The wood on the kitchen table was scored in places, as if the weight of the food being served and the conversations taking place over the decades had carved furrows on its broad face. When the girls left them, and Sophy had checked that Isobel was not eavesdropping, they had taken seats on opposite sides and negotiated their way forward.
‘You obviously weren’t expecting me,’ Luke said. ‘I assumed Jack would have discussed it with you.’
‘Well, you assumed wrongly. Why would he hire you? I don’t understand what’s going on.’
‘I refused the job initially when Charlie Bracken approached me,’ he admitted. ‘You’ve made no secret of the fact that our marriage is over.’
‘So, why are you here?’
‘To prevent a similar emergency like that chemical spill ever happening again.’
‘Charlie has taken precautions to protect us.’
‘It’s not enough. And I’ll have other responsibilities.’
‘But it won’t do. It won’t do at all.’ She sounded petulant and childish. All she was short of doing was stamping her foot. ‘Our marriage breakup was tough on all of us but the girls have accepted the situation. As long as you’re here, they’ll keep hoping we’ll get back together again.’
‘I know there’s no chance—’
‘But they don’t. You’ve undermined everything I’ve done to prepare them for the future.’
‘I’m here to do a job, Sophy. I’ll be able to see the girls every day. Are you going to deny me the opportunity to make amends to our daughters?’
‘Mum, Mr Hyland’s thumping on the ceiling again.’ Isobel opened the door cautiously. ‘He wants you.’
‘This is not over, Luke,’ she warned him before she left the kitchen. ‘We’ll talk later.’
Luke had been on the verge of a nervous breakdown when he finally admitted to his gambling debts. His revelations had torn their marriage apart with the ferocity of an earthquake. Now, he had landed another earthquake on her, but this time Jack Hyland was responsible.
He seemed unfazed when Sophy confronted him. His expression, as always, was frozen in the agonised rictus that had scared her so much in the early days at Hyland Hall.
‘Your husband was an award-winning landscape artist before he decided to specialise in park installations,’ he said. ‘He’s exactly what I need to protect my land. Is he not entitled to a second chance?’
‘Yes, he is,’ she replied. ‘But he doesn’t have to earn it here. I can’t believe you never once considered my feelings when you hired him.’
‘If I’d asked permission from you, Luke wouldn’t be here,’ he replied. ‘Your children are happy to see him, are they not? Don’t tell me your separation has not seriously impacted on them. The gate lodge where he lives will allow whatever degree of separation you need. Maybe, in time—’
‘You’re my employer, not my marriage counsellor. Time won’t solve anything—’
‘You’re wrong. When time is limited, you realise how much it can solve. Will your children thank you for separating them again from their father if I send him away?’
He was incapable of expressing defiance, remorse or shame. Too angry to argue any further, Sophy went back downstairs. A text from Isobel informed her they were cooking dinner with their father in the gate lodge. The door of the den was open. She picked up the book Isobel had been reading. Do Vampires Cast Shadows? Her daughter’s reading habits were continuing to regress. Cordelia, neglected for once, lay face down on the floor. Sophy seated her in her usual position on the chaise longue. Julie’s unrestrained happiness when she saw her father had been so fervent. Isobel’s true feelings had been more difficult to determine yet her fear of witnessing her parent’s anger had been palpable. Jack Hyland was right. She could not separate them again.
The girls were still at the gate lodge when Victor arrived.
‘What’s going on?’ He followed her into the music room. ‘Lights are on in the gate lodge. Has the estate manager moved in already?’
‘This afternoon.’
‘Dumping rubbish on the Gallops has been going on for years.’ He slapped his hand against his forehead in frustration. ‘I don’t know how many times I had to organise clearances for Laurence. What’s the logic of throwing good money after bad and hiring some goon who won’t make the slightest difference?’
‘He’s employed Luke to look after the estate.’
‘Luke?’ He swayed backwards, as if buffeted by the name. ‘Luke, as in your husband?’
‘My ex.’ Was that, somehow, meant to make it sound better? ‘I’d no idea what he’d planned until Luke arrived this afternoon.’