and family stood in their finery, waiting, she nearly failed. It had been a simple enough question, not a complicated maths equation or something equally taxing that would have sent her into a nervous spluttering of mumbo-jumbo; it had been clear and concise.
‘Do you, Kathryn Gavier, take Mark Brooker to be your lawful wedded husband?’
With breath drawn, tongue poised and words ready, it was as if an unseen force had placed magic on her lips. She had to fight to say it, struggle to get the response out that the vicar, Mark and the assembled congregation had waited her whole life to hear… If only she had let the magic do its work and not fought so strongly to utter the two syllables that would alter the course of her life forever.
Stacey left for her daily stroll on the beach and Kate sauntered into the kitchen.
‘Coffee?’ Natasha stood at the countertop and raised the cafetière in the direction of her friend.
‘Mmmn… Please.’
‘How’s she doing?’
‘Worrying about the future and starting to think about going home.’
‘Well, those are good signs, aren’t they?’
‘Yes. When she’s ready. I don’t want her to rush into anything.’
‘You’ll miss her, won’t you?’
Kate nodded. Yes she would, she would miss her greatly. She smiled at her mate, acknowledging the unspoken words, the dangers of getting too close.
Kate understood the bond between Stacey and Nathan as those who are fortunate to know the love of a trusted sibling or best friend do. Kate knew that no matter how much time passed, she would always dearly love her best friend. The day Natasha had turned up unannounced at the prison was one she would never forget. The memory would, however, always be tinged with the bitter disappointment that her unexpected visitor hadn’t been one of the kids…
‘Oi! Daydreamer!’
Natasha’s shout pulled her back into the present.
‘I was saying that I’m struggling a bit with Tanya. A great girl, really open to my suggestions and seems happy enough, but I kind of get the feeling that she is going through the motions and saying what she thinks will please me, but not truly opening up. Classic closed-in state of the abused.’
‘What can I do to help?’
Kate was as usual looking for a way to ease the path of her latest charge.
‘Oh, nothing different. She’ll open up when she’s ready. I mean, look at Stacey. It took her months. And of course she’s a different kettle of fish, a victim and not a perpetrator, plus she has a brilliant network of support, which means in the long term her prospects of full recovery are good. With Tanya it’s different; we have to be careful. She’s fragile, Kate, more than most. I’m not fooled for one second by that sunny smile or the indifferent shrug; there’s a lot going on in that pretty head.’
‘I know what you mean, Tash. We should pick it up with Janeece.’
‘Good idea.’ Tash nodded.
‘Does she ever mention her mother?’
‘Couple of times, but no real revelation. She occasionally drops her name in passing, usually associated with a memory. I find she wants to talk more about the sea; she’s fascinated by it. Her pictures are quite dark and nearly always with some water theme – the sea or just blocks of black and blue.’
Both noted the bruise analogy.
‘I can’t work out if it’s just because the ocean is new and exciting or whether she is subconsciously looking for a way to escape, sail off into the sunset, quite literally. There’s a piece she is working on that I find a little unsettling…’
‘What is it?’
‘It’s the sea again, but with a skeleton arm coming up and breaking the surface. Lots of black as is usual in her work but it’s almost Gothic, with horror undertones. I don’t think her memories or associations with water are good.’
‘Doesn’t sound like it. What will you do?’
‘I’ll see how it progresses; get her to interpret it for me, a number of things. Sometimes it’s enough that it’s been put down on paper, almost like exorcising the bad thoughts. It’s similar to having someone to talk to, getting all that dark stuff out into the open so that you don’t carry it around.’
‘Has she told you about the ex-boyfriend?’ Kate was curious.
‘A bit. He sounds like a total shit, comme toujours. She mentioned he was a dealer, but quickly checked herself, she’s still not confident in how much she should reveal. It amazes me how these bastards seem to have some kind of sixth sense that