CHAPTER TWENTY

Three weeks passed by, and Ellie felt closer than ever to Mark. He was attentive and caring round her, but he never once said how he felt about her. Becky continued to get better, leaving the bed after the first four days and dismissing the nurse after the first week, no longer needing any extra care. Glenn took good enough care of her as it was, and on the day he had proposed to her, actually going down on one knee, she had cried her eyes out. Mark and Ellie had come rushing to see what was wrong with her, both of them laughing when they saw an embarrassed Glenn still kneeling on the floor holding a sobbing Becky. He had soon seen the funny side of the situation and had laughed along with them, happier than he could ever remember being when she accepted his proposal.

Without her being aware of their actions, he and Mark had called in the police and made an official complaint against Isobel and Richard, also claiming that they should look into how she was treating her husband. The welcome news came back a few days afterwards that Richard had been arrested for not just this offence, but several others, and so had Isobel, one of the servants speaking out about what she was doing to Becky's father, and of what she had been doing to Becky for years. They wouldn't be getting out of prison any time soon, if ever, and Glenn chose that time to inform Becky of what had happened, asking what she wanted to do about her father.

"I'm not sure," she said, pleased to know Isobel was gone, but thinking of how she had suffered at her father's hands, regardless of the fact he had been drunk. "Do you know if he's still drinking?"

Glenn grimaced and nodded. "Yes, he is. The cook, Maude, is still with him out of loyalty. I spoke to her a couple of days ago. She didn't expect you to come back."

Becky closed her eyes briefly and then looked at Glenn sadly. "He hurt me so much, Glenn, and I can't forgive that. I don't care if he was drinking, that's no excuse. He had the choice of whether or not to drink, and he chose to. Whatever happened after that was a direct result of that choice." She shook her head and lifted her chin. "He's nothing to me now. You're all the family I need."
Glenn smiled, sad for her that she would never see her father again, but understanding her decision. And he was happy that she saw him as her family. His future looked bright now.

Mark had been talking to a lawyer about what Ellie's rights were regarding her old home, but it turned out that Anne-Marie had every right to be there and was free to choose who lived there with her. She had legally been the beneficiary of Ellie's father's will, and there was nothing they could do to remove her. Mark chose not to tell Ellie about what he had discovered. As far as he was concerned she would never need to go back there anyway, so it was of little matter. His own guilt about how he had bought her from that woman kept rising in his throat like bile, and he started to pull away from her as he tried to cope with his own feelings. He wasn't used to feeling bad about something, even if he had apologised for how he had been. It just ate away at him.

Ellie couldn't possibly know the reason for his sudden withdrawal, and she saw it as something different entirely. He was growing tired of her. It wasn't quite so apparent whilst Becky and Glenn were with them, but when they left she noticed it more than ever, and it made her become quiet and withdrawn herself. She even hid the fact that she had recently started feeling unwell, not knowing whether or not he would care anymore.

Lizzy watched the way the two acted around each other and she sighed, shaking her head. They had been getting on so well, and she had truly believed that Mark loved Ellie, but now he had become sullen and grumpy again. He wouldn't even listen to her when she tried to talk to him, and so she left him to it, knowing that it would work itself out eventually, one way or another.

***

A few days passed in relative silence, and Mark was sitting in his study when the phone rang. He picked it up absently and then smiled when he heard Glenn on the other end. "Hey, Glenn, how's everything going?"

"Really good. Becky loves the house, and she's already making plans for decorating one of the rooms as a nursery."

"You're not even married yet," Mark pointed out, laughing at excitement that was bubbling out of his friend.

"We will be, as soon as I can arrange it. Which reminds me, that's why I called. You'll be my best man won't you?"

"I'd be insulted if you asked anyone else!" Mark said, laughing. "Of course I will."

"Great! I'll let you know when and where. So," Glenn said, sounding slightly more relaxed, "how are things between you and Ellie?"

"Okay, I guess," Mark said, tapping his fingers on his desk as he gazed out of the window.

"You don't sound too sure," Glenn said.

"Hell, I don't know what's the matter with me anymore!" Mark burst out, feeling the need to unburden himself. "I feel so bad for the way she came here that I can't talk to her anymore."

"You seemed okay when we were there."

"Yeah well I wasn't. Christ, Glenn, I can't even bring myself to look at her!"

"You've already apologised to her, haven't you? So why feel guilty now? She obviously loves you," Glenn said.

"Yeah, right," Mark scoffed, giving a short laugh.

"She does, all you have to do is open your eyes and look," Glenn said, sighing. "And you love her too otherwise you wouldn't feel so bad. Unless you're still hung up on that ex-wife of yours?"

"No way, she's a total slut!" Mark said loudly, frowning with distaste when he thought of that woman.

"So you're not still in love with her or anything stupid like that?"

"Of course I don't love her. Who the hell would? I'd rather see her dead than fall in love with her!" He took a deep breath and then released it slowly out of his nose. "Enough about her, I'd rather talk about something a little more savoury."

Glenn chuckled and relented. "Okay, man, just checking. Now, about Ellie," he continued, hearing Mark's breathing even out slightly as he carried on.

