Whatever Love Is (19 page)

‘Just go, Alice.’ Ned’s voice was brittle. ‘Now would be good.’

Alice sniffed. ‘I told you Frankie’s idea was a stupid one,’ she muttered. ‘It may be what happens in the back streets of Brighton, but I’m used to classy parties.
Oh, my God, no!’

Liam, clearly traumatised by the whole thing, had just thrown up over Alice’s silver pumps.

‘Oh whoops,’ said Frankie, suppressing a smile. ‘What bad luck! You’d better go and get cleaned up.’

‘Ned, come with me,’ Alice ordered. ‘This has like really freaked me out.’

‘No,’ Ned said firmly. ‘I’m busy. Sort yourself out.’

‘I’m totally exhausted.’

Frankie sank down onto one of the few benches that hadn’t been cleared away by the hire company and yawned. They had been clearing up for three hours and every bone in her body ached.

‘But it was great, wasn’t it?’ she asked.

‘Awesome!’ Henry nodded. ‘So how’s about we all go into Northampton and celebrate?’

‘You must be joking!’ Ned laughed. ‘If I make it to the back door, it’ll be a miracle.’

‘OK, so the pub, then,’ Henry said. ‘I mean, come on – it’s Saturday, it’s only nine-thirty and —’

‘I think it’s a great idea,’ William butted in eagerly. ‘You’re up for it, aren’t you, Frankie?’

In reality all that Frankie wanted to do was sink into a hot bath and not move for an hour, but seeing the eager expression on her brother’s face, she relented. ‘Sure, it’ll be
fun,’ she said. ‘Ned?’

‘OK.’ He sighed. ‘I’ll just call Alice and see if she wants to come.’ Ned paced away from them, talking quietly into his phone.

‘Considering she hasn’t lifted a finger to help clear up, I reckon she should pay for the first round!’ Henry laughed. ‘My sister makes avoiding hard work into an art
form.’

Ned’s voice was louder now. ‘Don’t be silly . . . Well, I know but . . . Frankly, you were out of order and . . . Oh, suit yourself!’

Frankie tried hard to look as if the last thing she was doing was listening in on Ned’s phone call to Alice.

‘She’s not coming,’ he said, when he’d returned to them. ‘I guess I was a bit hard on her.’

‘You so were not!’ Frankie burst out. ‘She was horrid to that little boy. By the way, have you spoken to your dad? You know, about wanting to be a social worker?’

‘Give me credit for a little sense,’ Ned snapped. ‘With all the trouble that’s going on – James disappearing, the press only now calming down a bit . . .’

‘You’re going to have to do it, Ned,’ she said firmly. ‘You can’t go on doing something you hate just to avoid an argument.’

‘I know, and I’ve decided that whatever Dad says, I’m going to change courses,’ Ned replied. ‘But you know, it did occur to me that perhaps I should consider
working for Dad – try to change the way things are done overseas? Oh, I don’t know. Let’s go.’

They were on their second round of drinks and Ned was finally beginning to unwind, when Henry’s phone rang.

‘Hello? Oh it’s you – I didn’t recognise the number. What? Hang on – can’t hear.’ He gestured that he would be back in a minute and disappeared outside
the pub.

Within seconds, Frankie’s phone bleeped with a text.

Well, thank you for not telling me. Your idea of a joke, was it? That was so not on. Lulu.

Frankie peered at the screen and reread the message.

What are you on about?
she texted back.

‘Problem?’ William asked anxiously as Frankie’s brow puckered in a frown.

She shrugged. ‘It’s Lulu. Apparently I’ve not told her something I should have done – and I don’t have the faintest idea what she’s talking about.’

‘Ah.’ William took a long draught of his beer, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and shifted in his seat. ‘I think maybe . . .’ he began, but just then Henry came
back and sat down between the two of them.

‘Sorry,’ he said, tossing his phone onto the table. ‘That was my mother. God, that woman can talk for England. Hey, look who’s here!’ He turned to Ned.
‘Clearly, she can’t keep away from you.’

