Whatever Love Is

by Rosie Ruston

  ‘Awesome!’ Henry nodded. ‘So how’s about we all go into Northampton and celebrate?’

  ‘You must be joking!’ Ned laughed. ‘If I make it to the back door, it’ll be a miracle.’

  ‘OK, so the pub, then,’ Henry said. ‘I mean, come on – it’s Saturday, it’s only nine-thirty and —’

  ‘I think it’s a great idea,’ William butted in eagerly. ‘You’re up for it, aren’t you, Frankie?’

  In reality all that Frankie wanted to do was sink into a hot bath and not move for an hour, but seeing the eager expression on her brother’s face, she relented. ‘Sure, it’ll be fun,’ she said. ‘Ned?’

  ‘OK.’ He sighed. ‘I’ll just call Alice and see if she wants to come.’ Ned paced away from them, talking quietly into his phone.

  ‘Considering she hasn’t lifted a finger to help clear up, I reckon she should pay for the first round!’ Henry laughed. ‘My sister makes avoiding hard work into an art form.’

  Ned’s voice was louder now. ‘Don’t be silly . . . Well, I know but . . . Frankly, you were out of order and . . . Oh, suit yourself!’

  Frankie tried hard to look as if the last thing she was doing was listening in on Ned’s phone call to Alice.

  ‘She’s not coming,’ he said, when he’d returned to them. ‘I guess I was a bit hard on her.’

  ‘You so were not!’ Frankie burst out. ‘She was horrid to that little boy. By the way, have you spoken to your dad? You know, about wanting to be a social worker?’

  ‘Give me credit for a little sense,’ Ned snapped. ‘With all the trouble that’s going on – James disappearing, the press only now calming down a bit . . .’

  ‘You’re going to have to do it, Ned,’ she said firmly. ‘You can’t go on doing something you hate just to avoid an argument.’

  ‘I know, and I’ve decided that whatever Dad says, I’m going to change courses,’ Ned replied. ‘But you know, it did occur to me that perhaps I should consider working for Dad – try to change the way things are done overseas? Oh, I don’t know. Let’s go.’

  They were on their second round of drinks and Ned was finally beginning to unwind, when Henry’s phone rang.

  ‘Hello? Oh it’s you – I didn’t recognise the number. What? Hang on – can’t hear.’ He gestured that he would be back in a minute and disappeared outside the pub.

  Within seconds, Frankie’s phone bleeped with a text.

  Well, thank you for not telling me. Your idea of a joke, was it? That was so not on. Lulu.

  Frankie peered at the screen and reread the message.

  What are you on about? she texted back.

  ‘Problem?’ William asked anxiously as Frankie’s brow puckered in a frown.

  She shrugged. ‘It’s Lulu. Apparently I’ve not told her something I should have done – and I don’t have the faintest idea what she’s talking about.’

  ‘Ah.’ William took a long draught of his beer, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and shifted in his seat. ‘I think maybe . . .’ he began, but just then Henry came back and sat down between the two of them.

  ‘Sorry,’ he said, tossing his phone onto the table. ‘That was my mother. God, that woman can talk for England. Hey, look who’s here!’ He turned to Ned. ‘Clearly, she can’t keep away from you.’

  Frankie glanced across the pub. Alice was elbowing her way through the clusters of drinkers, her face pale.

  ‘Hiya!’ Ned was on his feet in an instant, his smile lighting up his face. ‘What can I get you?’

  ‘Henry, you’ve got to come now,’ Alice said. ‘Mum’s house has been burgled. The police are there, but Mum’s in total shock. Greg’s away on business and she needs us there to say what’s missing from our stuff.’

  Henry gasped. ‘We can’t go now – I’ve been drinking. Tell her we’ll be there first thing in the morning.’

  ‘No, Dad says he’ll drive us now,’ Alice insisted. ‘He’s outside. Come on, Mum’s in such a state and besides, I need to make sure my stuff is safe.’

  Frankie was so stunned that she was the last to get up from the table. Ned had dashed after Alice and Henry, with William hot on his heels. Neither her brother nor Ned seemed to have noticed but Frankie was asking herself how, if Henry was on the phone to his mum seconds before Alice arrived, she never said a word about the burglary to him? Either Alice was lying or he was. And she knew where her money would go.

