Chapter 24

Caroline had been sitting at her desk for less than an hour when her phone rang, the face on the mobile was that of Gillian, her slightly mad, highly unpredictable but endearing step-sister. The frown she'd been wearing for the last half hour disappeared, replaced instead by a tut and the gentle rolling of her eyes.

She surveyed the mountain of documents either side of her on the desk and picked up the iPhone.

'Busy, snotty bitch here, this better be good.'

'Trailer trash here and yes it is,' came the reply.

Both women laughed warmly into their phones as they trotted out the well-worn old family joke.

'How's my favourite lesbian step-sister? I haven't seen or heard from you in ages.'

'Er, I'm your only step-sister and probably the only lesbian you know, so it's not hard to be your favourite. If you want something, Gillian, you're going to have to butter me up better than that,' the Head teacher said with a genuine smile.

'Ok, ok, you win, mea culpa.' Gillian was sitting in a field on the boot of her Landrover. She was surrounded by sheep who were grazing nearby, no doubt curious as to why the farmer had stopped right in the middle of their favourite grazing area.

'Ok, seeing as I can't be arsed with pussy footing around I'll get straight to the point; it's me and Robbie...'

Blue eyes rolled again. Caroline stared out of the window this time, looking down at her Jeep and thinking it could do with a clean, '... What about you and the hairy policeman?' she asked. She was half expecting a call like this after Lawrence had told her about Gillian's antics at the airport.

'Well if you stop interrupting I'll tell you!' the brunette snapped back.

Caroline sat up straight in her chair, now looking down at the buttons of her lilac cardigan she noticed that one of the buttons was hanging off where the thread had come loose and this unsettled the usually pristinely dressed blonde. The absent-minded reverie served a purpose, however, in that it diverted her attention and although she was tempted to snap back, she thought the better of it. Instead her mind swept back to what she had to do before leaving to meet Kate for lunch, so prolonging the phone call wasn't wise. 'I'm sorry, I should let you finish; go ahead.'

Caroline's apology caught the farmer by surprise, 'Bloody hell! Having a wife suits you, especially if it results in you being this chilled. I'll have to get one myself.' The farmer ran her fingers through her hair and continued, 'Has Kate got a sister by the way?'

'Hold on, what do you mean "it's me and Robbie"? What about you and Robbie? You've only been married 5 minutes and no she hasn't; you stick to your own side of the fence Mrs. There's only one pair of lips on the furry cup in this family and they're mine'.

'Ooh get you, all protective of your new found sexuality. I've already had a drink from said cup thanks and didn't like it, so don't worry, I'm happy for you to remain the only "gay in the village"'

This final remark was the one that set both women off laughing. The sheep pricked back their ears momentarily and stared at Gillian as she leaned back onto the bonnet and stomped her wellies on the bull bars of the Landy with every joke and response, mud and sheep excrement flying off into the air with every thud. Her trademark cheek-puffing was working overtime, a sure sign of her high level of anxiety which had not waned despite her enjoyment of the joshing with Caroline. This was, as always, a lady who teetered between the extremes of temperament.

A full minute of more banter and teasing and laughing between the women later, Caroline realised again that she didn't have time for a long drawn out tale, so she went into headmistress mode, dropping her voice from mocking and high to low and concerned. 'I'm being serious now Gillian because time is against us, what's happened?'

'Well I don't think I did anything wrong. Yes I might have had a bit much to drink but I was on my bloody honeymoon for frig's sake! It's not my fault that some stupid Spanish bint can't take a joke and I'm married to someone who thinks he's on duty all the time.' Gillian carried on without stopping for breath, 'anyway the long and the short of it is that Robbie's not speaking to me because he reckons I'm an embarrassment and don't know how to behave in public, can you believe that!?'

Gillian carried on listing everything she'd done and the policeman's every response.

