Page 180 of Guilty Pleasures

She had no time to think about whether she trusted them. The smoke was so thick she could no longer see anything inside the bedroom, apart from a square of scorching flame where the door had been. She jumped, hurling her body out into the space in front of her as far as she could. She felt like she was floating, the air full of sparks and ash, her body suspended there in time, a last look around at the world before death took her. Then time was switched on again and she felt her body slam against something – first the blanket and then the ground.

‘No. No. No!’ screamed Emma rushing out of the bedroom and flying down the stairs. Rob had phoned her to tell her about the fire and that Cassandra was lying injured at his feet, alive but in pain. There were still about forty guests at Winterfold who were all wondering what the hell was going on. In the distance the sound of sirens was getting louder. Emma threw open the front door and looked towards the glow of the fire. She quickly called Julia.

‘The Stables are on fire. Cassandra was in there but she’s OK. Come as quickly as you can.’

Julia screamed down the phone.

‘My baby!’

‘Someone, give me some car keys!’ shouted Emma as the guests ran down the stairs towards her. A waiter, just packing up the last catering things, threw her a jangling bunch. ‘The white catering van. Go!’

Emma smelt the inferno before she could see it. The Stables were over a bluff, hiding everything but the orange glow in the sky, but as soon as she had cleared the rise, the night sky was pierced by orange flames. Tears flowed down Emma’s cheeks as she pressed her foot hard down on the accelerator. Her tears turned to choking sobs as she managed to make out the silhouettes of Tom and Rob standing two hundred feet away from the fire. Next to them the door of Rob’s car was open and Cassandra was sitting huddled in a blanket.

‘Thank goodness, thank goodness,’ said Emma under her breath.

Four fire engines roared up behind her and suddenly the whole area was buzzing with firemen rolling out hoses.

‘There’s a water supply in that outhouse,’ shouted Emma pointing to a small building fifty feet away. She ran over to Rob who caught her in a strong embrace, crushing her to his chest.

‘She’s got cuts and sprains and she’s coughing up black stuff, but I think she’s OK,’ said Rob quietly.

Emma walked over to her and the two women locked eyes. ‘We’ve called for an ambulance,’ Emma said softly, then gathered Cassandra into her arms and held her. For a moment Emma didn’t know what to say. She felt overpowered by feelings of guilt, anger and then fear. How the hell had the fire started? Had Cassandra dropped a cigarette? Or perhaps it wasn’t an accident. No one had known that Cassandra was in there, no one had seen her go into Rob’s room-anyone would have assumed Emma was in there asleep. Emma had a sudde

n flashback to Gstaad, remembering the black Mercedes smashing up against the rear of her car. Had the driver come back to finish unresolved business? Despite the heat coming from the burning building, she shuddered. Someone wanted her dead, she felt sure of it. And they had almost killed Cassandra in the process.

‘Let’s go over this one more time,’ said Detective Inspector Peter Sheldon. ‘You think someone meant to burn down the Stables with you inside?’

It was 4 a.m. and Winterfold was in chaos. Word of the blaze had got around the village and Roger, Rebecca, Stella and Ruan had all returned to the house: Stella and Ruan to reassure various important guests staying in the house that everyone was safe, and Roger and Rebecca had come back to tut and fuss around. Julia and Tom accompanied Cassandra to Oxford’s John Radcliffe hospital. Emma sat in Winterfold’s library with Rob at her side, her hand in his as she answered the policeman’s questions. For a brief moment she reflected that only three hours earlier she had been feeling happy and secure. Apprehensive, yes, but excited when Rob had kissed her. Now it was fear of another kind. The fear of being watched, hated, hunted.

‘I know it sounds ridiculous but I do think someone might want me dead.’

Inspector Sheldon looked at her cynically, but indicated she should continue.

‘I was in Switzerland over Christmas and a car tried to run me off the road. I ended up hospitalized.’

‘Was it investigated?’ asked Sheldon and Emma caught the slight tone of disbelief in his voice.

‘Yes. The police thought the most likely explanation was joyriders.’

‘I’m inclined to agree.’

Emma kept quiet knowing it was pointless to argue. Rob, however, wasn’t going to let it drop so easily.

‘All Emma is saying is that it’s more than a little strange that in the space of six weeks she’s been run off the road and then her house has been set on fire,’ he said irritably. The policeman closed his eyes, as if he had heard it all before.

‘We can take a statement off you next Mr Holland,’ he said. ‘The fire officer will be here soon so we’ll know more then. In the meantime, do you mind if we have a look around the house? And we’ll need the names and contact details of as many party guests as you can get hold of. If it is foul play, then we’re going to have to follow up with everyone we can.’

They all stood and Rob began to lead Emma back to his room.

‘Oh, and by the way,’ said the detective. ‘Don’t go anywhere, either of you. No sudden business out of town or trips abroad.’

Emma looked at him incredulously.

‘Are you saying that we’re suspects?’

Sheldon’s face was impassive.

‘Until we get to the bottom of this mess, Ms Bailey, we just want everyone to co-operate.’