The Beard (32 page)

The room fell silent as Judith and Richard looked at each other, unsure of whether to reveal the source of their information. They felt bad enough that their daughter had betrayed Tom, without him then discovering that his friend had, too. If they lied and said that they’d seen it on TV, Tom and Amy would think that their private lives were publicly on display.

“I forced him to tell me the truth,” said Judith suddenly. “He didn’t want to, but I was distraught. I had to know.”

Richard leaned over to Tom and whispered, “She threatened him with violence, actually.”

Tom smiled. He contemplated milking the situation, reacting with horror that everyone had betrayed him, but instead he just sat back in his chair. “What a day,” he sighed.

Silence followed as the statement was considered. Amy’s parents stared intently at Tom, desperate to see his reaction as Amy stood, sure that she should be the focus of attention.

“I’m sorry for deceiving you,” Tom said after a pause. “I feel bad for you both, especially after such amazing hospitality. Amy and I are in this together and we take the blame together.” Judith was close to tears, seeing this noble man defend her daughter’s tattered honour, even in the death throes of their relationship. Had she felt sufficiently imbued with confidence – or alcohol – she’d have hugged him. “Can’t say it’s turned out the way we thought, eh, Amy?” asked Tom. “Just a quiet weekend in the country and a family wedding. Instead, we’ve been to the police station, on national TV and had to smuggle ourselves through a bush to get into the house.”

There was a comical twist to the unfolding tragedy. Then, with consummate timing, Ash, who’d made himself at home, breezed into the room. “Hola!” he beckoned with undaunted cheeriness. No one looked up. “Amy, love, so glad to see you back! All the tables were running sweepstakes about what would happen. My table had you in Holloway by sundown. Whil
st I may have lost a few quid, I’m delighted to see you!”

Amy walked towards him with a less than charitable look on her face. Ash hid behind Tom. “Seriously,” he said, reaching out to her, “I just wanted to make sure that you’re all OK. Everyone’s really worried for you.” Amy stopped walking and nodded her appreciation. She wandered over to the unoccupied sofa facing everyone else and threw herself down. “Well, everyone
except the bride,” continued Ash. “She hates your guts. I heard her telling someone that she was going to smash your face in with a bottle of champagne for ruining her happiest day. Everyone else is grief-stricken, though.”

Tom looked up at him. “Did you want something, Ashley? A taxi number for the train station, perhaps?”

Ash smiled. “I did, yes. I wanted to know if anyone wanted any food. The caterers have got a bit left over and I said that you’d all not eaten. So they said they’d serve it in here if you liked. It’s really delicious. I had two lots, to be honest.”

“I’m not hungry,” said Amy as she extended her arm and gestured to anyone that she needed another drink.

Richard saw this and looked over at Ash. “That would be great. If the caterers could do that, we’d be most obliged. Just not in here – in the dining room.”

Ash skipped and turned. “Back in two ticks,” he said, before adding, “Well, hello
again…” as Adam walked past him and into the room. Without speaking, Adam walked to the drinks tray, poured himself a gin and tonic and, passing several empty chairs, sat next to Tom.

“How you feeling, love?” Richard asked, as if Amy had somehow been forgotten in the comings and goings.

“Like shit, actually,” was the forthright reply. “Not only have I been branded across the world as a drug smuggler’s mule, but I’ve been embarrassed, humiliated and dumped.”

Judith looked to Adam and whispered loudly, “Amy and Tom aren’t a couple.”

Adam nearly spat his drink out. “Get away!” he said.

Judith tried to soften the news by adding, “Tom’s known for a while.”

Adam turned to Tom and smiled. “Yes, I think he probably has. I certainly had my suspicions.”

