Stella’s eyes widened in astonishment. She didn’t understand.
‘Who told you that?’
‘No one, but it’s obvious, isn’t it?’
She hesitated again for a moment, absorbing his words, and her cheeks flushed red with shame as the truth sank in: her only son had felt unable to talk either to her or his father. He’d been labouring under a crushing misconception – and it was all their fault.
‘Look at me,’ she said passionately, swinging round to face him. He did as he was told. ‘I don’t know where you got that idea from, but ofcoursewe can afford it. We have enough money, but even if we didn’t, we’d find it. Your dad and I, both of us, we’ll do anything we can to help. That’s great if you want to go back to uni. Whatever you choose to do is fine by us. We just want you to be happy and fulfilled.’
Having had her say, she fell silent, watching him carefully while she waited for his response.
Gradually, the resentful, bored, cynical expression she’d become so used to appeared to melt away and the light came back into his eyes.
‘I didn’t know,’ he said sheepishly. ‘I assumed it wasn’t possible now, with Dad paying for the flat and everything.’
A flush spread across Stella’s cheeks and she reached out and rumpled his hair.
‘Well, you do now. Thank God we’ve had this talk and set you straight.’
It was dark by the time they rose and started to walk back. Stella bought a torch from one of the stalls and gave it to Hector.
‘You lead the way.’
At the bottom of the steps, she glimpsed something moving in the shadows. Thinking it might be a cat, she glanced to her left and saw the outline of a woman, hurrying away in the direction of the shops.
Where she’d sprung from, Stella had no idea. There was nothing nearby except the moonlit water and bobbing boats.
Before long, the woman darted into a stall and disappeared, but not before Stella had realised who she was.
Her long, dark, wavy hair and flowing dress, as well as her height and slimness, gave her away: Marina.
Stella inhaled sharply. What was she doing here? Had she been watching them? Her stomach clenched, then she remembered Hector was safe. She could put Marina and her nasty, fake prophecies right out of mind.
As Stella followed her son up the winding mountain path, she noticed a new lightness in his step, as if he’d shed a heavy burden.
How could she have misunderstood him so badly? She’d thought the sole cause of his anger was her split from Al. In fact, as much as anything, it was the devastating consequence he believed it would have on his future. How he must have suffered!
The thought made her shudder and she desperately wanted to talk to Al. He’d be just as appalled by the way they’d failed Hector, and anxious to try to put things right.
Like her, he’d probably conclude they’d been so caught up in their own problems, they’d lost sight of what really mattered: the health and wellbeing of their only son.
An idea flashed through her mind and her body started to tingle. Maybe getting back together was the answer. They used to work well as a team. They could do so again, if they both wanted it enough. Two heads were better than one and they could figure out how best to repair the damage they’d caused and help their son.
Her stomach fluttered and she resolved to ring Al tonight. There was no point delaying. If he didn’t pick up, she’d keep trying or ask him to call her back.
She was so caught up in her enthusiasm, it wasn’t until they’d almost reached the top step that she remembered her husband was on holiday in remote Cornwall. Perhaps with Sasha.
Blackness descended again and the air seemed to seep from her lungs, leaving them painful and compressed.
No, Al was out of the picture and she’d have to find another way to make it up to Hector. She was on her own.