Frankie glanced across the pub. Alice was elbowing her way through the clusters of drinkers, her face pale.

‘Hiya!’ Ned was on his feet in an instant, his smile lighting up his face. ‘What can I get you?’

‘Henry, you’ve got to come now,’ Alice said. ‘Mum’s house has been burgled. The police are there, but Mum’s in total shock. Greg’s away on business and
she needs us there to say what’s missing from our stuff.’

Henry gasped. ‘We can’t go now – I’ve been drinking. Tell her we’ll be there first thing in the morning.’

‘No, Dad says he’ll drive us now,’ Alice insisted. ‘He’s outside. Come on, Mum’s in such a state and besides, I need to make sure my stuff is safe.’

Frankie was so stunned that she was the last to get up from the table. Ned had dashed after Alice and Henry, with William hot on his heels. Neither her brother nor Ned seemed to have noticed but
Frankie was asking herself how, if Henry was on the phone to his mum seconds before Alice arrived, she never said a word about the burglary to him? Either Alice was lying or he was. And she knew
where her money would go.

It was as she stooped to pick up her jacket, which had slid to the floor, that she saw it. Henry’s iPhone. He must have snatched it from the table and missed his pocket as he dashed after
his sister.

She picked it up. Slowly, and knowing that she shouldn’t be doing it, she slid the bar to unlock. Glancing over her shoulder, she pressed
recent calls
.

Mia. Mia. Mia. Mia.

The last six incoming calls were from her cousin. Chewing her lip, she checked the outgoing calls.

Mia, Mia, Frankie, Mia, Mia, Frankie, Alice, Mia, Mia.

She knew she had to get the phone back to Henry. With everything that was going on, he’d need it and, whatever she thought of him, she couldn’t let him leave until she had given it
back.

She ran from the pub and into the lane that led to The Old Parsonage. As she ran, the phone bleeped. Maybe Henry was ringing in the hope of finding it.

It was a text.

You have to help me. I can’t do this. I so want you. And only you. Mia

CHAPTER 13

‘There never were two people more dissimilar.
We have not one taste in common.’

(Jane Austen,
Mansfield Park
)

‘Y
OU MUST BE JOKING
!’
SAID
F
RANKIE
. ‘S
O
THAT
’
S WHY
you sent me that weird text on Saturday night.’

She and Lulu were walking to school to pick up their results when Lulu dropped her bombshell.

‘Am I likely to joke about something like that?’ Lulu demanded. ‘Are you honestly telling me you didn’t know?’

‘Of course I didn’t,’ Frankie replied, ‘and I still think you’ve got it wrong. I mean, not every guy on earth is going to fall at your feet.’

‘OK, think what you like,’ Lulu said. ‘Ask him. Why don’t you?’

‘I can’t just come out with something like that – what if . . .?’

‘He’s your brother, for God’s sake,’ Lulu replied. ‘I mean, you wouldn’t care, would you?’

‘Of course not,’ Frankie said. ‘OK, I’ll ask him while we’re away.’

‘Away?’

‘We’re going to Sussex to see Mum.’

‘Oh, and when were you going to tell your best friend about this?’ Lulu sighed. ‘Honestly, Frankie, it’s like you’re on another planet.’

‘I know, I’m sorry,’ Frankie said. ‘It’s just that something happened and I know about it – and I don’t know if I should tell anyone or not.’

‘Details,’ demanded Lulu. ‘I need details.’

‘It’s about Henry and Mia . . .’ she began and proceeded to fill Lulu in on the details.

‘Say nothing,’ Lulu said when she’d finished. ‘Firstly, Mia was probably drunk, or she’d had a row with Nick; secondly, chances are Henry won’t be back and
they won’t see each other again and thirdly . . .’ She hesitated, looking critically at Frankie.

‘Thirdly?’

‘It’s none of your business.’

‘But it is, because if Mia’s cheating on Nick . . .’