To the girl standing outside the door, it sounded as if every word had been about herself, and she felt the blood drain from her face as she quickly moved away. She sank down onto the bottom step and tried to breathe, the pain in her chest intense as her world crumbled around her. She loved him so much, and he thought she was a slut, he could never love her, she thought. Suddenly the house became too confining and she had to get away. She couldn't stay here knowing what he really thought about her.

Heading upstairs, she let the tears fall, trying not to make any noise as she went into their bedroom and starting bundling up a few things she might need. She didn't have anywhere to go, but she couldn't stay there. She sat on the side of the bed and wiped her eyes, trying to think. She could ring Becky, maybe she'd be able to help her, even let her stay at the cabin for a while. No-one would know, as long as she could get Becky to keep it a secret from Glenn. Nausea rose hot in her throat and she rushed to the bathroom, just making it in time as she lost her stomach contents, starting to cry again at how weak she felt. Great, she was coming down with some awful bug and she would be on her own, in the middle of the forest, with no-one who cared. She pulled herself up off the floor and cleaned her teeth, washing her face and closing her eyes in resignation. No-one cared before, either. At least this way she'd be safe from any beatings.

Just as she had finished getting her stuff together she heard Mark's footsteps coming towards the door and she hurriedly threw them in the closet, closing it just as he came in the room. He glanced at her briefly and then looked away, going to his bedside cabinet and grabbing his keys. "I've got to go out for a while," he muttered, frowning as he looked at her pale face. He looked like he was about to say something else, but he closed his mouth with a snap and left the room, slamming the door behind him.

Ellie hung her head and gathered her shattered emotions together, sitting on the bed and reaching for the phone before she could chicken out. After dialling, the phone rang a couple of times and then Glenn answered, shocking Ellie who had been expecting to hear Becky's voice. She cleared her throat after he had said hello a couple of times and attempted an even tone of voice. "Hi, Glenn, is Becky there please?"

"Hey Ellie, yeah sure, I'll just get her."

There were sounds of fading footsteps and then smaller ones coming back before Becky spoke. "Hi Ellie!" she said cheerfully.

"Becky I need to ask a favour," Ellie said immediately, her voice sombre. Becky couldn't fail to notice how she sounded and she went silent for a second.

"What's wrong Ellie?"

At those fateful words, Ellie burst into tears and had a real problem bringing herself back under control. "Mark hates me! He said I was a slut, and that he could never love me...!"

"What? Ellie, he actually said that to your face?" Becky asked, shocked.

"No, he was talking to someone on the phone, but I heard him. I have to leave here, I can't stay knowing how he feels, and I love him so much. Becky you have to help me!"

"Of course I will, sweetie, you know I'll do whatever I can to help you," Becky said soothingly, feeling really worried when she heard the state Ellie was in. In all the years she had known her she had never heard her so low.

"I want to stay at the cabin, it's the only place I can think of to go."

"No problem, I'll ask Glenn to come and get you and..."

"No!" Ellie burst out in a panic. "No, he mustn't know, you can't tell him. He'll tell Mark!"

"Okay, calm down Ellie, I won't say a word I promise. Look, there's a hidden key," she said, detailing where it was, then she went on to tell her how to turn everything on, having seen Glenn do it when she had stayed there. "But how are you going to get there?"

"I'll get a taxi. Mark isn't here right now, he won't be able to follow me," Ellie said, sounding a little calmer. "You won't tell him?"

"Ellie, I would never do anything to hurt you, you know that. Listen, call a taxi right now and I'll come and see you as soon as I can get away, but it may be a few days, okay? There's food still there and the freezer's still working, so help yourself. What about money?"

"I can get some money," she said quietly. "Thank you, Becky."

"You're welcome. Take care of yourself."

Ellie hung up and grabbed her bundle of things out of the closet, leaving the room swiftly and heading downstairs where she quickly put on a thick coat and dialled a taxi. A quick search of Mark's office came up with enough money to keep her going for a couple of weeks and she ran back into the hall as she heard the taxi draw up outside.

"Where on earth are you going child?" Lizzy asked, startling Ellie as she appeared behind her in the hallway.

"I'm going to see Becky," Ellie improvised, gesturing to the bundle she held. "I have to give these things back to her. I won't be long," she said, smiling.

Lizzy looked suspicious. "Well, okay. But you make sure you're back before it gets dark or else Mark will worry about you."

No, he won't, Ellie wanted to say but she just nodded and rushed out of the door, climbing into the taxi with relief and giving the directions. Mark could divorce her while she wasn't here and then he could find someone he could love, someone he would be happy with. She wiped a few tears away as she thought about the fact that it wouldn't be her.

****

Mark had gone for a ride on his bike, letting the cold air sweep the cobwebs out of his brain. His own behaviour over the last few days suddenly came into focus and he grimaced. No wonder Ellie had been quiet, he hadn't spoken more than three words to her since Glenn and Becky had left. He had had time to analyse his own feelings and he finally admitted to himself that he had fallen in love with the sweet young girl he had forced to marry him. Now all he had to do was find out if she felt the same way, like Glenn had said. He turned the bike around and headed back home, eager now to try and sort out the mess he had made of his own marriage, such as it was. He wanted to be happy again, and Ellie had the power to do that for him. He was determined that nothing would stand in the way.