The Affair

by Amanda Brooke

  When Elaine had finished her speech, she had fire in her eyes and she cast them directly at Vikki. In a flash, the light was gone. She rushed over to her daughter and cupped her face in her hands as if she were holding a butterfly. ‘Vikki, what’s wrong?’

  ‘Oh, Mum,’ she said through trembling lips. ‘It’s horrible, it’s so horrible.’

  Elaine tried to draw more information from her daughter, but Vikki couldn’t speak. Eventually, her mum asked, ‘On a scale of one to ten, how bad are we talking?’

  ‘Ten,’ Vikki said as her whole body began to shake. ‘Twenty, a hundred …’

  When Vikki’s legs started to buckle, Elaine wrapped her in her arms and rocked her while her daughter buried her face in her neck. For fear of upsetting Freya, Vikki managed to swallow back her sobs while Elaine whispered soothing words which, for the most part, simply involved telling her daughter to breathe. Only when she was sure Vikki had mastered this art did she fetch a glass of water.

  ‘Cake, Nana!’ Freya shouted when she saw Elaine walking straight past the counter where the chocolate gateau was sitting proudly on one of her best china platters, brought out only for special occasions.

  Elaine handed Vikki a glass and whispered, ‘Sip it slowly.’

  Returning to the cake, her determined mother placed three slices on individual plates before giving one to her granddaughter, along with a beaker of milk. ‘Don’t make a mess,’ she said. Thinking better of it, added, ‘Oh, to heck with it, make as much mess as you like.’

  While half of Freya’s hand disappeared into the middle of the cake, Elaine returned to Vikki, who was biting her lower lip so hard it had turned white. ‘Let’s sit down, shall we?’

  At the table, Vikki gave Freya a sideways glance and found it impossible to begin. She was too young to understand what her mum was about to say, but even so, Vikki didn’t want her to hear the pain in her voice. Reading her mind, Elaine said, ‘Why don’t we all watch Frozen?’ she said. ‘You can never see it too many times.’

  Elaine somehow managed to maintain a smile as she switched on the film, and Vikki wished it were genuine. Her mum had been ready to celebrate after her visit to the hospital and deserved to enjoy this major victory in her fight back to health.

  Taking Vikki’s hands in hers, Elaine looked a vision of calm. ‘OK,’ she said, ‘I’m being as patient as I can, but you have to do your best to explain what’s going on before my heart implodes.’

  Vikki’s throat hurt as she swallowed back the lump in her throat. The sensation, as unpleasant as it was, was nothing compared to the emotional pain her mind continued to block out. Speaking in a rush, she said, ‘Rob’s been arrested. They think he’s been involved with an underage girl, one of his students.’

  Elaine’s grip on her daughter’s hands tightened briefly as if the shock had sent a jolt through her body, but then she relaxed again. Her eyes never left Vikki’s face. ‘That’s ridiculous.’

  ‘He’s denying it.’

  ‘I should think so too.’

  ‘And so is Scarlett.’

  Elaine’s poker face twitched. ‘Scarlett? The one who’s pregnant?’

  Finally, a smile broke free, but it twisted Vikki’s features. ‘It turns out she’s not pregnant after all. Every cloud …’

  Before she could swallow back the next sob, it escaped and they both turned to check Freya’s reaction. Enthralled by her favourite snow-covered kingdom, the little girl wasn’t even paying attention to the handful of chocolate cake she shoved into her mouth.

  ‘She was covering up for a friend who’s pregnant by Scarlett’s brother.’

  ‘What a family,’ Elaine said under her breath, before concentrating on her own. ‘But I don’t understand. What does any of this have to do with poor Rob? You need to tell me everything.’

  So Vikki did tell her everything, or at least everything from that morning. ‘I’m scared, Mum,’ she said. ‘What’s going to happen if they charge him? What will we do?’

  Elaine shook her head. ‘It won’t come to that,’ she said firmly. ‘I haven’t spent the last six months fighting for life only to have some schoolgirl come along and destroy my family. Rob is innocent, you have to hold on to that.’

