The Would-Begetter (33 page)

At eight o’clock, after she and Morgan had eaten their supper and were again slouched in front of the box, they heard the front door opening and Hector coming in. About bloody time! Wendy thought, looking at her watch. I’ll wait until
Morgan’s gone to bed, and then he’s going to have one hell of a lot of explaining to do.

But there were voices in the hall. Hector had some woman with him. Oh no! Wendy thought horrified. I look a complete and utter mess for the first time in my entire life and Hector has to choose this moment to bring visitors home without even warning me. I’ll kill him!

‘Do I look really mucky?’ she asked Morgan anxiously.

‘Well, you’ve got this big smudge of something on your forehead,’ he said. ‘I was going to tell you.’

Then the sitting-room door opened arid Hector came in, and behind him was a skinny, defiant looking girl of about Morgan’s age, wearing crumpled clothes and large black boots. Hector himself looked belligerent, and Wendy’s heart sank. She recognised this attitude as a favourite strategy of his for countering criticism; attack always being his preferred form of defence.

‘Ah, Wendy and Morgan,’ Hector said firmly, putting an arm around the girl. ‘I don’t believe you’ve met my daughter Hannah?’

‘I’m going to call the police,’ Caroline announced at ten o’clock. ‘There’s still no reply from Hector’s number, just a sodding answerphone. It’s quite obvious to me that the bloody man’s kidnapped her!’

‘But Hector wouldn’t do a thing like that,’ Jess protested.

‘So where is Hannah? We’ve looked everywhere. We’ve phoned all her friends. What other explanation is there?’

‘But I saw him leave,’ Jess said, ‘and she wasn’t with him, and anyway it would be virtually impossible to make Hannah go anywhere she didn’t want to, without an almighty struggle and a lot of noise. Someone would have noticed!’

‘No,’ Caroline said despairingly. ‘You don’t understand. I didn’t mean kidnapped as in “against her will”. She probably hid in the boot for the first five minutes. That’s why I’m feeling so desperate. I have this dreadful certainty that Hannah would do
anything
to get away from me.’ She began to cry messily and with great gasping breaths. ‘I’ve failed,’ she sobbed, ‘failed at the most important thing in life – being a mother!’

‘No…’ Jess soothed her, putting both arms around her,
and holding her tightly. ‘You haven’t, of course you haven’t. It’s all my fault. I’m so, so sorry. If only I hadn’t let on that Hannah was Hector’s daughter, then none of this would have happened.’ She sounded tearful too.

After a moment or two, Caroline sniffed loudly and pulled back a little, so that she could meet her friend’s eyes. ‘It would probably all have come to the same thing in the end,’ she admitted. ‘I’m sorry I blamed you earlier. If I’m honest, I’ve known for some time that Hannah was just waiting for an excuse to get away from me. It’s just… just that I can’t believe that any responsible adult would connive at it with her. How could Hector do it? It’s
sick!
’

‘But I don’t suppose…’ Jess was interrupted by the sound of the telephone ringing. Caroline let out a muffled scream and almost pushed Jess over in her haste to disengage herself and rush to answer it.

‘Sorry, sorry. Hello?… Oh Hannah darling! I’ve been so
worried.
Are you all right? Where are you?’

‘In Somerset, at Hector’s house,’ Hannah sounded sulky. ‘He made me phone you. Calm down, will you? It’s no big deal.’

‘What on earth do you mean? A man kidnaps you and…’

‘Get real, Mum! It was no kidnap. I stowed away on the back seat of his car. He was, like, ballistic when he found out.’

‘Ohhh…’ Caroline felt about for the nearest chair and sank into it. There was a brief silence.

‘You OK?’ Hannah asked. ‘Like you haven’t fainted or nothing?’

‘A fat lot you care,’ Caroline managed to say.

‘What d’you mean? I’m calling you, aren’t I?’

‘But I’ve been trying Hector’s number for
hours,
and all I got was his damned machine!’

‘Yeah, well, he switched it over when we got here. He said he needed quiet space, ’cos we had, like, stuff to discuss.’

‘But you are all right?’

‘Well I’m totally wrecked and the journey here was a bunch of arse, but yeah, I’m OK.’

After the first tremendous relief of discovering that Hannah was safe and well, Caroline began to be curious about the kind of reception that had awaited her. ‘What’s Hector’s family like?’

‘Oh Morgan’s not exactly cool, but he’s wicked at drawing. He’s mad for it! You should see the stuff he does. He is SO talented.’

‘And Wendy?’

