A Prospect of Vengeance

'But what?' He was waiting for her as she turned back to him.

'You don't need to feel too guilty, Miss Fielding. You have to earn your living, and this time you were trying to settle an old score — weren't you? And who can resist business and pleasure?' He pointed again. ' He bloody-well couldn't, anyway — not even when he knew the risk ... In fact, we're all in your debt for him — even though he wasn't the one you wanted.' He looked away suddenly. 'But I can't stay here philosophizing about guilt — David!'

'No — ' She couldn't let him go ' — why — why — did he come after us? You must tell me, Dr Mitchell — you must!'

'No I mustn't — David!' He didn't even look at her. That answer's more than my job's worth. If you want to know, then you ask old David — he's the one you came to ask, isn't he? David— '

Audley loomed large. But where was Ian?

'My dear Paul!' Audley looked at her vaguely for an instant.

'You were right . . . but only just, by heaven! So . . . don't you ever do that to me again.' He focused on Jenny. 'I sent Mr Robinson to reassure my wife, Miss Fielding. And to make his peace with my daughter. He seemed . . . rather cut up about deceiving her — I don't quite know why, but he did.'

That sounded more like the old Ian, she thought. But dummy2

then . . . what had they talked about, these last out-of-time minutes — ?

'I'm sorry, David.' Mitchell shrugged insincerely. 'Being right never seems to do me any good . . . But I must go and make our peace with Aguirre now. And then I'll come back and put you fully in the picture — okay?'

'Yes — you do that.' Audley still stared at Jenny. Tell him that I'm booked into the Parador near Victoria tomorrow night.

Because I want Cathy to see the battlefield there. And then we'll be gone the day after that — Hotel des Basses Pyrenees in Bayonne, which is safely out of his jurisdiction. I want her to see the Vauban fortifications there.'

Mitchell's mouth twisted. 'I'll tell him that. But . . . you tell Miss Fielding — whom Mr Buller always calls 'The Lady' ...

or sometimes 'That Lady' ... or sometimes just 'Lady' . . .

whatever you want to tell her, David. She's full of questions.'

'Yes?' Audley didn't even watch Mitchell tread through the crocuses, as she did: he still seemed fascinated by her. But, although when she faced him she couldn't read his expression or his thoughts, she had the disconcerting feeling that he had been reading hers. 'He gave you a bad time, did he?'

'Not really.' More than ever he reminded her of Philly: Philly, not really in face or size, or even voice, but nonetheless indefinably Philly. So now she must really beware him. 'His rifle didn't shoot straight, Dr Audley. That may have put him in a bad mood.'

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'I doubt that.' He regarded her steadily. 'Paul usually hits what he's aiming at. He has a natural talent that way. But he just doesn't like squeezing the trigger.'

'That's not what I've heard. But it's early days yet. So I suppose I could be wrong.' Philly, defending one of his friends, would have said exactly that.

'You could be. And you are.' He gave her a little sad smile. 'It was the mention of Frances that unsettled him. It always does. And I'm afraid it always will.'

'He loved her — didn't he?'

'Oh yes.' The smile twisted. 'But that's not his problem, my dear. His problem is that he knows she didn't love him.

And . . . but we're not really discussing Frances Fitzgibbon, are we?' The sad smile faded. 'It's vengeance we're discussing

— and publication?'

He couldn't have had more than five minutes with Ian — or had time tricked her? But even only five minutes would have been enough for the new Ian to put his question. And if Audley had demanded a price for the answering then the new Ian would have paid at once, without a second thought, even though he believed he already knew the answer to it.

'You've been talking to my partner, Dr Audley.'

He nodded. 'I have had that opportunity — yes.' He stared at her in silence for a moment. 'And I must tell you that he no longer seems so keen on writing about me, Miss Fielding.'

Surprise, surprise! But . . . there were plenty more fish in the dummy2

sea, even if it would be hard to find one that swam so gracefully as Ian. 'I hope he didn't suggest that he was speaking for me?' It was the original Philly she must remember, not this equivocal copy.

'On the contrary. He made it abundantly plain that he was not speaking for you, Miss Fielding. And ... he explained your commitment.' Suddenly he looked away from her for an instant, down into the valley. But then came back to her.

'But, for his part . . . perhaps he remembers that old Chinese proverb about revenge?'

Jenny didn't look into the valley. If he thought he could weaken her so easily, then he was much mistaken. 'What proverb is that?'