The Goldsworth Series Box Set

by Davie J Toothill

  It made his soul ache, knowing that his daughter was somewhere in London, living her life, unaware that her father was so close. He sometimes saw a young girl walking down the street and caught her eye, wondering if it was perhaps his daughter. Then he would blink and realise that she didn’t share any of his features. He had never seen her. How would he know what she looked like unless he was introduced to her?

  Yes, he needed to meet her. He needed to build a relationship with her. If she told him she didn’t want to see him, then at least he would have tried. At least he wouldn’t have given up just because Toni had made things difficult. She made life difficult for a lot of people, he was sure, but they didn’t hold their hands up and stop trying.

  He picked up his phone and dialled his brother. They hadn’t spoken in a long while, but their bond was strong and he knew he would receive a warm reception. And he was good at finding people. He had to be, in his line of work.

  He waited for him to answer and smiled when he did. As he had predicted, his brother was delighted to hear from him after such a long time. Nathaniel wondered why he had taken so long to return to London. His family was here. He should have come back a long time ago.

  “Listen, I need a favour,” Nathaniel said, crossing his fingers that his brother could help him. “I need you to find my daughter for me.”

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Charley observed her reflection in the floor-length mirror. The red gown fit her perfectly and she couldn’t help but feel impressed with Bolton for buying it for her.

  Her hair was straightened and she had done her make-up, but she couldn’t shake her irritation. Bolton had told her that they were attending a New Year’s Eve party at Dante’s house and Charley felt frustrated that he had agreed to attend without consulting her first.

  She had wondered whether his expensive gift was a way of making amends with her before he had dropped the bombshell. If it had been, she couldn’t fault him. She felt that it would be selfish of her to turn down the invitation after he had spent so much money on her Christmas gift.

  Bolton appeared behind her and she turned to face him.

  “You ready to go?” Bolton asked.

  He was wearing a black suit and white shirt, that brought out the colour of his skin and she felt the pull of him as he looked at her in the dress, his eyes caressing her figure.

  “I suppose I am,” she said, picking up her clutch bag from the bed. It was red, to match her dress. Another gift from Bolton. “Is the taxi here yet?”

  “They called to say they were downstairs,” he said. “And don’t worry about the party. I know there’s no love lost between you and Dante, and I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about the party sooner. I just wanted you to enjoy yourself.”

  Charley sighed. She wasn’t in the mood to get into an argument with him and their relationship was still recovering from the last one. It was the end of one year and the start of a new one. It was time for a fresh start, not the time for another argument.

  “Let’s go downstairs then,” she said, taking Bolton’s hand in hers. “You know how taxi drivers hate to wait. And they’ll be charging extra tonight, and all.”

  “We have the money,” Bolton said, leading her to the door.

  “But I see your point.”

  * * *

  The party was underway by the time they arrived. Charley felt out of place as Bolton introduced her to friends that she had never met. They clearly knew about her, and she felt as if she were being paraded around like an animal at the zoo.

  Dante greeted them warmly and Charley wondered how much he’d already had to drink to put him in such a good mood. He hugged her and she smelt beer on his breath but didn’t pull away. Perhaps now was the ideal time to start afresh; new year, new beginnings and all that.

  Bolton found her a seat in the lounge and went to get her a drink, whilst Charley observed the party around her. People were drinking and laughing, but Charley didn’t feel the urge to join in like she normally did. Not being able to drink much, and being pregnant, was putting a dampener on her party spirit.

  A large girl in a tight white skirt and heels sauntered over and introduced herself.

  “I’m Dante’s cousin, Sapphire,” she said, offering out her hand. Charley took it, and her arm was shaken by Sapphire. “I know who you are, of course. Bolton’s girlfriend, right?”

  “Yeah, I’m Charley.”

  “Nice to meet you,” she said. “I’ve heard loads about you. Congratulations, too.”

  “Thanks,” Charley murmured.