  It was as she stooped to pick up her jacket, which had slid to the floor, that she saw it. Henry’s iPhone. He must have snatched it from the table and missed his pocket as he dashed after his sister.

  She picked it up. Slowly, and knowing that she shouldn’t be doing it, she slid the bar to unlock. Glancing over her shoulder, she pressed recent calls.

  Mia. Mia. Mia. Mia.

  The last six incoming calls were from her cousin. Chewing her lip, she checked the outgoing calls.

  Mia, Mia, Frankie, Mia, Mia, Frankie, Alice, Mia, Mia.

  She knew she had to get the phone back to Henry. With everything that was going on, he’d need it and, whatever she thought of him, she couldn’t let him leave until she had given it back.

  She ran from the pub and into the lane that led to The Old Parsonage. As she ran, the phone bleeped. Maybe Henry was ringing in the hope of finding it.

  It was a text.

  You have to help me. I can’t do this. I so want you. And only you. Mia

  CHAPTER 13

  ‘There never were two people more dissimilar.

  We have not one taste in common.’

  (Jane Austen, Mansfield Park)

  ‘YOU MUST BE JOKING!’ SAID FRANKIE. ‘SO THAT’S WHY you sent me that weird text on Saturday night.’

  She and Lulu were walking to school to pick up their results when Lulu dropped her bombshell.

  ‘Am I likely to joke about something like that?’ Lulu demanded. ‘Are you honestly telling me you didn’t know?’

  ‘Of course I didn’t,’ Frankie replied, ‘and I still think you’ve got it wrong. I mean, not every guy on earth is going to fall at your feet.’

  ‘OK, think what you like,’ Lulu said. ‘Ask him. Why don’t you?’

  ‘I can’t just come out with something like that – what if . . .?’

  ‘He’s your brother, for God’s sake,’ Lulu replied. ‘I mean, you wouldn’t care, would you?’

  ‘Of course not,’ Frankie said. ‘OK, I’ll ask him while we’re away.’

  ‘Away?’

  ‘We’re going to Sussex to see Mum.’

  ‘Oh, and when were you going to tell your best friend about this?’ Lulu sighed. ‘Honestly, Frankie, it’s like you’re on another planet.’

  ‘I know, I’m sorry,’ Frankie said. ‘It’s just that something happened and I know about it – and I don’t know if I should tell anyone or not.’

  ‘Details,’ demanded Lulu. ‘I need details.’

  ‘It’s about Henry and Mia . . .’ she began and proceeded to fill Lulu in on the details.

  ‘Say nothing,’ Lulu said when she’d finished. ‘Firstly, Mia was probably drunk, or she’d had a row with Nick; secondly, chances are Henry won’t be back and they won’t see each other again and thirdly . . .’ She hesitated, looking critically at Frankie.

  ‘Thirdly?’

  ‘It’s none of your business.’

  ‘But it is, because if Mia’s cheating on Nick . . .’

  ‘That’s between the two of them,’ Lulu said emphatically. ‘It’s not like they’re married yet. And let’s face it, you read messages that weren’t meant for you and you don’t have a clue how Henry would have responded. He might have told her to get lost.’

  ‘Like pigs might fly!’ Frankie retorted as they walked across the school forecourt. ‘But OK. I won’t say a word. You could be right.’

  She didn’t believe that for one moment, but nothing mattered now apart from the noticeboard in front of them.

  ‘It’s not the end of the world,’ Frankie found herself
saying. ‘You can do retakes.’

  ‘You don’t get it, do you?’ Lulu snapped. ‘My dad will go ballistic. I was predicted three Bs and he thought that was bad enough, but a C and two Ds . . .’ She burst into tears.

  ‘I wish I could stay,’ Frankie said anxiously, glancing at her watch, ‘but I’ve got to go – our train leaves in just over an hour. Will you be OK?’

  ‘I will when I’ve drowned my sorrows in a bottle of voddie.’

  ‘Lulu, no!’

  ‘I was joking.’ Lulu sighed. ‘Just go and have fun. And well done, by the way.’

  ‘So isn’t that good news?’

  The psychiatric nurse beamed at Frankie and William.

  ‘Yes,’ Frankie said hesitantly. ‘I mean, it was great when Mum rang to say she is well enough to leave, but what we wanted to ask you was . . . well, will she . . . I mean, there was that time . . .’

