‘Henry would have knocked him out,’ Ann was quick to point out.

  ‘Exactly – that’s my point. Marcus did nothing; he just led me away. He didn’t even let Braithwaite know he was standing on the other side of the door.’

  ‘What are you thinking, Lizzie?’

  ‘I’m not sure, but something isn’t adding up.’

  ‘And there was that heated exchange between Marcus and Braithwaite’s wife.’

  ‘Do you think what he told me about Marcus was true?’

  ‘I’ve no idea; I think you need to ask him.’

  I nodded. ‘I have every intention of doing that when we go back home.’

  41

  Neither of us had expected to be heading home quite so soon. It hadn’t even been twenty-four hours since Ann and I had set off on our Christmas escape. How things could change in such a short space of time.

  This time I was driving; Ann was in no fit state to sit behind the wheel of a car.

  We drove in silence, and last night’s drama played over and over in my mind. Once it had sunk in properly, Ann had stormed out of the cabin and hunted down her cheating husband and mistress.

  Dave had been shocked when he’d come face to face with her. I wasn’t sure why he looked so astonished; surely he’d realised it was only a matter of time. I was surprised he hadn’t tried to bolt – or smuggle Corinna from the room.

  He’d had no choice but to open the door; in her determination, Ann would easily have kicked it down. I’d never seen her look so angry, and the second he’d opened the door she’d slapped him hard across the face.

  ‘I deserved that,’ he’d said with watery eyes, cupping his hand on his cheek in an attempt to ease the pain.

  A crowd of onlookers had gathered a little further along the corridor, straining their necks to see what was going on.

  Smouldering with rage, Ann had given him a disgusted look then pushed straight past him into the bedroom. I’d followed swiftly on her heels.

  Corinna had been perched on the edge of the bed by her overnight bag.

  Ann had walked slowly towards the bed without uttering a word, Corinna staring back at her silently.

  Dave must have recognised the dark thunderous look in Ann’s eyes. ‘No, Ann!’ he’d begged.

  She’d ignored him, and then in sudden burst of rage she’d grabbed hold of Corinna’s hair and dragged her off the bed.

  ‘How long?’ Ann demanded.

  ‘Ow! Get off me!’ Corinna had screamed as she’d frantically pulled at Ann’s hand, trying to free herself from her clutches. ‘You’re hurting me. Dave, pull her off.’

  I’d glanced over at Dave, who’d been standing there paralysed. His whole world had come crashing down around him, and I think at that moment the reality hit home. He hadn’t had a clue what to do, and even though I’d felt like yanking her around by the hair too, I’d stepped in and loosened her grip.

  ‘I’m so sorry, Ann,’ Dave had stuttered. His eyes had been wide and fearful, his face crimson.

  ‘What are you apologising to her for?’ Corinna had yelled at Dave, but he’d ignored her.

  ‘Ann, please forgive me?’

  Ann hadn’t replied; she’d remained focused on Corinna.

  ‘I asked you a question. How long has this been going on for?’

  ‘No, Corinna,’ Dave had shaken his head, his eyes begging.

  ‘Ten years,’ Corinna had said without hesitation.

  Ann and I had exchanged glances.

  My mouth had fallen open but nothing had come out; I’d been completely lost for words.

  ‘Dave, is this true? IS THIS TRUE?’ Ann had yelled.

  The deafening silence had spoken volumes.

  I’d known Ann was about to crumble. She’d let out a cry and slumped to the ground. I’d swallowed a lump in my throat and knelt beside her. ‘Come on, let’s get out of here,’ I’d said softly. My hands had floundered as I’d tried to pull her up.

  ‘We love each other,’ Corinna had added with malice, wrapping her arm around Dave’s waist.

  ‘Shut up, Corinna,’ he’d grumbled as he’d shrugged off her arm and taken a tiny step towards Ann.

  Ann had held her hand up in front of her. ‘Don’t come anywhere near me.’

  ‘Ann, please can we talk?’

  She’d stared at him and shook her head.

