Rachel was looking at him in shock. Danielle had never, ever seen her mother so lost for words. She could see that Rachel was fighting to hold back tears.
‘That’s really very kind of you, Justin,’ she said, her voice breaking a little. ‘It’s . . . it’s amazing you thought of that. Thank you.’ She looked from her daughter to Justin. ‘I don’t want to sound ungrateful for one minute, but I’d have to say, hand on heart, that I’d prefer to stay here and come visit very often. I’m used to my own space, and young married couples need to get used to theirs, so while I’m very touched that you came up with that idea, I’d be much happier living my life and letting you live yours. Although I’ll be in your faces a lot of the time when my grandchild arrives, just to warn you.’
Justin smiled. ‘That’s no problem at all, Rachel. I admire an honest woman.’
‘Oh then you’re going to absolutely love me,’ Rachel said, making them both laugh.
Oh God, I’m so relieved,’ Justin said, turning to Danielle. ‘I was so scared when I got your text. The thought of losing you . . .’
‘You two lovebirds need to get out now,’ Rachel said, shooing them with her hands. ‘Go on, go home and be all soppy about each other there. I can’t watch my programmes with you cluttering up the room.’
‘Are you sure?’ Danielle said, feeling bad at leaving her.
‘If you think you’re leaving two massive cars outside my house, you can think again. I’ll have every beggar from here to town coming knocking. They’ll think I’ve won the Lotto. So get those cars out of here, come on.’ She ushered them out of the room and towards the front door. ‘Go on, goodnight,’ she said.
‘Night, Mam. I love you,’ Danielle said.
Rachel closed the front door and Justin immediately wrapped his arms around Danielle and kissed her long and slow.
‘I don’t even want to be parted from you for the journey home,’ he said, ‘but I’m too scared of Rachel to leave your car here.’
Danielle laughed. ‘You’d be right, too. I’ll follow you home.’
As she climbed into the Range Rover she thought, home. Yes, it finally felt like it was.
Chapter 28
‘I’M HUNGRY,’ DREW SAID, SNIFFING THE AIR. ‘IS MY lunch ready?’
‘Perfect timing,’ Pearl said, putting his plate down on the breakfast bar. ‘You can sit up here for a change, on the high stool. I know you like that.’
Drew sat down heavily on the stool and gave his full attention to his meal. He was so big now, he pretty much inhaled food. His appetite was huge, even though he never seemed to gain weight. He was becoming a man, Pearl thought as she watched him. The future was so scary, but she was going to do right by him from now on.
‘Are you okay?’ Tommy said, giving her a quick and light kiss on the temple.
She nodded. ‘Not great, but okay.’
The doorbell rang, and Pearl froze. Tommy stroked her cheek.
‘It’s okay. The locks are all changed, so if it’s him, he can’t get in, okay? I’ll go check.’
Pearl strained to hear what was happening. She heard the front door being pulled open, then a voice that definitely wasn’t Seth’s. It was a woman. Then she heard Tommy said, ‘No, wait, hang on, I don’t think . . .’ Who the hell was it? The kitchen door was pushed open.
‘You’re home,’ Maia said delightedly, walking straight into the kitchen. ‘Oh Pearl, we’ve been worried sick about you. Are you alright?’ Maia went straight over and enveloped Pearl in a bear hug. Pearl was caught off-guard, she wasn’t ready to see them yet. But they all trooped in behind Maia, one after another, including the twins.
‘We wanted to see Drew,’ Zara said. ‘I hope that’s okay.’
Pearl nodded. ‘He’s over there.’
‘Drew!’ Zara said. ‘We missed you. Are you doing okay? Oh, you have a bandage on your arm. Did the ambulance men put that on for you?’
Drew nodded solemnly. ‘Daddy hurt me,’ he said. ‘But the doctors made it better.’
‘Seth said there was a little accident,’ Nancy said. ‘I’m so glad it was just minor and you’re both okay. We tried to get in touch but couldn’t get through on your phone. We came over to Seth, but he didn’t tell us much.’
‘No, I’m sure he didn’t,’ Pearl said. She was feeling claustrophobic with all these people in her kitchen, and the feeling that they must have been talking about her and her family behind her back. She was probably the juiciest bit of gossip doing the rounds.
Danielle came in last, looking shy.
