A light breeze rustled the leaves. Six or seven minutes later, the vegetation thinned and they passed through a tumble-down stone wall into a sparse grove of ancient oaks growing in long untamed grass that sighed in the summer wind.
Knight stood a while looking at the scene, hugging his children to him, and struggling to control his emotions for their sake.
‘Your mummy used to go to that church as a little girl, but she liked to come out here,’ he told them softly. ‘She said the trees were so old that this was a blessed place where she could talk to God. That’s why I spread her …’
He choked up.
‘It was a perfect choice, Peter,’ a woman’s emotion-drenched voice said behind them. ‘This was Kate’s favourite place.’
Knight turned, wiping tears from his eyes with his sleeve.
Holding tight to his trouser leg, Isabel asked, ‘Who’s that lady, Daddy?’
Knight smiled. ‘That’s your Aunt Elaine, darling. Mummy’s older sister.’
Chapter 86
‘I KNEW I couldn’t make the party,’ Knight’s sister-in-law explained quietly on the ride back into London while the children slept in the back of the car. ‘And, anyway, I thought meeting them there would make me feel better.’
They were nearing the garag
e where Knight kept the Range Rover.
‘Did it?’ Knight asked.
Pottersfield nodded and her eyes got glassy. ‘It seemed right, as if I could feel her there.’ She hesitated and then said, ‘I’m sorry. The way I treated you. I know it was all Kate’s decision to have the twins at home. I just …’
‘No more talk of that,’ Knight said, parking. ‘We’re beyond all that. My children are lucky to have you in their lives. I’m lucky to have you in my life.’
She sighed, and smiled sadly. ‘Okay. Need any help?’
Knight looked over his shoulder at his sleeping children. ‘Yes. They’re getting too big to carry that far by myself.’
Pottersfield took Isabel and Knight hoisted Luke, and they walked the short distance to his house. He heard the television playing inside.
‘The new nanny,’ he said, fishing for his keys. ‘She always arrives early.’
‘You don’t hear that much any more.’
‘It’s brilliant, actually,’ Knight admitted. ‘She’s a miracle, the only one ever to tame them. She’s got them helping to clean up their room and going to sleep at a snap of her fingers.’
He opened the door and Marta appeared almost instantly. She frowned to see Luke fast asleep on her father’s shoulder. ‘Too much excitement, I think,’ she said, took him from Knight and looked curiously at Pottersfield.
‘Marta, this is Elaine,’ Knight said. ‘My sister-in-law.’
‘Oh, hello,’ Pottersfield said, studying Marta. ‘Peter speaks highly of you.’
Marta laughed nervously, and bobbed her head, saying, ‘Mr Knight is too kind.’ She paused and asked, ‘Did I see you on the television?’
‘Maybe. I work at Scotland Yard.’
Marta looked ready to reply when Isabel woke up grumpily, looked at her aunt, and whined, ‘I want my daddy.’
Knight took her from Pottersfield, saying, ‘Daddy has to go to work for a few hours, but he’ll be back in time for the party.’
Marta said, ‘We’ll go and get cake soon. And balloons.’
Isabel brightened and Luke woke up. Pottersfield’s mobile rang.