Obsession (81 page)

Paula knew, because Corrie had confided in her the night before, precisely what was being discussed in the study, but if no one had told Pam yet then she really didn’t feel it was her place to do so. ‘Do you think,’ she said, ‘that Annalise seems as attached to Corrie as she was when she was in the hospital?’

‘No doubt about it,’ Pam answered without hesitation. ‘She may have lost a mother, but she’s gained a sister, is the way she sees it, and to her way of thinking that just about makes up for everything. She’s devoted to Corrie.’

‘I see,’ Paula said dully. ‘I was afraid you’d say something like that.’

Pam looked surprised at this response, but said nothing until she was sitting back at the table. ‘What’s on your mind, love?’ she asked, her eyes filled with concern. ‘If you’re thinking that this will change your friendship with Corrie …’

‘No, no, I can’t imagine anything ever changing that,’ Paula said. ‘It’s just that … Well, you see, really, in her heart of hearts, Corrie wants to be with Cristos, I know she does. She’s still nervous about the after effects of the rape and everything, but he’ll get her over that, I’m certain of it, if only she’d give him the chance. And I just know that she would give him the chance if it weren’t for Annalise. You see, she’s afraid, if she goes to Cristos, of how Annalise might react. I keep trying to tell her that she has her own life to lead, that she mustn’t give him up out of a sense of family duty, but … Why are you smiling?’

‘I don’t think you need worry too much about the family duty bit,’ Pam laughed. ‘Phillip has matters in hand. I
don’t
know if you’re aware of how frequently he and Cristos have been speaking on the telephone this past couple of weeks … Well, they have. I’m afraid I can’t tell you any more than that, but you’ll see what I’m talking about soon enough.’

Three days later Phillip picked Cristos up from Heathrow airport and drove him into London.

‘Did you tell her yet, that I was coming?’ Cristos asked as they sped along the M4.

‘No, not yet. I was planning to tell her tonight.’

Cristos nodded. ‘Shit,’ he grumbled after a moment or two, ‘I feel as jittery as a Goddamned schoolboy. Are you sure her counsellor said this was a good idea?’

Phillip chuckled. ‘That’s what she said, and now is not the time to be telling me you’re getting cold feet.’

‘Like hell I am. It’s just that that daughter of yours can be so Goddamned unpredictable at times.’

Phillip’s eyebrows shot up. ‘You’re the one who was telling me how she would respond,’ he pointed out.

‘Yeah, well I don’t feel quite so sure right now. What if she refuses to see me?’

‘She won’t. Not once she knows you’re already here. Which is why I’ve held off telling her. I think you should prepare yourself for a wait though, it might take her a day or two to come to terms with the fact that she has to face you.’

But it didn’t, for the following morning when Cristos was on the point of going to see Corrie’s counsellor Corrie herself called.

‘I’m sorry,’ she said simply.

‘Sorry? What for?’

‘For all that I’ve put you through.’

‘Oh Corrie,’ he groaned. ‘All that matters to me is that you’re all right.’

‘Is that why you’re in London?’

‘Yes.’

‘But I’m here, in Suffolk.’

For a moment he was silent, hardly daring to hope … ‘You mean … Are you saying …?’

‘Cristos, please come,’ she whispered.

Throughout the entire train journey he was trying to prepare himself, telling himself that he must treat her gently, must not touch her unless she touched him. One step at a time and it would be all right, he told himself over and over again.

Dave was waiting at the station, his straw hat sitting jauntily on his head as he lolled across the bonnet of his car soaking up the summer sun. They drove through the still, sleepy countryside straight to the cottage where Paula was waiting at the door to greet them.

‘She’s out in the back garden playing with Beth,’ she whispered to Cristos. ‘Go on through.’

Cristos’s heart was thudding so hard he found himself taking deep breaths to steady it. His hands were clenching and unclenching, and, had he but known it, his long hair was an unruly mess from where he kept dashing his fingers through it. He crossed the sitting room and walked into a pool of sunlight, streaming in through the open kitchen door. His eyes shot to the window, but there was no sign of her. He walked on, out through the door, and then he stopped …

She was sitting in a corner of the garden, laughing as the baby mangled a daisy chain in her chubby little fists. She was wearing a pure white cotton dress and her glossy chestnut hair was tumbling over her face. Because of the way the sun was shining down on her she looked almost ethereal, and as she laughed again and it blended with the cheery sounds of birdlife it was as though his whole heart was being torn from its roots. For a while he just watched her, not believing it was possible to love someone this much. Then sensing his eyes on her she looked up and
seeing
him she smiled. It was almost his undoing. His emotions were so close to the surface that all he wanted was to take her in his arms and smother her with all the love burning inside him. But he couldn’t do that, he had to take it real slow, had to be sure she was ready … Please God in heaven she would be.

