Miranda tried to speak to Sylvie and see if she could help but she hit a brick wall. Sylvie merely replied that they were both tired and one bad patch in thirteen years wasn’t so bad. Sylvie was close to her mother in many ways but her relationship with Yul had always been private, and it was her very obsession with him that had prevented the mother-daughter bond from deepening. Miranda wondered about speaking to Yul instead, but he’d wrapped himself in an impenetrable black cloak of unhappiness that brooked no intrusion. She was wary of him in his present state of mind; he was like an unexploded bomb and she didn’t want to be the one to detonate him. So Miranda kept her peace and hoped it’d all blow over in the spring, when everyone livened up and there was plenty of sunshine and laughter at Stonewylde.
In the meantime, Miranda had an idea how to cheer her daughter up. After consultation with Harold – as she had to use the Stonewylde account – she went online and bought a pair of tickets for a ballet being performed in Bournemouth. She also booked a luxurious hotel room for the night, thinking that some special time alone may help bring the couple back together. But when she told Sylvie about the treat she didn’t get the expected reaction.
‘Oh Mum, that’s very sweet of you but I couldn’t possibly go.’
‘Why on earth not?’
The thought of spending a whole night alone with Yul in a strange place filled her with dread. She didn’t know what to say to him anymore and if he made any moves in bed she’d feel embarrassed and awkward. But she couldn’t tell Miranda that.
‘He’s too busy at the moment. He works all hours – you know that.’
‘All the more reason to take a night off and spend some time with you! I realise it’s not the most romantic destination but a night alone together away from Stonewylde and all the pressures here is just what you both need. You can enjoy a lovely meal out, enjoy the ballet, go back to the hotel …’
Sylvie knew it was exactly what she didn’t need. Yul would probably drink himself silly and then turn all maudlin on her or, worse still, become aggressive.
‘I’m sorry, Mum, but I really don’t think so. It was a lovely idea though.’
‘So what should I do with the tickets then?’
They both thought about this.
‘Why don’t you go instead?’ suggested Sylvie. ‘I know – you could take Celandine. You know how she loves to dance and she’d adore the ballet, especially The Nutcracker. Oh yes, do that!’
But Miranda really wanted Sylvie to have a break so they finally agreed that she’d take the little girl herself. Once she’d grown used to the idea Sylvie became very excited at the thought of going to the Outside World. Apart from a brief shopping trip last year with Yul she hadn’t been out for ages. But Yul was very against the whole thing and tried his best to stop her from going.
‘Give me one good reason why not.’
‘I don’t want you to go. I don’t … I don’t like the thought of you away from Stonewylde.’
‘So I’m a prisoner here?’
‘Don’t be ridiculous, Sylvie. It would just be very strange for you to be away for the night.’
‘What difference would it make? You sleep downstairs every night anyway.’
‘Only because you don’t want me anywhere near you!’
They glared at each other over the dinner table, the food forgotten. Now they’d reached the heart of the matter but both stepped back from the subject, unwilling to face it. Yul reached for the wine bottle and poured himself another glass, watching her face carefully. She took a deep breath.
‘If you could explain to me why I can’t take our daughter away for one night for a very special treat, I’d listen. But there’s no reason other than your selfishness, so I’m sorry but we’re going.’
‘No you’re not.’
‘I think you’ll find, Yul, that you can’t forbid me to go. Who the hell do you think you are?’
‘I’m your husband, a fact you seem to have forgotten in your efforts to cut me out of your life. Anyway, it wouldn’t be fair. What about all the other children at Stonewylde? Don’t you think they deserve a visit to a ballet too?’
‘I’m sure they do and next time I’ll arrange a party booking and take them all. But this