Laying the Ghost (33 page)

‘God, that’s horrendous! Poor kids, both of them. But … I mean, at ten? Who has to be responsible for another child at ten?’

‘I know, I know. But you can imagine how it would affect someone, a brother. And the family never spoke about her, he told me, not ever again. It was almost as if she hadn’t existed, as if the whole horrible thing hadn’t happened. And after the one drunk night in Oxford when he told me about it, Patrick never mentioned it to me again either. I can understand that, I suppose. Once told, no point going over it.’

‘So you chose the possibility of a family,’ Ed said, turning her hand over and stroking her palm, soothing now.

‘I did. The big decision was when I got pregnant and he went completely hysterical. When I refused to go back to him, he came to my parents’ house and smashed all my mother’s car windows.’

And today she’d chosen children over Patrick again, in a way: choosing to come down to Devon to get Mimi and Joel rather than pay her way out of the situation, throw credit-card money at it. She’d phoned Patrick, told him about Mimi being stranded in Devon, that she was going to Exeter for the night and wouldn’t be back in time for lunch, swanky hard-to-get-into St Alban restaurant or not. She hadn’t for a moment thought, oh, I’m talking to Patrick
for
the first time in twenty years; she hadn’t fluttered and palpitated and wondered how she was coming across, or thought about whether his voice sounded the same or older, or anything silly and trivial. She’d simply told him what had happened and that another time would be better.

‘What did he say when you bailed out of the lunch date? Wasn’t he horribly disappointed?’

Nell could feel her mouth twitching with laughter. ‘Um … he said something that, in a million years, I’d never have expected arty, bad-boy, rebel Patrick to say.’ The laughter bubbled up. ‘He said, “That’s a total pain: I’d cancelled my golf just to see you.” Golf! Ye gods!’

Ed laughed, then became serious again. ‘But the real reasons you two didn’t stay together back then …’

‘Hmm. You’re quick. It’s taken me twenty whole years to get to this one! He didn’t love me enough to reconsider the children option. I didn’t love him enough to stay and try to change his mind. Simple as that. And nothing’s going to be any different there now, is it?’

‘Yes, well – that’s what you get when you go digging around – sometimes the thing you unearth is the simple truth.’

‘Exactly.’ Nell watched Mimi and Joel excavating a channel from their fort to the rapidly approaching sea. The two of them shouted and yelled abuse at it for crumbling their carefully constructed foundations, then gave up the fight, laughing madly as they danced on what
they’d
created and then leapt into the waves, hand in hand, splashing like little children. Those Philippe Starck Ghost chairs, Nell thought suddenly as she and Ed snuggled closer together: she must order them for the kitchen.

This Is Dedicated To The One I Love (The Shirelles)

THE END

About the Author

Judy Astley has been writing novels since 1990, following several years as a dressmaker, illustrator, painter and parent.
Laying the Ghost
is based on her conviction that there isn’t a woman on earth who, in an idle moment alone with a computer, won’t at some point type the names of her ex-boyfriends into the Google search bar. Results can (she is told) range from fabulously full-on rekindled romance to the threat of an ASBO and the possibility of exclusion from England’s prettiest counties. So please, as you read this book, consider yourselves warned.

Judy has two grown-up daughters and lives in London and Cornwall with her husband. Her own exes are safely consigned to the distant past and she wishes them well.

For more information on Judy Astley and her books, see her website at
www.judyastley.com

Also by Judy Astley

JUST FOR THE SUMMER

PLEASANT VICES

SEVEN FOR A SECRET

MUDDY WATERS

EVERY GOOD GIRL

THE RIGHT THING

EXCESS BAGGAGE

NO PLACE FOR A MAN

UNCHAINED MELANIE

AWAY FROM IT

SIZE MATTERS

ALL INCLUSIVE

BLOWING IT

TRANSWORLD PUBLISHERS
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www.transworldbooks.co.uk

Transworld is part of the Penguin Random House group of companies
whose addresses can be found at:
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First published in Great Britainin 2007
by Bantam Press, a division of Transworld Publishers
Black Swan edition published 2008

Copyright © Judy Astley 2007

Judy Astley has asserted her right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.

This book is a work of fiction and, except in the case of historical fact, any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

Version 1.0, Epub ISBN 9781407039541
A BLACK SWAN BOOK: 9780552773218

This ebook is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorized distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s and publisher’s rights and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.

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