Faith - Lesley Pearse [206]
‘I don’t know,’ she said, her voice little more than a whisper. ‘Just something easy to read.’
‘There’s Danielle Steel or Catherine Cookson,’ Laura said. ‘The first book I read in here was The Wheel of Fortune by Susan Howatch. That would be appropriate for you too.’
There was a flicker of something in Belle’s eyes; she’d clearly realized that was a sly dig at her. ‘Anything will do,’ she said.
‘I would really like to talk to you,’ Laura said. ‘Not here in front of everyone, somewhere more private. If I ask the governor, will you agree to it?’
‘Don’t be ridiculous, Brannigan,’ Blake roared out. ‘Now, get her a couple of books pronto.’
After that chance meeting with Belle, Laura was even more unsettled and nervy. Word reached her that the police were coming almost every day to interview Belle, and she felt tortured by not knowing what was going on. She was worried about Stuart, for although he’d written from the hospital to say he was on the mend and he hoped to see her soon, the letter seemed very stilted and formal. That gave her the idea he was in a lot of pain.
Finally, on the Monday, sixteen days after Stuart had been stabbed, she was called from the library because Patrick Goldsmith had come to see her.
As she walked into the interview room, his face broke into the widest smile. ‘I’ve got some great news for you. We’ve got an emergency court hearing tomorrow. I’m ninety-nine per cent sure I’ll be able to get you bail until your appeal. The prosecution aren’t likely to oppose it, not after the recent developments.’
Laura felt quite faint with the shock, not just of his news, but that Patrick was capable of being so jubilant. He had told her the previous week that this might be possible, but he hadn’t given her any indication that things could happen this quickly.
You mean I can just walk away from the court?’ she said incredulously.
Patrick laughed. ‘Yes, of course. There is one small problem though, you don’t have anywhere to live, and that will be a condition of the bail. As there was no time to arrange accommodation in Edinburgh, I’m afraid I took the liberty of ringing your sister Meggie to ask her if you could stay with her in London. I hope you don’t mind?’
‘No, not at all,’ Laura said. She had written to Meggie since her telephone conversation with her, but as yet she had not received a reply. ‘But more importantly, did she mind?’
‘She’s delighted, and what’s more, she’s flying up this evening to be with you in court tomorrow.’
Laura’s eyes filled with tears of emotion. ‘That’s wonderful,’ she said in a choked voice. ‘Thank you so much, Patrick, I wouldn’t have liked to ask her myself, it’s a bit of an imposition, but I’ll be much happier to be in London than staying here.’
‘That was Stuart’s feeling too,’ Patrick said, and his voice had real warmth in it. ‘He thought you’d be the focus of too much media attention here. He came out of hospital on Friday and I popped in to see him last night.’
‘How is he?’ she asked eagerly, wishing she’d known he was back home so she could have phoned him.
‘Much better than he deserves to be. Weak and in some pain, but he’s his old irrepressible self again. David and his wife are looking after him. I don’t think he’ll be in court tomorrow, he really isn’t up to that, but he said he’ll be thinking of you, and hopes you and Meggie can spare the time to see him before you fly back to London.’
‘We’ll make time,’ Laura beamed, suddenly aware that this was for real, she was getting out of here, thanks to Stuart. ‘He’s been my guardian angel.’
‘Then I’ll see you in court at ten tomorrow,’ Patrick said as he got up to leave. He took her hand and, in an uncharacteristic display of affection, squeezed it with both hands. ‘It’s the appeal I’m really waiting for. I want to see you exonerated and this awful business over once and for all. But tomorrow will be pretty good too.’
In a flash of intuition Laura suddenly understood the man better. He probably wasn’t cut out to be a criminal lawyer, and over the years he’d almost certainly had to defend