  Vikki’s shoulders shook as she fought to compose herself enough to speak. ‘But what if he’s not? He’s admitted kissing Charlotte Tavistock, Mum, and I was thinking, that would have been around the time that we lost Dad, when I was staying here with you, remember? And this thing with Scarlett would have happened – if it happened – around the time that I was here looking after you.’ She gasped before quickly adding, ‘Not that I’m blaming any of this on you being ill!’

  Elaine’s expression was surprisingly calming. ‘I know you’re not,’ she said softly. ‘And if by some chance Rob is guilty then he alone is responsible for his actions, not me, and not you either. But that’s a very big if, Vikki. Don’t fall into the same trap as Scarlett’s mum and let this mudslinging destroy your marriage. You know Rob better than anyone. He’s devoted to you. He wouldn’t do something like this.’

  And that was the problem, Vikki did know Rob better than anyone. So why couldn’t she share her mum’s staunch faith? ‘But what if the police find something else? What if there’s more than just this photo of Scarlett? They asked me to go back to the house with them so they could get Rob’s computer. I told them to help themselves. I don’t want to go back there, Mum. Is it all right if we stay here?’

  ‘But what happens when Rob’s released?’ Elaine said, still certain that he would be. ‘He’ll expect you to be at home, surely?’

  Vikki’s lip trembled so much that at first she couldn’t reply. ‘I can’t – I can’t go back. Please, don’t make me. Not until all this is over.’

  Elaine stood up only to lean over Vikki and hug her tightly. ‘Oh, sweetheart, I won’t make you do anything you don’t want to.’

  ‘The police want me to go to the station tomorrow to give a proper statement. Will you come with me?’

  ‘Of course I will. I’ll do anything to help you through this.’

  Elaine rested her head on top of Vikki’s as she gently rocked her. They were both looking towards Freya, whose eyes remained glued to the TV screen. She was absent-mindedly rubbing chocolate butter icing in her hair.

  ‘Oh, what a mess,’ Elaine said.

  When Nina awoke the next morning, her first surprise was that she had slept at all. She had retreated to her bed sometime in the early hours still clutching her mobile and hoping that Bryn would stop ignoring her messages, of which there had been many. As if to compensate for her husband’s silence, there had been plenty of other people who had been more than happy to speak to her.

  DS Cunliffe had phoned to let her know that Rob would remain in custody overnight, but they would have to either charge or release him the next day. She explained that it was highly likely that he would be released because, as things stood, she didn’t have enough evidence to persuade the Crown Prosecution Service that they had a case.

  There had also been a call from a cheerful-sounding lady from social services who had informed her that they would be working with the police to support Scarlett and assess her family’s needs. She had stressed that their involvement was purely supportive and, as if to press home the point, had offered to make arrangements for Scarlett to see a counsellor. When the woman had reassured Nina that she wasn’t to blame, Nina had been tempted to ask her to put it in writing so she could show it to not only her daughter but her ex-husband too. Liam had spoken to his dad and tried to explain what was happening, but Adam had insisted on speaking to Nina.

  Oblivious to his own failings, Adam was apoplectic that Nina could let both her children run wild and, worse still, ‘allow’ some pervert to molest his little girl. Nina had been too exhausted to care what Adam thought of her and she let the one-sided argument rage on, waiting until he had run out of breath before she suggested he take a leave of absence. She told him she would be more than
happy for him to come to Sedgefield and talk some sense into Scarlett so that the pervert in question didn’t escape justice. Adam had gone quiet after that and she didn’t expect to see him on her doorstep anytime soon.

  Sarah had been in touch too, telephoning while they were all having dinner together. Scarlett had been forced to join them at the dinner table, but had sat through the entire meal with her arms folded and her mouth shut. Liam and Eva had attempted to make small talk, but it had been interspersed with long silences which should have made Sarah’s call a blessing, except it had been equally awkward.

