you,” Rachel said once they were inside. He had ushered them into a room at the front of the house, where a large cat was warming itself in a patch of sunlight on the window seat. The walls were lined from floor to ceiling with books and a pair of old leather Chesterfield sofas faced each other across a coffee table that was also piled with books.
“And I you,” he replied, a polite expression on his face. “Now tell me again what this is all about?”
Rachel explained about working on St. Mary’s and being shipwrecked on Little Embers. When she mentioned Esther’s name, the doctor flinched, as if to hear it still caused him pain. She’d been on the brink of mentioning the letters, but seeing his discomfort, she faltered.
“Rachel found something that she thinks belongs to you,” said Jonah, helping her over her hesitation.
“Oh yes?” He looked puzzled.
“Letters,” she said. “I apologize, but I read them before I knew exactly what they were. You’re the ‘R,’ aren’t you?”
The doctor slumped back in his chair. It was clear he knew exactly which letters she was referring to. “They were merely the foolish imaginings of a much younger man,” he said eventually.
Rachel didn’t believe him for a second.
“Do you have them?” he asked.
“Er . . .” Rachel hesitated once more. “Actually, I gave them to Esther—Mrs. Durrant. It was her name on the envelopes you see. She told me your name, but that’s all I really had to go on to start with. She asked me to help her find you.”
He started. “She did?”
Rachel nodded.
“Let me be clear, you’re telling me that Esther’s read the letters?”
“Yes, I believe she has,” said Rachel.
“And that she asked you to look for me.”
“She did.”
Richard ran a shaky hand through his hair, his eyes glistening. “It feels like it was yesterday. She was the loveliest of women,” he said. “Fair took my breath away when I first saw her, I don’t mind telling you now. And she had more guts than even I realized. I followed her life—from a distance of course.”
“But you never made contact with her again?” Rachel was surprised.
“No. It was best that way . . .” His voice trailed off and he appeared lost in memories.
“Would you like to see her again?” asked Jonah, interrupting.
Surprise dawned on Richard’s face. “Oh no. Absolutely not. It’s been far too long.” Then, a few seconds later, “Does she really want to see me? Where is she? Still in London?”
Rachel nodded, her eyes alight with the possibility of reuniting two lovers after so many years.
“I couldn’t possibly manage the trip,” he said, a frown on his face. “It’s a long way, and then there’s Anna.”
“Anna?” asked Rachel, puzzled, for she had seen no evidence of a female presence in the house. Was Anna his wife? That could complicate things.
“Anna Freud,” he explained. “The tabby lounging in the sun over there.”
“Oh, right,” said Rachel, breathing a sigh of relief. “I thought you meant your wife.”
“No. Never married. Never lucky enough. The cat’s named after Sigmund’s daughter.” He smiled at her.
“Could we leave some food out? We’ll have you there and back in a day or two,” she suggested.
Richard appeared to consider the suggestion.
“But there’s Meals on Wheels,” he prevaricated. “They deliver on a Thursday. Would I be back by then?”
“Why don’t we take their number, so we can call just in case we’re not?” she suggested, countering his objection.
“Rachel,” said Jonah. “How about we let Dr. Creswell have a think about it? There’s a fine old church in the village that I saw on the way through that I’d like to check out. Why don’t we get some fresh air for a bit?”
She realized what Jonah was doing. Best to give the old man some time to absorb the information they’d just landed him with. “Oh yes. All right then. Would you mind if we called you in the morning?” she asked Richard. “Would that give you enough time to decide what you’d like to do?”
* * *
On their way into the village, Rachel had seen a bed and breakfast and she suggested to Jonah that they see if there were any rooms available. As they drove toward it, she got out her phone and called Eve. “I think we’re on the way to solving the mystery of why the letters were never sent and reuniting them,” she said after hellos had been exchanged. “I’ll see you tomorrow. About two? Perfect.”
She hung up and looked at