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One of the men reached slowly into the inside pocket of his jacket and drew out a wallet. Opening it, he held it out for Edward to see.
Debt collectors. What had Charlotte got herself into? No time for that now. A child’s whimper sounded from the other side of the door and he felt Charlotte’s small, convulsive movement against his arm. ‘Go inside, please, Charlotte. Close the door.’
She looked up at him. Cheeks pink, her lovely eyes still brimming with tears. She hesitated, obviously torn between going to comfort her son and dealing with the men on her doorstep.
‘Go and make sure Isaac’s okay.’ He spoke gently to her and she nodded quickly, disappearing inside the house.
One down, two to go.
He turned to the two men. ‘I assume you’re not in possession of a court order with regards to this property?’
‘No, sir.’ Somehow the man made that sound like a threat.
‘In that case I’m asking you to leave now. I’ll speak to you when you’re standing on the pavement.’
The men exchanged a look. Obviously they considered that browbeating him was a different matter from a lone woman and a child, and Edward didn’t bother to conceal his disgust as they turned and took their time in walking down the path.
‘There is the matter of an unpaid debt, ma’am.’
Edward looked round and saw Charlotte back in the doorway, pulling a pair of sneakers on. She must have settled Isaac and come back out again.
‘You don’t speak to her. If you’ve something to say, then say it to me.’ Edward had just appointed himself, unasked, into the role of protector, but he didn’t care. No one else was around to do it.
‘I need to speak to the lady.’ The man’s voice suddenly became gentle. He’d seen a way in and was trying for it. Be nice to her, then divide and conquer.
Edward looked round at Charlotte. It was one thing to expect her to go along with his instructions at the clinic, but here... Here she had Isaac to think of, and she wasn’t going to give that responsibility away too easily.
‘You can speak to my...’ She walked down the path and stood next to him. ‘My legal advisor.’
The man pressed his lips together. ‘In that case...’ He turned to Edward. ‘We’re looking for this lady’s husband. We have reason to believe he’s here—’
‘He isn’t,’ Charlotte broke in vehemently. ‘I haven’t seen him for over a year.’
‘We’d like to check, madam.’ Deftly the man had turned back on Charlotte.
‘You have no right of entry to this property. The lady’s already told you that the person you’re looking for isn’t here, and that she doesn’t want you in her home.’ Edward folded his arms to indicate that this was now an end to the matter.
‘Fair enough. But do you know where he is?’ The question was aimed at Charlotte again.
This time she gave her answer to Edward. ‘I don’t...’
He nodded, laying his hand on her arm with as much tenderness as he could muster. ‘They’re allowed to ask you whether you know where the person they’re looking for is. It’s entirely up to you whether you answer or not.’
‘We haven’t lived together for eighteen months. I have the name of his solicitor.’ Her voice was almost a whisper, her eyes pleading. Not just for him to help her get rid of these men. For him to understand.
‘Can we have that at least...please?’ The word please seemed to stick in the man’s throat and he took another step forward, as if this was an invitation into the house.
‘Wait there.’ Edward turned to Charlotte and she nodded. She knew as well as he did that if she could give these men something it might get them off her back. ‘Go and get it, then.’
She hurried inside and Edward indulged in a staring contest with the men, open hostility buzzing between them. She returned, clutching a piece of paper with a hastily scribbled address on it, and gave it to Edward. ‘Here it is.’
Edward turned back to the men on the pavement. ‘Right. The lady hasn’t seen her husband in months, and she doesn’t know where he is. She’s given you every assistance she can in locating him, and this ends her involvement in the matter.’
‘All right.’ The man snatched the paper that Edward proffered. ‘And you’re sure you don’t know where he is?’
‘Doesn’t sound very likely to me,’ his companion sneered, forcing home the point. ‘Doesn’t he want to see his own kid?’
Edward heard Charlotte’s sudden intake of breath and fought to stay in control of the fury that swept over him in a red-and-black wave. Much as he’d like to, getting into a fight with these guys wasn’t going to help. ‘You’ve asked your question and you’ve got your answer. You know full well that the law prevents you from harassing this lady any further or from speaking to a minor.’ He pulled his phone out of his pocket. ‘You’ve got ten seconds to get going before I call the police.’
