"Caroline. At last. I've been waiting for you to call me back all day. Whatever have you been doing?"

Caroline sighed and held her annoyance from her voice. "Mum. I'm with Kate at her house. Helena is still in the hospital and Kate isn't really doing well emotionally. Did you forget?"

Celia's voice changed as she remembered. "Oh I'm sorry love I'd completely forgotten. Is Helena okay? Is she doing well?"

"She is fine thank you mum. What can I do for you?" Caroline stood with her hand on her hip, annoyed that her mother hadn't asked how Kate was doing.

Celia took a breath and steadied herself. "Sorry love. You're annoyed with me aren't you?"

Caroline tried to steady her voice, feeling guilty that she was annoyed when her mother clearly had something worrying her. "Mum. No, I'm not. What is it?"

"Wells it's rather a delicate matter. You've obviously got your hands full. I'll leave it and speak later."

Caroline looked up to the ceiling trying to push down her guilt. Her mother always succeeded in pushing her own burden onto Caroline. She always felt guilty that her father had treated her mum so badly. She felt it had been her fault and maybe if she had been a better daughter then they would have been happy. Caroline knew even though her mother had said it didn't matter she meant the opposite. "Mother, please? What is wrong? Lawrence said you were upset and Gillian was too?"

"Caroline, I ….. I don't know how to explain really. You see its Gillian. I found her and … well ….. John in a compromising position yesterday. I didn't know the b…. was even at the farm."

Caroline's mood changed instantly in a second. "Sorry? Did I just hear you say you found John and Gillian together? Mum did you really need to tell me this now?"

Celia was silent for a short time. "I didn't really want to tell you but I was so upset. He doesn't have an ounce of decorum in his body. He has that … whore pregnant and now Gillian."

Caroline was shocked. "I beg your pardon? Did you just say Gillian is pregnant?"

"No. But it won't be long before she is the way they are carrying on. Alan and I are arguing about it all. He thinks Gillian can make her own decisions but I mean …. John? It's just so wrong … Caroline? Caroline?"

Caroline put the phone down on her mother and tried not to let her temper get the better of her. She kept checking her phone. She wanted to ring John now and give him a piece of her mind but she didn't want him to know she knew. Damn she hated that man. She was so angry with Gillian. Was she so desperate that she would literally go with anyone who offered it on a plate? She had promised Gillian not to report her to the police after her confession. Caroline was putting her reputation and her freedom on the line for Gillian. The least she could do in return was stay away from her ex-husband. She was also upset at having to withhold the information from Kate to protect her. Caroline cursed to herself. "Damn it."

"What's wrong mum?" Lawrence knew better than to interfere when his mum and Gran argued. The look on his mother's face said enough and he decided to re-join Grace in the sitting room on the games console.

Caroline hadn't managed to stop her raised voice from waking Kate whose bedroom was directly above the kitchen. Kate came down to see Caroline's face was flushed red. Kate knew she was extremely angry and guessed she had spoken with Celia. "I'm guessing from your mood that you've spoken to Celia about what she has been angry about."

Caroline looked at Kate. "Kate. I'm sorry I didn't want to bother you with this. You don't need this now. Not with Helena…."

Kate stroked Caroline's cheek with her hand in a move to reassure her. "Caroline we have agreed we want to be one big family. That means we take the good with the bad. So whatever Celia is upset about, it is as much my burden as yours. So spill or else."

Caroline smiled and rubbed Kate's arm in confirmation of her appreciation. "It would seem Celia caught Gillian and John in a compromising position. I'm gobsmacked at Gillian and her philandering."

Kate frowned. "I'm not surprised Caroline. I would be furious. You seem remarkably calm considering."

Caroline explained, "After I first jokingly called her bluff about John and her sleeping together and she saw how upset I was. You would have thought she would behave ….. differently. God she really has no morals. I realise I'm no saint but god the nerve of the woman."

Kate rubbed Caroline's arm in support. "Well. She certainly knows how to test friendships."

Caroline wasn't finished with her outpouring of anger. "You remember I told you about the day Lawrence couldn't reach me and he stayed with you. Well. I was upset at losing you and she was upset at messing things up with Robbie. One drink led to another and we drank rather too much wine and …. She opened her heart to me about her husband and how he treated her. She revealed … very personal things and I gained a certain trust in her. God I actually forgive her for the John episode."

Kate tried to reassure her. "Well. It sounds like you need to be a little more careful with her in the future. I know she's now your stepsister but I don't think the John issue is going to go away."

Caroline couldn't stop herself. "I'm going to kill him ….." She thought about her statement and began to laugh at the irony of it. Gillian had killed her husband and told everyone it was a suicide. She was actually now an accessory being privy to the deed and deciding to keep it a secret. "Kate. Gillian told me a secret that day. She made me promise never to tell anyone and I hate keeping it from you. But I can't tell you because if I do then it will … God. I mean why me, why do I have to be the one to take on the burdens of others?"

Kate seemed confused. "Caroline you've just told me this woman betrayed your trust by sleeping with your soon to be ex-husband and you're feeling guilty about keeping a secret. I'd be broadcasting it on the local news."

Caroline looked at Kate and the look told Kate it wasn't so simple and she looked heavy with the weight of the secret. "If I tell you Kate you will have the burden too. You will also realise why I'm keeping the secret even though she has rubbed our friendship in the…... I can't tell, not you not anyone, not ever." Caroline put her head in her hands and sighed.

Kate reassured her. "Come on you don't have to tell me. I'm not putting any pressure on you. It's clear from your face that it's an awful secret but one you have to keep."

Caroline looked at Kate. "She told me the details of all the beatings she took from him. She told me about how he raped her too. She told me that he spilt her blood in every room in the farm and her life was a living nightmare."

Kate's hands rose almost in slow motion to cover her mouth, "Oh Caroline?"

Caroline found herself at a crossroads. Like Robert Frost's poem,' The Road Not Taken' her dilemma was whether to take the road less travelled by. She pondered on her choice and looked into Kate's beautiful innocent eyes. Their reflection shone with nothing but love, compassion and understanding and held no burden or worry for anyone but Helena and their future together.