  They had last spoken in the school car park as Nina was leaving to go to the police station. So much pain had been inflicted in such a short space of time that she had held back from telling her so-called friend exactly what she thought of her. When Sarah had made the mistake of phoning only a matter of hours later, however, Nina was more inclined to be direct. She had had enough of letting things happen to her and was on the attack, as Scarlett had discovered earlier.

  ‘How is everyone?’ Sarah had asked.

  ‘You mean out of the family I have left?’ Nina asked as she stabbed at the pasta congealing on her plate.

  ‘I know, and I can’t begin to tell you how sorry I am about Bryn.’

  Clearly, Sarah had thought she could and had taken a deep breath to make a start, but Nina got there first. ‘Then don’t,’ she said. ‘Don’t apologize for spending the last year demonizing my husband. Don’t apologize for making me doubt the sweetest, kindest man I had the brief pleasure of knowing.’

  ‘But I—’

  ‘But nothing, Sarah,’ Nina said. ‘You were supposed to be my friend. I don’t think even my worst enemy could have done a better job of destroying my marriage. I can’t forgive you, Sarah. And I won’t.’

  When Nina had ended the call abruptly, she had glanced around the table at three bowed heads. No one had dared offer a comment, and they had continued their meal in silence until Liam had the good sense to clear away their untouched food.

  Nina didn’t regret her harsh words, even though she blamed herself as much, if not more than Sarah, and would forgive her oldest friend eventually. For one thing, she would need Sarah’s cooperation if they were going to put Rob Swift in prison for abusing both their daughters, but in the meantime, it would do no harm to make Sarah suffer. There were lessons she had to learn before Nina would ever consider resuming their friendship.

  Other calls that night had been from well-meaning acquaintances and distant relatives who had picked up the rumours and were more interested in hearing the juicy details than offering any real support. Nina had put together an edited version of events that she could reel off in under a minute before cutting the call short in case Bryn was trying to get through.

  But he hadn’t got in touch until the wee hours of the morning, and that was Nina’s second surprise when she awoke. She was annoyed that she had slept through a message alert, but the real shock was that the text was from Bryn. She didn’t care what he said, knowing that the connection between them was still open gave her some hope. He had thought about her and he had wanted to get in touch.

  Raising herself up, Nina crawled from beneath the bedclothes and sat on the edge of the bed. She didn’t dare look at her reflection in the dressing-table mirror, but stared at her husband’s name on the screen while she did a quick reality check. Of course she cared what the message said, which was why the phone was trembling in her hand. It wasn’t going to be a nice message, she was prepared for that. The question was, how bad could it be?

  Leave me alone.

  Nina cried out, muffling her pain with her fist. She was tempted to hurl the phone at the mirror, but instead she clutched it to her chest. Her pulse raced and she took deep breaths as she prepared to sink beneath the waves of misery. She wanted to burst into tears, but she was holding to her resolve not to break down. She wasn’t going to let Rob Swift destroy her family any more than he already had. She was fighting to get her family back, and it started with a brief and succinct reply to Bryn.

  No, I won’t leave you alone. Hate me all you like, I deserve it, but I won’t give up.

  She had more to say, but she would need time to compose a message that would be strong enough to break through the barrier of her own construction. Pulling back her shoulders, she braved a look in the mirror to find her reflection surprisingly familiar. The world around her was changing by the hour, but she was the same person she had always been, the one who had brought up two children on her own and kept the family business going.

  Only a week ago, she had been living in blissful ignorance. She had thought she was doing a good job as a wife and mother: a stable marriage, her oldest child almost off to university and the other aiming for top grades in her GCSEs. Nina would spend the rest of her life wondering where it all went wrong, but if she were going to judge herself, it should be on what she did next.

  She considered going into Liam’s room so they could start the conversation they had managed to avoid the night before. Eva had gone home after dinner with a vague promise of telling her parents that she was almost nine weeks’ pregnant, and extending Nina’s offer, which was to gather the two families together so they could talk through the options, even though Liam and Eva were insisting the most crucial decision had already been made. Nina would have admired their determination to keep the baby if she wasn’t absolutely convinced it would be a terrible mistake.

