Page 39 of The Clockmaker's Cottage
‘This is ludicrous. Sebastian, please leave,’ Theo ordered.
‘The truth will come out, but it would have been noble if you were the one to share it.’
‘And you are?’ Horace’s stare was now steady, sharp, and left no doubt he wasn’t impressed.
‘Sebastian Worthington-Frost,’ he said, holding Horace’s gaze without faltering. ‘And I believe the truth matters. Even when it’s inconvenient.’
‘I’ve never heard of you. Are you here for your fifteen minutes of fame? You seem to have come with a very particular version of events. Based on rumour, no doubt. Gossip. Things said behind hands and over half-empty gin glasses.’
Awkward laughter swept the room but Theo looked horrified. Pippa couldn’t tear her eyes away from the unfolding drama.
Sebastian didn’t stop. ‘You are a crook Horace Vale. Shame on you for letting an innocent man take the blame.’
Pippa gave a tiny gasp. What the hell was going on here?
Theo gestured towards Dr Mirian Bowes, who was now walking towards Sebastian with a local police officer in tow.
‘Don’t worry, I’m going, but I won’t rest until the truth is told.’
Horace’s lips thinned.
Sebastian glanced towards the journalists at the back of the room. ‘I hope you’re going to dig deeper, and I’ll welcome any more information that you might uncover.’ With that, Sebastian turned and walked out of the hall, like a man whose mic drop had landed perfectly.
Horace looked down at his lap, then reached for a glass of water beside him. For a moment, the room was silent except for the soft ticking of the antique clocks lining the walls.
‘Unless we’re opening the floor to more aggressive interrogations, I’d rather continue this conversation with someone who actually enjoys clocks,’ Horace finally said.
The audience broke into applause, scattered at first, then building like a rolling tide.
Theo cleared his throat, his voice slightly shaky. ‘Yes, let’s continue…’
* * *
Thirty minutes later, when Theo finally brought the conversation to a close, Horace once again had everyone in the palm of his hand. When the old man stood, the whole hall rose with him, the applause so loud it drowned out the torrential rain that was still soaking the island.
Theo stayed close as they exited the stage, guiding Horace down the steps and out through a side door, where a car was already waiting. Pippa noticed that Pete had slipped from the seat behind her, and she watched as he climbed into the car alongside Horace. The doors closed, the engine hummed, and in seconds the taillights were blurred by the rain.
Pippa sat there, head spinning. Had that really just happened? Had she really just witnessed Horace Vale–theHorace Vale– telling stories about his life on Puffin Island, the dizzy heights of London, and his passion for clocks– and then being interrupted by some accusation thrown at him by Sebastian?
As Theo paused near the exit, he glanced back into the hall and their eyes met. His eyebrows lifted in question, his eyes dark and furious. Pippa’s stomach dropped. She knew exactly what he was thinking. He thought she’d known, that she’d been somehow involved in Sebastian’s ridiculous little stunt, that they’d planned it. The last thing she wanted was a row, especially not here, not now. She wasn’t a mastermind in some sabotage plot; she was as blindsided by the outburst as Theo had been. But the look on his face made it clear this wasn’t going to be easy to explain. Somehow, she just knew it was going to take more than a quick ‘I swear I didn’t know’ to convince him.
ChapterNine
Pippa pushed through the crowd, weaving between clusters of whispering spectators. The air was thick with murmurs, some people gushing about Horace’s interview, others gleefully rehashing Sebastian’s dramatic interruption like it was the juiciest soap-opera twist in years.
Theo disappeared into a room at the back of the stage and, before she could change her mind, Pippa followed him. He spun around, his eyes thunderous, cheeks flushed as he pulled at his tie to loosen it, then raked his hand through his hair. ‘How could you do that to me? To Horace?’ His voice was low, shaking with the effort to stay controlled, which somehow made it worse than shouting. ‘What did you think that was going to achieve?’
Pippa held her hands up, palms open. ‘Okay, first of all, I didn’tdoanything. You’ve got to believe me when I say this had nothing to do with me. I didn’t know Sebastian was going to pull… whatever that was.’
Theo let out a sharp, disbelieving laugh. ‘And I’m supposed to believe that? He even had his arm around you.’
‘He had his arm aroundmy chair,’ she shot back. ‘Trust me, I didn’t choose to sit next to him.’ Pippa’s heart hammered. She took a breath and hoped she sounded steadier than she felt. ‘I did see him pass a note to one of the journalists this morning, but I couldn’t tell you what that was about so I didn’t mention it.’ She continued, softer now, ‘I didn’t know he was going to ambush the interview. I didn’t know he was going to deliver… that dramatic villain monologue he gave.’
Theo’s face reddened. ‘He humiliated Horace.’
‘I know.’ Her voice wobbled, but she didn’t look away. ‘Iwould never, ever willingly be part of something like that. I couldn’t do that to you, and I couldn’t do that to Horace. The man is my hero, Theo!’
His eyes held her gaze and for a moment, neither of them spoke. Finally, Pippa broke the silence. ‘Please, Theo. If you’re going to be furious with someone, let it be with him. Not me.’
