‘Why was that?’ Jake imagined that most people would have liked the change, but Jake had a feeling that what Marty was really asking was whether Eleanor would have approved. And there was the rub; Eleanor never had been one for flowers, and if Marty had really known Eleanor, he would have been aware of that. Still, it was a nice gesture, and Jake wasn’t about to rubbish such thought and hard work, which had transformed a dull, lifeless patch of grass.
‘It was just something Robyn said …’ Marty scuffed the earth with his shoe.
Marcus leaned across Jake, peering at Marty through the car window. ‘What’s she got to do with anything?’
Jake shoved Marcus back into his seat. ‘Never mind him,’ he said to Marty. ‘Now why don’t you tell me exactly what she said?’
‘Robyn liked everything I did to the garden – everything, that is, except that part of the garden through the hedge.’ He hesitated. ‘She said it was wrong.’
‘Wrong?’
Marty crouched down beside the car and nodded at Jake. ‘She said the hidden garden was all wrong.’ His eyes were distant.
Jake thought perhaps Robyn had met Eleanor and she knew that she wasn’t particularly into flowers.
‘Those were her exact words. I tried to get her to be more specific, to tell me exactly what was wrong so I could do something about it, but I couldn’t get anything more out of her.’
Jake chose his words carefully. ‘Maybe Robyn was right,’ Jake said softly, ‘perhaps it would be better to have asked first.’
‘I know that.’ Marty looked from Marcus then back to Jake and lowered his voice. ‘But no one was around to ask.’
Jake felt a sudden pang of guilt – how could he have let all these months go by without visiting just once?
‘What’s it all got to do with that damn Robyn?’ Marcus said gruffly.
Jake sat in the car, staring past Marcus out of the side window and watching Marty disappearing down the grassy slope. ‘She knew her.’
‘Who knew who?’ Marcus snapped his fingers in front of Jake’s face to get his attention.
Jake recounted the conversation with Marty while he drove.
‘So why do you think she pays to have the garden maintained like that?’
Jake cast an exasperated glance in Marcus’s direction.
‘What?’ Marcus said.
‘You figure it out, Einstein.’ Jake looked back at the road ahead.
Marcus fell silent. Finally, he muttered, ‘Guilt money.’
‘Pardon?’
‘She stole Eleanor’s designs and then she starts feeling guilty, so she pays for a gardener – big deal.’
‘Actually, I’ll tell you what it is.’ Jake took his eyes off theroad for a second taking in Marcus’s sour expression. ‘It’s a kind gesture.’
‘Perhaps she was an old friend from school,’ Marcus offered grudgingly.
‘Perhaps,’ said Jake, but he knew that was not true. He’d never heard of her.
Chapter 41
On the outskirts of Aviemore, they passed the turn-off that headed to Inverness and eventually the airport. ‘I think you missed the exit.’ Marcus turned in his seat as the road sign receded.
‘I’ve got one more stop before we leave.’ Jake motioned to the glove compartment.
Marcus opened it and pulled out the two crumpled envelopes and dog-eared photograph that Jake had bizarrely stuffed in there when Marty had appeared, unsure why he had wanted to keep them from uninvited eyes.
