Chapter 21 Sticks and Stones

When Julian had awoken, his first thought had been of the kiss. His second of how Gina and he would behave around each other. Would she pretend that it had never happened? Her response had been so genuine, and there was no doubt in his mind that she had been as effected by it as he had been. Why then had she reacted the way that she did? Was she ashamed? Whilst they were cousins, marriage between cousins within their social class was almost the norm. In fact, Gina's own mother and father had been second cousins. (1)

Even though it was still early, he had got up and after washing and dressing, had headed downstairs to the morning room. The sun would be rising soon and in light of his restless night, Julian decided some meditation would help him to relax.

He had recently traveled to India to meet with an agent, and whilst there had been introduced to Sandhyavandane, a ritual that formed the basis for yoga and meditation. Whilst Julian did not see it as a path to enlightenment, he had been filled with respect for the dedication of the Brahmins. He had adapted his morning routine to include meditation, in the hope of achieving a few moments of calm at the beginning of the day.

Dick was already up and, pacing the floor of the morning room. Julian was about to make his excuses and find another room when he noticed Dick's face twisted in anxiety. Unable to prevent himself from caring, he asked,

'What's the matter?'

'It's Gina, she's missing.'

'Missing how, why would you assume that she is anywhere other than in her bed?' Julian asked his voice tight with barely concealed dread.

'Because she and I were in Uncle Quentin's study. We'd arranged to meet there last night; you remember she reminded me about "that thing." We were talking, and then there was a face at the window, and Gina took off after them before I could stop her. I ran after her but she was already too far ahead and I couldn't tell which way she had gone. I've sat up and waited for her all night and she hasn't come home.'

'You let her run off after god knows who? After everything we talked about after dinner, you just let her go. Just what were you thinking? If anything has happened to her, I swear I'll-.'

'You'll what, kill me? You need to get yourself some new threats, Julian because that's old. Come on, you know what Gina's like. Since when has she ever not done something that she wanted to do? You really ought to have learnt that by now. She'll always defy you; she'll always behave how she thinks is right as opposed to how others think she should. If you can't accept that, then you've no business being in love with her.' Dick stopped, looking horrified with himself for what he had just let slip.

'Did she tell you that?'

'She didn't need to, I've known for years, since we were at school.'

The bang of the front door interrupted them. They looked at each other before dashing into the hallway, where Gina stood leaning against the front door, eyes closed, breathing heavily.

'What on earth's going on? What's all the noise about?' asked Anne, who must have been disturbed by the ruckus that he and Dick had been making, and had come downstairs to investigate.'

Not caring who saw, or what they thought, Gina herself included, Julian was at the front door in three long strides, enveloping her in his embrace. He breathed in the scent of her hair - sea salt.

'Please don't tell me you have been over to Kirrin Island alone? I've only just come downstairs and found out you were missing, but poor Dick has been frantic with worry for hours.'

'No, I haven't been to the island. I'm really sorry Dick, it's just that, I'm just, well I just don't know what to make of it all. Can I sit down?'

Julian swept her through into the morning room and the others followed.

'So did you manage to follow him? Where did he go?' asked Dick.

'Just a minute, why do I feel like I've missed the first half of a play?' Anne said.

Dick filled Anne in on the events leading up to Gina's nighttime dash, whilst Julian got them all a cup of tea. Gina sat twirling a strand of her hair tighter and tighter around her finger. Meeting Julian's eyes, she said to him in almost a whisper,

'I'm so very, very sorry,' she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened them, she addressed Dick.

'Dick, after Julian had walked in on you, did you ever see Annabella again?'

'What?' asked Dick and Julian in unison? Whatever Julian might have expected her to say, it had not been that.

'Please, it's important.'

Dick gave an embarrassed cough. 'Well yes, once. It's not what you're thinking old boy,' he said to Julian. 'She came see me at the office. Naturally she assumed that my interest in her had been genuine and that I'd want to continue seeing her.'

Julian's heart sank. As he had told Aunt Fanny, if Dick had loved Annabella he would have been happy to give her up to his brother. Dick really had only slept with her to score one over on him. Still reeling from this confirmation, Julian had a difficult time absorbing what Gina said next.

'Dick, I need to know, did you tell her why you had done it? Did you tell her about my part in it?'

'Dammit Gina, the harpy wouldn't leave me alone. Obviously, she would never have given up a Kirrin unless she thought that she had another one to take over. She wouldn't accept that I didn't want her, even when I told her that I was a homosexual,' Anne gasped and covered her mouth with her hands. 'she wouldn't have it. Told me that many homosexuals had wives and she would, how did she put it now? Oh yes, that was it, "allow me to pursue my own interests"!'

'So then you told her?'

'Yes, I told her that you had been to see me and had told me all about her, and that you and I had resolved to break her and Julian up at any cost.'

Gina buried her head in her hands and gave a sigh. 'That's it then, she has motive.'