Throughout her tirade, Caroline ummed and nodded and gave the impression that she was listening but carried on making bullet points and headings for her report. She stopped to reply,

'Well he is a policeman, Gillian, and of course he's going to be more observant and sensible than most of the blokes you knock around with. Listen, why don't you come over at the weekend and we can talk properly.' Caroline was watching the clock now and while she was sympathetic to Gillian's hurt feelings, could imagine the loose cannon side of her nature coupled with too much alcohol being the last thing anyone would want to be around when on holiday.

oOo

Meanwhile an hour earlier, back in Harrogate, the crunch of John's tyres on the gravel did not register on the ears of either of the two remaining occupants of 46 Conway Drive and neither did they hear the sound of the BMW reversing off the driveway.

'Shit. Flowers. I forgot the flowers,' he said out loud to himself. 'Or should it be chocolate?'

During his short journey to the nearby Waitrose he had made his decision. An orchid. His knowledge of flora was minimal (after all, this was the ex-husband who failed to register Caroline's likes and dislikes about flowers despite her reaction to the bouquets he had bought her during their twenty years together) but he recalled an article in a House Beautiful magazine, which he had read fairly recently while calming his nerves in his dentist's surgery. This said how popular orchids had become because of their stunning blooms and easy maintenance so the information made his decision for him.

Back at the house Kate decided to put her time to good use and carry out some chores that Caroline might otherwise try to persuade her against doing. The beds needed changing and with Lawrence home, the bathroom a clean. As she picked the young man's linen from the airing cupboard she thought that it was strange not to hear music booming along the landing. Lawrence and Kerrang radio were usually almost inseparable.

She knocked on her step-son's bedroom door and waited for his response, which came in the form of a quiet, rather than a belligerent, 'yeah, what?' Kate opened the door a fraction to put her head in the room.

'Hi Lawrence, I wonder if you would change….' Her speech was cut short by the look on Lawrence's face, which was anything but happy. 'Lawrence, what's up? You don't look at all well. Do you want me to ring your mum?'

Lawrence looked away from Kate and then down at the mobile phone cradled in his hands. Kate allowed the silence to continue, sensing that the youngster would talk to her if she gave him space instead of pressure. Her patience and wisdom were soon rewarded.

'Does it help with you and mum being the same, you know, err, both women. I mean, does it help you understand each other's needs?' He looked up and into her dark eyes. 'And moods?'

'May I?' she asked, pointing to the chair next to his bed. He nodded his assent.

'Sarah?' she questioned, the meaning of her question apparent.

'Yes, Sarah. What I don't understand is how things can change. On holiday it was so cool, you know. We got on really well. No rows, no problems. She, we enjoyed each other's company. Didn't really spend any time apart between first thing in the morning and last thing at night. Since we got home she's been distant, I think she must be seeing someone else. She must be. Why else would she be so reluctant to see me?'

'Have you spoken to her?'

'Yeah of course I have. Loads of times. I've asked her to meet me and she keeps putting me off.' A slight hint of hostility crept into his tone but Kate chose to ignore it.

'Does she say why she can't? From what I know of the Sarah Brookes in my class and the choir, she's not the sort to lie. She's more inclined to say things as they are. Wouldn't she just tell you if she didn't want to see you again?'

Lawrence sat quietly for a short while, digesting Kate's words and comparing her description of Sarah's character to his own knowledge. Kate was correct. Sarah was certainly an upfront teenager, apart from her looks (which were gorgeous) this was the main thing that attracted him from the start. She was not like most of the girls in her year; she was a leader and not a sheep, following her own opinion even if it didn't meet with the approval of the masses. She was also a kind and considerate person, he mused. She would rather tell him to disappear than be dishonest.

'Then why won't she see me? She says she's too busy or can't afford to go out. Seems to me it's just excuses.' It seemed that tears were not far away despite his best efforts to hide them.

'Then maybe she is busy. It's not that long since you came back from holiday and I suspect she'll want to spend time with her family or other friends. Does she have a summer job? What's the situation at home? I don't know what her personal circumstances are. Sulgrave is a private school but you know, as well as I do, that some of the students are there on a bursary and even if that's not the case, money may well be an issue.'

'Yeah, she's funded. She could only afford to come on the holiday with us because she has a weekend job. In a bookshop, in Leeds.'

'What do you know about her family?' Kate asked, wracking her brain to dredge up any personal knowledge of the gifted student's home situation from Parents' evenings.

