doesn’t go on to found St Mary’s then St Mary’s never exists. So you can’t jump back to change History. Paradox. And we both know what that means.’
He leaned suddenly across the table. The desperate, heartbroken man had disappeared and in his place was the Clive Ronan I knew. It took everything I had not to let him see me rear back in fright.
‘Stupid bitch! You really haven’t thought this through at all, have you? It doesn’t have to be Edward Bairstow who jumps back to found St Mary’s. It could be anyone.’ He smiled coldly. ‘It could even be me.’
I didn’t know what to say. I could really do with a few minutes just to stop and think this through. Could that happen? It seemed horribly probable. And if St Mary’s was founded under the auspices of Clive Ronan rather than Edward Bairstow …? The implications were enormous. I could imagine what a St Mary’s under Ronan would be like. What the hell should I do?
Save Edward Bairstow was the answer to that one. Whatever happened this afternoon, either to Annie or to me, whatever the result of this deadly little duel in these incongruous surroundings, Edward Bairstow must – must – survive.
But how? All I had was a small pepper spray concealed in my muff. By the time I pulled it out and sprayed, I’d be dead. I so desperately wanted to believe he didn’t have a gun under the table, that it was still in his pocket, but he never bluffed. He wasn’t the type. He didn’t gloat, either. If he wanted you dead then five seconds later, that’s what you were.
My death wasn’t actually important. What was important was what would happen after he fired. Like everyone else, Dr Bairstow would look around for the source of the shot. He would leap to his feet and turn round. The last thing he would see would be Clive Ronan putting a bullet between his eyes. There would be chaos, confusion, screaming women, panic. He’d be out of the door – with or without Annie. He’d get away and everything would change. Everything I’d ever known would be gone and there was nothing I could do about it.
We stared at each other in silence. I made one last effort. ‘Clive. Please. Listen to me. You don’t have to shoot anyone …’
He smiled without humour or affection. ‘I’m going to pull the trigger now. It will be a belly shot, I’m afraid. Messy and painful. Agonizing, even. You’ll be glad to die, believe me. But you’ll live long enough to see Edward Bairstow die too.’
I saw his arm shift fractionally. I tensed myself, unable to believe I was about to die … He had no gun …
A quiet voice said politely, ‘Knock-knock …’
I heard a familiar sound and Ronan went limp.
Mr Sands caught him and eased him gently back in his chair. Something clattered to the floor. Bloody hell, he had had a gun after all. I bent and picked it up, glanced around to make sure we were still unobserved, and tucked it in my muff. Now that it was over. I found myself beginning to shake.
‘Sorry to leave it so long,’ said Mr Sands, pulling up another chair and sitting down. ‘I was a little worried that stunning him would cause him to fire the gun involuntarily. I know Dr Bairstow would probably have got away, but it wouldn’t have done you any good and it would certainly have buggered my chances of passing this test with flying colours. Would you like some tea?
I nodded. Words were beyond me at that moment.
He poured me a cup from Ronan’s pot and I added most of the contents of the sugar bowl.
‘You stunned him?’
‘Yes. Oh God, shouldn’t I have?’
I strove for nonchalance. ‘No, no. Stunning is fine. But where is it?’
He looked shifty. ‘Where’s what?’
‘Your stun gun.’
He looked guiltily around and then held up his cane. ‘Professor Rapson said that since I couldn’t run quite as fast as everyone else – yet – I’d better have a little something to even the odds.’ He pulled the stick into two pieces and poking out of the
He leaned suddenly across the table. The desperate, heartbroken man had disappeared and in his place was the Clive Ronan I knew. It took everything I had not to let him see me rear back in fright.
‘Stupid bitch! You really haven’t thought this through at all, have you? It doesn’t have to be Edward Bairstow who jumps back to found St Mary’s. It could be anyone.’ He smiled coldly. ‘It could even be me.’
I didn’t know what to say. I could really do with a few minutes just to stop and think this through. Could that happen? It seemed horribly probable. And if St Mary’s was founded under the auspices of Clive Ronan rather than Edward Bairstow …? The implications were enormous. I could imagine what a St Mary’s under Ronan would be like. What the hell should I do?
Save Edward Bairstow was the answer to that one. Whatever happened this afternoon, either to Annie or to me, whatever the result of this deadly little duel in these incongruous surroundings, Edward Bairstow must – must – survive.
But how? All I had was a small pepper spray concealed in my muff. By the time I pulled it out and sprayed, I’d be dead. I so desperately wanted to believe he didn’t have a gun under the table, that it was still in his pocket, but he never bluffed. He wasn’t the type. He didn’t gloat, either. If he wanted you dead then five seconds later, that’s what you were.
My death wasn’t actually important. What was important was what would happen after he fired. Like everyone else, Dr Bairstow would look around for the source of the shot. He would leap to his feet and turn round. The last thing he would see would be Clive Ronan putting a bullet between his eyes. There would be chaos, confusion, screaming women, panic. He’d be out of the door – with or without Annie. He’d get away and everything would change. Everything I’d ever known would be gone and there was nothing I could do about it.
We stared at each other in silence. I made one last effort. ‘Clive. Please. Listen to me. You don’t have to shoot anyone …’
He smiled without humour or affection. ‘I’m going to pull the trigger now. It will be a belly shot, I’m afraid. Messy and painful. Agonizing, even. You’ll be glad to die, believe me. But you’ll live long enough to see Edward Bairstow die too.’
I saw his arm shift fractionally. I tensed myself, unable to believe I was about to die … He had no gun …
A quiet voice said politely, ‘Knock-knock …’
I heard a familiar sound and Ronan went limp.
Mr Sands caught him and eased him gently back in his chair. Something clattered to the floor. Bloody hell, he had had a gun after all. I bent and picked it up, glanced around to make sure we were still unobserved, and tucked it in my muff. Now that it was over. I found myself beginning to shake.
‘Sorry to leave it so long,’ said Mr Sands, pulling up another chair and sitting down. ‘I was a little worried that stunning him would cause him to fire the gun involuntarily. I know Dr Bairstow would probably have got away, but it wouldn’t have done you any good and it would certainly have buggered my chances of passing this test with flying colours. Would you like some tea?
I nodded. Words were beyond me at that moment.
He poured me a cup from Ronan’s pot and I added most of the contents of the sugar bowl.
‘You stunned him?’
‘Yes. Oh God, shouldn’t I have?’
I strove for nonchalance. ‘No, no. Stunning is fine. But where is it?’
He looked shifty. ‘Where’s what?’
‘Your stun gun.’
He looked guiltily around and then held up his cane. ‘Professor Rapson said that since I couldn’t run quite as fast as everyone else – yet – I’d better have a little something to even the odds.’ He pulled the stick into two pieces and poking out of the
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