‘Hello,’ she said, getting to her feet.

‘How you doing?’ he said softly.

Her smile grew wider, then they both laughed as Paula crept out into the garden to retrieve her daughter.

When Cristos turned back it was to find that Corrie had come half way across the garden.

‘You lost some weight,’ he said.

She twirled. ‘Do you think it suits me?’

‘I kinda liked you the way you were.’ He winced. ‘I’m sorry,’ he said, then, after a pause, ‘Your father told me he’s taking you and Annalise to the Caribbean for a month.’

Corrie nodded. ‘We go at the beginning of next week. It’s a sort of convalescence, I think.’

‘I see.’ He looked so dejected that Corrie’s heart twisted painfully. Had she really forgotten how impossibly handsome he was, or was it just that her fear of losing him hadn’t allowed her to remember? ‘Aren’t you going to kiss me?’ she asked, with not a little coyness.

He seemed so amazed that she laughed.

‘I won’t break,’ she told him.

‘Oh Corrie,’ he groaned, pulling her into his arms, and as his mouth found the softness of her lips his feelings surged through him with such an intensity as he’d never known before in his life.

‘Gosh,’ Corrie said shakily when he finally let her go. ‘I was going to tell you that you didn’t need to treat me any differently than you did before, but it seems I didn’t need to.’

The corner of his mouth dropped in a crooked smile, and she felt herself melting all over again as she gazed up
at
the teasing light in his eyes. ‘What changed your mind, about seeing me?’ he asked.

‘I had to be absolutely sure that I wasn’t going to run away from you. That I wasn’t going to hurt you by being unable to be the way I was before.’

‘And you’re sure now?’

‘I think so. But I guess we’ve still got a few things to resolve before it’s all over.’

Cristos’s insides turned over. ‘What do you mean, before it’s all over?’ he asked, his voice suddenly hoarse.

Corrie shook her head and removed her hands from his shoulders. He watched her as she started to look everywhere but at him. His chest was slowly binding itself into a knot of unbearable foreboding.

‘Corrie …’

‘Cristos …’

They spoke at the same time, and smiling uncertainly she took his hand in hers. ‘I don’t know if anyone’s told you,’ she said, ‘but Doctor Horowitz has been to see me, several times in fact. He’s been telling me about Luke’s life as a child – and, well, I’d like to go and see Siobhan. Would you take me? We could use Dave’s car.’

‘Are you sure that’s wise? Have you asked Horowitz about it?’

‘Yes. I called him this morning, after I called you. He’s expecting us. You see, I wanted you to come too.’

‘Why?’

‘I’ll explain later, but will you come?’

When they arrived at the clinic, a small pink solitary house perched up on the cliffs overlooking the sea, a nurse went to fetch Doctor Horowitz who, after offering them tea, which both refused, showed them to Siobhan’s room.

‘Does she know Luke’s dead?’ Cristos asked before they went in.

‘I told her, yes. There was no reaction I’m afraid.’

Corrie looked up at Cristos, then holding his hand tightly, they went into the sparsely furnished room.

Siobhan was sitting in her usual position by the window, her back turned to the door as she gazed blindly out over the magnificent sea view. Doctor Horowitz went to stand behind the wheelchair, explaining that she could walk, but rarely did. ‘You have visitors, Siobhan,’ he said to her, and taking the handles of the chair he turned her around.

Corrie gasped, and her grip tightened on Cristos’s hand. ‘Oh my God,’ she murmured. The sunken eyes were blank, the skin was pallid and the shoulder length blonde hair was as lank and lifeless as the emaciated body, but had she not been forewarned Corrie would have truly believed she was looking at Annalise.

‘The likeness is quite remarkable, is it not?’ Horowitz said.

Cristos was shaking his head. ‘And she’s not, she really couldn’t be …?’

‘Annalise’s aunt?’ Horowitz finished for him. ‘I think not. It was just one of life’s tragic coincidences, I’m afraid.’