‘Oh my God, Danielle,’ Pearl said. ‘You’re home.’
Danielle smiled. ‘That makes two of us. Yes, I’m home. For good this time.’
‘Really,’ Pearl said. ‘I’m so pleased to hear that.’
‘It was a rocky few days,’ Danielle said, ‘but we’ve ironed it out now. It’s all good.’
Pearl envied the young woman her clarity, but then she pushed that aside and just felt happy for her.
‘I’m really so happy to hear that, Danielle,’ she said again.
‘We all are,’ Nancy said. ‘We realised how much we missed her when she was gone. She’s one of us now, God love her.’
Danielle laughed. ‘That doesn’t sound too bad.’
‘I’m so glad you’re all okay,’ Betsy said, coming over to embrace Pearl. ‘I was so upset when I saw the ambulance. I couldn’t bear the idea of anything happening to darling Drew. Or to you, Pearl. You must be glad to be home.’
‘Yes, we are,’ Pearl said. ‘Now you’re all very good for coming, but . . .’
‘What happened?’ Maia said, and Pearl could feel the weight of her stare. Maia could sniff out a lie or a half-truth in a second. Pearl felt like she was caught in a spotlight, with everyone watching, waiting for what she would say.
‘I think maybe Pearl might need some space,’ Danielle said quietly. ‘We’ve kind of landed in on top of her. We can come back later, Pearl, yeah?’
Before Pearl could say, Yes, please leave right now, Drew suddenly said, ‘Daddy can’t come back. He’s never coming back. He won’t hit me again.’
There was silence that seemed to stretch on for ever. Pearl could feel her face burning red. There was a roaring sound in her ears and she felt sick. Her friends stood around dumbly, no one knowing what to say. Drew was looking at Zach and Zara, waiting for their reaction. It was Zach who managed to speak first.
‘Hey, dude, if your dad did hurt you, then I’m really glad he’s gone away. No one should ever hurt you, Drew. If they do, you come and tell me and I’ll hurt them right back, okay? I don’t want anyone hurting my friends.’
Drew grinned. ‘Thanks, Zach. If Daddy ever comes back, I’ll run to Tommy or to you.’
Pearl stared at the floor, unable to meet anyone’s eye. She was waiting for their shock, their judgement, their looks of contempt because they regarded her as a terrible mother. They were her friends, but they were also such strong, together women. None of them would have allowed this situation to grow to the point where their child ended up in hospital, she was sure of that.
‘Oh Pearl,’ Betsy cried, ‘is that true? Did Seth deliberately hurt Drew?’
‘I knew it,’ Maia said. ‘I got such a bad feeling off him. I said to Nancy that I wouldn’t be surprised if the ambulance had something to do with him. And what about that bruise on your cheek, Pearl, did he do that too?’
Pearl couldn’t bear the feeling of being sized up and judged. ‘Look,’ she said, her voice harsher than she intended, ‘I know you’re over to see the dysfunctional family in action, but I just can’t cope with that at the moment. So yes, Seth beat Drew and he beat me and it’s been going on for years and you don’t have to tell me that I’m a crap mother and a stupid person because I know that already. I don’t want to hear what you all think of me, okay, because I’m hanging on by a thread here.’ She squeezed her eyes shut, half hoping when she opened them, everyone would have just disappeared into thin air.
/> ‘The first time my husband hit me,’ Nancy said, ‘I packed a bag and got ready to leave him. That bag stayed under my bed, packed and ready to go, for four long years before I actually picked it up and walked out the door.’
Pearl looked at Nancy in absolute shock. Never in all her life would she have thought of Nancy being broken down by a man. She couldn’t even speak, she just kept staring at Nancy in horror.
‘He killed something in me,’ Nancy said, her voice so matter-of-fact it made it all sound worse. ‘I couldn’t leave because there wasn’t enough left of me, or maybe I thought I deserved what he dished out because of my drinking. It’s hard to put it into words, but leaving seemed like a mountain so high, there was no way I could ever climb it. It was just an impossibility. There was no way out. It took years for me to realise all I had to do was open the door and walk through.’
A sound escaped from Pearl that was part cry, part gasp. The world had just turned upside-down for her. She wasn’t the only one, that’s all she could think. Someone she admired had made the same mistake. It was incredible to think that she had been friends with Nancy for so many years and never found this out before.
