The Jigsaw Puzzle Read Free

that combination for their child.’
    Penny laughed. ‘Divorced.’
    â€˜That makes two of us. What happened in your case?’
    She noticed he walked with a limp, so she slowed her normal pace, hoping he wouldn’t realise and get embarrassed. ‘Rose-coloured spectacles on my part,’ she said ruefully. ‘Julian was twenty-five, completely charming, and engagingly ambitious when I married him. Three grown-up children later he is still twenty-five, still completely charming, and still ambitious. Also extremely high maintenance. It took me a while, but eventually I realised he genuinely couldn’t understand me devoting time to the kids instead of to him, and he honestly didn’t see that I needed any space for myself. I stuck with him for the children’s sake, but just as it got to the point where I couldn’t cope with him any more, he told me he’d already found someone else who could. So we parted. How about you?’
    She only asked out of politeness. Leo might be a nice-looking chap, but Penny wasn’t aiming to change her single state any time soon. After Julian, it was sheer luxury to have her life to herself.
    Leo’s face twisted. ‘My wife said I was married to my job. She was probably right, but we’d been together for a couple of years before the wedding so she knew what she was taking on and she’d never complained about it before. Apparently being married is different and Kayleigh thought I ought to have known that. After several epic arguments on the subject she went home to Mummy and Daddy, taking our son with her. Just like that, while I was at work. In the goodbye note there was a list of betting odds on the length of time before I noticed they’d gone.’
    â€˜That was a bit uncalled for,’ said Penny awkwardly.
    â€˜I thought so. Possibly I should have waited to cool down before I phoned to tell her. It, er, didn’t help the reconciliation process.’ He took a deep breath. ‘Enough of that. Tea or coffee? And which cake would you like? I’ll have a slice of date and walnut.’
    Penny smiled at the woman behind the table. ‘One of your cream scones, please, Mrs Beattie.’
    Leo flicked a shrewd glance at her as she took an empty chair. ‘You’re local, then?’
    She was momentarily startled at the quickness of the deduction. Not that there was any reason for her to hide the fact. It was just strange that he seemed keen to know. ‘Yes, I’ve lived in Salthaven all my life.’
    â€˜I used to come here for the holidays when I was young. My mother’s uncle lived in one of the big houses up on the cliff. He was an inventor, so his place was paradise for an active boy like me. I moved back here after …’
    â€˜The divorce?’ said Penny sympathetically.
    â€˜My accident. You’ll have noticed the limp.’
    Penny had brought up three strong-minded children. She could deal with challenging statements with one hand tied behind her back. ‘Naturally I noticed, but I was being discreet,’ she said.
    Leo reddened. ‘Sorry.’ His gaze rested on the Red Cross envelope.
    Penny could take a hint. She undid it and pulled out a handful of wooden pieces. Her heart whooshed again. She’d been right! The cut was the same. Her fingers itched to assemble the jigsaw but the refreshment room was busy and their cake and cups were jostling for space on the table as it was. She looked up. Leo’s eyes were also fixed on the puzzle.
    â€˜What does it tell you?’ she asked. She might as well find out something from him.
    He picked up a tile. It had feathery leaves on it just as hers did . Had this photo also been taken at the Municipal Gardens? ‘Hand-cut,’ he said. ‘1930s, 1940s.’
    Nothing she hadn’t already guessed. Penny put the pieces back, tipping the envelope casually to one side as she did to see if there was any writing