  ‘I have nothing more to say to you,’ she’d told him. All of the emotion had drained from her eyes and she’d stared at him with no feeling before turning around and walking towards the door. As she’d pulled down on the handle she’d paused and glanced over her shoulder at him. Her face was sad.

  ‘Goodbye, Dave,’ she’d said softly.

  ‘Ann, please don’t do this,’ his voice had trembled.

  She’d never looked back.

  Once we’d returned to the cabin, I’d thrown some more logs onto the fire and Ann had drunk herself into oblivion before collapsing in a heap on her bed. Unfortunately, when she’d woken at 4 a.m. in search of the bathroom, everything had come flooding back to her. I’d discovered her sitting in front of the fire, rocking back and forth. She’d buried her head between her knees, her arms wrapped tightly around them as she’d sobbed her heart out.

  After all the heartache, we’d decided the best plan was to leave the hotel first thing in the morning. Ann was slumped beside me in the passenger seat, her eyes vacant while the countryside whizzed past us. Her whole world had crumbled around her.

  ‘Thank God I have Leo and you,’ were the only words Ann had mumbled so far this morning.

  The only sound for the next twenty minutes was the voice of Google Maps. I was bored listening to its monotonous tones and sneaked a glance at Ann.

  She looked dreadful, which was fully understandable. She’d thrown a hoody over her pyjamas, her hair was messy and her eyes were so swollen from all the crying that she could scarcely see out of them. Neither of us had slept properly, and I was beginning to feel my eyes tire now. I really could do with a nap when we got home.

  I pressed a button and the electric window lowered slightly. I welcomed the blast of the chilly breeze on my face.

  ‘Are you OK?’ I asked softly. I knew that she wasn’t, but it was the only thing I could think of saying.

  ‘I will be,’ she said, still staring out of the window.

  ‘Where do you want me to take you? I asked tentatively.

  She glanced over at me and sighed. ‘I’m not sure I can face going home yet. Can I come back to yours for a while? Would that be OK?’

  ‘Of course,’ I answered, not actually knowing what I’d be facing when I got home. With all the drama from the night before, I’d totally forgotten to reply to Henry’s text – and there was still no word from Marcus.

  ‘Do you want me to phone Leo?’

  ‘No, not at the moment. I need to clean myself up and have a think about what I’m going to say to him. He texted last night to say he was staying at a friend’s, so he probably isn’t even up yet.’

  I nodded.

  ‘Why, Lizzie? Why?’

  I shook my head. Who knew what went on inside people’s heads? I didn’t know what was going on in my own mind, never mind anyone else’s.

  ‘This is Dave we’re talking about. You even call him Dependable Dave,’ she said. ‘Not so bloody dependable now though, is he?’

  I didn’t have a clue what to say. All I wanted to do was ease her pain.

  ‘Why did you sleep with Marcus?’ I could feel her eyes fixed on me while I stayed focused on the road ahead. It was a question I’d been asking myself since our lack of contact.

  ‘Midlife crisis; trying to relive my youth; I wanted to feel loved; I wanted to be touched, and at the time, he made me feel special. I lived for the moment and didn’t really think about the consequences,’ I said, without taking a breath. ‘But I suppose you never really know what anyone is capable of when faced with temptation.’

  Tears welled up in my eyes as I thought about my own situation.

  ‘Thank God I’ve just got that promotion,’ Ann continued. ‘Hopefully that’ll help keep my mind off things.’

  I nodded. ‘I think it’s a blessing in disguise,’ I agreed. ‘It all happens for a reason. Are you sure there’s no chance of trying to work things through with Dave?’

  Ann shook her head, her eyes teary. ‘It wasn’t just a one-off though, was it? They were having a proper relationship. It wasn’t like it was a drunken fumble.’

  Ann was right; they’d had an emotional connection for over ten years.

  That was unforgivable.

  ‘How did I never know? Some women know their man is playing away from home and they turn a blind eye, but I didn’t have a clue. How could he live with himself? How do you lie for that length of time and get away with it?’

  ‘They haven’t though, have they? No matter how good you think you are at covering your tracks, the truth will always come out in the end,’ I said anxiously. As soon as the words left my lips they rang loud and clear in my own ears.

