Why don’t we talk about this again when I get back? But please don’t make a decision until then. I think we both just need a bit of time.’
‘Stop off at Fran’s…’ Kate tucked her lips over her teeth and bit down. The casual aside that Natasha would be going to see her children did nothing to cheer her. It was as ever a dagger that cut her heart… My children.
She nodded, more to placate her best friend than in any belief that things might be different with the passing of four weeks.
‘Okay, Tash, we’ll wait a month, but I think my mind is made up.’
‘More tea?’ Natasha raised her empty cup for the fifth time that evening.
Kate nodded. Yep, more tea…
* * *
Tom made a big show of lugging his small suitcase along the path; he really did not want to go.
‘Are you sure you don’t want me to pop in and prepare you some food each day, Kate? I wouldn’t mind at all. I’m around anyway and truth be told I feel a bit redundant.’
‘That’s very sweet, Tom, but a holiday means a holiday – enjoy it! A whole month to yourself. Do something great! Go somewhere!’
‘I feel guilty though, being paid and not working.’
‘Don’t. Otherwise what’s the point of a break? You won’t enjoy it.’
‘I was thinking I might and go and visit me sister up at Bodmin, spend some time with her and the kids, if you sure you don’t need me?’
‘Tom, give me your house keys; it’s the only way to stop you nipping in and force-feeding me lasagne!’
He reluctantly handed them to his boss.
‘Good. Now go! Don’t make me change the locks!’
Tom sauntered off down the drive, leaving Kate alone. She locked the door and slid the bolts before pulling down the blinds and drawing the sitting room curtains. She wanted to be alone and in the dark. She wanted to curl up and withdraw from the world, just for a bit.
She glanced at the clock on the mantelpiece. Tash would have just arrived at Francesca’s en route to the Lake District. She would probably be conversing right now with Lydia, talking about art or simply passing the time of day. She swallowed the bile that threatened to rise in her throat. Life could be bloody unfair.
Paying no heed to the time of day, Kate climbed the stairs and headed for ‘Wish’. She stepped into the room and stripped down to her underwear. Pulling back the duvet, she slid between the crisp white sheets and fell into a deep slumber.
It was approaching midnight when Kate was jolted from her sleep. Whether awake or dreaming she wasn’t sure, but she had heard the voice of her husband as surely as if he was standing over her.
‘Hello, Kathryn.’
She jumped and simultaneously yelped. Her head smashed into the headboard as a fine film of sweat covered her skin. Laughing with relief, she rubbed her scalp. It was just a horrible dream. She settled down once again with the duvet pulled up under her chin. She shivered despite the warmth of the room; he still had the power to do that to her.
At 3 a.m., Kate reluctantly woke once more. Her pillow was wet from tears shed in her sleep. Her eyes were swollen, her throat dry. She didn’t know why she had been sobbing, but it felt horribly familiar, reminding her of so many mornings in the headmaster’s house at Mountbriers. There she had often woken in floods of tears at the utter misery of her life. She would cry for the night she had been forced to endure and for the day ahead that she was yet to experience, all the while painting on her smile and stepping outside with her basket of linen.
She decided that a slug of whisky might be just the thing to send her back to the land of nod. Tom had a bottle squirrelled away at the back of the larder. Like his afternoon siestas in his van, it was another thing that she feigned ignorance of. Bless him.
Kate poured a healthy measure and carried it to the sofa. It tasted foul. She could stomach the odd glass of plonk, but this was something else. She carried on sipping and surprisingly after her first glass the taste was almost palatable. Gradually it warmed her throat and started to numb her pain. She welcomed the escape. Her head lolled forward, against her chest. When she opened her eyes, Mark was sitting in