  Standing up, Nina went to grab the dressing gown hanging from the back of the door, but quickly recoiled. It was the one she had taken to Rome, which had failed to add spice to the trip because Nina had been too worried about what had upset Scarlett. It was also the one that had featured in the photograph sent to Rob, and Nina shuddered in revulsion as she lifted the gown off the hook. Falling short of creating a bonfire in her bedroom, Nina scrunched it into a ball and shoved it into a drawer where it would remain out of sight until she could dispose of it permanently.

  It was Bryn’s towelling dressing gown she wrapped around herself as she went into Scarlett’s room. She had been prepared to drag her daughter out of bed, but Scarlett was up and dressed.

  ‘I’m going to the police station,’ Scarlett said.

  ‘I know you are. I’ll get ready and then we can head straight over.’

  ‘I’m going on my own.’

  Nina opened her mouth to say more, but thought better of it. She could engage in an argument or she could keep to her original plan. Scarlett’s opinion didn’t matter, not unless she had had an epiphany overnight and was eager to provide the evidence the police needed to lock up Rob Swift and throw away the key. There was a simple way of testing that particular theory.

  ‘Did you have sex with Rob Swift?’ she asked.

  ‘No, I made it all up.’

  Nina turned and left without another word. She went downstairs and made sure all the exits were deadlocked. Next, she collected all the house keys, including the one from Scarlett’s school bag that had been discarded in the hall. Satisfied that her daughter had no means of escape, Nina locked herself in the bathroom. She took a long, hot bath, luxuriating in the false sense of calm it gave her while ignoring the commotion outside when Scarlett realized she had been trapped.

  ‘You’d better get used to it,’ Nina whispered softly. ‘This is only the beginning.’

  Scarlett

  I don’t know if I want to say any more. What else is there anyway? I could start again from the beginning and promise to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, but that’s not going to happen, not ever. No one is getting any more information out of me.

  ‘Did you have sex with him?’ ‘Did he touch you?’ ‘Did he force you to do anything you didn’t want to do?’ I was asked over and over and over again by practically every single person I was allowed to come into contact with while Mum had me under house arrest. If I was supposed to be the victim, then why were they treating me like a criminal, especially Mum? She didn’t even
try to hide how much she hated me, and it was like I didn’t have a mum any more. I thought it was bad enough when she got together with Bryn and we stopped doing the stuff we used to do, just the two of us, but this was ten times worse. It was horrible and so was she, which I suppose was a good thing in a weird sort of way because it stopped me feeling sorry for her. Mum had turned into this heartless cow who had kicked her husband out and locked up her daughter, and not once did I see her cry. The only time she softened up was around Liam. She was nicer to Eva than she was to me.

  But no matter how much Mum controlled what was going on around me, she couldn’t get inside my head. I suppose that’s what the counselling is supposed to be about, but I’ll tell you now, I won’t be threatened, or bribed, or hypnotized into changing my statement. I think that policewoman, Alice, realized that when I went back to see her the day after Rob was arrested.

  She didn’t badger me like you see on TV and it was kind of good when she kept telling Mum off for trying to answer for me. I was surprised how quickly Alice gave up, but after we left the interview room, I had to hang around while she took Mum to one side. She kept putting her hand on Mum’s arm and squeezing it, like Mum was the one who needed all the sympathy.

  I overheard her telling Mum that they only had a few hours left before they would have to charge Rob or let him go and it was looking like they would let him go. I couldn’t help smiling, but then Alice clocked me listening in. I think she wanted me to overhear, it was probably some trick, but no one was going to trick me into anything.

  ‘You care a lot about him, don’t you, Scarlett?’ she asked.

  ‘He’s a good teacher.’

  ‘Not any longer. Whatever happens, I doubt he’ll be teaching again.’

  We were standing in a corridor with dirty cream walls covered in scuff marks. There were lots of doors and Rob could have been behind any one of them.

  I thought he might be close enough to hear me so I raised my voice when I said, ‘That’s not fair, he hasn’t done anything wrong.’