  ‘At least I have my mum’s house,’ Ann said, suddenly changing the subject.

  ‘What are you thinking?’

  I saw she was chewing her bottom lip; she always did that when she was contemplating something.

  ‘I’m going to move in there.’

  I looked at her, a little surprised, but it really wasn’t a bad idea.

  ‘It just needs a bit of tidying up and a spot of decorating, and it’s big enough for me and Leo, if he wants to live with me. It’s easy to travel to work from there too. I was only selling it to pay for Mum’s care fees. The mortgage is paid for, so I’ll only have running costs and day-to-day living to pay for.’

  ‘It’s not a bad idea at all,’ I said.

  ‘Will you do me a favour?’ she asked.

  ‘Anything,’ I replied.

  ‘Will you help me sort the place out?’

  ‘Of course – you don’t even need to ask.’

  We drove in silence for another ten minutes until I steered into the cul-de-sac. Henry’s van wasn’t on the drive, but of course it wouldn’t be; he would already have left for work by now.

  ‘Whose is that car?’

  ‘Which one?’ I asked, trying to sound like I hadn’t a clue what she was talking about.

  ‘That white Fiesta on Marcus’s drive,’ Ann said, pointing.

  I’d pretended I hadn’t noticed it, but of course I had; I’d clocked it the second we’d turned the corner.

  ‘I’ve no idea,’ I said, which of course was the truth, but my mind was in overdrive. ‘Maybe it belongs to the dog walker.’

  ‘Yes, that’ll be it,’ Ann agreed.

  I skidded to a halt on the slushy road and yanked at the handbrake before switching the engine off.

  ‘There’s more snow forecast,’ I said, looking up at the grey sky as I unclipped my seat belt. ‘Without a doubt, we’ll be having a white Christmas this year.’

  Ann let out a heavy sigh. ‘This time yesterday everything was just normal and now look at us both.’

  I squeezed her knee. ‘I’m here for you, Ann, and you can spend as much time as you want with me.’

  ‘Everyone should have a best friend like you,’ she said.

  ‘Ditto,’ I replied. ‘Let’s get you inside and in true English style, I’ll put the kettle on. Oh, and let’s not forget the secret stash of chocolate biscuits hidden amongst the pots and pans.

  Ann managed a weary smile.

  We climbed out of the car and I glanced across at Marcus’s house again. I don’t know what I was expecting, but it didn’t look any different than it did yesterday.

  ‘You OK?’ Ann asked softly.

  ‘I don’t know yet, but I’m sure I will be. I need to put things right with Henry and Abbie first. What will be will be,’ I said, trying to convince myself everything was going to be alright.

  We grabbed our bags from the boot and made our way up the path. A couple of moments later we were standing in the warmth of the hallway, and we tossed our bags down on the floor next to a very large suitcase.

  ‘Whose is that?’ Ann asked.

  I shrugged. ‘I’ve no idea,’ I said, puzzled.

  There was movement from the living room. We both stood still and stared at each other.

  Ann nodded towards the door. ‘There’s someone in there,’ she whispered.

  My heart was thumping. There was no point in tiptoeing quietly towards the living room; whoever was in there would have heard us entering the house. I opened the front door wide.

  ‘What are you doing?’ Ann hissed.

  ‘If it’s a burglar, they can run straight past us. I have no intention of tackling anyone to the floor.’

  She nodded. ‘Good plan.’

  I let out a long, calming breath and took two large steps forward then kicked the living-room door wide open with my foot. Ann was standing right behind me, peering over my shoulder. I scanned the room and saw that the fire was lit and the tree lights sparkled.

  A startled, tear-stained face looked up at us.

  ‘Freya! What are you doing here? I wasn’t expecting you for another few days yet,’ I said, flinging my arms out to give her hug. ‘What a lovely surprise!’

  Freya didn’t move. She narrowed her eyes at me. ‘How long?’ she asked, wiping the tears away.

  I dropped my arms and my heart sank. Abbie had told her.

  I could barely breathe. ‘Was it Abbie?’

  ‘Was what Abbie?’ she asked, a bewildered look on her face. ‘What’s she got to do with any of this?’