  ‘As we’ve told you, she’s very much better. You have to understand that medication has moved on as well,’ the nurse said. ‘Everyone is delighted with her progress. There are four flats in the block and a warden to keep an eye out and help if things get too much. She’ll be just fine.’

  Certainly Ruth seemed better than she had in years. She was over the moon at Frankie’s A-level results, asked lots of questions about what they’d been doing, teased them about their love lives which they both insisted didn’t exist, and wanted to know all about the ship that William was on. They had agreed to say nothing about William losing his job, but she amazed them by saying that she’d read in the newspapers that P&O were buying Siren Lines, and asking how that would affect William.

  ‘It might be the right time for you to look for another job,’ she suggested, and then laughed when they both stared at her open-mouthed.

  ‘I still have a brain, darlings.’ She smiled. ‘I’m much calmer, much more focused. Things are really looking up. It’s going to be just fine.’

  ‘You know Mum asked whether you had a girlfriend?’ Frankie ventured as they sat outside a pavement café in Church Road eating fish and chips.

  ‘Mmm,’ William grunted.

  ‘Well, I know you haven’t got one,’ Frankie said, taking a deep breath, ‘but have you got a boyfriend?’

  Colour swamped William’s cheeks. ‘How did you know?’

  ‘I didn’t,’ Frankie said. ‘Lulu hinted at it.’

  William nodded slowly. ‘She came on to me and I guess I handled it badly.’ He sighed. ‘I said I wasn’t in the market for a girlfriend and she asked if I was gay. I didn’t deny it.’

  ‘Which explains why you got stroppy when I said Alice fancied you.’

  ‘Yes.’ He nodded again. ‘I’m not in a relationship – I was but it didn’t go anywhere – and I was afraid you’d be uncomfortable about it.’

  ‘Don’t be daft,’ Frankie replied. ‘You’re my brother. I love and adore you. Just make sure any guy you pick up deserves you, OK?’ She paused, then went on, ‘So there’s no one on the horizon?’

  William shook his head. ‘Sadly, the guy I really fancy at the moment is as straight as a die!’

  ‘Someone on the ship?’

  ‘No, silly!’ William laughed. ‘Henry Crawford.’

  It was several minutes before Frankie stopped choking on her chips.

  They took a walk along the seafront and were on the pier where William was taking some moody shots of waves when his phone rang.

  ‘Hello? Henry?’

  Frankie’s eyes widened and every fibre of her body went on red alert.

  ‘How’s things at your house? Really? That’s the pits. And your mum? I bet she’s devastated.’ He pulled a face at Frankie.

  ‘Pardon? Yes, that’s right. We’re in Sussex, visiting Mum . . . There is? Hang on, let me grab a pen.’

  He flapped at Frankie who tossed him a Biro. He listened intently.

  ‘That sounds perfect. So it’s recruitandclick.com? That’s amazing – it’s so kind of you to . . . Yes, I will. Of course I will. Frankie? Yeah, she’s right here. I’ll hand you over.’

  Frankie shook her head furiously.

  ‘Oh, sorry, you’re breaking up. I’m losing the signal.’ He zapped the phone and glared at Frankie. ‘What was all that about?’

  ‘I could ask you the same thing.’

  ‘He’s seen a job advertised and he thought of me, which frankly I think is pretty decent of him, considering how stressed he must be with the burglary and everything.’

  Frankie felt firmly put in her place. ‘Have they lost a lot of stuff?’

  ‘Yes, loads of jewellery, a laptop, and they stole the car too. Their mum had left the keys on the kitchen table. Henry said she might as well have written them an invitation.’

  ‘Still, at least no one got beaten up or anything,’ Frankie reasoned.

  ‘True,’ William agreed. He waved the piece of paper in her face. ‘And guess what? Neptune’s are advertising for trainee photographers.’

  ‘Neptune’s?’

  ‘Just the largest onboard photo concessionaire in the world!’ he enthused. ‘They place photographers on loads of different ships – Cunard, Royal Carib, Norwegian, all sorts. If I could get this it would be just perfect!’

  ‘So go for it!’

  ‘I will! Do you mind if we go to an internet café and download the application form?’ he asked.

  ‘Of course not,’ she replied. ‘I could do with a coffee anyway.’

