The Keeper of Secrets (8 page)

Charlie tried to peak around the side of Chris's large frame. ‘Is Angie with you?' he asked.

‘No, son,' Chris said to Charlie, but he was still looking at Elle as if her puzzled gaze would give him answers. Instead it brought more questions. ‘Is that who you were expecting?'

‘You'd better come in,' she said. ‘Rick's in the shower but he shouldn't be too long. Would you like a drink? I think I would. A big one.' By the time Elle had stopped rambling on they were already in the kitchen. ‘Sorry, let me take your coat.'

It didn't take long for the first glasses to be filled and devoured. ‘Maybe I should phone Angie,' Elle suggested.

‘Or I could just leave.'

‘You'll do no such thing. I'll have one of those, sweetheart,' Rick said. The scent of his aftershave overpowered the warm, spiced aroma of the Moroccan lamb stew simmering in the oven.

The doorbell rang again.

‘Angie!' Charlie cried, only this time Elle couldn't share his excitement.

‘Shall I get it?' Rick asked cheerfully.

‘I think I'd better go,' she said, still not quite believing what was happening.

‘Are you going to tell me what you're playing at?' Chris was asking Rick as she left.

The waft of fresh air as Elle opened the front door wasn't enough to push back the growing sense of dread, but she did her best to greet her unsuspecting friend with a smile.

Charlie's greeting was more exuberant and Angie crouched down to give him a bear hug. ‘Hello, big guy,' she said. With the little boy's head buried in her neck, she glanced up at Elle. The false smile on her friend's face didn't fool her and when Angie stood up, she couldn't resist putting her hand on Elle's cheek.

The simple show of affection made Elle feel all the more uncomfortable. She had unwittingly become Rick's accomplice. ‘I'm really sorry, Angie, but Chris is here. Rick invited him. I'll understand if you don't want to come in.'

The look of puzzlement on Angie's face was reminiscent of the one her estranged husband had worn only moments earlier. Then she shrugged. ‘Let the games commence,' she said.

It was Angie who led the way into the kitchen where Rick and Chris were still loitering. Chris looked embarrassed but, true to form, Angie had an air of confidence that Rick would do well to heed if he knew what was good for him. ‘Care to explain?' she asked.

Rick came over to her and gave her an affectionate peck on the cheek. ‘Call me all the names you like, and this is probably a big mistake, but you two mean a lot to us. Everyone keeps saying how crazy it is that you've split up. Now, I'm not expecting miracles, but would it do any harm for us all to have a pleasant evening together like the good old days?'

‘I never took you for an old romantic,' Angie said.

Glasses were filled as everyone shuffled around, trying to find a comfortable space in the large kitchen that was starting to feel a bit too snug. Elle was making a glass of juice for Charlie when the first exchange between Chris and Angie finally came.

‘You look nice,' he said. ‘Is that dress new?'

‘Yes, and it cost a fortune,' Angie told him. Elle had her back to them but she imagined that her friend had raised an eyebrow. The note of challenge was a familiar one between the two. Their relationship had always been tempestuous and they were both strong-willed, but their constant war of words had always sparked with the kind of passion she could only dream of.

‘Mummy looks pretty too,' Charlie piped up. ‘Daddy said she could make lots and lots of money out on the streets.'

‘Really? Well, I'm sure your daddy meant she could be a supermodel on the catwalk,' Angie said.

‘Yes, that's exactly what I meant.'

Rick had a fixed grin as he stared at Angie. Holding his gaze, Angie said, ‘Why don't you boys retire to the dining room while we girls do what we do best? Cook something up for our men.' She reached over to tickle Charlie's sides. ‘And that means you, too.'

‘Charlie's chief cook,' Rick told her. ‘I think he wants to stay here and help Mummy. Don't you, Charlie?'

‘No, he doesn't,' Angie replied for him. ‘Here, I'll carry your juice in for you.'

‘It's OK, let me,' Chris offered and with some effort, he herded the men out of the kitchen, leaving Angie and Elle to their own devices.

‘I'm sorry, Angie.'

‘You know, even if there had been the remotest chance of a reconciliation, there's no way it's happening now. I'm not letting Rick take the credit.'