  I glanced over my shoulder at Ann, who shrugged.

  Freya was kneeling on the floor in front of the fire, her elbows on the coffee table. It looked like she’d been there a while from the large pile of soggy tissues in front of her.

  ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about,’ I replied cautiously, hedging my bets that our wires were crossed.

  ‘I won’t beat around the bush.’ Her voice was hostile. Freya slid the local newspaper over the table and her hands were trembling. I stared at Ann and nodded. She leant forward, picked up the paper and read the headline from the front cover. ‘Call for building work to stop after explosives found.’

  Ann and I both met Freya’s gaze.

  ‘I don’t understand.’ My voice was shaky.

  ‘Page twelve. You didn’t think you’d made the front cover, did you?’ Her eyes were cold and her face was thunderous.

  Ann placed the paper on the table and quickly thumbed the pages until page twelve was staring back at us.

  We gasped in unison and gaped at the page in horror.

  ‘Read it,’ Freya spat.

  Ann read aloud, ‘Profits are booming. Mr and Mrs Bowman celebrate another successful year at Bretton’s.’

  Staring back at me was the photograph of Marcus and me, taken at the Christmas party. He was standing next to me with his arm wrapped around my waist. Our faces beamed and our eyes sparkled.

  ‘How long, Mum?’

  A feeling of trepidation ran through my entire body and my heart was beating in double time.

  Everyone was silent.

  Freya was searching my eyes for answers, but none were forthcoming. My legs felt like they were about to buckle underneath me, and I was blinking back tears. I squeezed my eyes shut for a moment and slumped down in the chair.

  I took a deep breath.

  ‘Where’s your dad?’

  Freya paused for a moment. ‘He’s gone. He’s left you.’

  The words lingered in the air. I heard them but I didn’t believe her. My throat became tight and the tears fell.

  42

  The three of us huddled around the table in the kitchen, our hands clasped around steaming mugs of tea. Tea was always good in a crisis.

  In a heart to heart with Freya, I explained everything as best I could without putting her dad in a bad light. I confessed it was my fault and how quickly my head had been turned by someone I barely knew. In reality it had been nothing more than a two-week fling, and though she wasn’t exactly thrilled about the situation, she no longer considered me the enemy and said she understood.

  Freya was easier to talk to than Abbie. She listened without giving her opinion on the situation, which I was truly grateful for.

  ‘Oh Mum,’ she’d said softly. ‘Why didn’t you say how unhappy you felt? We could’ve helped.’

  I appreciated her kind words; they brought tears to my eyes, but how could I have told her what I was feeling? I was the strong one, the one that held the family together – until now anyway. She was too close to the situation and it would’ve been unfair of me to confide in her about the problems I was having with Henry. I would never put her in the position of taking sides. No matter what difficulties Henry and I were experiencing, he was still her dad – and a good one at that. That was something I would never take away from him.

  ‘Can I have another,’ Freya asked, looking at the plate of biscuits. I nodded in her direction and managed a smile. I had no appetite whatsoever, but it didn’t stop me dunking a biscuit into my tea and taking a bite.

  I glanced across at Ann. She looked as exhausted as I was.

  ‘How are you feeling?’ I asked her.

  ‘Numb,’ was the only word she could muster.

  I could relate to that. I had no idea what to do now. Marcus still hadn’t been in touch and where was Henry?

  My eyes flitted around the kitchen. This was my home. I loved my home – our home. I shuddered at the thought of selling it.

  I pulled myself up on to weary feet and padded to the sink. I went to put the mug in the washing-up bowl and did a double take. The worktops were all remarkably clear; there were no piles of unopened post or screwed-up beer cans. The windowsill had been decluttered too, and it was usually a dumping ground for anything and everything.

  I turned towards Freya. ‘Have you tidied up?’ I asked.

  She shook her head. ‘No, it was Dad. He was cleaning the house when I got home yesterday.’

  Ann and I exchanged glances.

  ‘Your dad was cleaning the house?’

  ‘Yes, he’d just put the hoover away when the letter box clanged and the free paper landed on the mat. He scooped it off the mat, then asked if I wanted a cuppa.’