The Lie of Love Page 18

‘Mess around with my wife, would you! I’ll rip your arms off…’

  Ged flew at him again. Once again Michael avoided him easily, but this time he stepped back and held his hands out in a gesture of surrender.

  ‘Nobody has messed around with your wife. I don’t know what you’re talking about.’

  ‘I saw it with my own eyes.’

  ‘You saw nothing.’

  ‘LIAR!’ Ged’s fist came from nowhere and this time found its mark. Michael flew back against the wall, his lip bleeding. He pulled his arm back again but Darcy grabbed it.

  ‘Ged, please…’ she yelled.

  He turned to her but his eyes were empty, devoid of any recognition, the only emotion hate.

  Then another voice was added to the fray and her heart sank.

  ‘Dad!’ Harry leapt from the doorstep to his father’s side. Glancing at the injured man, then between Darcy and Ged, his eyes widened. Darcy could see him piecing it all together. ‘What’s going on?’ he asked, in a voice that suggested he knew exactly what was going on.

  ‘Go in, lad,’ Ged growled. ‘This is between me and your dad and if you get in the way you’ll get hurt.’

  ‘Try it,’ Harry said, his expression hardening. ‘You want my dad then you’ll have to hurt me first; I’ll kill you before I let you lay another finger on him.’

  ‘Go in,’ Michael said, laying a hand on Harry’s shoulder. ‘Call the police.’

  ‘Yeah…’ Ged goaded. ‘Call the police. They’re going to have a murder investigation when I’m done here.’

  Harry ran at him, and they fell to the ground together. They grappled, rolling over, fists flying ineffectually as each tried to land a blow. Michael dived over and pulled Ged off his son, spinning him around and landing a punch to the stomach. Ged groaned and doubled over. Harry leapt up, ready to strike, but his dad yanked him back.

  ‘Don’t!’ he shouted.

  Harry glanced across at Darcy, his eyes full of fire. She gave her head the tiniest shake, her expression pleading him not to tell even though she knew he must. Harry shook himself free of his dad’s grip and flew at Ged again. Michael grabbed him for a second time, holding both arms behind his back now. ‘Harry! This is not your fight.’

  Harry spat blood onto the floor. He yanked himself free again and faced his dad. ‘It is,’ he said.

  ‘I can handle it –’

  ‘No. It is my fight.’ He turned to Ged. His stare was a direct challenge. And then he said it:

  ‘I’ve been sleeping with your wife.’

  Ged stared at Harry, incomprehension on his face. But then his jaw tightened and his fists balled at his sides. ‘What….’

  ‘You heard,’ Harry taunted. ‘She got it from me because you couldn’t deliver –’

  He didn’t finish his sentence before Ged launched at him. Michael dived to drag him off. Amanda was on her mobile. Darcy ran to her.

  ‘Please…. Don’t call the police…’

  Amanda stared at her. ‘Are you mad? They’re going to kill each other…. Oh, hello, I need the police; it’s an emergency.’

  Darcy paused, torn. Amanda was bringing another complication into the mix, but she was right – things were getting uglier by the second and there was a real danger that not everyone was going to walk away from this. She screamed for the men to stop, but nobody heard.

  Then came the deafening crack.

  Silence fell.

  Every face turned in shock to see Julia at the door of the house with a shotgun.

  ‘Get away from my family,’ she said, her voice eerily calm.

  Ged wiped his lip. ‘Perhaps you’d like to know what this is about,’ he said with a sneer.

  ‘Not especially,’ she replied. ‘I’d just like you to leave. Now.’

  ‘I can’t. I have something to sort.’

  ‘For God’s sake, Ged,’ Darcy wailed. ‘What is wrong with you? Can’t you see when it’s time to walk away?’

  He flung an accusing finger at her. ‘You don’t talk to me! You don’t say a word!’

  ‘Leave her alone,’ Harry yelled, advancing again.

  ‘Harry!’ Julia said, her voice rising just enough to get his attention but still deadly calm. ‘Enough is enough.’

  ‘Julia…’ Darcy started forwards, the beginning of a clumsy explanation on her lips. Julia shook the rifle at her.

