A Perfect Cornish Escape by Phillipa Ashley Page 0,97
in her clothes, on the sofa. Tiff covered her with a throw, deciding it was better to let her sleep while she could. Tiff went to bed herself but lay awake long into the night, dreading the conversation she needed to have in the morning, but knowing it had to be confronted for Marina’s sake.
Still rubbing sleep from her eyes, she wandered into the kitchen as dawn broke. Marina was sitting at the table, a cup of black coffee in front of her. It was barely light outside and the wind was howling off the sea.
Marina’s eyes were red and puffy. ‘I won’t ask how you are, but did you get much sleep?’ Tiff asked.
‘Some. Thanks for staying with me and covering me up last night. I woke around five and knew I’d never drop off again so I decided to get up. There’s coffee in the machine. I’m trying to wake my brain up.’
‘Me too.’ Tiff poured herself a cup of coffee and sat down at the table.
Marina cradled her mug. ‘It’s a good job it’s still the holidays and I don’t have to go into work.’
‘You’d have to phone in sick, anyway, my love.’
‘What would I say to them? My dead husband isn’t dead any more so I won’t be in today? I’m sure my boss has heard some wacky excuses for being off work but even she’d struggle with that one.’
Sensing her opportunity, Tiff steeled herself for the news she had to deliver with a good glug of her coffee. ‘She’ll have to believe it. Let’s face it, you are going to have to tell people that Nate’s alive.’
‘How can I do that when I can’t even accept it myself? What do I say when they tell me I must be overjoyed? How do I tell them what I feel when I don’t know myself?’
‘You’ll work it out. We’ll work it out.’
‘Not that it’s any of their business,’ Marina declared.
‘In an ideal world, no. It’s no one’s concern but yours and Nate’s, and your close family and whoever else he’s misled and cheated … but this isn’t an ideal world. It’s a shitty world, where for every good, kind person with your interests at heart, there will be one who wants to use the situation to their advantage.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘That this news is bound to find its way into the open sooner or later.’ Tiff sighed. ‘Much sooner, probably.’
Marina’s hand flew to her mouth. Tiff felt as if she was dealing one cruel blow on top of another. Yet she had to step in now, for Marina’s sake.
‘This isn’t going to help, but I have to say it. The press are going to have a field day with this story.’
‘It’s not a story. It’s happening to me.’
‘I know, my love …’ she said, more soothingly. ‘But the South African police and various contacts of Lachlan’s have already been alerted. The police can’t keep a lid on it for long and even if they did, Nate’s connections in South Africa will find out and start to talk.’
‘Oh God. Do you think they’d go to the press?’
‘I’d love to be wrong but I can’t lie to you. If this woman has been deceived and fleeced by Nate, then she’s not going to baulk at selling her story, is she? And I’m sure he has other friends, business associates, enemies … even if Porthmellow rallies around and refuses to talk to the media, these strangers have no loyalty to you. They’ll be angry and they’ll see no reason why they shouldn’t make a quick buck. And I promise you, the news outlets will be queuing up to offer the cheque.’ Tiff stopped, not adding her biggest fear: that Nate himself might sell his story.
‘How bad will it be? Will it fizzle out?’
‘Eventually, but for a few days it’ll be pretty huge and it’ll rear its head again if he comes back here. You can imagine the headlines: “Kayak man comes back to life”. I’m afraid it’s going to be on the front pages of every newspaper, on the telly and all over the Internet and social media. People will have their opinions and I advise you now to avoid them like the plague. I’m so sorry, my lovely, but you’re going to need to brace yourself and be very, very strong over the next few months.’
Marina’s expression of utter bewilderment was heartbreaking but Tiff had to be strong herself to help her cousin in any way she could. On