Page 96 of The Clockmaker's Cottage
‘Yes, the secret commission. He wrote her a letter from prison. Pleading, saying that Horace had given him the items the police found, because he worked so hard. The judge made an example of him because of who the Vale Brothers were. Because they had a name, and a reputation, and connections. I believe he was framed because if the truth had come out…’
‘What truth?’ Theo pressed again.
‘Everyone would have known that Horace Vale was a fraud.’
Pippa felt her pulse spike. Neither of them interrupted. They wanted Sebastian to keep talking, and thankfully he wasn’t finished yet. ‘My grandmother had to leave town. Her husband was branded a thief, and people made things so difficult for her. She had two sons and no money and had to change her name. The scandal caused so much stress between them, they split up– my grandfather’s face had been all over every national newspaper and my grandmother didn’t want any stigma attached to her boys– even though it broke her heart to leave him.’
The three of them sat in a tense stillness, the moment stretching. Pippa felt her heart racing as she dared to ask the next question. ‘Why would Horace Vale and Arthur Blake want to set up your grandfather, and where was Walter in all of this?’
‘Because my grandfather was the genius behind the Vale Brothers’ designs. Horace pinched his ideas– the ideas that made them famous and earned them lots of money.’
Pippa sat there open-mouthed.
‘The design for the secret commission was all my grandfather’s work, and Arthur Blake would have known that. And Walter? He was the one in the partnership who had no clue what was going on. He just engineered the designs. The payment for the secret commission was going to be thousands. It would have set up my grandparents for life. When my grandfather discovered Horace had used his design, he questioned him. Horace claimed it washisdesign. Then suddenly my grandfather was being arrested for theft.’
There were still so many unanswered questions. ‘What caused the feud between Horace and Walter?’ Pippa threw the burning question out there. ‘And what exactly was this secret commission?’
‘I don’t know. All I know from my grandmother is that there was an almighty row between the brothers on St Swithin’s Day in 1965, and then my grandfather was arrested. He came back to the island when he was released from custody while he awaited the start of the trial. He tried to talk to Walter, but Agatha wouldn’t let that conversation happen, and it seems they never spoke again.’
‘How would your grandmother know there was an almighty row on St Swithin’s Day?’ asked Theo.
‘Because my grandfather and your grandfather witnessed that row before catching the last bus off the island, just before the causeway closed due to flooding. The police were waiting for my grandfather when he got home.’
It was clear that all of this had been eating away at Sebastian for years. He’d been desperate to find some justice for his grandfather, and although he hadn’t always made the best choices in that pursuit, Pippa could understand the drive behind them. Sitting here now, picturing how she’d feel if someone in her own family had been accused of something she believed he hadn’t done, she knew she’d have gone to the ends of the earth to prove their innocence, too.
Sebastian looked Theo dead in the eye. ‘What do you know about the secret commission?’
‘I honestly know nothing.’
‘But your grandfather does.’
ChapterTwenty-Six
The next morning arrived bright and calm– a welcome change after a week of steady rain. Pippa stepped out into the courtyard garden of Clockmaker’s Cottage with a plate of croissants from Beachcomber Bakery, the pastries still warm. Theo followed behind her with two mugs of coffee, the steam curling lazily into the air.
The courtyard was one of her favourite places she’d discovered here. Wisteria hung in long, delicate strands from the oak beams attached to the back of the cottage, the faint scent drifting whenever a breeze passed through. Pink roses climbed the stone wall, spilling gently over the edges, and beyond the low white picket fence at the end of the garden the sea glimmered peacefully in the distance. Even the potting shed, leaning at an angle that suggested it might fall over at any time, looked charming in the sunshine.
They settled at a small metal table– the paint chipped in places, its legs slightly wobbly– and Pippa slid a croissant towards Theo.
‘Breakfast in the sunshine,’ he said. ‘We’re living the dream.’
Pippa nodded. ‘It’s such a gorgeous morning.’
She tore off a piece of croissant and popped it into her mouth, closing her eyes briefly to savour the buttery crackle. The birds were out in full force, cheerful and energetic, and there were gulls circling in the distance.
Theo cleared his throat slightly. ‘I hope I didn’t keep you awake last night. I know I was tossing and turning. Did you sleep?’ he asked.
‘A bit,’ Pippa replied. ‘But my mind was buzzing after everything yesterday.’
‘Same. I kept replaying everything Sebastian said, especially about the fact it was his grandfather who was the creative genius behind the Vale masterpieces. It was a lot to take in.’
‘It really was,’ Pippa agreed, wrapping her hands around her mug. ‘They’re big claims, and he was drunk, but… he seemed so certain.’
‘He did. It was enough to make me wonder… but I still don’t think my grandfather has anything to do with anything. He’s honest through and through.’ He ran a hand through his hair. ‘But he definitely knows all about the secret commission. I wish I could get him talking about it, so we could at least get the whole picture.’
Pippa was quiet for a moment. ‘After everything Sebastian told us, I feel a bit guilty that we didn’t share what was in Agatha’s letter or in the ledger.’
‘I do too, but I want to try to see what else we can find out first. If we had mentioned it, Sebastian might have forced his way into the cottage, demanding to see the evidence. None of us knows what happened between those men, but if Sebastian’s right and his grandmother suffered because of something my grandfather played a part in, I won’t hide anything.’