  ‘Don’t. Don’t come near me or my family again.’

  ‘But –’

  ‘You think I don’t have ears or eyes? I didn’t want to believe it, so I shut myself off. How could I believe that my friend would betray me like that? I ignored what I could see right in front of me. I should have protected my son but I didn’t. But you…’ she stifled a sob. ‘You should have known better…. He’s just a boy….’

  ‘I’m an adult,’ Harry cut in. ‘I’m old enough to know what I want.’

  ‘You’re not,’ Julia said. ‘You only think you are.’

  ‘I love her!’

  Julia strode over and slapped him across the cheek. ‘Don’t be stupid.’

  Harry held a hand to his face and glared at her.

  ‘Go in, Harry,’ she said.

  ‘I’m not finished yet,’ Ged said.

  Julia stared him down. ‘I think you are.’

  ‘Yeah, you are,’ Harry taunted. ‘You are SO finished –’

  Ged flew at him again. This time he landed a perfectly timed uppercut which sent Harry sprawling across the driveway. Darcy screamed as Michael grabbed for Ged. She ran to Harry, who was now motionless on the ground.

  ‘You’ve killed him!’ she cried, pulling his head onto her lap. ‘What have you done?’

  Julia threw the gun to one side and ran to her son. Shoving Darcy out of the way she felt his pulse. ‘He’s fine, just knocked out.’

  And then the sound of sirens wailed through the trees. Ged looked across to where blue lights winked through the new spring foliage and he paled. Michael glanced at the gun lying on the ground, and then back towards the road where the sound of sirens grew closer. Grabbing for the gun, he ran into the house with it, emerging a few seconds later empty handed. The threat of the police seemed to shock Ged back to lucidity. His gaze flitted to Harry on the ground.

  ‘Will he be alright?’

  ‘He won’t die if that’s what you were hoping for,’ Julia spat.

  Harry groaned and stirred. Julia tapped his face gently and he opened his eyes.

  ‘Mum?’

  It took a few moments for him to focus. But as he did, he tried to push himself up too quickly and collapsed again, head in his hands.

  ‘Slowly,’ Julia said. ‘You don’t know what damage is done.’ She glanced up at her husband. ‘Call an ambulance.’

  ‘No!’ Harry said. ‘I’m fine.’ He raised his head again, steadier this time, and turned to the gates. With what looked like an almighty effort, he pushed himself to his feet as two police officers made their way up the drive.

  Everyone else turned to follow the direction of his gaze.

  ‘Somebody called us,’ one of the officers announced, his sharp eyes surveying the scene.

  ‘That was me.’ Amanda stepped forward. ‘There was…’ her voice faded as she glanced from one to another, clearly torn over what to say.

  ‘There looks like some injuries here,’ the police officer continued.

  ‘There was a disagreement,’ Harry cut in, ‘but it’s sorted now.’

  Julia frowned and opened her mouth to speak, but Harry gave his head a warning shake. She looked to her husband for support but he simply stared at Harry with a silent question.

  ‘Are you sure about that?’ the policeman asked Julia. ‘You don’t seem it.’

  Darcy looked at Ged, who gave Harry a look that was somewhere between complete surprise and absolute loathing.

  ‘Perhaps you tell me what the disagreement was about and who attacked who…’ the policeman said.

  Julia opened her mouth again but Harry cut her off once more. �
�Please, Mum…’ he hissed. ‘Don’t do this.’

  ‘Mr Blake had an issue with my son,’ she said stiffly. ‘But if you could escort him off our premises I would be grateful.

  ‘I’m going,’ Ged growled.

  ‘You too…’ Julia said, eyeing Darcy coldly. ‘I’m sure you and your husband have a lot to discuss.’

  ‘Julia…’ Darcy pleaded. Amanda took her gently by the arm.

  ‘Not now,’ she whispered. ‘They need time to talk this through as a family.’

  ‘I’m sorry,’ Darcy said in a choked voice. ‘Julia… I’m so sorry…’

  Julia turned without reply and walked back to the house. Harry fired Darcy a sorrowful glance before following her.

  Ged stalked off. The next sound Darcy heard was his car engine roaring into life.