'Two young brothers. She's always moaning about them because they're really boisterous and she has to look after them when her mum is at work.' The penny began to drop as he spoke.

'So? She works at weekends. She looks after her little brothers.' Kate left her words hanging for Lawrence to digest.

'Meanwhile dick-head, selfish boyfriend is pestering her to meet him! What a jerk. I've got all the time in the world on my hands, pocket money from mum and dad and I didn't use either of my two brain cells to think that things might be different for her.'

His face brightened and feeling that her work was done, Kate stood to leave.

'Strip your bed for me please, Lawrence. I want to get the washing machine on before your mum gets back and starts treating me like an invalid. Here's your clean bedding.'

'Thanks, Kate, thanks for listening. I mean it. I'll get the bed done. But can you give me a minute? I am going to text Sarah to ask if she wants me to take the boys to the park for a kick-around. It should be fun and maybe it will tire them out so later on Sarah will get some time to herself, and for me!'

'You're all heart, lad. All heart!' she responded with a smile in her voice and on her face as she left the room. Kate had reached her bedroom and just was about to open the window to air the room as John's car drove back onto the drive. She watched as the smarmy individual walked around the side of the car, brushing imaginary hair off his lapels, before reaching into the boot. 'Oh. Deep joy. What the hell does he want? Or who? As if I didn't know.'

John strode purposefully up the steps to the front door, reaching absent-mindedly into his pocket for his key.

'That needs to alter too,' he sneered as he recalled the locks had been changed.

Kate took a leisurely walk down the stairs to answer the door. Her facial expression left John in no doubt that he was an unwelcome visitor. Not to be subdued by her frosty reception, and determined that he was going to be the victor in this encounter, he smiled broadly.

'Oh, Kate. Hello. You look well. I was hoping to see Lawrence.' He peered over her shoulder as if his gaze could gain him entry.

'Did you now? I think your agreement with Caroline is that you should not just turn up and there is no need to meet Lawrence here.' She continued to block his attempts to walk through the doorway.

'Yes, well, he's been on holiday and I've been busy and etcetera.' He waved his free hand expressively and bottled charm oozed from every pore as he took a tentative step forward. Kate met his advance by drawing the door closer to her side.

'Caroline isn't here.'

'Yes, I guessed that. Her car isn't here. But I didn't come to see my …. her.'

'The orchid is for Lawrence then, is it?'

John looked at the plant as if surprised by its presence. 'Oh this? It's for both of you. I thought you might like it.' Still convinced that his charisma would convince Kate into letting him in, he held it out towards her. 'Can I come in?'

'No, John, you can't. I suggest you go back to your car and ring Lawrence. If he wants to see you, either now or later, you can make arrangements with him. You are not welcome in this house.'

John's demeanour changed in an instant. 'You vindictive bitch! You stole my wife. My wife who I adored. MY wife who meant the world to me. You ruined our family.' His words were spat out, louder and louder. 'Now you've stolen my house and act as if you're God's gift. How dare you bar my entry into this house? Get out of my way. I will come in. I will not let you stop me seeing my own son and waiting inside for my wife.'

Unbeknown to both of them Lawrence had come down the stairs, overhearing the majority of the encounter and his father's ridiculous posturing. He grabbed the edge of the door from Kate's grasp and pulled it wide open.

'Lawrence, my boy. I'm so pleased to see you. I was just saying to Kate that I had missed see….'

'No you weren't! Don't lie! I heard what you were saying. You're just too ridiculous for words. You didn't come to see me. Look at you. You dressed like that to see mum. To try to worm your way back into this family. How dare you say what you were saying to Kate? How dare you? The long and the short of it is that Kate isn't the reason you and mum broke up. It was because you couldn't keep your dick in your pants. Mum's better off without you. And you know what? I think I am too.'

Without any further words, he gently moved Kate away from the door before slamming it hard into its frame.

'My laundry is on the bottom step, Kate. I believe it is now your responsibility as I'm off to get ready to play football with Sarah's brothers!' With a smile he bounded back up the stairs, leaving Kate to chuckle silently to herself.