Page 76 of Game, Set, Match
‘I miss him,’ said Barnaby, tears welling up in his eyes. ‘It seems odd that the last time I saw him he was just a baby. I’ve thought so many times about reaching out to him, or asking you to help. But those church people . . . it’s hard to explain the power they had. I didn’t want to take the risk.’
Hannah nodded, not really knowing what to say.
‘I’ve kept an eye on them,’ Barnaby said quietly. ‘Online, I mean. Read all the news about the break-up of the church in America, followed the trials and the convictions. I even set up a fake Facebook profile so I could join a church group in Guildford. I was trying to work out how many were left, if any of the old names were still there. People who could bring your mother and Luke back into the fold if I made contact. They’re still around.’
‘What happened to Christian forgiveness? Is that not their thing?’
Barnaby gave a hollow laugh. ‘No. Vengeance is much more their style.’
‘You make them sound like some kind of crime syndicate.’
‘It took me a while to see it, but you’re not a million miles off. There are some wonderful churches who do amazing work around the world, but that one was about power and money. They took years of my life, and they almost took my family.’
They sat in silence for a moment, listening to the cicadas. ‘Mum’s different now. Still devout, but just normal church.’
Barnaby nodded, patting Hannah’s hand that was resting on the table. ‘That’s good.’
‘Should I go and help Joyce, do you think?’ asked Hannah as the sound of plates clattering came from inside.
‘No, she’ll be having a cigar and a whisky, which she prefers to do alone.’
‘Have you told her about coming back to the UK yet?’
Barnaby shook his head. ‘No, I was saving that detail for after dinner. I wonder if you and Rob could head back on your own later? Give me a chance to break the news?’
Hannah nodded, thinking about going back to another night of Rob on the sofa bed and her in the bedroom. Even though they’d only slept together once, last night’s bed without him and Scrumpy had felt vast and empty. Today Barnaby had joined them for a hike to an old monastery, so she and Rob hadn’t spent any time alone together at all. Obviously that was for the best under the circumstances, but it still felt like she was being punished for something.
‘I wonder how that conversation is going?’ mused Barnaby, looking over at Rob and Dominic. ‘Interestingly, Joyce knows he’s not your husband, but Dominic doesn’t.’
‘Really?’ said Hannah, raising her eyebrows. ‘Why didn’t she tell him?’
‘She said Dominic would make a big fuss and interrogate you both for his own entertainment. He’s not one for letting things go, apparently, and since you won’t see him again after tonight, it was easier to leave things as they were.’
‘Fair enough,’ muttered Hannah, taking advantage of the opportunity to watch Rob. He’d swapped his usual tennis shorts for red canvas ones, paired with a white polo shirt and the black and white Vans he’d been wearing the first night they met. He looked, by any standards, incredibly hot.
‘I think we should talk about Rob, don’t you?’
‘There’s nothing to talk about,’ whispered Hannah, feeling like she’d been caught out. A flutter of anxiety bloomed in her stomach.
‘It’s none of my business, of course, but I’m struggling to believe the whole “just friends” thing.’ Barnaby made air quotes with his fingers and raised his eyebrows.
‘It’s true.’ Hannah looked him straight in the eye. ‘Nothing’s happened.’
‘Right, but that’s not the same as “just friends”, is it? You’d have to be blind or stupid not to see how mad he is about you.’
Hannah blushed. ‘I don’t think . . .’
‘Trust me,’ said Barnaby, giving her a knowing look. ‘He’s absolutely smitten. And unless I’ve entirely misread this situation, it’s very clear you feel the same way.’
Hannah sighed. ‘It’s complicated.’
Barnaby tilted his head and raised his eyebrows in question.
Hannah glanced around to make sure nobody could hear their conversation. ‘The thing is, I only split up with Graham a month ago. It’s too soon to go into another relationship, I need to get my head around the one I’ve just left.’
‘That’s fair enough.’
‘And Rob’s lovely, and yes I DO like him,’ said Hannah. ‘But he’s also a self-confessed womaniser. He’s twenty-eight, and he’s never been in a relationship for more than a few weeks.’