  ‘Do you need us now?’ Amanda asked the police officer who was writing in his notebook.

  He looked up at her. Whether there was paperwork they didn’t want to do, or whether they had decided that no actual crime had been committed was a mystery, but he shook his head. ‘It seems that whatever situation had been going on has blown over now. If you’ll kindly leave the premises I’m sure there’s no need to take things further.’

  ‘Come on,’ Amanda said, taking Darcy by the arm and leading her down the drive. ‘You need a stiff drink.’

  Darcy twisted her head to look back at the house. Julia stood at the window watching them, her face unreadable.

  Darcy forced her eyes open. An unfamiliar bedroom swam into focus. Turning her face to the pillow, she screwed her eyes closed against the daylight diffused through lacy curtains. The pillows smelt differently too. For once, she longed for her own bed, for the certainty of her old life. But that was gone forever now.

  On their return to Amanda’s house, Darcy shaking from head to foot, Amanda had given her tea with whisky and put her to bed. Darcy remembered crying as if she would never stop. But then she must have fallen asleep.

  The house was eerily quiet. She was used to hearing the bustle of a family home. Howie had enjoyed spending time with Jake and Sophie so much that when Amanda returned home with a distraught Darcy he was only too happy to take them off to a local children’s farm for the remainder of the day, giving Amanda time to care for her friend. There was no accusation, no blame, no reproach, only the sort of unprejudiced kindness that friends show to each other in times of need.

  The door creaked and Darcy flipped herself over to look. Amanda peered in.

  ‘You’re awake,’ she said. ‘How are you feeling?’

  ‘Numb,’ Darcy said. ‘It’s the only way I can describe it.’

  ‘You’ve had an emotionally draining day; it’s bound to affect you like that.’

  ‘That might be the understatement of the year.’ Darcy sat up and gave her a tight smile.

  ‘That’s the spirit.’ Amanda pulled her into a hug. Darcy held on tight, grateful for the affection and support.

  ‘I don’t know what I’d do without you.’

  ‘I am good, aren’t I?’

  Darcy gave a tearful laugh. ‘You are that.’ She sniffed hard and pulled away. ‘You wouldn’t think I could cry anymore, but look at me.’

  ‘It’s going to take time,’ Amanda said gently.

  ‘What am I going to do?’

  ‘It’s a mess, that’s for sure. You don’t think Ged will listen if you go home and try to talk to him?’

  ‘There’s no telling what he will do.’ Darcy was silent for a moment. ‘I’m not sure I want to go home anyway.’ Her thoughts strayed, momentarily, to a tarot reading she had been given, so many months ago now. Storm, the psychic, had said that the cards answered a question for Darcy, and that she was surprised at the nature of it. Was this what she had meant? Had the cards seen Darcy’s unconscious realisation that her marriage to Ged was almost over, even without the complications that Harry had brought? Had they decided her fate? It was a strange thought to have at a time like this.

  ‘Where will you go?’ Amanda asked.

  Darcy shrugged.

  ‘I mean… you could stay with me in a heartbeat, but Howie…’

  ‘Don’t be silly. I could never impose on you like that and you’ve done more than enough for me already.’

  ‘I’ll talk to Howie. We’ll go with you to get some things from home and you can stay for a couple of days while you sort out some alternative accommodation. I’m sure he won’t mind for that long. That’s unless Ged has calmed down and you want to stay, have a go at patching things up?’

  ‘I need some space, time to clear my head and decide what I do want. I have to think about the kids too. For so long I thought staying with Ged was the right thing for them but… now I don’t know. What do you think?’

  Amanda gave a sad smile. ‘It doesn’t matter what I think. It’s your marriage. But you need to understand what it was that drove you to have an affair.’

  Darcy nodded slowly. But she was asking a question that her heart already knew the answer to.

  Sitting on the sofa, fingers knotting together on her lap, Darcy waited. Ged had been gone for a week, leaving her and the kids with the family home and renting a flat a mile away. He hadn’t visited once in that time, though he had text with excuses that he was busy setting up, and although she felt the pain of separation for her children, she was glad of his absence. Even so, she still expected to hear the key in the lock every day, him home from work, littering the house with his belongings and grumbling about his boss or a client, and in an odd way she missed that.