  Bolton made his way through the crowd and joined them, shooting a glance at Sapphire. Charley was relieved to have him back by her side and took the glass of orange juice gratefully.

  “Are you having a good time?” Bolton asked, leaning in close.

  “I’m fine,” Charley lied. “I just met Dante’s cousin.”

  “I thought I’d come over and introduce myself,” Sapphire said, beaming. “She looked a bit lonely, sitting here all by herself.”

  “I just went to get her a drink,” Bolton said defensively, putting his arm around Charley’s shoulders.

  Sapphire stayed with them for a while longer, making small talk that made Charley feel bored, before she sashayed off to greet some new arrivals to the party. Bolton stayed by her side, a steady stream of friends joining them to talk and offer their congratulations. Charley smiled and nodded as she was introduced to people, but she felt her interest waning and wished that she had stayed home.

  At midnight, they all stood up and formed a loose circle, cheering and hugging and kissing each other as the New Year began. Bolton kissed her tenderly, his hands around her waist. Charley hoped that they would soon be able to go home, now that the point of the party had been and gone.

  As the clock ticked on, Charley grew more impatient. Bolton and Dante went outside to smoke and Charley found herself stranded with Sapphire and one of her friends, both of them drunk and making little sense when they spoke. They laughed continuously, but Charley couldn’t see what was funny. She wanted to call a taxi and go home.

  She made excuses and left Sapphire and her friend on the couch. The crowd parted to make way for her; nobody wanted to be responsible for bumping into the pregnant girl. Charley made her way outside and found Bolton and Dante at the end of the narrow garden, smoking joints and chatting animatedly.

  Bolton smiled when she grew closer, but Dante’s face darkened.

  “I was wondering where you’d got to,” Charley said, taking Bolton’s hand in hers.

  “Spying, more like,” Dante said quietly, but Charley still heard him.

  “I think I’m ready to go home,” Charley said, ignoring Dante and focusing on Bolton, as if she hadn’t heard the comment.

  “Should we call a taxi?”

  “Yeah, I’ll call one in a few minutes,” Bolton said.

  “Why don’t you get one and Bolton can stay here?” Dante said, louder this time, so there was no way Charley could pretend not to have heard him.

  She turned to face him.

  “We’ve seen in the New Year, now it’s time to go,” she said, trying not to raise her voice. “I’m bored and everyone else is drunk. Have you ever been to a party without drinking? ‘Cos if you had, you’d know how I’m feeling right now. And I’m pregnant, in case you’d forgotten.”

  “That doesn’t mean you’ve got to drag Bolton off with you,” Dante said, shrugging his shoulders and taking a deep drag of the joint. “He’s enjoying the party. You two ain’t joined at the hip, he’s allowed a life of his own, you know.”

  Charley glared at him and fought the urge to punch him. She turned to Bolton.

  “Are you going to let your mate talk to me like that?”

  “Come on, Dante, that was out of order,” Bolton said, putting out his joint. “You can’t talk to my girlfriend like that.”

  Dante shot him a dark look.

  “You said yourself a few minutes ago that you were having a good ti
me,” he said, sounding exasperated. “Just because your girl wants to ditch the party, doesn’t mean you have to. You got a mind of your own, stand up for yourself.”

  “Stand up for himself?” Charley interrupted, indignant and getting pissed off. “You think he doesn’t stand up to me? We have a good relationship and you’re just jealous because he’d rather spend time with me than hanging out with you.”

  “You think that do you?” Dante snorted. “You’re a fool, girl. And Bolton, you’re a fool for being with her. Letting her sit home doing nothing whilst you’re out risking your neck just so she can go out and spend all the money you make. Damn, you’re whipped.”

  “I ain’t whipped,” Bolton said, shaking his head. “Charley’s right, we’ve got a good relationship.”

  “Are we going home now then?” Charley asked, hand on hip. “I’m getting bored of the party, and I don’t much like the company either.”

