E for England (18 page)

‘A month.' He managed to look shamefaced.

‘A month. And you didn't bother to get in touch until a few days ago.' She stood up and put on her jacket, quickly in case she threw the remains of her water at him. ‘Unbelievable.'

‘I was getting myself sorted. I didn't want to contact you until I had a place to live and a job.' He pushed his chair back and rose as well.

‘You could have phoned and said hello to the kids. I don't care about me but it's them you've messed around. I'm finding it very hard to accept any of your excuses.'

‘I lost my phone with your number and you moved from the house so I couldn't call, until I realised I could catch you at work.'

Annie shook her head. ‘I have to go. Thanks for lunch.' Too much information all at once. She headed for the door, wrapping her arms across her body as the wind tugged at her hair and jacket.

Kevin walked back to the office with her, tagging along behind like a stray dog. ‘I'll call you.'

‘I still want a divorce and it's nothing to do with you being gay. You can put some money into my account. The number hasn't changed.'

‘All right.'

Who was this man? She didn't know him at all, if she ever had. Annie gave him one last searching look and pushed the door open.

Hugh spent most of the afternoon wondering what had happened at Annie's lunch. Half a dozen times he pulled out his phone to call her then changed his mind and shoved it back in his pocket. What had the man said? Why didn't she call? He'd go up tonight and see her. She'd asked for his advice, he deserved to hear the results of the meeting.

At eight he tapped on her door, bottle of wine in hand, heart thumping like a man with a medical problem.

‘Oh hello.' Her smile was distracted. Children yelled in the background. Fighting. Scream like a steam whistle from Floss.

‘Sorry. Bad time? I'll come back.'

‘No, no, it's fine. They'll shut up if you're here.'

‘How did…' But she was gone, striding towards the bedroom. He followed, leaving the wine on the table on the way.

‘Hugh's here,' she said loudly. ‘And if you want him to read a story, you'd better be in bed in two seconds, and be quiet. Now!'

The sudden silence was dramatic. Bedclothes rustled. Hugh, outside the door, grinned. No-one had reacted to his presence like that before. As Bedtime Story Reader he had serious street cred, an unusually nice feeling.

Annie withdrew from the room and faced him. ‘Will you read them a story? Please?' He thought she was about to cry. She certainly teetered on the edge of some vast emotional chasm. The husband! Bastard! ‘I've had the day from hell.'

‘Of course.' He placed his palm against her soft, pale cheek. ‘I brought a bottle of red. Help yourself.'

She pressed her hand against his and summoned a wispy smile. ‘Lifesaver.'

Without another thought he leaned forward and brushed his lips over hers. For a moment he lingered savouring the pleasure, this first touch of her mouth under his. For a moment she responded but then she moved away. Not quickly, not a shocked retreat but reluctant, promising more perhaps, but not now. His eyes locked on hers, so close he could see darker blue flecks in the grey. He smiled. ‘Story time.'

She nodded.

When he closed the fourth storybook, Floss was asleep. Mattie, almost. Two stories each, they'd agreed without so much as a raised voice. On best behaviour. Fairness was all when you were almost five and six-nearly-seven. He smiled and switched off the light.

Annie sat slumped on the couch staring at nothing, her glass of red half empty on the table. His full glass waited next to a bowl of almonds and cashews. He scooped up a handful and sat down next to her.

‘All asleep.'

‘Thanks. I'm so glad you appeared, Hugh. I was getting dangerously close to jumping off the balcony.'

He paused mid-chew. ‘Never do that! Never even think that.'

‘I was joking.'

‘I should hope so. But don't, not about that.' He picked up his wine. ‘Tell me.'

‘The car wouldn't start. I had to leave it at work and call a taxi to collect the kids then go back and wait for the NRMA guy to come. We all waited for an hour and a half at the front of the parking station in that horrible cold wind and then it started raining. And of course it's Friday so I can't do anything about repairs until next week.'

‘You should have called me.'

‘Why?'

‘I could have waited for the NRMA or taken the kids. Something, anything.'

