Best Kept Secret (The Clifton Chronicles, #3)(24)

The shoplifting incident, as it came to be known at St Bede’s, turned Sebastian from a bit of a loner into something of a folk hero, and boys who previously wouldn’t have bothered with him invited him to join their gangs. Harry began to believe this might be a turning point, but when he told Sebastian that his grandmother only had a few weeks to live, the boy crept back into his shell.

Jessica had begun her first term at Red Maids’. She worked far harder than Sebastian, but didn’t come top in any subject. The art mistress told Emma it was a pity that painting wasn’t a recognized subject, because Jessica had more talent at the age of eight than she herself had shown in her final year at college.

Emma decided not to repeat this conversation to Jessica but to allow the child to discover for herself just how talented she was in the fullness of time. Sebastian regularly told her she was a genius, but what did he know? He also thought Stanley Matthews was a genius.

A month later, Sebastian failed three of his mock papers, taken only weeks before the BGS entrance exams. Neither Harry nor Emma felt they could chastise him while he was so distressed about his grandmother’s condition. He would accompany Emma to the hospital every afternoon after she picked him up from school, climb on to his grandmother’s bed and read to her from his favourite book until she fell asleep.

Jessica painted a new picture for Granny every day, and dropped it off at the hospital the following morning before Harry took her on to school. There were only a few blank spaces left on the walls of her private gallery by the end of term.

Giles missed several three-line whips, Grace countless tutorials, Harry endless deadlines, and Emma sometimes failed to reply to Cyrus Feldman’s weekly letters. But it was Sebastian who Elizabeth most looked forward to seeing every day. Harry couldn’t be sure who benefited more from the experience, his son or his mother-in-law.



It didn’t help that Sebastian had to take his exam for Bristol Grammar School while his grandmother’s life was ebbing away.

The outcome was as the headmaster of St Bede’s had predicted, mixed. His Latin, French, English and maths papers were of scholarship level, while he barely made the pass mark in history, failed narrowly in geography, and scored just 9 per cent in his natural sciences paper.

Dr Hedley called Harry at Barrington Hall moments after the results had been posted on the school notice board.

‘I’ll have a private word with John Garrett, my opposite number at BGS,’ he said, ‘and remind him that Sebastian scored a hundred per cent in Latin and maths, and will almost certainly be scholarship material by the time it comes for him to go to university.’

‘You might also remind him,’ said Harry, ‘that both his uncle and I were at BGS, and his grandfather, Sir Walter Barrington, was chairman of the governors.’

‘I don’t think he’ll need reminding,’ said Hedley. ‘But I will point out that Sebastian’s grandmother was in hospital while he was taking the exams. All we can do is hope he backs my judgement.’

He did. Dr Hedley called Harry at the end of the week to say that the headmaster of BGS would be recommending to the board that, despite Sebastian failing two of the set papers, he should still be offered a place at BGS for the Michaelmas term.

‘Thank you,’ said Harry. ‘That’s the first good news I’ve had in weeks.’

‘But,’ Hedley added, ‘he reminded me that in the end it will be the board’s decision.’



Harry was the last person to visit his mother-in-law that night, and was just about to leave when Elizabeth whispered, ‘Can you stay for a few more minutes, my dear? There’s something I need to discuss with you.’

‘Yes, of course,’ said Harry, sitting back down on the edge of the bed.

‘I spent the morning with Desmond Siddons, our family lawyer,’ Elizabeth said, stumbling over each word, ‘and I wanted to let you know that I’ve executed a new will, because I can’t bear the thought of that dreadful woman Virginia Fenwick getting her hands on any of my possessions.’

‘I don’t think that’s a problem any longer. We haven’t seen or heard from Virginia for weeks, so I assume it’s all over.’

‘The reason you haven’t seen or heard from her for weeks, Harry, is because she wants me to believe it’s all over. It’s not a coincidence that she disappeared from the scene only days after Giles learned I didn’t have long to live.’

‘I’m sure you’re overreacting, Elizabeth. I don’t believe even Virginia could be that callous.’

‘My dear Harry, you always give everyone the benefit of the doubt because you have such a generous nature. It was a lucky day for Emma when she met you.’

‘It’s sweet of you to say so, Elizabeth, but I’m sure that given time—’

‘That’s the one thing I don’t have.’

‘Then perhaps we should ask Virginia to come and visit you?’

‘I’ve made it clear to Giles on several occasions that I’d like to meet her, but each time I’ve been rebuffed with more and more unlikely excuses. Now, why do you think that is? Don’t bother to answer, Harry, because you’ll be the last person to work out what Virginia’s really up to. And you can be sure she won’t make her move until after my funeral.’ A flicker of a smile crossed Elizabeth’s face before she added, ‘But I still have one card up my sleeve, which I don’t intend to play until I’ve been lowered into my grave, when my spirit will return like an avenging angel.’