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“All right, okay, I’ll take it. Thank you so, so much. I have no words to convey just how much I love it.” And I mean it. Nobody has ever given me something so beautiful and the thought gets me all choked up.
For a few moments, Alex doesn’t say anything, just continues to stare at me like he’s scared I might run away if he takes his eyes off for a second. Then, tenderly, he takes hold of my hand and leads me downstairs to the hall where Mrs Bullivant is waiting with my bag and coat. Five minutes later, we’re out on the driveway where Hobbs and the Rolls are parked ready to take me home. Despite everything that’s happened, I can’t help but feel a sense of relief at finally being able to leave this place and return to normality.
As I step into the back seat, Alex gives my hand a final squeeze and says softly: “Remember, Jessica, seven pm Saturday, okay? Don’t forget.”
“I won’t,” I reply with a sinking feeling. “I-I look forward to it.”
“Me too. I’ll be counting down every second until then. I miss you so much already…”
Smiling thinly, I fold my arms and stare straight ahead, unable to bring myself to return the sentiment.Dammit. I feel like such a fraud.After we’ve said a final goodbye, Hobbs steers the car out of the drive, and we begin moving slowly towards the entrance gates. Glancing over my shoulder, I take one final look at Claremont Hall, and notice something that makes every hair on my neck stand up. Parked further down the driveway is a shiny black Range Rover.Oh my God.So, Freddie was right. Alex has been following me. No,not following. Stalking me. What the hell have I gotten myself into?
CHAPTER NINE
Jessica
As soon as I get home, I burst into the living room to find Freddie playing with his toy cars and Cynthia putting the finishing touches to her latest creation—a painting of David Beckham holding an ethereal teddy bear. Before she can say anything, I blurt: “Mum, I’ve got the most amazing news. Guess what? I just got paid for my latest modelling job and we now have all the money for your medical treatment!”
For a second, she appears too stunned to speak. Then she puts down her paintbrush and lets out an almighty shriek of joy. “Oh my God, darling, that’s wonderful! I can’t believe it. I have no words. Is this…is this really happening?”
“It is,” I say, wiping away a tear. “You’re going to Germany and you’re going to get all the help you need to make you better, finally.”
In a daze of joy, Cynthia grabs my hand, and then she grabs Freddie’s, and we all dance around the room in a happy circle. It’s such an emotional moment and makes everything I’ve been through worth it. To see the look of relief on my mother’s face is the most beautiful thing in the world and I’ve never loved her more than I do right now.
After a whirlwind of jumping and prancing, we collapse to the floor in fits of laughter. Adding to the fun, Freddie rolls around on his back and pretends he’s a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle.
Sitting up, I smooth back my hair and strike a more serious tone. “So Mum, how soon do you think you can travel? I’ll need to know the dates so I can book your plane tickets and organise accommodation.”
“Yes, of course,” she smiles, pulling Freddie onto her knee and kissing his cheek. “I’ll need to speak to Erin and get back to you, but it should be soon, I would think. Oh, I forgot to say, Erin has offered to accompany me to Frankfurt, isn’t that brilliant?”
“Ah, that’s great, so pleased for you,” I say, flooded with relief to hear that Mum’s best friend Erin will be travelling with her. This is good news because I didn’t like the thought of her going out there alone and not having someone to support her. In an ideal world, I would have gone with her, but Freddie can’t miss school and it’s unlikely Brian would allow me to take that much time off work. Besides, I’ve known Erin my whole life and trust her implicitly. Plus, she was the one who first recommended the clinic to us in the first place and will more than likely help Mum complete all the paperwork and everything else needed to facilitate it.
“Wow, there’s so much to think about,” Cynthia says, massaging her temples. “I’ll need to think about what to pack, check in with the housing office to make sure I’m up to date with the rent so you guys don’t have any problems while I’m gone. Oh my gosh, I haven’t been abroad in years, I’ll need to check my passport is even in date! When I discussed it with Erin, she said we’ll probably be out there for a month at least. That’s how long the course of treatment takes apparently. Oh, Jess, do you think you and Freddie will be okay on your own for that length of time?”
“Mum, of course we will!” I say fiercely. “I’m nineteen for goodness’ sake, a grown woman. That’s the last thing you should be worried about. Listen, everything will be fine. I can look after the flat no problem, take Freddie to and from school, cook all the meals. I’m doing most of this already, so all that is left to do is speak to my boss Brian and move around a couple of shifts at work and everything will be sorted. Now please, can you get on the phone to Erin right now and tell me the date you guys are leaving so I can get onto booking those tickets.”
“Okay, Little Miss Bossy,” Cynthia jokes, giving a mock hand salute. “I’ll get right onto it now.” She hesitates, her gaze dropping down to my necklace. “Good gracious, Jess, where on earth did you get that lovely piece of jewellery? It’s really quite extraordinary. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Heat colours my cheeks.
“What, you mean this?” I give a nervous laugh, my fingers playing absently with the sacred Egyptian artefact. “Oh, it’s just a piece of costume jewellery I wore for the photoshoot. The director said I could keep it as a little memento for doing such a great job…” My voice trails off.
My mother’s eyes narrow. “Are you sure it isn’t real? That looks like real solid gold to me.”
“No, I’m telling you, it’s a fake. I mean, do you seriously think they would give me a priceless piece of Egyptian jewellery just to wear around the house? Not a chance.” I laugh again but detect a hint of suspicion in Cynthia’s gently probing stare.
“And that gorgeous green dress? Let me guess: another little ‘gift’ from the photoshoot?”
“Yep,” I nod eagerly. “That’s right. Another little memento from the director.”
“Tut, tut, the perks of being a top model, eh?” She rolls her eyes humorously and with relief, I can see that I’m off the hook for now. Carefully, she places Freddie back on the floor and gets to her feet. “Okay, let me go and make this phone call to Erin.”
After she’s left the room, I hastily take off the necklace and hide it under a pile of clothes at the bottom of my wardrobe for safe keeping. Then I fool around with my brother for a while, helping him to organise his precious coin collection into perfect symmetrical rows on the carpet. Half an hour later, my mother returns from the phone call to Erin and tells me that they plan to fly to Frankfurt on the 16th—a date in two weeks’ time. Jubilant that I now have all the information I need to get things moving, I take a lukewarm bath (Freddie used up most of the hot water) and then change into something more comfortable—jeans and an old baggy T-shirt. The rest of the evening passes pleasantly in a flurry of board games, wild flamenco dancing and an indoor picnic of tuna sandwiches and Mr Kipling’s fondant fancies on the living room floor. By the time Mum and Freddie turn in for the night, I realise I’ve managed to keep myself so busy, I’ve hardly had time to think about Alex.
But I would be lying if I said he’d been totally forgotten. How could he be? Since we parted just a few short hours ago, a subtle part of him is with me always, like darkness clinging to the edges of sunshine, drawing me back into a nightmarish fairy tale that is better best forgotten.
Nothing that happened in Claremont Hall seems real. Looking back on the events in that house while sitting eating dinner with my family, I find it hard to believe that Alex Kingswood even exists. His world seems so drastically different from my day-to-day reality, so horrifically obscure, it’s a struggle to accept I did not dream it all. Or perhaps that’s just wishful thinking on my part.
Lying on my bed after everyone else has gone to sleep, I stare up at the cracked ceiling and wonder why I’m so against starting a relationship with Alex. Personality wise, he has many traits I would love in a boyfriend: he’s kind and witty, cultured, super intelligent and the sex…goddamn the sex is out of this world. But aside from the most obvious—his terrifying appearance—there’s something else bothering me.