‘Oh Nancy,’ she said, ‘I’m so sorry. The idea of someone hitting you . . .’
‘And that’s how we feel about you,’ Nancy said, walking over to hug her. ‘I can see the look on your face, Pearl. You think we’re all standing around judging you and thinking terrible things about you, but we’re not. We’re your friends. We’re all gutted that this happened to you.’
‘We’re judging ourselves harshly,’ Betsy added, wiping a tear from her eye. ‘Here we are living right beside you and we never knew. We never guessed. We didn’t help. What kind of friends are we?’
‘I thought you’d hate me,’ Pearl said hoarsely. ‘I couldn’t bear it, to see you all looking at me like that.’
‘You mad thing,’ Maia said, also starting to cry. ‘We love you to bits, Pearl. We’d never think badly of you. There is only one person to blame for this and that’s bloody Seth. If I ever see him again, so help me I’m going to lob something hard and sharp at his big, thick head.’
‘Are you okay?’ Danielle asked, her face full of concern. ‘Did he hurt you badly? Were you treated in the hospital as well?’
Pearl shook her head. ‘No, it was mainly Drew. Seth punched me, but he flung Drew across the room and he landed on a glass Seth had shattered against the wall, so he was bleeding. That’s why I called the ambulance. All the other times, I just patched up Drew and me as best I could. It wasn’t all the time, you know,’ she said, feeling lighter with every truthful word she uttered. ‘He was away so much, so it wasn’t really regular or anything. He’d just lose it sometimes. This time it was because he thought I made a show of him by dancing at the party. But when he was in that mood, he’d always find something.’
‘Daddy is a bad man,’ Drew said, his chin wobbling as tears began to fall. ‘I love Tommy. He’s good.’
‘Oh Lord, we’re all sobbing,’ Betsy said, rubbing her eyes. ‘You two are so brave. And Pearl, to get Drew out and stand up to Seth, that took real courage.’
‘But it took me so long,’ Pearl said, the shame gripping her again.
‘Me too,’ Nancy said. ‘Me too, Pearl. It’s hard to get away. But saying it out loud, naming it, that’s a really important step. By doing that, you’ve already broken free.’
‘Is that why you had a guy here from the locksmiths yesterday?’ Zach asked. ‘I saw the van. Is that so that Seth can’t get back in?’
Pearl nodded, feeling embarrassed that the twins were a party to all this. They must be shocked out of their young minds.
‘Good,’ Zach said. ‘And I’ll keep my eyes peeled, Pearl, for any sign of him. There’s no way he’s getting back in here again. Do you want me to stay for a while, so you’ve got extra help in the house at night?’
‘Oh God, Zach, that is so good of you,’ Pearl said. ‘I’m so touched that you would think to do that. You’re a credit to your mum and dad, you really are. You’re so kind.’
Zach shrugged, then rolled his eyes as Maia reached up to kiss him. ‘I’m so proud of you,’ she whispered.
‘I’ve some friends who have parents with alcohol problems,’ he said, looking uncomfortable with all the attention. ‘They’ve told me how horrible it is to wait for the key in the door at night, you know. I’m so sorry this happened to you, and to you, Drew. It’s not right. But I will stay over any time, Pearl. It’s no problem.’
‘I’m very glad to know I can call on you, Zach, but thankfully I have someone in my corner, and he’d lay down his life to protect me and Drew.’ She looked over at Tommy and smiled.
‘Oh!’ Maia said, looking from one to the other of them. ‘Oh my God, you two! I had no idea. I can’t believe I didn’t cop that. My God, you’re dark horses.’
‘That’s wonderful,’ Betsy said warmly. ‘I’m glad you’ve had someone kind to balance out the horrible. Pearl deserves a lovely man like you, Tommy.’
Tommy looked distinctly uncomfortable, but Pearl was floating high on the relief of her friends not blaming her and on the feeling of finally telling the truth. It was intoxicating. It made her want to spill the beans about everything. It was such a sweet feeling to acknowledge her feelings for Tommy and his for her. It made them feel like a proper couple, which was what she wanted so badly. She wanted to never think about Seth again, and to be with Tommy openly and always.
‘Ah, that’s so cute,’ Maia said, ‘the two of you blushing like teenagers.’
‘I love Tommy,’ Drew stated again. ‘Only Tommy and Mum.’