‘I didn't think of it, and if I had I wouldn't have dreamed of bothering you.'

‘What's wrong with the car?'

‘The starter motor has had it. They towed it to the nearest garage which is miles away from here but I didn't have any choice. God only knows what it'll cost.' Her voice trembled and Hugh slid his arm around her and drew her close. She rested her head on his shoulder. He didn't dare utter a word or move a muscle in case she realised where she was.

‘I'm so glad you're here,' she said.

‘I'm glad I came up. I was worried about you.'

‘Worried?'

‘I wanted to know what happened with your husband today. After what you said last night…you know.'

‘That was the first instalment of the day from hell. He doesn't want a divorce.'

‘Really? Why on earth not?'

‘Who knows, and guess what? Second instalment — he's gay.'

Hugh nearly spilled the wine he'd raised to his lips. ‘Gay? Did you know?'

‘No idea. What sort of idiot does that make me, to marry a gay guy?'

He squeezed her shoulders. ‘No sort of idiot at all! Why did he marry
you
? Did he say?'

She straightened and he reluctantly relaxed his hold. ‘He said he'd been confused since he was a child and only really decided he couldn't handle things in the last few years.'

Hugh dragged in a breath. His immediate reaction was Kevin was a selfish bastard to mess Annie and his children around so badly but then… ‘Must have been hard for him. It's not an easy thing to admit, for some people.'

‘Apparently not.' Annie's tone implied she had no sympathy. She drained her glass and poured more for them both. ‘I just wish he hadn't involved me in it.' She sniffed and wiped a hand across her eyes. ‘I was in shock most of the time after he said that. He was saying all sorts of things about seeing the kids and how we're still a family and how he can contribute more money now.'

‘He's working?'

‘Yes, in the city somewhere. He's living in Randwick.'

‘Not too far.'

‘No.'

Hugh drank some more wine while his thoughts churned. What did all this mean? ‘How come he doesn't want a divorce?'

‘I don't know and I don't think he does either. Not really. He said it hadn't occurred to him and seemed to think we would pick up where we left off, except better.'

‘Better? How could it possibly be better?'

‘In some ways it would be better than this. The kids could see him regularly and I wouldn't be as broke. I could finish my MBA.'

‘But does he expect you to move in with him?'

Annie shot him a startled look. ‘He didn't say that. I don't know.'

‘But would you if he suggested it?'

Her hesitation told him his question wasn't as outrageous as he'd thought.

Move back in with Kevin? Annie turned the idea around in her mind. ‘He wouldn't want that, would he?'

‘I don't know. But you might as well have your reply planned in case he does.'

‘But he's gay. Wouldn't we cramp his style?'

Hugh shrugged and put down his empty glass. ‘Could be platonic.'

Annie giggled. ‘It'd have to be.'

‘Are you seeing him again?'

‘We didn't arrange anything. Like I said, I was in shock, plus I had to get back to work.'

‘Do the kids know he's here?'

‘Not yet. I want to be clear what's happening first.'

‘Which means you'll have to talk to him.'

‘I know and I will. But I've got to have the car fixed. That's my priority at the moment. Maybe I can send him the bill. He said he wants to help.'

Hugh smiled. ‘That'll test his credibility.'

Annie nodded enthusiastically. ‘I
will
. It's still registered in both our names so it's not so outrageous. I'll ask him first though. Maybe having Kevin around again won't be so bad after all. As long as he pulls his weight financially and spends time with the kids.'

She settled back against the end cushions and tucked her feet under her. She raised her glass to him.

‘You know what? For the first time in a year I can draw a clean, deep, calm breath.'

Hugh clinked his glass against hers, but her words resounded with a hollow thud in his heart.

‘All you have to do is tell the truth,' Hugh said for the third time. Eleanor was a wreck; pasty-faced, with dark shadows under sunken eyes. She said she'd hardly slept, which wasn't surprising considering what she'd been going through in the last few weeks.

‘I did the best I could with the information we had, didn't I? You know that, you'll tell them, won't you?'

‘Eleanor, we'll both state the facts as we know them.'