Tom looked away hurriedly. Although he wasn’t entirely bothered if anyone knew his sexuality at this point, he was fairly sure that it wouldn’t make anything any better for Amy’s parents to discover that the whole thing had been a ruse. In many respects, this had changed his perspective on coming out. What did he have to hide any more? Could it be any worse than seemingly having his girlfriend publicly identified as a drug smuggler and adulterer? The guys at work, who would surely have seen all of that, would have a field day. In some respects, revealing that he was gay might come as a relief to them. It was certainly a good time to make announcements like this, as no one was paying attention to him. Well, not that many people. When he got back to work and had to endure Derek taunting him about his two-timing girlfriend, he’d feel oddly emboldened. Being gay was surely not as bad as being betrayed. Whatever happened back at work, now was not the time to tell Amy’s parents.

Amy frowned at Adam, as if to say, “Shut up.” Adam smiled and raised his glass in return, as if to say, “Cheers.” That was all the confirmation Adam required.

“So, Amy, how was it at the police station?” he asked.

Amy looked up in faux outrage, “Oh, how nice of someone to ask!” she said waspishly. Then, as everyone looked at her, she settled. “Fine, actually,” she said, almost begrudgingly. “They were quite nice. They knew I wasn’t involved in it. Turns out that when they made an appeal for me to come forward, one of the neighbours sent them a recording of Sam and me rowing. He was going to use it to complain to the landlord about noise from our house. Which, I suppose, was lucky.”

“More than lucky, I’d say,” said Amy’s mother, looking annoyed that her daughter had given a neighbour reason to complain. When had her daughter gone off the rails
so spectacularly?

“They didn’t explain much but I got the impression that they knew I wasn’t in on it, but that I might be able to offer them something they didn’t already know,” Amy said, drained at the recollection.

“And did you?” her mother enquired.

“No idea!” she said, matter of fact. “I told them everything I could. But, I mean, Sam kept me in the dark, so I had nothing to tell.”

Tom looked up. “And we had to be smuggled out of the police station at the end of it.”

“The irony!” quipped Adam. Amy looked over at him with confusion. “Smuggled?” he said by means of explanation. “Never mind.” 

Amy adopted a sour expression and looked appropriately tart towards Adam. Years of childhood teasing were evidently still alive and well. Then, as if in shock, she suddenly sat up, remembering something. “Do you know, the police asked me if I was prepared to testify against him?” she hissed. “I told them, too bloody right I am. I said I’d do anything I could to see that man swing.”

Amy’s mother shifted
anxiously in her seat. “Isn’t that a bit dangerous, darling? I mean, these people are violent. They’re not to be messed with.”

Tom looked at Judith. “The police think he’s a small fish. He was working on a kind of promotion – something to prove his mettle and work his way up the organisation. The fact that he failed will fall to him, not Amy. Besides, other than actually carrying the stuff in her luggage, she knew nothing, so she has nothing to tell.”

“Also, they were trailing him,” added Amy. “They have photos of him leaving my house with the cases and packing them into his car. The only question they had for me was: was I the drug supplier? But they already have a confession about that. Or something. I don’t know any more. I don’t really care, to be honest. I just want to forget about him and it.”

Richard felt that events were getting tense again. “Look, everyone,” he said cheerily. “Let’s go and have something to eat. I still think a boogie later at the disco will help us all enormously.”

Everyone in the room turned and looked at him as if he’d suggested that they all do drugs.

Amy stood up: “Even though it looks like I’m not in trouble with the police, I now need to call Janet and explain that she doesn’t have a drug mule in her company, seeing as all my texts to her have been bounced back.”

“And I have to explain at work why my girlfriend had an affair and was also questioned by the police as part of an international drug ring,” Tom said. It was so matter of fact that it seemed to trump anything Amy had said.

Judith looked distraught. Firstly, that Tom had been betrayed by her daughter, but also because he’d have to face all that shame at work. Amy turned slowly and looked at Tom.
He realised that he may have been over-egging the pudding. Amy was in enough distress without him adding to it. She could certainly change the dynamics of the room fairly quickly if she chose to. “Let’s go and eat,” he said quickly.

“Indeed,” said Richard as he shooed everyone out of the room. Tom stood to leave, and received many affectionate smiles and pats on the back as he did.

Richard held his hand out for his wife to take. “At least it can’t get any worse,” he said with a desperate chuckle. “The worst of it’s over.” Judith nodded wearily and took his hand.

