Least Said (52 page)

I
should
also
get
a
grip
and
accept
that
just
because
the
Adonis
had
suddenly
pitched
up
in
my
life
on
one
or
two
occasions,
it
didn’t
mean
he
was
stalking
me.
I
had
met
him
at
a
local
wedding
and
we
had
probably
crossed
paths
loads
of
times
in
the
last
seven
years
without
even
realising
it.
If
he
was
really
out
to
cause
trouble
he
would
surely
have
made
his
presence
and
his
intentions
known
to
me
long
before
this?

‘Are
we
ok
now,
Wendy?’
Jon
asked
over
the
top
of
Will’s
head
as
we
made
our
way
home.
I
tightened
my
grip
on
Will’s
hand
as
he
swung
like
a
little
monkey
between
us.

‘Of
course
we
are,’
I
insisted.
‘I
just
had
a
wobble
–
what
with
Jade’s
pregnancy
and
everything.
I
should
have
remembered
that
they
are
several
years
younger...’

‘And
he
probably
doesn’t
have
a
low
sperm
count,’
Jon
reminded
me.
‘Perhaps
I
really
should
go
and
get
it
checked
out
further
–
I
know
I
chickened
out
before
but
I’m
sure
I
can
be
more
adult
about
everything
now.
At
least
we
would
know
where
we
stand.’

‘Another
month
or
two
won’t
make
any
difference,’
I
said
hastily,
still
unwilling
to
take
the
chance
that
we
might
get
the
no
sperm
count
result
I
secretly
dreaded
-
a
result
that
would
blow
everything
apart,
‘and
by
then
the
supplements
and
diet
might
have
done
the
trick.

‘Hello,’
Jon’s
attention
was
no
longer
on
me,
‘it
looks
like
we
have
a
visitor
waiting.’

Looking
ahead,
I
could
see
a
woman
standing
on
my
doorstep.
That
in
itself
wasn’t
so
very
unusual,
with
customers
coming
and
going,
but
there
seemed
to
be
something
vaguely
familiar
about
her.
She
was
tall
and
blonde
and
stood
with
her
back
to
us
pressing
the
doorbell.

William
ran
up
the
path
towards
the
woman,
calling,
‘We
aren’t
in
there,
we’re
out
here.’

She
turned
quickly,
smiling
down
at
him,
and
I
staggered
and
would
have
fallen
if
Jon
hadn’t
caught
me
by
the
arm.
I
had
only
seen
the
woman
once
before,
at
the
theatre
in
London,
but
I
immediately
knew
who
she
was
and
exactly
who
I
had
seen
her
with.

I
had
a
horrible
feeling
I
knew
why
she
had
come.

Chapter 14

‘Are
you
Wendy
Hammond?’
the
woman
said,
as
we
approached
and,
guessing
what
was
coming
I
dragged
my
scattered
wits
together
with
a
speed
that
impressed
me.

‘Yes,
I
am,’
I
said.
‘Do
come
inside.’

Sending
Jon
and
Will
in
the
direction
of
the
kitchen,
with
instructions
to
get
a
meal
started,
I
ushered
her
swiftly
in
the
direction
of
my
work-room
chatting
all
the
time
in
an
effort
to
stop
her
getting
a
word
in
edgeways.
Once
inside
with
the
door
closed
I
turned
and
prepared
myself
for
the
attack
on
my
morals
that
I
so
richly
deserved,
because
it
was
quite
obvious
that
she
was
here
because
she
had
discovered
what
had
happened
between
her
husband
and
me.

‘I
can
guess
why
you’re
here,’
I
began,
‘but...’

‘Oh,
can
you?
That’s
such
a
relief
–
only
I
thought
you
might
think
it
an
awful
imposition,
seeing
as
we
don’t
even
know
each
other
and
it
is
very
short
notice.
I
promise
I
won’t
ask
for
anything
too
fiddly,
but
definitely
chocolate
rather
than
fruit,
if
that’s
ok.’

For
what
felt
like
long
minutes
I
could
only
stand
and
stare,
feeling
completely
wrong-footed.
She
wanted
a
cake
–
just
a
bloody
cake.
I
was
close
to
bursting
into
hysterical
laughter
before
I
managed
to
control
myself
with
a
huge
amount
of
effort.
My
shoulders
sagged
with
relief
as
I
said
out
loud,
‘You
want
me
to
make
a
cake
–
a
chocolate
cake?’

She
looked
at
me
a
little
strangely,
and
said,
‘Well,
yes.
What
did
you
think
I
wanted?’

I
tittered
nervously,
‘Oh,
you
know,
I
do
get
asked
for
all
kinds
of
confection
–
and
that’s
despite
my
business
clearly
being
called
Wendy’s
Wonderful
World
of
Cakes.’

I
took
my
coat
off
and
reaching
for
my
pad
and
pencil
I
invited,
‘Do
take
a
seat.
Can
I
take
your
jacket?’

By
the
time
we
had
settled,
I
had
given
her
a
pile
of
brochures
to
peruse
and
made
us
both
tea
while
she
flicked
through
the
pages.

I
couldn’t
help
thinking
this
was
one
of
the
oddest
situations
I
had
ever
found
myself
in.
My
ex-lover’s
wife
turning
up
on
my
doorstep
was
something
I
most
definitely
hadn’t
been
expecting.
That
she
wanted
a
cake
and
not
my
guts
for
garters
was
at
least
something
of
a
relief.

I
was
wondering
how
I
was
going
to
lead
up
to
asking
whether
she
lived
close
by,
when
she
offered
that
information
quite
freely,
followed
by
a
whole
lot
more,
without
any
prompting
at
all.

‘We’ve
just
moved
into
the
area
from
Durnhampton,’
she
said,
naming
a
small
town
a
few
miles
away,
‘and
I
heard
your
name
and
cake-making
skills
mentioned
by
some
of
the
parents
at
the
local
school.’

As
we
sipped
our
tea
and
discussed
specifics
of
the
order
she
wanted
to
place,
she
chatted
easily
about
her
life
and
family,
giving
me
far
more
detail
than
I
wanted
–
and
definitely
more
than
I
needed.
My
head
was
spinning
within
a
very
short
time
and
I
had
no
idea
how
I
managed
to
remain
calm
and
professional
as
I
took
her
contact
details
and
made
precise
notes
regarding
her
order
-
and
all
the
while
she
talked
and
talked
–
the
words
tumbling
from
her
mouth
until
I
began
to
wonder
if
she
was
ever
going
to
stop.

‘I
haven’t
seen
her
before,
have
I?’
Jon
asked
chattily,
after
I
had
shown
her
out
and
joined
them
in
the
kitchen
where
he
and
Will
had
evidently
been
busy
preparing
our
evening
meal.

The
salmon
fillets
with
fresh
vegetables
and
new
potatoes
should
have
been
appetizing
–
certainly
the
two
of
them
lost
no
time
in
tucking
into
the
food
in
front
of
them.
I
stared
down
at
my
plate,
felt
my
stomach
turn
over
in
a
most
unpleasant
way
and
looked
up
again
quickly.

‘Probably
not,’
I
managed,
making
an
effort
to
push
the
food
around
the
plate
as
if
I
was
about
to
eat,
without
actually
doing
anything
of
the
sort.
‘The
family
are
new
to
the
area.’