Cristos looked down at Corrie as she let go of his hand and walked slowly across the room. When she reached Siobhan she crouched down in front of her. ‘Hello,’ she said softly.

Siobhan’s staring eyes registered nothing.

‘I’m Corrie,’ Corrie said, taking Siobhan’s limp hands between hers. She glanced at Horowitz and he smiled. She looked back at the empty face and searched her mind for something to say. ‘Do you like books, Siobhan?’ she asked. ‘Perhaps I could bring you some books. I could read to you, if you like. Would you like that?’ She looked down as she felt a pressure on her fingers, then looked excitedly towards Horowitz. ‘She squeezed my hand,’ she said.

Horowitz shook his head. ‘A reflex, I’m afraid. It means nothing.’

Corrie stood up. ‘There’s no one to visit her now, is there?’ she said.

Horowitz shook his head. ‘But she is well taken care of, Luke’s will has seen to that.’

‘I should like to visit her,’ Corrie said. ‘From time to time.’

‘You would always be welcome,’ Horowitz smiled, ‘won’t she, Siobhan?’

Corrie turned back to look at the skeletal, inanimate features, so filled with pity her heart ached with it. She looked up then as Cristos came to put an arm round her. His face was taut, his eyes reflecting a pained disbelief at the tragedy that had so cruelly destroyed an innocent life. ‘Is there nothing to be done?’ he said to Horowitz.

Horowitz shook his head. ‘I’m afraid not.’

Corrie and Cristos drove back to Amberside in silence. Seeing Siobhan had had a profound effect on them both, probably Cristos most of all, for he knew now why Corrie had wanted him to come too. But he wasn’t going to press her, she would tell him in her own time.

They had dinner with Paula and Dave that night, neither of them saying much about their visit to the clinic, but it was never far from their minds as they laughed and joked with Paula at the lengths she had gone to these past six weeks to get the two of them back together.

‘And then, just as I was beginning to make headway, bloody Phillip goes and steals my thunder!’ she grumbled. ‘Anyway, at least I can say it happened in my garden … You can laugh, but I’ll bet I make a fortune selling photographs of my little plot out there once everyone knows. I reckon I’ll even be able to hire it out for weddings before much longer … What are you pulling that face for?’ she said to Dave. ‘You look like you got a bee up your backside.’

‘Subtlety never was your strong point, was it my darling?’ Dave said, throwing an ironic look at Cristos. ‘Why don’t you have some more wine and give someone else a chance?’

Cristos looked at his watch. ‘I guess I’d better get going,’ he said. ‘Phillip’ll be sure to wait up for me and it’s already late.’

‘You’ll come again tomorrow?’ Paula said, as Corrie got up to walk to the door with him.

‘Sure I will,’ Cristos smiled.

‘Thanks for coming with me today,’ Corrie said, as she closed the hall door behind them. ‘I know we haven’t said much about it yet, but we will, tomorrow.’

Cristos pulled her into his arms. ‘You don’t know how good it feels just to look at you,’ he said, gazing down into her eyes.

‘I think I do,’ she answered, raising her lips to his.

He kissed her very gently, then started to pull away.

‘You don’t have to go,’ she said. ‘You can stay here, if you like. With me,’ she added, when all he did was look at her.

‘Are you sure?’ he murmured, stroking her hair away from her face.

‘I want you to hold me,’ she said.

‘Then I guess I better call your father.’

‘We’ll get Paula to do that.’

They undressed in the dark, even so Cristos kept his head averted. Moonlight was streaming in through the window and he was afraid that if he saw her he would be unable to control his desire. When he heard her get into bed he was on the point of saying he couldn’t go through with it, knowing that his body was going to betray him, but somehow managed to stop himself. She needed him and he wasn’t going to let her down. A moment or two later he lay down beside her and almost instantly felt himself tense as her hand sought his.

‘Can I put my head on your shoulder?’ she whispered after a while.

‘Sure.’

As she sat up for him to raise his arm he caught a glimpse of her breasts. Immediately he closed his eyes. He’d thought she would wear something, that her skin wouldn’t touch his … Then not quite knowing how it happened she was in his arms and he was rolling towards her pulling her to him and feeling the unbearable softness of her nudity. Their lips met and Corrie pushed herself closer.

‘Oh God, I’m sorry,’ he gasped, suddenly wrenching himself away. His undershorts could do nothing to disguise the treacherous hardness of him.