The Actuary in Trouble

Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Emma reached the kitchen chewing her lip, the misgivings making tracks into her brain. She’d offered the folly to the Irishman hoping to move him away from the house, a strategy which looked set to backfire. Pushing the door open she found Allaine warming her bum on the Aga and sipping cold tea.

“They’re fine,” Emma said, slumping at the table and seizing her drink. She pulled a face of disgust at the tepid liquid and pushed it away. “I’ll make some more.”

“Don’t worry, I need to get home,” her friend said, watching Emma through experienced eyes. “Right after you explain why you’re so stressed and snapping at anyone who gets in the way.”

“It’s nothing,” Emma lied. She flicked at a toast crumb on the wooden surface and winced as in her peripheral vision, Allaine raised a sceptical eyebrow.

“That was more than nothing,” she scoffed. “Your poor manager looked like he wanted the ground to open up and swallow him. The poor guys with the glass almost dropped that big pane on the cobbles.”

“Well, he’s taking advantage!” Emma snapped, the fire of her anger restored.

“Ray?” Allaine asked in confusion.

“No. b****y Christopher, the Irish git!” Emma spat. “I give him an inch and he takes a mile, every damn time. He and Rohan put their differences behind them with that last job and everything seemed ok. I don’t want Christopher living over the stables so I said he could have the folly. It’s over three miles away and I thought it would provide a bolt hole whilst being away from us.”

“So what’s the problem?” Allaine asked. “It sounds perfect.”

Emma shook her head. She glanced at the closed kitchen door and lowered her voice to a whisper. “Rohan’s discovered that one of the passages goes right to the basement of the folly. I wrongly thought the building dated from the 1800s, some foppish construction by one of the former Lord Ayers but apparently not. The foundations date back another three hundred years and Freda Ayers has studied the area. She thinks priests used them to move between the old chapel, the house and the folly during times of unrest and persecution. I’ve given Christopher a route straight to the house again.”

“Oh.” Allaine pursed her lips. “You must trust him, otherwise you’d have made him leave altogether.”

Emma shrugged. “I have this misguided loyalty towards him and it clouds my judgement. Anton trusted Christopher and my stepbrother didn’t suffer fools. He spent his whole life acting and knew a scam when he saw one. I wish he was here, then I could ask him myself.” The bite of Anton’s premature death bit at Emma’s insides until her chest ached. She missed the Russian with the effervescent personality like craving the kiss of sunshine during a long winter.

“I can’t really help you,” Allaine said with regret. “The few times I’ve met Christopher, he’s appeared charming and debonair.” She smirked and Emma groaned.

“Just stay away from him,” she warned. “He’ll have you stripped and wrapped around him in seconds if you give him the slightest encouragement. That man’s got no moral compass!”

Allaine narrowed her eyes, the smirk dropping from her face at speed. “Em, I hope that’s not experience talking.”

Emma tutted and shook her head. “No. I resisted his charms before I knew who he was. Now he just irritates me.” She wrinkled her nose. “I think I wanted Rohan to pull rank and veto it; to throw Christopher out of our lives for good but he didn’t. He’s said very little.” Emma attacked the crumb again, concern etched into her face. “He’s keeping a secret and I’m scared.”

Allaine exhaled, the root of Emma’s problem laid bare at last. She sat on the nearest chair and drew Emma’s writhing fingers into hers. “Then that’s easy, isn’t it? You ask him.”

Emma snorted and threw her head back. “Ask Rohan? I could t*****e him for a week and get nowhere. He’s a safe that can’t be cracked, Allaine. I tried asking and ended up going round in circles, which only made it more frightening. I thought at first he felt miserable over Alanya’s death but I see now that was what he led me to think.”

“Like a cover?” Allaine asked, her fingers stroking Emma’s in a steady, comforting rhythm.

“Exactly,” Emma sighed, her mind retracing their passionate lovemaking and struggling not to see only betrayal as her husband distracted her from a quest to tap his mind and emotions. “And what makes it worse is that Christopher knows what’s going on. He rushed into the kitchen to tell me something and stopped because Ray’s son was here.”

“Ah, so you’re assuming because he’s a cop, that it’s illegal?”

Emma gave a noisy exhale. “Everything they do seems illegal. You’d think an actuary was just a really clever person who spent their life looking at numbers and data and forecasting financial losses related to risk. My husband travels the world eliminating the risks and trying hard not to die in the process.” Emma leaned back in her chair. “It’s as though losing his leg in Afghanistan gave him something to prove and he won’t stop until he feels equal to every other male on the planet.”

“That won’t be hard,” Allaine scoffed, a sharp edge to her tone. “Most of them are losers.”

Emma sat forward, making the rear chair legs lift and clatter on the tiles. “What’s wrong.” She gripped Allaine’s fingers resting over her hand and squeezed, comforted turned comforter. “I’ve never heard you say something like that. Are you fighting with Will?”

Allaine’s eyes widened and her face shuttered behind an unfamiliar mask. “I don’t want to talk about it.” She pursed her lips but her face softened at Emma’s expression of hurt. “Sorry, Em. I know it doesn’t feel fair when I’m probing your heart for wounds so I can fix your problems, but won’t tell you mine.” She pressed the fingers of her free hand over her chest. “I’m feeling a little raw at the moment.”

Emma shrugged. “It’s ok. I know what that’s like.” She fixed a watery smile on her lips. “We’re a right pair, aren’t we?”

Allaine gave a quick succession of blinks and swallowed. “Yeah. Not forgetting my purple headed child.”

“About that.” Mischief flooded into Emma’s eyes. “I remember what Lucya did, but I don’t think you’ll approve.”