Page 30 of The Final Act of Juliette Willoughby
“But I...”
“Patrick,” she said gently, “it’s your oldest friend’s twenty-first. Go and find him, have a drink. Maybe if anyone is still upset, apologize to them on my behalf.”
She leaned in and pressed her lips gently against my cheek. “Let’s talk about all that tomorrow.”
As I watched her climb the stairs, it occurred to me that I hadn’t seen Harry for a while.
It being his twenty-first, the other Osiris boys had been talking big about staying up all night. Douglas and Benjy were easily wired enough to do it. Most of the others had passed out around the place already—in the main entrance hall, Ivo was on his back on the couch, snoring. Nearby, Hugo had plonked himself on an armchair by a fireplace and had his eyes closed, glass of whiskey still clutched in his hand. As I was looking around for something with which to refill my own glass, Toby sidled up to me, sniffing and rubbing his nose, and asked if I knew where Freddie was. I shook my head.
At around three a.m. coffee, hot toddies, and hog roast rolls were served from trestle tables next to the kitchen. Georgina, in a green raincoat over her pajamas, was in charge of one of the urns. Arno von Westernhagen, the only person still awake who wasn’t wild-eyed or slurring, came over with a steaming mug of black coffee in his hands. “So what do you think, Lambert. Reckon you’ll make it all the way through to dawn?”
“I don’t think I’ve got it in me,” I admitted. All around us, people seemed to be making the same decision, or at least to be wavering.
Arno stifled a yawn.
“I’m not sure I am going to make it myself without another pack of cigarettes. There’s supposed to be a twenty-four-hour petrol station with a convenience store not too far away...”
He was giving me a meaningful look.
“Sorry, I’ve had far too much to drink tonight. I’m not driving anyone anywhere, no matter how noble the cause.”
“I could borrow your car.”
“Um...”
“I’m stone-cold sober, Patrick. I can’t drink, you know that. Doctor’s orders.”
I made an apologetic gesture.
“Come on, Patrick. I promised Harry I would stay up, and I’m pretty sure Eric and Hugo have a bet on I won’t make it. Do me a favor.”
I could feel myself wavering. It did not feel like a great idea. On the other hand, Arno was sober, of that I was confident. I also knew the petrol station he was talking about—it was a straight run, left out of the drive. It was not like there would be anyone else on the road this time of night.
“Okay. Careful with her, though. Easy on the accelerator, until you get a sense of what she can do. The keys are in the hallway dresser—MG fob. Just put them back there after.”
Arno was so grateful he literally hugged me.
“Don’t make me regret this,” were the last words I called after him.
Wearily, blearily, I made my way upstairs to our room. Caroline muttered something indistinct as I climbed into bed next to her. I slipped an arm around her waist, kissed her on the back of the neck and—with a feeling like I was actually falling—immediately passed out.
The next thing I knew, morning sun was streaming through the window and someone was hammering on the door urgently. Caroline muttered something and shifted on the mattress. I swung myself out of bed, checked I had underwear on, and crossed the room to see what was going on.
“Caroline?” Athena said, looking over my shoulder into the room.
“Yes, she’s here. What’s wrong, Athena?”
“Has either of you seen Freddie?”
I shook my head. “Not for hours,” I said. From under the blankets, Caroline could be heard saying the same.
Athena’s shoulders sank. For a moment, I thought she was about to burst into tears. I turned to see Caroline sitting up in bed, sheet clutched around her.
“Come in, babe,” she called. “Is everything alright?”
I stepped out of the doorway so Athena could squeeze past me. She ran to Caroline, who was already half out of bed, and they hugged. “I’m sure he’s around somewhere,” said Caroline. Her voice was croaky. She rubbed Athena’s shoulder, patting her arm. “We’ll help you look for him.”
“I’ve looked everywhere,” said Athena. “I’ve been looking for hours. We had a row and he stormed off.” Caroline made sympathetic noises. “I thought after he had cooled down a little he’d come back and we could talk, but he never did. Then about two hours ago I woke up and thought I would go down and maybe persuade him to get some sleep just so he wouldn’t feel too terrible, but I still couldn’t find him. Not in the house. Not in his room. Not in the tent. Not in the summerhouse. Not on either of the lawns. I went down to the lake, even, to see if he was watching the sunrise from the jetty. There’s no sign of him anywhere.”