‘Well she was well gutted at first. Seems she didn’t know nothing about me, nor Florian, Hector’s other son. Hector’d decided to, like, give it to her straight, see, but Wendy just ran upstairs, and we could hear her bawling right through the ceiling. And then Hector wen’ up and they had one heck of a row, like shouting and chucking stuff, and then she comes down all swollen up round the eyes, and she goes, “I’m sorry Hannah, this isn’t any fault of yours,” and I’m like, “That’s OK,” and then she makes us this huge bowl of spaghetti and stuff, like nothing’s happened. It was well weird, I can tell you!’

‘And what about Hector?’

‘Oh he’s toughing it out. He’s the dog’s, is Hector.’

‘PLEASE
Hannah! Do endeavour to talk proper English. All this mock Cockney street-speak is getting more than a little tedious. It’s so
limited!’

‘Yeah, yeah.’

‘So,’ Caroline said briskly, ‘when are you coming home? Get Hector to put you on a train, and I’ll meet you at Pad-dington. Yes?’

‘No way.’

‘Whatever do you mean?’

‘Just that. I like it here. The food’s pukkah. I’ve never had a dad nor brothers before. End of story.’

‘Now come on, Hannah. Don’t be ridic…’

‘Leave it, Mum, OK? It’s been a long day and I’m wrecked. Oh, one more thing…’

‘What?’

‘Hector’s showed me this huge portrait of my great-great-grandmother, yeah? On his study wall? So my name’s not Hannah Moffat no more. Everyone’s got to call me Gwladys Mudgeley. Right?’ And she put the phone down.

Jess didn’t know quite how to help Caroline. She felt guilty for having precipitated the crisis, and yet she knew logically that it wasn’t her fault. It was Hector they should be blaming.
Jess supposed that she ought to feel antagonistic towards him as a result, and thought she did, but then again…This is no time for introspection, she thought wearily. I shall have to try to help sort things out, but first I’m going to make us both a milky drink to go to bed with. There’s nothing more we can do tonight.

On her way out of the kitchen she noticed an envelope on the hall table, and went to investigate. It was in fact two envelopes. One had got caught under the unclosed flap of the other, and had become stuck there. Jess separated them out and saw that the outer one was for Caroline, but the inner one was addressed, also in Hector’s writing, to Zillah Brakespear! Jess carried them both in to Caroline with the two mugs of hot chocolate.

‘If he thinks he can buy me off…!’ Caroline began, taking out the cheque. ‘I’ve a good mind to tear it up!’ Then she looked at it and hesitated.

‘Is it for a lot?’ Jess asked.

‘It’s pretty generous, yes.’ Caroline admitted.

‘Don’t do anything rash,’ Jess suggested. ‘Wait until tomorrow, eh?’ Then she produced the other envelope. ‘I expect this is a cheque too. It got stuck to yours. I suppose Hector can’t have noticed.’

‘Zillah Brakespear,’ Caroline read. ‘Why don’t we open it and see how much he’s paying her!’

‘Oh well…’ Jess demurred, but Caroline had already torn the envelope, and was taking out Zillah’s cheque.

‘That’s interesting,’ she said. ‘It’s for an awful lot less.’

‘He probably pays monthly,’ Jess said. ‘I wonder if she’s missed it yet.’

‘Oh he can always write her another one.’

‘I’ve got a better idea,’ Jess said. ‘I could take it over to her when I’m down there next weekend, dealing with my flat. Hector’s told me where she lives and I’d like to see her again, and maybe even meet the ghastly Florian!’

‘If I wasn’t so desperate to get myself a job, I’d come too,’ Caroline said, ‘but I daren’t stop looking. Everything’s such a mess! What am I going to do, Jess? How am I ever going to get Hannah back? I tell you something – first thing tomorrow, I really am going to phone the police!

The next morning Caroline did just that. She looks terrible, Jess thought, watching her, and feeling for her friend. I doubt if she’s slept at all. She doesn’t seem to be having much luck with the police either.

Finally, after an increasingly acrimonious conversation in which Caroline was reduced to shouting down the phone, she crashed the receiver down and rested her forehead on the tips of her fingers.

‘No joy,’ Jess said. It wasn’t a question.

‘They say it’s a domestic problem,’ Caroline said, ‘and is therefore outside their remit. Can you believe that? The moment I told them Hannah was with her father, they completely lost interest. So what the hell do we do now?’

‘I suppose you could try talking to her on the phone again?’

‘You don’t know Hannah like I do. Once she’s decided to do something, she can be
so
stubborn. Even when she’s made the most ghastly mistake, she’d die rather than admit as much to me. She can’t bear to be in the wrong.’

