Part 6 (1/2)

Nicole stared into the tea leaves at the bottom of her cup

Charles returned at seven o'clock that evening with three paper sacks filled with groceries For supper he cooked theon in a cream and white wine sauce He opened a Chablis to acco a second bottle froe

While they ate, Charles talked of his work at the university Re early histories of the Hungarian people he steered the conversation towards his knowledge of Eastern Europe Nicole contributed little, but she did ask questions of him and listened intently to his replies

He told them of his other projects How the BBC had commissioned him to write and present a five-part radio series on medieval Europe The first two episodes had aired in the past feeeks He had received only aso far and his producer was talking about a larger follow-up project

Afterwards, they cleared the table and Nicole helped him wash the dishes She brewed a pot of coffee and they took it into the living room Nicole and her mother sat on the small sofa, across from his armchair

'I've thought of a way to get you back to France,' he told thes, but you're welcome to stay here with me until then'

'Get us back to France?' Nicole asked 'How?'

Charles could not resist a grin

CHAPTER 5

Snowdonia

Now

Hannah kept the stock of the shotgun tight into her shoulder, sighting down the barrels and ai at the centre of the old man's chest She was only a few yards away from hiive him a chance to react

His eyes flared as he saw the weapon, and Hannah felt cowed by the power they conveyed As he raised his hands, his expression remained inscrutable

'Don't,' she snarled 'Put them back down Into your lap Now Don't er Give htest reason to shoot you and you're dead, I promise you that If you move out of that chair, you're dead If I ask you a question and I don't like your answer, you're dead If your Godda weird, this ends very quickly for you Understand?'

He glanced briefly at Moses sitting by the fire, then carefully measured out his words 'If you are who you say you are, you have nothing to fear froun, oldto fear from you at all'

He continued as if she had never spoken 'If you're not Hannah Wilde, if you're the other one, then I know your secrets Do what you will I'uns I've made my peace and I'm ready to face whatever coe that we're closing in on you and that this may well be the last murderous act you commit'

She could see from the quick rise and fall of his chest that he was not as calested It had taken a feat of will to keep his voice steady as he uttered those words 'That was quite a speech'

He inclined his head 'Perhaps a touch dramatic, but heartfelt nonetheless'

'How do you knoho I am?'

'I don't Not for certain Let me ask you a question'

'I don't think so'

'Then pull the trigger' He waited, never taking his emerald eyes off hers When she didn't respond, he said, 'When you were fifteen years old your father bought a farm in south Oxfordshi+re and inherited a herd of cattle Which breed?'

She stared, stoer knoho she was, but he was trying to verify her identity just like her father had taught her She wondered what advantage shetruthfully, and could not see one If he was trying to win her trust, it was a laughable ploy He could have forced the answers out of her father

When he saw that she was hesitating, he added, 'This is not to help you verify my identity, Hannah It's to help me verify yours'

'They were Ayrshi+res'

'Shortly after you arrived, there was an accident What happened?'

'I tried to milk one of them by hand,' she said 'I must have pinched, because it kicked out and brokeWe named her Footloose'

The old man closed his eyes When he opened them, they sparkled with intensity 'hellfire, for ato hiut you' He chuckled, then he cast a look at Nate and the laughter faded on his lips 'Hannah, I'lad you're all still alive'

'Thanks, I'ed You move off that-'

'Yes, yes, I know,' he snapped 'I move, I die Very poetic' Now that he seemed satisfied with her identity, his brashness had resurfaced 'I' on this da over your husband for the last hour trying to save his life Even if I wanted to htensome tea'

'How do you know my name?'

'Because we've ood few years, I'll grant you, and I can see your manners haven't iary when your father brought you And still with that look on your face sour enough to curdle

'Of course I know him Was with him when he picked out this place Youhere'

'Your turn'

'My turn to what?'

'Validate Before you say anything else, I want soht hand into the pocket of his Barbour

'Whoa, there Easy with the hands Nice and slow'

With exaggerated care, he eased his finger and thu knife, its e

'Careful,' she warned, keeping both barrels high

He nodded, then dropped the knife back into his pocket 'I will be, now I knoho you are 'Course, I don't knoould have happened if you had been him I reckonon a bit these days But then again, so is he The gun's eer I would have buried this knife in your throat Lucky for you, and forabout?'

'When I last checked in on this place, I found a loaded shotgun in that pantry Second shelf up on the left-hand side, wasn't it? Just where you et in empty properties like this, I didn't want to leave a loaded weapon there So I removed both rounds I know you didn't have time to check when you hopped back there to fetch it If it es back in their box in the drawer of that Welsh dresser behind you The one with all the crockery on it Now, please point that thing away from my face It's very rude'

Hannah stepped backwards, widening the gap between them When she was nearly at the door to the hallway, she broke the shotgun and checked the cha else,' she deht over a table I can't rees, where he lectured'