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He peels himself away from me, sits up, irritated. “We’ve been through all this, I thought…”
“I’m sorry, Daniel, but if we’re going to make a go of this, you’ve got to promise me that you’ll tell Connie the truth.” Silence. “Daniel?” I touch his shoulder. “I think you know that it’s the right thing to do.”
He’s silent for a few moments and then, “Okay, okay, if that’s what it takes,” he says, not looking at me, fist clenched against his mouth. “I’ll tell her as soon as we get back from Paris.”
“Paris?” I shriek as someone screams “Yesssss!” from next door.
“I booked the tickets weeks ago.” He pivots towards me, takes my hands. “I never wanted a surprise birthday party. All I want to do for my fiftieth is sip champagne in a Parisian Cafe with you. I wanted to surprise you with the trip nearer the time but…”
“Daniel! You should’ve said.” I snatch my hands away, he looks hurt. “When’s it for? I’ve used up all my holidays this year and my schedule’s really tight. I hope you took out some insurance.”
“It’s only a day trip on Eurostar, surely Raymond won’t mind you having one extra day off. It’s weeks away, he’ll have plenty of notice.” I look at him, speechless. Paris would be lovely, I’m sure Raymond would be okay if I took the day off unpaid, and it is a big birthday.
“I’ll have a word with Raymond on Monday,” I sigh, laying back in his arms. I’ve always wanted to see the Mona Lisa.
I’m still buzzing when I reach Muswell Hill. I decide very quickly that it’s too early to go home and I can’t wait to tell Louise and Gerry that I’m back with Daniel. They’ll be made up for me, especially when I tell them about my Paris news. It’s only midday, they’re bound to be home, and Jess did say something about picking up a few things from there this morning.
“Hey, Aud.” Jess ushers me in, phone in hand. “Thought you were spending the day with Daniel?”
“Change of plans. He’s got an achy leg. Long story.”
“Oh, right,” she says disinterested as her phone rings. “Hi babe, yeah I’m just leaving now…should be about…” She covers the mouthpiece, “…go through, Audrey, they’re all in the kitchen.” She rolls her eyes. “Bloody Francesca. I’m going upstairs.”
I walk towards the kitchen to the hullabaloo of laughter, banter, the clatter of plates and, I’m quite sure, the gurgling sound of a baby.
“Who is it, Jess?” Louise calls out cheerfully.
“Only me,” I yell. I push the kitchen door open and the room falls silent. All I can hear is the sound of Roxy shuffling towards me, sniffing around my ankles excitedly. Gerry leaps out of his chair and looks anxiously from me to Louise.
The rest plays out as if in slow motion – Louise looks up at me from the table rocking a baby in her arms, face ashen. An arrogant looking woman sitting next to her is leafing through the Sunday papers. Then she looks up at me, one leg on top of the other, mug of coffee in hand.
I recognise her immediately. How could I ever forget that face?
It’ll be etched in my mind for eternity.
35
“You,” I whisper, my eyes fixed on the woman. “What’s going on?” I drop my bag by my feet and take a step closer to Louise. “What’s she doing here?” My heart is pounding hard, throbbing in my ears.
“Take it easy, Audrey,” Gerry warns, hands raised. A heavy, palpable silence hangs in the air. Apart from the puppy sniffing around my ankles and the odd gurgle from the baby in Louise’s arms, everyone is still, frozen. “This is my sister Francesca,” Gerry explains, “Francesca, this is our friend, Audrey.”
“I don’t understand,” I say with a wobbly voice. “This is the pregnant woman I saw at Nick’s bedside.”
Francesca doesn’t bother to acknowledge me. Instead, she sighs tediously, licks a finger and turns another page. Louise is on her feet now, eyes filled with unease. She licks her dry lips as she takes a step towards me. Roxy, sensing the tension, starts barking, prompting the baby to moan and wriggle in Louise’s arms.
“Audrey, you don’t know how many times I tried to tell you,” Louise says, handing the baby to a reluctant Francesca.
“Tell me?” I can’t seem to take it all in, everything seems surreal. Then suddenly a bolt of clarity sears through me. I look at Gerry sharply, he folds his arms, covering his mouth, his fingers are trembling. Roxy weeps and groans around his ankles. Francesca is the mother of Nick’s child. Louise and Gerry have known all along. My stomach heaves. I feel as if I’ve just stepped off a white- knuckle ride. I hold onto the back of the chair to ground myself.
“Yes,” Louise’s voice again, “I tried to tell you about Francesca and Nick, but…”
Her words slice through me like blades. “Is this some kind of sick fucking joke?” I stare at Gerry long and hard. He shakes his head, then reaches down and scoops Roxy up in his arms. My eyes dart around the room, their faces a blur. The kitchen feels as if it’s spinning, faster and faster. The puppy is licking Gerry’s face. The baby is gurgling. Louise’s mouth is moving but all I can hear is the babble of her voice and Francesca flicking through the newspaper, louder and louder in my ears.
“Come into the lounge, Audrey.” I flinch as Louise’s cold fingers close tightly around my wrist. “I’ll explain everything. Gerry, put the kettle on.”
“Get off me!” I take a step back and in my haste trip over my bag as the stark reality of what has happened snaps into place like a missing piece of a jigsaw puzzle. My legs buckle, Louise reaches out for me quickly, asks if I’m okay. I shrug her off furiously as I regain my balance. These people that I trusted, that I thought were my friends, have been lying to me for months.
“Listen.” Louise raises her hands as if I’m armed. “I tried to tell you, honestly.” Her voice is trembling, frightened.