‘Well, maybe we should leave it as it is for a while?’ Jess suggested. ‘It’s school holidays, so it’s not crucial, and I’m sure Hector won’t let her come to any harm.’

‘I don’t seem to have much choice in the matter,’ Caroline said bitterly. ‘God! Children – who’d have them!’

‘It’s funny,’ Jess said, ‘but now we know Hannah’s safe, I’m starting to feel most sorry for Wendy in all this. Imagine what it must be like for her.’

‘Yes, in spite of everything, she made Hannah some supper last night,’ Caroline said, agreeing. ‘You’re right. That was pretty heroic. You can’t blame someone for having been born, but I’m willing to bet that in those circumstances, most of us would have!’

‘So you needn’t worry any more, OK?’ Jess said comfortingly. ‘Hannah’s perfectly all right for the time being.’

Even so, it was a long week. Jess had a lot of work on. Caroline was at last called to a couple of interviews. They compared notes each evening.

‘Today’s inquisition went well,’ Caroline said. ‘I almost dare to hope…’

‘When will you hear?’

‘They’re seeing more candidates early next week in
Edinburgh, so I’m having to contain my impatience. Oh by the way, I got through to Hannah on the phone this afternoon.’

‘And?’

‘She says she’s fine. It sounds as though Wendy isn’t holding up too well though. Hannah says she’s been spending a lot of time in bed, and when she does appear, she’s quite obviously been crying. Apparently she’s had to go to her doctor for sleeping pills.’

‘Poor thing!’

‘I know.’

‘But Hannah’s OK, that’s good. Any hints about her eventually coming home?’

‘None. It’s like some ridiculous comedy routine. She won’t answer unless I call her Gwladys,
Gwladys
…! And she won’t discuss the future at all…’

‘But she’s happy? Couldn’t you pretend to yourself that she’s on holiday?’

Caroline sighed. ‘It’s not that easy. I need to
see
her; talk face to face.’

‘So, come down to Somerset with me tomorrow.’

‘I
can’t
Jess. What if somebody phones about a job? I daren’t leave London, just in case.’

‘Well they’re hardly likely to do so over the weekend, are they? Come with me, Caro. Have a break yourself. You can help me with the flat and then we can walk by the sea again, and go and see Zillah in her camp, as well as going to Hector’s to sort Hannah out. Go on, spoil yourself – say you’ll come?’

‘Oh, what the hell,’ Caroline said, giving in. ‘Let’s do it!’

Jess and Caroline left London very early on Saturday, driving westwards along the M4 and then south down the M5. It was a bright clear morning and still early in the year, being the week before Easter, but the lambs they saw in the fields alongside the motorway were already chunky and well past the charming stage.

‘There are one or two things I’ve definitely got to do,’ Jess said. ‘I wouldn’t mind popping into the
Chronicle
to see whoever’s there, but the most important thing is to make sure the flat is clean and fully equipped for the season. I do like to see to it myself to make sure it really is done properly.’

‘You should learn to delegate,’ Caroline said.

‘Should I?’ Jess said. ‘Why? Why is it that mastering the art of delegation is always considered to be such a virtue?’

‘Well…I don’t know really. I can’t say I’ve ever analysed it, but it’s clearly much more efficient. After all, no one should be indispensable.’

‘Why?’

‘Well it’s obvious…’

‘Because we’ve all been brainwashed into thinking we’re just tiny cogs in the huge wheel of industry, and one cog is very much like another?’

‘We can’t all be rugged individualists like you, Jess!’

‘Why not?’

‘You sound just like Hannah used to, when she was at the “why” stage! Not that I was ever there long enough to give her proper answers.’ Caroline sighed. ‘That was certainly one hugely important thing that I delegated – the bringing up of my daughter – and look where it’s got me.’ She bit her lip.

‘This is only a hiccup,’ Jess said. ‘You’ll see. It’ll all work out.’

‘When we get there,’ Caroline said, ‘I’ll phone Hannah straight away to tell her we’re coming to see her.’

‘Do it now if you like,’ Jess said, indicating her mobile phone.

‘No… she won’t be up yet. I’ll wait until we get there.’

When they arrived, and Caroline had taken a few deep breaths to calm herself, she did telephone Hannah, wandering round the small kitchen whilst Jess made coffee and some toast for breakfast. It sounded like an unsatisfactory conversation, but Jess could hear only half of it.

‘Could I speak to Hannah please?’

‘But this is Hector Mudgeley’s number?’