted. ‘Now. You might as
well get this out of your system, Jemima. Tell me what you’re
thinking then you can leave and we can both get on with our lives.’
She threw a little glance at Ben.

I
opened my mouth, but before any words could come out the telephone
on the desk started ringing. Saskia gave a little start but sat
firm, her eyes watchful, as though the handset might begin to
smoulder.

‘
You’d better get it.’ Ben gave her arm a nudge. He must have
picked up what was happening from her body language. ‘Didn’t you
tell Dave to ring as soon as he knew anything? He knows you’re
waiting for his call.’

Her
expression seemed to be under some tight control, but she couldn’t
stop disbelief from seeping through. ‘How did you know? Is this
room bugged?’

I
rolled my eyes at her. ‘Yeah, ’cos we’re a couple of top
professional spies. Just answer the phone.’

Reluctantly she stood and picked up the sleek black handset.
‘Hello?’ Then she clamped her lips together, pushing the blood from
them until they looked like a pair of albino slugs. ‘Uhuh,’ she
said a couple of times. ‘I see.’ And then. ‘She’s in his car? Yes,
thank you, but you can forget about the pictures. I know who it is
now.’

Ben
and I looked at each other. Understanding was blooming through my
mind, connections being made. I didn’t know how far behind Ben’s
comprehension was running so I took the initiative. I leaned
forward and disconnected the call, leaving Saskia standing, a
single tear caught in the act of running down her cheek.

‘
Okay,’ I said. ‘So. You suspected that Alex was having an
affair with Rosie or me, you didn’t know which one, so you punished
us both. Cutting off my sales outlets, and trying to work Rosie
into what? Post-natal depression? You knew she was feeling a bit
shaky after Harry was born, so you decided to push her over the
edge?’ I moved closer, so that I was looking her right in the eye.
‘Am I getting warm?’

The
tears were beading down her cheeks now. Her throat moved as a sob
tried to escape.

‘
And you burned down Ben’s shop, made a
false report to eBay, all just to get even with me for something
I
wasn’t even doing
?’

‘
You
don’t understand –’ Saskia’s voice was thick.

‘
Too right, I don’t. What kind of a lunatic
behaves like that? Who puts other people out of business
because they
might
be up to something? You are seriously deranged,
Saskia.’

Ben
gave me a serious look. ‘Jem, steady.’

‘
I am going to repeat this very slowly.
She.
Burned. Down. Your. Shop.
All your things, the guitars, everything. Just to
stop you selling my buckles. Do the words “call the police” mean
anything to you?’

‘
The
insurance people were satisfied it was kids playing with lighters.
They’re paying up.’

‘
And I’ll make it up to you, I promise.’
Saskia sounded earnest. And, for once, honest. ‘I’d heard you
suspected me, something Rosie said. But you said nothing,
did
nothing. For that,
I’m grateful.’