Page 150 of The Silent Appeal

Kevin

No chance. She’s in her own world.

Nicky-Rose

Sure? Don’t want to cause drama. Same next Sunday?

Kevin

Sooner if you like.

It could be that they met to discuss work or the play but equally this could refer to a sexual liaison. That might explain Kevin’s growing confidence in challenging Sarah-Jane, and also his insecurity over her describing Mark as attractive; he knows firsthand how easily affairs can start. At the sleep out, Issy observes that Nicky-Rose sat with Kevin when SJ went home. Then she sees Kevin escort Nicky-Rose to the door and speak with her in the foyer, a moment we now know is connected to an email NR receives from her former business partner, Trina Neale.

Lucas

On April 25 we see that Lucas is under pressure from both Amelia and Georgia. Fran hints that the Stibsons had a rocky start to their relationship. Fran works with former prisoners via a charity and as far back as January 3, in response to Kevin’s request that she doesn’t bring any more troubled characters to the group, she says:

Fran

A quick heads-up—on Monday, best not mention how we met, or about Lucas and his trouble.

The Stibsons are mid- to late twenties, which is young to settle down, but not too young to have been in trouble with the law, served time, and decided to make a fresh start.

Lucas is rumored to have worked in the City, despite being a club manager now. Issy remembers him “high as a kite” during group counseling sessions. Has he really left his checkered past behind? Joyce and Nick are uneasy that Barry is working for Lucas. Is it suspicious that Lucas doesn’t rush to his injured wife’s side until after the club closes?

Georgia

Lucas’s cousin is twenty, younger than the Stibsons, and if Issy is correct, is pregnant and hiding it from Amelia. Various sources note that she was eating a lot, feeling sick, and that her jeans no longer fit (hence wearing pajamas all the time). It seems she’s confided in Lucas, who is keeping Georgia’s secret; blood is thicker than water. Amelia is clinging to the hope Lucas will ask Georgia to leave, or that Georgia will get a job and want to move out of what sounds like a crowded and difficult living situation. They surely won’t be able to hide the truth for long, and Georgia will be even harder to evict.

The relationship between Georgia and Amelia has worsened over the course of this correspondence. Georgia refuses to go to the hospital with Amelia when she’s injured, nags Lucas to bring her a door key, and makes a joke about amputation, at a time when that was a real possibility for Amelia.

Amelia

One’s sympathy goes out to Amelia. She’s stuck. Dependent on Lucas and won’t look for a job herself because she feels uneasy about Georgia’s presence in her home. Her pleas for understanding have not so far resulted in Lucas taking action. She confides in Fran, increasingly so, and then Issy, who accompanies her to the hospital. The fact Amelia was asleep under the light when it fell emphasizes her run of bad luck.

Fran

Firstly, I would like to note the codependent relationship triangle between Fran, Amelia, and Lucas. Fran is their counselor and mentor. They look to her for support, advice, and often practical assistance. At first this appears harmless, but increasingly borders on inappropriate. The word “meddling” comes to mind. These are grown adults and Fran has her own life and issues. In her email to Reverend Josh on January 7 she says:

I want to help make positive change, but then find myself simply patching over the consequences of negative behavior, without impacting the underlying issues.

We can find ourselves sleepwalking into situations and before we have a chance to “wake up” the door slams and we’re trapped.

She is aware of the pitfalls of helping others, but it hasn’t helped her avoid them.

Then we come to her relationship with Reverend Josh, a married father of two young girls. An affair might appear to be little more than exciting gossip, but the reality is that people get hurt, not least Fran herself, who finds Emma’s guided meditation about love to be overwhelming. I’ve included a separate paragraph on this below.

Nicky-Rose

On April 25, in her email to Dustin, Carol Dearing observes that Nicky-Rose was likely depressed when she arrived in Lockwood:

There are times you only see the whole picture when you look back on it, not when it’s actually happening. I know now that when Nicky-Rose first arrived she was depressed. Something happened in Barbados and she has no intention of ever telling me what it was. I suspect a love affair that fizzled out.

I hear her on the phone at night sometimes, talking about money. The calls are so late they must be with someone in a different time zone. I wonder if it’s about the house? Was she a joint owner with the chap who went to Indonesia? And what happened to her share of the money? Because one thing’s for sure, there’s none left now.

On February 11 Nicky-Rose tells Sarah-Jane:

Just want some FUN, SJ.