  ‘You know the best thing about Neptune’s? They also place people with tour companies like Adventure Seekers and New Frontiers; you go out and photograph locations like the Amazon Basin and the Thar Desert, and when I’ve got more experience that’s just what I want to do! Isn’t Henry amazing to think of me?’

  Early that evening, Frankie left her brother busily filling in the application form in the internet café and walked back along the seafront to the hospital. On the way she turned up Westbourne Villas and stood outside number 154, gazing at the whitewashed house with its big bay windows and decorated porch. The only thing that distinguished it from other houses in the road was the discreet brass plate which read NHS Brighton and Hove City Primary Care Trust – Myrtle House.

  She hoped her mother would be safe there, would settle in and eventually be considered fully recovered and able to live in her own place. To her shame, Frankie hoped that wouldn’t happen too soon, just in case her mum expected her to move back too.

  She arrived at the hospital just as the residents were finishing supper.

  ‘My goodness!’ One of the nurses smiled. ‘Your mum’s in luck today. One visitor after another – your friend’s with her now, in the green sitting room. It’s down there on the left, just past the TV lounge.’

  Puzzled, she hurried down the corridor and into the lounge, lit by shafts of the early evening sun.

  ‘There she is!’

  She wheeled round at the sound of an all-too-familiar voice.

  Sitting in one of the faded armchairs, looking totally at ease, was Henry.

  ‘What the hell are you doing here? You’re supposed to be helping your mum out!’ Frankie knew she sounded rude but she didn’t care.

  ‘The police have got all the info they need, Alice is with Mum and I wanted to see you.’

  ‘You’re a dark horse, Francesca Price!’ her mother said, smiling widely. ‘Pretending you didn’t have a boyfriend.’

  ‘I don’t,’ Frankie said. ‘Henry’s just a – friend.’

  ‘And I must be going,’ he said hastily. ‘Give you some time alone with your mum. I’ll wait for you outside, yeah?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘She does love to tease me!’ He grinned at Ruth. ‘That’s one of the things I adore about her.’

  Frankie spent as long as she possibly could with her mother, most of it trying to convince her that Henry was the last guy on earth she would ever want to go out with. But eventually the staff came round with hot drinks and medication and she knew she had to leave. She had already had two texts
from William asking if she was still at the hospital, and, if not, where she was now and she knew he’d be itching to get her to look over his job application. Maybe, she thought, as she kissed her mother goodbye and promised to visit again really soon, Henry would have got tired of waiting.

  He hadn’t. ‘God, how I’ve missed you!’ he exclaimed before she had a chance to speak. ‘All the time I was with Mum, I just wanted to be with you and hold you and kiss you and now I can.’

  With that he wrapped his arms around her, tipped her head back and began kissing her fiercely, his hands running up and down her back until she lashed out with her left foot and kicked him in the shins.

  ‘What the . . .?’ he gasped.

  ‘You know what? I despise you,’ Frankie burst out. ‘I know all about what’s going on, about you and Mia.’

  His hands dropped to his side and his eyes narrowed. ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘You know perfectly well what I mean,’ Frankie replied. ‘You dropped your phone, remember? And I brought it back – but not before I’d seen the message from Mia.’

  ‘You read my messages?’ His tone had changed from seductive chat-up to a guilty snarl. ‘How dare you!’

  ‘When the phone bleeped I thought it might be you trying to locate it,’ she said.

  ‘Have you said anything to anyone?’

  She shook her head, reasoning with herself that Lulu didn’t count.

  ‘Good,’ he said, ‘because Mia’s really gone off on one this time. I told you before she was all over me. Well, now I’m beginning to think she’s a basketcase. She keeps texting and —’

  ‘Just stop right there!’ Frankie shouted. ‘Your lies don’t wash with me. I saw that you had made loads of calls to Mia.’

  ‘Yeah, of course, to try to get her off my back.’

  Frankie turned away in disgust. ‘Henry, people don’t phone Barbados six times a day just to get rid of nuisance callers. Now just leave me alone.’

  ‘Hey, don’t be like that,’ he said, grabbing her arm. ‘OK, I should just have ignored Mia’s calls but . . . well, she sounded so upset and I thought I was doing the right thing trying to calm her down, reminding her how much Nick loves her. I’m sorry if I messed up.’