The Knapthorne Conspiracy Malcolm Ballard (most popular novels of all time .txt) 📖

after her operation, and she had never gone back. The simple, uncomplicated way of life and the closeness of her extended family combined to give her a sense of belonging, of coming home. After almost ten years the nightmare of Willow Cottage was finally behind her but the scars had taken a long time to disappear.

Mickey had been her saviour on that day in more ways than one. Coming back from the scene of the crash he had quietly informed her that Kyle would never be bothering her, or anyone else for that matter, ever again. What he had neglected to say was that the van had been written off and she had been so terrified and shocked by her ordeal that it had never entered her mind to ask. Exhibiting a maturity beyond his years, Mickey had calmly taken control and, recognising Bella was traumatised, had got her inside as swiftly as possible and found some warm clothing for her. Then, as she had refused, point-blank, to go back upstairs, in no time at all he had wrapped a blanket around her and made her lie down on the settee. Quietly and efficiently he had phoned for an ambulance then contacted his depot to advise them of the situation. Bella’s condition concerned him, as she had started to ramble incoherently so he had sat alongside her and cradled her head to comfort her. His reassuring presence had soothed her and he’d been able to get Jane’s name from her, as someone to contact, before she had fallen into a restless sleep. It would have been hard to conceive a greater disparity in their respective emotional states at that point. Bella, at the lowest possible ebb of her feelings while Mickey was experiencing what could only be described as a kind of mild euphoria, finding himself playing the role of guardian angel to the woman of his dreams. The next two days were virtually lost to her memory, a blur of hazy images, as the hospital had kept her under sedation and the first definite recollection she had was of seeing Jane at her bedside. In her brisk, no-nonsense manner she had taken charge and Bella had been more than pleased for her to do so. After a brief visit to Willow Cottage, where Jane had gathered the items Bella requested they were on their way to London and Bella was never to  set foot in the cottage again. She had spent a full two weeks at Jane’s flat, her friend and editor giving up one week of her precious annual leave allowance to be with her and, by the time she had had to go back to work, Bella was well on the road to recovery. The passage of time had made it easier for her to look at recent events more objectively but it still frightened her to think of the history of Willow Cottage, past and present. Had both Ben and Jane sensed there was something foreboding about the place? It was possible, of course. Anything was possible. Its dreadful secret and the arcane episode of her father’s murder had appalled her but what would be the point of making it public knowledge now? Only more distress for those who had already suffered enough. On that very subject she had written a guarded letter to Samuel Handysides, explaining that she had left Willow Cottage, for good, but she would keep her promise to him. So now she too was an accomplice in their conspiracy of silence. She would have to ring Ben and let him know she wouldn’t be going back, and what would he make of it all? Would he even be interested seeing as he hadn’t been in contact? When Bella had made the call to him, she had been astounded to discover that he was no longer with the firm and it was Laura, of all people whom, with a great degree of relish, had explained the circumstances. Laura had been anxious to learn the details of what had happened to her sister but not out of love for her sibling and had tracked her down at Jane’s. Desperate to hear how life had turned the tables on Bella for once, she traded the information on Ben in return for Bella’s story. Apparently he and a female employee had been fleecing the firm’s accounts and she had ratted on him, resulting in the dismissal of them both and Ben was on remand awaiting his trial. Bella was then shocked to the point of being dumbfounded to find out that he was also charged with attempted murder. Laura had actually been to see him! Bella couldn’t believe it or begin to understand why. Apparently he had tried to kill both himself and his accomplice, with whom Laura mentioned gloatingly he had been having an affair, in a head-on accident but she had wrenched the wheel over just in time to save them both.

Bella’s head was spinning, to hear this news on top of everything but Laura gave her no respite. Would Bella consider not disposing of the cottage so that she and her friend, Maggie, could go and live there? Bella had needed time to think it over but had eventually agreed and wondered if she, too, should go and see Ben. Jane had dissuaded her, pointing out that she still wasn’t a hundred per cent and she should close the door on a very distressing period in her life and get back to work. And she had done that, once she’d returned to the apartment, but found she couldn’t settle to the task. There and then she had decided to go over and see Maria.

It was all so long ago now as she sat at the rustic table on the terrace waiting for the old local bus to come into view down the main road, a road which had been a highway of one description or another for a thousand years