‘And we love you, Drew,’ Pearl said. ‘For ever and ever.’
‘You’ll need time to work through this, though,’ Nancy said carefully. ‘Don’t rush any decisions would be my advice. Let the dust settle, think about what you want and put your happiness and Drew’s happiness first. It’s not a case of getting out of that situation and everything clicking into place. It takes time to process what happened and how it affected you.’
‘Nancy’s right,’ Danielle said, and they all looked at her in surprise. She nervously twisted her scarf in her hand. ‘My dad was a drinker,’ she said. ‘I’ve been through what you and Drew have been through. You’ll need to be really kind to yourselves and not put yourself under pressure to be suddenly better and over it, you know? It takes a long time to come to terms with it.’
Nancy shook her head. ‘Well there you go,’ she said. ‘You thought you were alone, Pearl, and actually three-fifths of us have skeletons in that particular cupboard.’
‘That’s mad,’ Maia said. ‘I’d never have guessed it about any of you. You’re all such brilliant strong women.’
‘My heart is breaking,’ Betsy said. ‘My beautiful friends harbouring such secrets. It’s terrible. I’m so sorry you all experienced something so horrible. I just want to wrap you all up and hug you until it’s gone away.’
‘Betsy, you big softie,’ Nancy said affectionately. ‘Sure, none of us gets through life without something going wrong. We’re all carrying scars of one kind or another.’
Pearl looked around the room and felt the love of these wonderful people and thanked her lucky stars that she had them in her life, always nearby. She suddenly remembered something.
‘Nancy, what happened with the council? Did you have the meeting?’
Nancy grinned. ‘I sure did, and those silly buggers have backed down, Pearl. I’m not moving anywhere. Danielle here figured out a legal loophole and saved my ass.’
Pearl looked at Danielle in astonishment. ‘You did that?’ she said. ‘Now that is impressive. And you called me a dark horse!’
‘Kingfisher Road women,’ Nancy declared. ‘We may carry scars, we may have secrets, but by God we’re a bunch of kick-ass women!’
‘Hear, hear,’ Maia shouted. ‘And Pearl, you’re the most kick-ass of the lot. My hat goes off to you.’
Pearl giggled. ‘You’re
the most amazing women,’ she said. ‘Oh God, I’m going to start crying again. You’re just so good, and to tell me these things and be there for me, it’s just . . . it’s incredible. I’m so glad I know you all. And it’s going to be so good to live here on my own terms, no Seth, no rules. It’ll be wine by the barrel-load whenever we feel like it.’
She felt overwhelmed by emotion, and by the stress and exhaustion of the past two days. But she was still standing. Seth had tried to knock them into submission, but now she was here and he wasn’t. She knew Nancy and Danielle were right to say it would take time, but with the love in the room and the support of these wise and wonderful women, she felt ready to grab the future, her future, with both hands. She’d have Tommy by her side, a happy Drew, and a life that was free of fear. It felt good.
As she shepherded her friends out of the house, she heard her phone beeping from her bag in the kitchen. She went back inside and took it out with a sense of dread. Sure enough, there was his name. It was his reply. Pearl took a deep breath and pressed Open.
You are even more stupid than I thought, Pearl. I have just had a courier hand a sheaf of documents into reception, and I see that you have involved a solicitor and are threatening me with the police. This is utterly ridiculous given that this is a minor domestic matter. However, it does show me exactly what kind of person you are, and what you are is untrustworthy and hysterical. I have no desire to be married to a person like you. I’m far better off without the burden of you and your child on my back. I shall make my own plans for myself, and I won’t see either of you ever again. Don’t bother pleading with me when you realise the error of your ways, because it’s over. Goodbye, Pearl.
Goodbye, Pearl thought, smiling through her tears. It was the sweetest word she’d ever heard in her life.
Chapter 29
DANIELLE HAD GONE SHOPPING IN VAYHILL AND picked up some new things – all with extra stretch around the waist. Zara had gone with her and helped her pick some gorgeous dresses. When she had Zara with her, it was so easy to breeze through the boutiques and pick exactly the right thing. Left to her own devices, she would probably have given up after an hour and come home empty-handed. But she was really thrilled with her purchases. They made her feel like a new woman, which matched the new contentment she felt about Justin and their life together.
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