‘So there was a remote chance?'

Angie spoke slowly and deliberately. ‘No, Elle. I have no time for a man who has to wait for an invitation to dinner before he'll think about fighting for his marriage. Now, back to more pressing matters,' she said, picking up her drink and the pace. ‘I want you to tell me exactly what's going on. I love you to bits, Elle, but I was being polite about the supermodel thing. Your makeup hasn't completely camouflaged the dark circles under your eyes. What on earth's happened?'

Elle knew they wouldn't have long; there was no time to sugar-coat her news. ‘I was right. He was having an affair.'

Angie's jaw tightened and her words were taut. ‘I knew it!'

‘He spent all his married life living a lie, we all did …' Elle stopped. She looked at Angie and caught the flush rising in her cheeks as her friend looked away. Her blood ran cold. ‘You thought I was talking about Rick, didn't you?'

Angie twisted the wine glass in her hand. ‘It did sound like that was what you meant,' she said in a lame attempt to dig herself out of a hole.

‘You really think he's having an affair?'

‘Don't you?' There was genuine surprise in Angie's voice, but then her face softened as she had second thoughts. ‘Sorry, Elle, you've got enough to deal with as it is. Please don't listen to me. I'm only looking for new ways to demonize the man that causes you such misery.'

‘I'm not saying it's never crossed my mind. He does go off the radar quite a bit,' Elle said. ‘And last Saturday, when he said he was called away to work … Where did he go?'

‘You really could do better.'

Elle laughed bitterly. ‘My dad would say I already have, but it doesn't matter what's best for me. It's all about what's best for Charlie.'

‘The two aren't mutually exclusive. If you're happy then Charlie will thrive and if Rick never appreciates you, and if he does have … outside interests,' Angie added diplomatically, ‘then how can you be happy?'

‘Do you know what's really sad? It wouldn't bother me if Rick did have someone else. Actually, I think I'd feel relieved. With any luck, he'd leave. Then I wouldn't have to make the decision.'

‘You're really thinking about it, aren't you?'

Elle avoided the answer by looking at the kitchen clock on the wall. It was eight o'clock. ‘I'd better get Charlie to bed. Could you start taking the soup into the dining room for me?'

With some brief instructions, Angie was left to serve up and to wonder if her friend was finally beginning to see sense.

When Elle tucked Charlie up in bed he had a grim look on his face to equal his mother's. Hoping for the best, she ignored it and returned downstairs. Her dinner guests were gathered in the dining room, although they were yet to sit down. Chris was lighting the tall candles in the crystal centrepiece. He didn't notice the splintering of miniature rainbows flickering across the polished table which added warmth and colour to the black-and-white decor. He was too busy casting furtive glances at his wife, who in turn was apparently too engrossed in the demanding task of ladling chickpea soup into bowls to notice the attention. Rick was opening a bottle of red wine and he had a satisfied smile on his face as he watched the watcher.

‘Thanks, Angie,' Elle said. ‘Now everyone sit down before it gets cold.'

It was no accident that Elle had made dishes that could easily be stretched to accommodate an extra dinner guest. Rick had been involved in deciding the menu and had planned it to perfection. His brazen interference continued as he guided Angie to her seat and indicated for Chris to sit opposite her.

‘Did Charlie complain much?' Angie asked, turning away from Rick and the source of her barely disguised annoyance.

‘He's been playing up lately,' Rick told Chris. ‘Elle's doing her best, but if he doesn't settle tonight then I think I'll have to go up and read him the riot act.'

‘Daddy's word is law,' Angie observed.

‘He's going to have to start behaving once there's a new baby on the scene.'

The spoonful of soup that hadn't quite made it to her lips trembled in Elle's hand, but it was Angie who spoke first. ‘You're not pregnant, are you?'

Rick laughed. ‘No, not yet, but give us time. Didn't you tell Angie?' he asked his wife in mock surprise. ‘I'm sorry, sweetheart, I didn't realize we were only telling a select few.' He raised his hands by way of an apology to Angie, seeking her forgiveness that she wasn't included in their circle of trust. ‘It will be good for Elle to have something positive to look forward to after the horrendous time she's had lately. In fact it will be good for us all. Children keep a family solid. I can't help thinking that maybe things would have been different for you two if only you hadn't been so keen to put off having babies, Angie.'