  Dante pulled a face and Charley turned to face him.

  “Just because no girl in her right mind would want to go out with you, Dante, that don’t mean that nobody else can have a good relationship. I don’t know what your problem is, apart from the obvious drug issues, but you’ve got to get over it and stay out of my business.”

  “And let my best mate get taken advantage of by a girl like you?” Dante asked, leaning forward, menacing, the stench of alcohol on his breath. “No way. I know girls like you. Piece of trash, that’s what. I’m looking out for my mate. When you do him over, I’ll be there and you’ll be long gone.”

  “Let’s cut this out,” Bolton said, stepping between them, sounding frustrated. “I’ll call a taxi and we can sort this out some other time.”

  “No, I want to sort it out now,” Charley said, leaning around him to face Dante. “He can talk like a big man, but he doesn’t have the balls to tell me what he really thinks.”

  Dante laughed.

  “You really want to know?” he asked. Charley nodded. “I think you’re a slag and a cunt. You ain’t worth the time it’d take to get your knickers off.”

  Charley saw red and lunged forward, knocking the drink out of Bolton’s hand. She drew her hand back and punched Dante hard in the side of the head. Dante swore and hit her hand away as she went for a second punch. Bolton’s hands wrapped around her waist and pulled her away from him, whilst Dante swore and rubbed his ear.

  “Damn bitch,” he said, spitting on the ground by her feet. “Get out of my house.”

  Charley felt Bolton against her and wriggled free from his grasp.

  “Thanks for backing me up,” she said, turning on Bolton, her anger pouring out, her chest heaving. “Anyone else would have knocked a guy out for speaking to his girlfriend like that, but not you. You just stand there and stop me from hitting him.”

  “Come on, I’ll call a taxi,” Bolton said, reaching for her.

  Charley sidestepped him, waving her arms to stop him from coming closer to her.

  “I’ll do it myself. And you can stay here and party with your mates, it’s obvious you’d rather be here than at home with me.”

  “You know, Char, your mood swings are starting to give me a headache,” Bolton said, gritting his teeth, his own temper rising. “You started that fight; you can’t act like you’re the injured party in this. You wanted him to rise to the bait and he did, you can’t blame him.”

  “I blame you,” Charley said, knowing she was being out of order but unable to stop herself. “You never even wanted us to get along. You thought I’d be gone within a couple of weeks, didn’t you? You didn’t think it was worth introducing me to your mates.”

  Bolton groaned and rubbed his forehead. Dante stood behind him, still rubbing his ear, glaring at Charley with hatred.

  “At first, I thought it was just a bit of fun, yeah,” Bolton admitted. “It turned out to be more than that, though. What else can I say? I’m not a psychic, I can’t see into the future. I don’t know what you expect from me, but whatever it is, I’m clearly not living up to it.”

  “I don’t expect much, Bolton. I just want a boyfriend who actually cares what his mates think of me and won’t let them badmouth me. And I want someone whose man enough to admit to his mistakes, not someone who tries to bullshit his way through it.”

  “Right, there’s no point in talking to you when you’re like this,” Bolton said, looking frustrated, his temper subsiding. “You’re being unreasonable. And unfair. I’m not fucking Superman. I’m doing the best I can under the circumstances.”

  “Under the circumstances?” Charley repeated, taking in a deep breath. “What, me getting pregnant wasn’t convenient for you or something? Well, it isn’t exactly a bunch of fucking roses for me either.”

  She turned on her heel and marched back into the house. Bolton called after her but she ignored him. She needed to calm down before she said anything else that she would regret later when her anger subsided. Nobody inside knew what had happened. Sapphire caught her eye and waved her over, but Charley continued down the hallway and let herself out the front door. Taking a few deep breaths, she called a taxi and sat on the front step to wait for it. She had enough cash, but she wasn’t looking forward to getting home and spending the rest of the night alone.

