Alice led prone on her new bed covering her eyes with one hand in an attempt to control her emotion. She'd tried to put on a brave face; for Charlotte, for Robert, even for Ed and Fiona; but it was all in vain. Everyone could see right through her disguise (though no-one dared mention this face) and Ed and Fiona had agreed to give her a room on the west wing of Mara, the furthest away from their room.
Alice swallowed as she led in the darkness, a whirlwind of emotion and dire thoughts whizzing around her head. Could she have avoided this? Was this the end? Did Danny even love her? Did he want to save this? Alice rolled over, throwing a pillow over her head, trying to suffocate her thoughts and close her mind down. She knew that sleep was going to be damn near impossible but at least if she was asleep she wouldn't be feeling the intense pain in her chest.
(x)
He wasn't quite sure whether the thudding was in his head or actually someone knocking on his bedroom door. He'd been in his room ever since Alice had left; half to avoid the questions and gazes and half to submerge himself in his own emotion. He realised the minute she got in that Jeep that he'd been an idiot; he felt a failure. He didn't even know how to fix this, what to do in order to fix it.
"Dad?"
He sighed as he heard Rosie's soft northern tone. He quickly swiped at his eyes, trying to remove the signs of his heartbreak.
"Come in." He replied, smiling half-heartedly at his daughter who entered, closing the door behind her. She shook her head she made her way over to him, sitting beside him on his bed.
"You're missing her already aren't you?" Rosie asked him quietly staring straight on where many photos lay. Some were of her Dad, other's Alice, some of the family but the majority? Just the two of them; love filled, infectious pictures.
"I've been missing her for a long time Rosie." Danny admitted squashing his hands together, one of his thumbs caressing the ring Alice had placed upon his finger. He exhaled deeply trying to halt his emotion.
"Why didn't you listen to me?" Rosie asked him sadly, "You never listen..."
"What were you going to say?" Danny asked her softly.
"That Alice had every right to do what she did... the reason she did what she did." Rosie snapped angrily at him before taking a deep breath, "Caroline was not an innocent in it all Dad."
"What do you mean?" Danny gasped; his heart felt as though it was stopping as the realisation that he may have made a huge mistake hit him.
"Alice was outside when Caroline collared her. Caroline started on with the one woman tyrant about how you felt. Alice asked what about her feelings and..." Rosie paused shaking her head in disgust as she remembered Caroline's words.
"Rosie." Danny prompted, standing up.
"Caroline... she... she said that..." Rosie stammered, "She said she hoped you divorced Alice because she was a poor substitute for Sarah. That's when Alice swore at her..."
Danny's face turned numerous shades, from a paleness to a bright, burning red, back to pink and slowly straight to white. His mouth was open; his breathing laboured, his eyes out of focus. His body was ramrod straight, his fists clenched as he stood horrified.
"What have I done?" Danny asked his daughter,
"Been an idiot but hey, you know the truth, you can sort it now? Send her a text. It's too late to be calling her." Rosie suggested, "Then sort Caroline out."
"The bitch." Danny spat shocking Rosie with his sudden taboo language. Her father wasn't really man who swore only his extremes of passion and even then it was quite uncommon to hear any foul word pass his mouth.
"Alice." Rosie reminded him, patting her Dad's chest. "Then Caroline."
Danny nodded as Rosie handed him his mobile phone. He unlocked it, holding it for a moment before looking at Rosie who placed her hands in the air, moving to the chair; a sign she was not helping him out. He sighed and put what first came into his mind.
'Alice, I feel awful sending you a text message but it's late and you might be asleep and I wouldn't want to wake up. I'm so sorry for earlier, Rosie just told me what Caroline actually said to you. I swear I didn't know she'd said the Sarah thing and I'm so sorry I didn't get the full story. Can we talk tomorrow? I'll come over? First thing? Xx'
He quickly hit send placing his phone down on the side and storming out of the room. Rosie stood up hastily running after him. Her father's long stride meant she had to jog to keep up with him; she'd not seen him in such a temper for a long time. He flung the door to their room open only to find it empty, he rushed into the kitchen to find only Nomsa washing up. He frowned as he checked the lounge only to find it empty; it was then he heard her laughing.
"Right." Danny growled as he found Caroline on the veranda, Dup was whom was leaning on the side turned, beer bottle in hand. "What the hell do you think you are playing at?" He asked aiming his question at Caroline.
"I don't understand Danny." Caroline began in her usual elegant manner.
"He knows." Rosie intercepted, "So you can cut your crap."
"Knows what?" Dup asked.
"That you lied to me!" Danny yelled, "But, more than that exactly what you said to Alice! What the hell do you expect and how dare you even say that to her. She's my wife!"
"I was just trying to push you in the right direction." Caroline replied heatedly.
"To divorce?" Danny bellowed.
"Yes!" Caroline screamed, "You deserve to be happy!"
"I AM happy with Alice." Danny seethed, "Get it through your thick skull... Sarah is dead; I'm hardly gonna get back with her. There's only one person making me unhappy and that is you."
"Woah, Trevanion back off." Dup began, only to be cut off by Rosie.
"Don't tell Dad to back off, he's well within his rights. You don't even know what she said."
"What did you say?" Dup asked his wife. Caroline tried to evade his gaze prompting Dup to ask her again, angrily this time, "What did you say woman?"
"That I hoped they divorced, that she was a poor substitute for Sarah!" Caroline shrieked in a high pitched shrill.
Dup looked as though he'd been hit by a high speed train as he took a step away from his wife. He had paled almost immediately; his expression crest-fallen as he stared at his wife as though she was some sort of distasteful stranger he'd seen on the street.
"How..." Dup stuttered.
"And that's why I want you to leave." Danny said calmly; his aggression turning into the deadly calmness that his family most feared, "Now."
"Leave?" Caroline exclaimed, "Leave? You forget Anders once..."
"Oh no Caroline. Dup is welcome to stay." Danny told her, his eyes full of hatred, "You are not welcome here. Dup still has his job, you don't. Dup still has his home, you do not."
"Just because you own this place..."
"Yeh... Just because I own this place. Now get out of here."
"Where will I go?" Caroline asked.
"Don't know... don't actually care." Danny spat before spinning around and walking into the house, Rosie in tow leaving a torn Dup on the veranda.
"You can't let him do this to me!" Caroline told her husband, "You can't stay either."
"I'm not sure any more." Dup replied, "Caroline, you were horrid. I mean, why? That's just evil."
"It was in the heat of the moment."
"No it wasn't." Dup replied, "I haven't decided if I want to follow you... here." He murmured digging into his pocket, "Get yourself a room at the B&B."
"Who are you married to?" Caroline asked him in pure shock.
"You tell me." Dup mumbled sadly before padding off leaving Caroline standing alone and isolated upon the veranda.
(x)
After reassuring Rosie he was fine Danny had retired to his room. He'd check in an hour or so that Caroline had left; he couldn't be bothered with her elegant pathetic attitude. She was underhand and cruel and what she said to Alice was unforgivable. How could she? He wondered about it a lot before checking his phone. He smiled as he saw he had a message from Alice. Despite the fact he hadn't opened it yet he couldn't help feeling pleasure at the fact she had replied.
'Sure, see you tomorrow. X'
Danny grinned; he was going to sort his marriage out. It looked as though everything would be ok.