‘I don't think any number of children can make a failing marriage work,' she told him.

‘But it might have made us try a little bit harder to make it work,' Chris offered. Whether it was deliberate or not, he had managed to defuse the tension by completely derailing Angie's train of thought. For once, his wife was speechless.

‘I hope you all like the soup,' Elle said, taking advantage of the lull in the conversation. She wasn't enjoying the sport Angie and Rick were making of their lives. She had lost the game already. She had proven to herself time and time again that she wasn't strong enough to stand up to Rick. But the prospect of having another child to love and protect, all the while pretending to give Rick her undivided attention was unbearable. She wanted to run away, and that impulse was becoming more and more difficult to ignore as she sat at the dining table playing the perfect hostess.

There was a smattering of compliments but after an all too brief respite the battle resumed. ‘You're going to have to cut back on your hours and help Elle out more if you do have another baby,' Angie said.

‘Or work harder still for an expanding family,' Rick countered. ‘Not that I'm complaining. It's my pleasure and my duty to provide for them.'

‘But it must be terribly draining for you. What was it that was so urgent last week, anyway?'

‘Sorry?'

Elle gave Angie a warning glare but it missed its target. Angie was looking in the opposite direction and Elle followed her gaze. Rick was playing nervously with his cutlery and she couldn't help but feel some vicarious satisfaction. She wished she could make him that unnerved.

‘Do you remember what it was, Chris?'

‘Angie,' Chris warned.

There was a gentle thump upstairs and all eyes were raised to the ceiling. Rick jumped up but Elle was faster, her fight-or-flight instinct paying dividends. ‘I'll go,' she said. ‘Angie, I hate to do this again, but do you mind checking on the main course?'

It was a poorly disguised attempt to separate the warring factions and although Angie agreed she didn't look defeated.

There was a rustle of cotton sheets as Elle came into the bedroom. Charlie had tried to scramble back into bed but misjudged the jump and was slowly sliding off the opposite side of his rocket ship towards outer space.

‘Come here,' she said. Far from being angry she was only too happy to dodge the hostile environment downstairs and would have liked nothing better than to spend the rest of the evening cosying up with her son.

‘Sorry,' he said with a yawn.

‘If you're so tired, Charlie, then why aren't you asleep?'

He shrugged. It was his usual response.

‘Not good enough,' Elle said. She was trying to absorb some of Angie's defiance. Whatever her weaknesses, surely she could assert her authority on a six-year-old child. ‘What is it?'

Charlie didn't reply but this time there was no dismissive shrug.

‘Is there something you think you're missing out on?'

He shook his head.

‘And you're not having nightmares, are you?'

Again a shake of the head.

‘Then why are you so terrified of going to sleep?'

Charlie squeezed himself closer to her, tensing his body and closing his eyes shut. Her heart beat a little faster as she realized he was preparing for a confession.

‘I might not see you again,' he said in one quick gasp.

Elle blushed. Had Charlie picked up on her unhappiness? Did he think she was so desperate that one night she might run away? She couldn't deny it was tempting. ‘I would never, ever leave you Charlie, not ever.'

Charlie shook his head. ‘But what if I left you?'

‘And where would you go?'

‘To heaven with Nana and Granddad.'

She pulled away slightly and hooked a finger under his chin to lift his head. His eyes were glistening and his lip trembled.

‘Nana and Granddad were both very sick and then their bodies stopped working. That was why they died and that was why they went to heaven. You're not old and you're not sick.'

‘But Daddy said that Granddad went to sleep. He said he dreamed about going to heaven to see Nana and never came back,' Charlie explained as he gasped for air. He was terrified. ‘What if I have a dream about going to heaven and I stay there and never see you again?'

Elle imagined Rick standing in front of Charlie, telling him to man up and imparting his nuggets of wisdom. It was the same stance he always assumed when engaging with his son. He never cuddled Charlie and only ever picked him up to put him down somewhere else. An image of Rick with that familiar sneer on his face came to mind, along with an imaginary fist smashing into it. It made her feel good.