take it into the bathroom with her, so she leaves it where it is.
She showers as quickly as she can, sticking her head out the door to listen for any sounds from the children as soon as she’s finished. Even with Simon in the house, she’s always felt the children are her responsibility. She doesn’t know if that’s the innate instinct of a mother or if it’s the way Simon makes her feel.
There’s total silence, though, and she revels in the last few minutes of peace before her day becomes overrun with the physical demands of three children. However, she fears it may be the incessant noise of her thoughts that will be her greatest distraction today. If she could just stop thinking about the way Justin’s touch had set her skin alight; how his lips on hers had felt like the most natural thing in the world. Stop! It is done, but it must never be repeated. It was a mistake, and she now needs to focus on her family and husband, who is trying so hard to keep their boat afloat.
As soon as she banishes Justin from her mind, the next thought gets in line, desperate for her attention. She roughly blow-dries her hair, her hands working ever more feverishly as she thinks about the pact she made with her mother and father all those years ago. The three of them vowed never to talk of it again, not with each other, and least of all with anyone else. As far as she knows, her dad had kept his promise, but her mum had broken hers in the cruellest way. How could she? Lauren won’t let this slide. She can’t. She’ll go round there, as soon as she’s dropped Noah at school.
She’d thought Simon would go to sleep for a couple of hours, but their bedroom’s empty when she walks back in; so Jude did wake up after all. The black jumpsuit that she’d worn last night hangs prominently in her open wardrobe, prickling her conscience. She tucks it out of sight, knowing she’ll never be able to wear it again.
Stepping into her more usual attire of leggings and baggy T-shirt, she hastily makes the bed, lifting the duvet into the air. A dull thud hits the floor and she instinctively knows it’s her phone and groans. It’s landed face down and Lauren turns it over slowly, grimacing at the potential cost of a replacement. But when she sees what’s written on the screen, no amount of money could possibly repair the damage caused.
42
Kate
The headline on the double-page spread in the Echo reads:
I Found My Sister, But Who’s My Mother?
‘It looks good,’ says Matt as he stands against the kitchen counter, spooning cornflakes into his mouth.
Seeing Jess’s picture staring out at her from Matt’s laptop unnerves Kate, and she swallows the doubt that she’s done the right thing by letting him run it.
‘Are you absolutely sure you want to do this?’ he’d asked late last night.
Kate had thought about it for a few seconds longer, knowing that once she gave him the go ahead, he’d push the button to go to press. But they’d both decided that if they couldn’t prevent the fire, they could at least try to control the flames.
‘For better or worse, we now know Jess is my father’s daughter,’ she’d said resignedly. ‘She deserves to know who her mother is and hopefully this will find her.’
Kate’s phone rings now and she watches as it vibrates away from her on the worktop.
‘It’s your sister,’ says Matt.
‘Uh-oh,’ says Kate, taking a deep breath. ‘Here we go.’
She’d thought about ringing Lauren last night to pre-warn her that Jess’s story was running, but it was late, and besides, she didn’t think she’d have a problem with it. In fact, Kate imagined that Lauren would be thrilled that steps were being made to help find Jess’s mother. After all, hadn’t that been her intention all along?
‘Kate! Kate!’ Lauren is screaming down the phone. ‘He’s taken the kids. I don’t know what to do!’
Kate looks at Matt, wide-eyed.
‘What do you mean?’ she says, feeling as if the breath is being sucked out of her.
‘Simon! He’s taken the kids and I don’t know where he is.’
‘Are you at home?’ asks Kate, running into the bedroom and reaching for the first pair of sweatpants she can find.
‘Yes,’ sobs Lauren. ‘I don’t know what to do.’
Kate slings a T-shirt on. ‘Okay, stay where you are. I’m on my way.’