‘That’s between the two of them,’ Lulu said emphatically. ‘It’s not like they’re married yet. And let’s face it, you read messages that weren’t
meant for you and you don’t have a clue how Henry would have responded. He might have told her to get lost.’

‘Like pigs might fly!’ Frankie retorted as they walked across the school forecourt. ‘But OK. I won’t say a word. You could be right.’

She didn’t believe that for one moment, but nothing mattered now apart from the noticeboard in front of them.

‘It’s not the end of the world,’ Frankie found herself saying. ‘You can do retakes.’

‘You don’t get it, do you?’ Lulu snapped. ‘My dad will go ballistic. I was predicted three Bs and he thought that was bad enough, but a C and two Ds . . .’ She
burst into tears.

‘I wish I could stay,’ Frankie said anxiously, glancing at her watch, ‘but I’ve got to go – our train leaves in just over an hour. Will you be OK?’

‘I will when I’ve drowned my sorrows in a bottle of voddie.’

‘Lulu, no!’

‘I was joking.’ Lulu sighed. ‘Just go and have fun. And well done, by the way.’

‘So isn’t that good news?’

The psychiatric nurse beamed at Frankie and William.

‘Yes,’ Frankie said hesitantly. ‘I mean, it was great when Mum rang to say she is well enough to leave, but what we wanted to ask you was . . . well, will she . . . I mean,
there was that time . . .’

‘As we’ve told you, she’s very much better. You have to understand that medication has moved on as well,’ the nurse said. ‘Everyone is delighted with her progress.
There are four flats in the block and a warden to keep an eye out and help if things get too much. She’ll be just fine.’

Certainly Ruth seemed better than she had in years. She was over the moon at Frankie’s A-level results, asked lots of questions about what they’d been doing, teased them about their
love lives which they both insisted didn’t exist, and wanted to know all about the ship that William was on. They had agreed to say nothing about William losing his job, but she amazed them
by saying that she’d read in the newspapers that P&O were buying Siren Lines, and asking how that would affect William.

‘It might be the right time for you to look for another job,’ she suggested, and then laughed when they both stared at her open-mouthed.

‘I still have a brain, darlings.’ She smiled. ‘I’m much calmer, much more focused. Things are really looking up. It’s going to be just fine.’

‘You know Mum asked whether you had a girlfriend?’ Frankie ventured as they sat outside a pavement café in Church Road eating fish and chips.

‘Mmm,’ William grunted.

‘Well, I know you haven’t got one,’ Frankie said, taking a deep breath, ‘but have you got a boyfriend?’

Colour swamped William’s cheeks. ‘How did you know?’

‘I didn’t,’ Frankie said. ‘Lulu hinted at it.’

William nodded slowly. ‘She came on to me and I guess I handled it badly.’ He sighed. ‘I said I wasn’t in the market for a girlfriend and she asked if I was gay. I
didn’t deny it.’

‘Which explains why you got stroppy when I said Alice fancied you.’

‘Yes.’ He nodded again. ‘I’m not in a relationship – I was but it didn’t go anywhere – and I was afraid you’d be uncomfortable about
it.’

‘Don’t be daft,’ Frankie replied. ‘You’re my brother. I love and adore you. Just make sure any guy you pick up deserves you, OK?’ She paused, then went on,
‘So there’s no one on the horizon?’

William shook his head. ‘Sadly, the guy I really fancy at the moment is as straight as a die!’

‘Someone on the ship?’

‘No, silly!’ William laughed. ‘Henry Crawford.’

It was several minutes before Frankie stopped choking on her chips.

They took a walk along the seafront and were on the pier where William was taking some moody shots of waves when his phone rang.

‘Hello? Henry?’

Frankie’s eyes widened and every fibre of her body went on red alert.

‘How’s things at your house? Really? That’s the pits. And your mum? I bet she’s devastated.’ He pulled a face at Frankie.

‘Pardon? Yes, that’s right. We’re in Sussex, visiting Mum . . . There is? Hang on, let me grab a pen.’