She stared at him, mouth partly open, lips moving wordlessly. ‘You're not going to back me up, are you? Why won't you? That crazy woman is trying to have me sacked and you know I did all I could.'

‘It's not a matter of not backing you up.'

‘Well why not say you will? Tell them I did everything I could with the tests and results.'

Hugh stood up and came around his desk. He grasped her by the shoulders. ‘Don't worry, it's a process the coroner has to follow. He's not out to apportion blame, just get at the facts, and that's what I plan to give him. And so do you.'

She sucked in a deep shuddery breath and nodded. ‘Of course. I'm sorry. It's just been such a…hell of a time recently.' She wriggled free of his grasp and fished a tissue from her pocket.

‘Talk to Rachel Burns.'

Her head whipped up, eyes flashing. ‘I don't need counselling.'

‘It can help to talk to someone.'

A feeble smile flickered on and off. ‘I am talking to someone. You.'

He managed to return the smile with a passable degree of warmth. How he wished she'd chosen a different confidant. He barely knew her. ‘I'm not much help to you.'

‘Oh but you are! You're a good listener, Hugh, you're so calm and you don't gossip. Plus we're in this together, aren't we?'

He nodded. ‘Seems so.'

She backed towards the door, said, ‘Thanks,' and was gone.

Hugh rubbed his hands over his face. Was she seriously asking him to say she'd done everything she could for Lester when she knew very well he thought she'd delayed bringing in Fred? The coroner's independent expert would ask her that question. His own view wouldn't be the only one and Fred would be asked for a statement. Thank goodness they only wanted a written report from him, stating his initial treatment and diagnosis and his presence at the death. Plenty of witnesses there. Lester was too far gone when he arrived at the bed. His involvement had been short and he'd already typed his statement up and sent it in. Couldn't change anything now.

Eleanor really did need to talk to an expert, though. She was a woman on the edge. He picked up the phone and asked for Rachel Burns' number.

Annie phoned the mechanic on Monday morning to find out what the damage to Kevin's bank balance would be. Six hundred dollars — and the rest.

‘You've got a few other things needing attention too,' the man said. ‘Both rear tyres need replacing and there's an oil leak we haven't investigated yet.'

‘Oh gosh. That sounds expensive.'

‘Could be. Depends where the leak is. It's an old car, done a lot of k's.'

‘I know. Maybe I should think about trading it in.'

‘That's up to you but it won't be worth much. Do you want us to go ahead with the starter motor?'

‘Yes, please.' Not much chance of selling it if it didn't start.

She hung up with a lump of dread expanding rapidly through her body. What if Kevin refused to pay for the repairs? Her credit card was almost full. Leonie would lend her some money but she wasn't here. Who else? Julia? No, not a work colleague. Hugh? She discarded that immediately. She couldn't possibly ask Hugh for money. Definitely not.

She'd call Kevin then try Leonie.

‘Hello, Annie!' He sounded pleased. ‘I was hoping you might call over the weekend, and when you didn't I wasn't sure whether you'd want to speak to me ever again.'

‘Up until very recently I didn't,' she hissed, voice low, conscious of Julia sitting just out of earshot but trying hard to listen.

‘So you don't mind about what I said, about being gay?'

‘No, why should I? You know me better than that.' Trust him to focus on the one aspect of this mess that mattered least to her, but the office wasn't the place to enter the jungles of her fury. Right now she wanted money from him. ‘As long as you treat the kids properly and help financially I don't care what you do.'

He exhaled loudly. ‘Thanks, Annie. You're a wonderful woman and I do love you, you know that.'

So in Kevinland that made everything right. Unbelievable. ‘Yes well… I need money, Kevin. For the car. The starter motor's collapsed and the mechanic said I need two new tyres, and there's an oil leak.'

‘Are you still driving the Tank?'

‘Of course I am. How could I possibly afford a new car?'

‘Maybe we should get rid of it.' We? Already?

‘Yes, but it's not much use if it doesn't start. Can you help? I need it to get the kids to school.'