'Motive? Motive for what?' asked Dick.

'The man at the window last night; I followed him back to Kirrin Farm's old bunk house. It was Edgar Stick! And the woman who let him in was Annabella Stone.' They must be the couple from the farm; Mrs Sanders would have recognised Edgar, which is why he kept his face covered. They must be the ones who have Father.'

'Oh, thank goodness for that,' said Anne. Three pairs of eyes looked at her questioningly. 'Well,' she said, 'I didn't want to say anything yesterday but it did look awfully like it might have been Guy, didn't it?

They all laughed a tense humourless laugh that did nothing to dispel the tension that Julian was feeling.

'Excuse me,' he said and slipped out of the room and out into the back garden.

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Gina watched him leave, her heart heavy in her chest. Dick came and sat beside her, giving her leg a reassuring pat.

'He just needs to get his head around the idea, he'll be fine. As I told you, he never loved her. At least now he knows the truth.'

Gina nodded and then gave a shout of alarm. 'No he doesn't, we didn't actually tell him why.'

Dick gave her a little shove. 'Go and find him.'

55555

'I'm not sure that I want to talk to you just now, please leave me.' Julian said when Gina tracked him down to the bench by the potting shed.

'I know, but in there neither Dick or I explained why we needed to get Annabella away from you, and you need to know Julian, even if you hate me afterwards, it's important that you know.

'I'm listening.'

'Did she ever mention that she and I had been friends?'

'No, but Aunt Fanny told me yesterday that she had stayed here.'

Gina nodded. 'Yes, I was at the beach one day and she befriended me, said that she was staying in town with her father. She wasn't as exciting to be around as you all were, but you weren't here and I was lonely. When she went home, we wrote to each other and I invited her to come and stay with me over the holidays. After a couple of days, I realised that I didn't like her all that much and neither did Timmy. The funny thing was though, was that Father adored her. She was always asking him about his work, and he was always inviting her to his study to watch him perform his experiments. I mean, he hardly let Mother in there, and there she was handing father his conical flasks and gazing up at him all reverently.'

'Are you saying that she flirted with your father?' Julian asked.

'Well, she did it's true, but that wasn't the real issue. She had told me that her father was abroad, but then I saw her meet with him and she passed something to him. She never mentioned seeing him, which I found suspicious, so I kept a close eye on her. Then one night I saw her photographing papers in Father's study. I challenged her and she ran away. A couple of months later, some research that Father had been working on at that time found its way into enemy hands. He was livid and could not understand how it had happened. I was too ashamed to tell him that somebody that I had brought into the house had stolen from him and sold his work. Julian, Annabella and her father were spies, and you work for the Ministry of Defence, not to mention that she would potentially have access to Father's work again once she was your wife.'

'And you told all this to Dick?'

'Yes, and he agreed that you had to be separated from her. Julian please believe me, Dick never set out to hurt you.'

Julian's mind was racing; no Dick had not set out to hurt him, had he? Recalling what Dick had said earlier, the truth of the matter hit Julian. Dick had known that he had been in love with Gina and never with Annabella. Dick never had betrayed him; rather he had looked out of him as a good brother would. He looked over at Gina, who was fidgeting with apprehension. She looked exhausted having been up all night and she had never looked more beautiful to him.

'Last night when you ran from me. Was this why?'

She nodded her eyes bright with tears that he could tell she was fighting to hold on to.

'Is there anything else? Any more secrets?'

'No, there's nothing, that was all. I'm so sorry.'

'Sorry for getting a woman I knew was a mistake out of my life, when I didn't have the strength of character to do it for myself? I'm the one who should be sorry for putting you and Dick through all that. You should know though, that if you'd have knocked on my door and told me not to marry her, I wouldn't have done.' Julian reached over and took her hand. 'If I had ever dared to hope that you cared for me, I would never have considered it. I'm in love with you Georgina Kirrin, there has never been anyone else that I wanted, only you.'

'Julian,' she choked through her tears, 'I'm in love with you too.'

At that moment, Julian cared about nothing else. Not family, friends, spies of ex-fiancées or kidnappers. Gina was his.

Footnotes

1- It is a much-discussed Blyton gaff, that Kirrin Island belongs to Aunt Fanny, who had, it was stated in book 1, lived in Kirrin all her life. The town of Kirrin is centred on Aunt Fanny's ancestors. Fanny would have taken her husband, Quentin's surname upon marriage and yet she, Quentin and George are Kirrins. Unlikely though it is, Quentin could have taken Fanny's surname. We are told that Quentin is the brother of Julian, Dick and Anne's father, meaning that he would have the same surname as them. The children do introduce themselves collectively as the Kirrins. The only feasible explanation would be for Fanny and Quentin to have had the same surname prior to marriage. Considering theirs is not a common surname it would be logical to assume that Fanny and Quentin were related.