Chapter 9: Spring

After that weekend visiting with Ann in her sanatorium, Ann started to come out of her depression, take a lot more interest in her surroundings and more involved in conversing with the nurses and visitors, looking forward to visits. Her mother and sister noticed an even more marked improvement when they told her the plan was for her to leave where she had been for almost three-quarters of her life and be able to see Pete, his daughter Annie that she had heard so much about and her Mum and sister all the time, she became quite excited. Ann so looked forward to moving back to Sandmouth Bay to live together as a family again for the first time in so long.

“With my father completely out of the picture, surrounded by people I know like Pete and the Dunloughs, I would be very happy as the place would hold no more terrors for me. I’m so looking forward to meeting little Annie, Pete’s told me so much about her.”

To a degree Ann was still quite institutionalised and remained on a strict and intense treatment of various drugs and antidepressants, but Rebecca was confident that in once familiar surroundings, with family and friends around her she would eventually build up more confidence in meeting more people and that some of the medications could be reduced.

In the light of Sheila Durham’s affidavit that the police and Crown Prosecution Service had for so long known about her ex-husband’s arrest warrant for the long-term sexual and one-time physical assault on Ann, Pete’s solicitor, Craig Connors led the compensation claim on his best friend’s behalf. Pete claimed criminal compensation for Pete’s criminal injuries, the long period that he had spent on remand in a hospital prison on what was even at the time considered very circumstantial evidence, along with the long-term suffering for his disability, his claim through the courts very ably aided by the eminent QC Hector Okinowu.

The court case was a walk-over and Pete was awarded what he believed was a fantastic award, that everyone else felt was justifiable and long overdue. Pete insisted that he pay his solicitor and QC the going rate, both having worked his case pro bono, but Craig and Hector insisted that they had taken his case on as a favour to a friend and refused payment. So, having consulted with Rebecca, Hector and Jason was invited to Porter House for the weekend and Pete cooked them breakfast, lunch and dinner over the two days for them, stressing that they were welcome to come back for regular repeats.

On the Saturday night Rebecca and Pete hosted a lavish dinner which included guests Jason, Hector, Craig, Tracie, Annie, Alice Dunlough and Julian Golding, all the cooking and serving by Pete and Tracie.

During the conversation, Tracie mentioned her ambition to own a restaurant, she even had the perfect unoccupied building on Sandown Bay’s seafront picked out and a financial plan to do it. They all poured over her plans on the Sunday morning and by the time they sat down to enjoy lunch in the newly laid Porter House garden, she had Pete prepared to invest a quarter of the finance that she needed, and Rebecca, Craig, Alice, Julian, Jason and Hector were willing to invest enough to raise over half of the balance that she needed, all confident that with that degree of backing she could get the bank to supply the rest.