Adam sighed and shook his
head. “Let’s see about that shall we?” he said under his breath.

Edith, ever so slightly worse for wear, wandered into the dining room. Only Judith and Richard were left, as the others had gone to freshen up – or, as Ash had suggested, “remove the stench of criminality”. Richard was making good use of the willing waiting staff from the marquee and their generous supply of brandy. Judith was less settled. The day had already proven to be a disaster – a tainted wedding to go along with a tarnished reputation.

Everything had, relative to what had happened, worked out well. Even the media, before it lost interest in the story, had cleared Amy of any wrongdoing. It painted her as an innocent victim caught up in the swirl of criminality.

Janet, once Amy had finally got hold of her, had thought the whole business hilarious and, ultimately, quite exciting. Her life as a lonely, middle-aged woman meant that she would’ve killed for some drama such as that. While she couldn’t have it personally, she decided to live vicariously thro
ugh Amy. The wedding guests agreed that it had added an element of spice to their day, and even the bride was softening to what her cousin had inflicted upon her. Amy had declared that, as soon as she was presentable again, her first mission was to smooth things over with her cousin Claire, the bride – if she could. Richard was still sure that the night would end with everyone dancing at the wedding disco. If anything, he’d set it as a goal.

Edith came and sat next to Judith. “You alright?” she asked. “Been quite a day, hasn’t it?”

Judith smiled. “Well, it’s fair to say that I won’t forget it in a hurry. I’m so sorry I missed the wedding. I feel awful.”

Edith knew that there was little she could say that hadn’t already been said. What more was there to add? She smiled and held Judith’s hand. “We videoed it for you, so that you could see it. She looked lovely, really she did.” Appreciating that Judith and Richard would’ve wanted to be at their niece’s wedding, Edith knew that this was a sensitive topic. “I spoke to Claire before the ceremony,” she continued. “She said she knew Amy would be innocent and that she totally understood that you couldn’t make it. You’ll be seeing her soon, though. I’ll get her to come and have a drink with you. She’d appreciate that, I know.”

“No,” said Richard firmly. “We’re hiding from no one. We’ll come and have a drink with her on her wedding day!”

Judith didn’t feel like facing the masses of people all merry outside. She didn’t want to be buried under a landslide of sympathy or concern. She doubted that anyone would look at her with judgement, but felt defensive; protective over her family. If one member was implicated, they all were. Yet she knew that, having missed a family wedding in her own house, she had to make an appearance. She feared that not doing so would demonstrate either weakness or guilt. She felt that she needed a show of solidarity, and so planned for everyone to attend – together. She wasn’t sure if this constituted a demonstration of strength or safety in numbers. What
ever the case, that’s what she planned to do.

“Of course, we’re going to see her,” Judith replied, trying to sound upbeat and positive. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” It wasn’t a lie but it was a stretch of the truth, given everything that had happened. In many respects, she just wanted to go to bed and wake up in a new day, free from grief.

The dining-room door opened and Adam walked in. “Mother, they’re calling for you to go back into the marquee. They’re about to have the first dance.”

Edith looked at Judith. “Do you mind?” Judith shook her head and gestured for her to go. “
Want to come?” Edith asked.

“Later,” came Judith’s weary reply. “When we’re all together and ready.”

Edith understood and nodded. Using the chair to steady herself, she drew herself upright and made her way to the door, past a smiling Adam. Watching her vanish off down the corridor that led to a back door, he turned to the room. “I don’t want to make matters worse, but it appears that Tom’s parents have just turned up.”

Richard didn’t seem to absorb the news. He continued to stare at Adam as if he’d started speaking a foreign language. Judith, however, leapt to her feet. Whatever had happened between Tom and Amy, she still held out hope that they might get back together. As a result, she wanted her first meeting with her future family to be A) in more salubrious circumstances, B) when she wasn’t looking like a wreck and, if pushed, C) in an alternative reality when her daughter hadn’t just cheated on their son in front of the national (and, possibly, international) media.