Least Said (56 page)

‘You
have
no
proof
at
all
that
he’s
Will’s
father,
and
neither
does
he.’
I
could
tell
by
the
firm
note
in
Tina’s
voice
that
she
was
rallying,
and
that
was
just
what
I
needed.
I
couldn’t
deal
with
this
all
on
my
own
any
longer.
‘Possibly
it
is
all
one
big
coincidence,
unbelievable
as
that
seems,
Wendy.
I
doubt
very
much
that
he’d
have
been
idiot
enough
to
move
his
wife
and
family
to
Brankstone
had
he
known
the
woman
he
once
had
an
affair
with
was
living
right
on
his
doorstep.
I
think
when
you
confront
him
–
as
of
course
you
must
–
I’m
sure
you’ll
find
that
he
will
be
as
horrified
as
you
are.’

‘But
once
he
knows
about
Will...,’

‘Look,’
Tina
said,
‘to
put
it
quite
bluntly,
I
doubt
the
guy
even
remembers
the
night
he
spent
with
you,
let
alone
exactly
when
it
happened.
You
were
probably
one
of
a
whole
string
of
women.
Sorry,’
she
paused
to
let
that
unpalatable
truth
sink
in,
‘but
men
like
that
aren’t
known
for
their
loyalty.
I
bet
you
weren’t
the
first
–
or
the
last.’

‘If
only
I
could
have
got
pregnant
again,
just
to
prove
that
Jon
can
father
a
child,’
I
sighed,
‘but
there’s
no
sign
of
that
happening.’

‘There’s
still
time,’
Tina
put
in.

I
shook
my
head
even
though
I
knew
she
couldn’t
see
me,
and
said,
‘I
think
I
have
to
accept,
once
and
for
all,
that
Jon
is
not
William‘s
father.’

There
was
a
sudden
sound
from
behind
me
and
I
turned
to
see
Jon
standing
in
the
doorway.
It
was
crystal
clear
from
the
look
on
his
face
that
he
had
heard
every
word.

Chapter 15

‘Jon,’
I
whispered.

I
automatically
pressed
the
red
button
on
the
phone,
cutting
Tina
off
and,
dropping
the
receiver,
I
rushed
to
where
Jon
stood
as
if
he
was
carved
from
granite
rock.
His
only
movement
was
to
thrust
out
his
hands
in
a
quite
obvious
effort
to
fend
me
off.

His
face
was
drained
of
all
colour,
his
blue
eyes
were
full
of
deep,
dark
despair
and
his
voice
was
hoarse
as
he
rasped,
‘Don’t
-
don’t
touch
me.
In
fact,
don’t
you
dare
come
anywhere
near
me
or
–
I
swear
-
I
will
not
be
responsible
for
my
actions.’

‘Let
me
explain,’
I
pleaded,
even
though
I
knew
there
was
no
explanation
in
the
world
I
could
possibly
give
that
would
be
acceptable
to
Jon.
‘Please,
let
me
explain.’

‘Don’t
waste
your
breath,’
he
said
without
a
single
trace
of
emotion
and,
giving
me
one
last,
long
look
he
turned
and
left
the
room.
It
was
only
when
the
front
door
closed,
with
a
click
that
sounded
very
loud
and
very
final,
that
I
realised
he
had
left
the
house,
too.

I
went
after
him,
wrenching
the
door
open
and
calling
his
name.
He
didn’t
even
turn
his
head
or
acknowledge
in
any
way
that
he
had
heard
me,
just
strode
off
into
the
darkness.
I
stepped
outside,
tempted
to
run
after
him,
but
then
I
realised
that
would
mean
leaving
Will
upstairs
alone,
and
turned
to
go
back
inside.
Only
then
did
I
realise
that
it
was
raining,
hard,
and
that
Jon
was
wearing
no
coat,
not
even
a
jacket,
only
a
shirt
and
trousers.

‘Mummy?’

William’s
small
worried
voice
filtered
down
the
stairs
and,
even
as
I
hurried
to
comfort
my
son,
I
was
shuddering
at
the
sheer
enormity
of
what
my
unguarded
conversation
with
Tina
had
started,
and
wondering
when
and
where
it
was
all
going
to
end.

What
the
hell
had
I
been
thinking
to
speak
those
damning
words
out
loud
with
no
thought
to
whoever
might
over-hear
them?
In
my
eagerness
to
share
the
complete
horror
of
my
situation
with
the
one
person
I
could
trust
I
had
shattered
forever
the
illusion
of
a
happy
family
life
for
Jon.
Finally
and
carelessly
I
had
shown
it
up
for
what
it
really
was
-
a
facade,
a
fabrication,
built
to
cover
up
the
lies
I
had
created
in
an
attempt
to
conceal
my
own
treachery.

‘Mummy?’
Will
said
again,
and
I
could
hear
the
anxiety
in
his
tone
as
I
hesitated
outside
of
his
bedroom
door.

Taking
a
deep
breath,
I
pushed
open
the
door
and
stepping
inside,
I
said,
brightly,
cheerfully,
‘Now,
what’s
all
this,
then,
Will.
Shouldn’t
you
be
fast
asleep
by
now?’

‘Were
you
and
Daddy
arguing
?’
Will
placed
heavy
emphasis
on
the
word,
which
was
hardly
surprising
because
I
was
pretty
sure
he
had
never
seen
or
heard
Jon
and
I
argue,
not
ever.
‘I
thought
I
heard
you
shouting
at
each
other
downstairs
and
I
got
worried.’

I
managed
a
light
laugh,
and
told
yet
another
lie.
‘I
was
just
a
bit
cross
with
him
because
he’s
insisted
on
going
out
in
the
rain
to
post
a
letter,
when
it
really
could
have
waited
until
tomorrow.
I’m
sorry
if
you
were
worried,
sweetheart.
Everything
is
just
fine.’

‘Silly
Daddy,’
Will
tittered.

‘I
know,’
I
agreed,
‘that’s
just
what
I
said.’

I
sat
on
the
side
of
his
bed
and
smoothed
my
little
boy’s
dark
hair,
whispering
that
all
was
well
and
Daddy
would
be
back
before
we
knew
it
–
and
that
I
wasn’t
really
cross.
I
must
have
sounded
convincing
because
in
no
time
he
was
sound
asleep.

I
stood
up
and
stayed
there,
looking
down
at
William
for
the
longest
time,
the
innocent
child
whose
life
I
might
just
have
ruined.
But
then,
I
reminded
myself,
I
had
placed
myself
and
my
family
on
the
road
to
ruin
long
ago,
on
the
night
I
slept
with
someone
who
wasn’t
my
husband
and
started
a
relentless
chain
of
events
that
had
ultimately
led
to
this
moment.
I
should
never
have
forgotten
that
the
truth
will
always
out
and
not
tried
so
bloody
hard
to
convince
myself
that
least
said
really
was
soonest
mended.