  * * *

  Bolton followed Dante back into the house, feeling frustrated and angry with Charley’s outburst. Dante had perked up and opened another can, handing one to Bolton. He downed the can in a few gulps, savouring the taste and wanting to get drunk.

  He needed to let off some steam after the argument, and he realised that spending time with Charley was wearing him down. Not just the arguments, but because everything was so serious with her. They had a flat, rent to pay, and a baby on the way. With her, everything was moving so quickly and he had so much responsibility.

  When he was away from her, he felt free, more at ease with himself, able to do whatever he wanted. Dante led him into the lounge and they took the sofa over, the room slowly emptying as people left the party to go home or move on to other parties on the estate.

  He wondered if Charley would get home all right, but he knew that she would. She would get a taxi, and even if anyone tried to start trouble with her, the mood she was in she could probably take on a few guys single-handed and win.

  She had a fierce temper and yet she couldn’t see the resemblance she had to her mother. It was scary, thinking that Charley might one day become her mother. It was a turn off and Bolton tried to shift the thought.

  “Your nuts are going to be history when you get home tomorrow,” Dante said, shaking his head and drinking his beer. “I ain’t ever met a girl with such a temper on her before.”

  “She’s like her mum,” Bolton said.

  “Fucking scary thought.”

  They continued drinking and Bolton didn’t protest when Dante pulled out some cocaine and started doing lines. Dante offered him some, and Bolton jumped at the chance. He didn’t care what Charley would think. She had overstepped the mark tonight, so he felt he was entitled to do the same.

  Sapphire joined them and took a line for herself, her eyes flickering towards Bolton. He smiled and she came to sit beside him. Dante gave him a knowing look and made himself scarce. Sapphire put a hand on his leg and licked her lips.

  “I heard that you and Charley had an argument,” she said, frowning. “I hope you guys sorted everything out.”

  “I don’t want to talk about it,” Bolton said.

  Sapphire’s hand slipped a little higher up his leg, her smile wider.

  “That’s cool with me,” she said. “What do you want to talk about then?”

  Bolton shrugged, his eyes drawn to her hand. She noticed and raised it a little higher.

  She leaned close, giving him an eyeful of cleavage, and whispered in his ear.

  “The spare bedroom upstairs is free,” she said, her hand gently beginning to caress his thigh. “We don’t have to do any talking up there.”

  Bolton thought about Charley. She had
stormed out and told him not to come home. She had embarrassed him in front of Dante and crossed the line when she’d insulted him. His temper rose as he went over the argument in his mind.

  He looked at Sapphire.

  “Let’s go up there then,” he said. She smiled and took his hand, leading him through the lounge and up the stairs. Dante winked as they passed him. Bolton knew that it was wrong but his anger with Charley was consuming him. He needed to let off some steam and he was about to do just that with Sapphire.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Charley paced around her bedroom in her dressing gown, her feet leaving damp prints on the carpet from her shower.

  The letter lay on the bed, the words it contained burnt into her mind and clouding her thoughts. She had considered throwing it out and trying to forget about it, but she knew that she would never forget this.

  It had been a week since she and Bolton had argued and their relationship was reaching breaking point. He had returned home the day after the party, hung over and still in a bad mood. Charley had tried to apologize for the things she had said and he had listened and reassured her, but she had sensed that something had changed between them.

  In the days since then, Bolton had spent more time working and Charley had briefly toyed with the idea of following him, but quickly discarded the idea as being reckless. She wanted to ask him to stay home more, but she knew it would just lead to another argument and she wasn’t sure that their relationship, already so fragile now, could withstand it.

  This morning, Charley had awoken to find Bolton already dressed and heading out the door. He told her he was going to work and she nodded and kissed him goodbye, not sure whether he was telling the truth or going out to spend time with Dante and his mates, but she kept quiet. She had showered and had breakfast, before she had seen the letter lying on the mat with the rest of the post.