  Amanda had taken Jake and Sophie to school every day that week, knowing that Darcy needed time to collect herself before she could face the stares of the playground gossipers. News travelled fast in their town and the affair would have got out somehow. It wasn’t that Darcy cared what they thought, but she just wasn’t strong enough to deal with it yet.

  There was a knock at the door. Darcy got up to answer it. Harry stood in the porch. She nodded for him to come in and he followed her in silence, into the living room.

  ‘You want to sit down?’ she asked.

  ‘I can’t stay long.’

  ‘That’s not what I asked.’

  He frowned. ‘Don’t be angry. We were friends once.’

  ‘We were more than friends. Things change.’ Darcy sat and he took a seat next to her. ‘Has your mum forgiven you?’ she asked.

  He shrugged. ‘She’ll come round, it just takes her a while.’ He paused. ‘I’m not sure she’ll forgive you though, whether it’s the Christian thing to do or not.’

  ‘I wouldn’t expect her to. You talked to her about the police?’

  He nodded. ‘She won’t take it any further. She realises that trying to prosecute Ged will just drag all of us deeper into the mess. Best to move on.’

  ‘That means you too?’

  ‘I’m heading back to uni tomorrow.’

  Darcy wasn’t sure how she felt about this. She had been ready for it, but now he was here telling her she felt a tiny pang of misgiving. She had already told him that they could never pick up again where their affair had left off, despite his insistence that now everyone knew, their relationship would be honest and legitimate, even if nobody else liked it. He had told her he loved her. Somehow, she felt that he didn’t really know that, not for sure. She thought back to when she was twenty. Would she have known? The fact that she had got it so wrong with Ged told her the answer to that. She had patiently tried to explain the long term effects of the age gap, how, as the years went by, his feelings might change about that, and she had told him that she needed to put Jake and Sophie before anything else; right now they needed to find some peace and stability – and that she didn’t think that a relationship with Harry would bring that.

  ‘Was that your decision or your mum’s? You’re not due back until next week, are you?’

  ‘A bit of both. She wanted me out of the way –’

  ‘Out of my way, you mean…’

  Harry gave
a sheepish nod and smiled tightly. ‘Something like that. But I thought you might need some space to decide what you want so it was best to put some distance between us.’

  ‘I won’t change my mind.’

  ‘Don’t give up on me yet.’

  ‘I’m not giving up on you… I’m saving you.’

  ‘From you? Why would I want that? I love –’

  ‘Harry, no! You can’t say that. You have to forget about me.’

  He was silent for a moment. ‘Will you go back to Ged?’

  ‘That’s not what this is about.’

  ‘So Ged isn’t the reason you won’t see me anymore?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘Can I call you sometimes? Only to see how you are.’

  ‘It’s probably best if you don’t.’

  ‘Why are you making it so hard?’

  ‘I’m doing what should have been done a long time ago. Look at the mess we’ve made, the heartache we’ve caused our families. I think we’ve done too much damage for any relationship to be accepted now. I’d never forgive myself if I drove a wedge between you and your parents and this definitely would if it continued, out in the open or not. Trust me, Harry – this is for the best and one day you’ll see that.’

  His gaze went to the window, the ticking of the clock the only sound polluting their silence. ‘That’s it?’ he asked finally, turning to face her again.

  Darcy felt her throat tighten. Tears had to be held in, saved for when she was alone, and she fought them with all her might.

  ‘I’m sorry.’

  He stood up. ‘Shall I go?’

  She stood too and nodded. ‘It’s probably best.’

  He gave her a sorrowful smile and she thought her heart would break there and then.

  ‘We had fun, didn’t we?’ he asked. ‘You liked being with me?’

  ‘Oh, God, Harry… of course I did! I will always remember you fondly.’ She smiled and leaned up to kiss him lightly on the lips. ‘You changed my life, and no matter what else happens, you’ll always be important to me for that.’

  ‘I did?’

  She nodded, tears now blurring her vision. Wiping them away, she gave a small laugh. ‘Don’t get big headed about it, though.’

  He followed as she led him to the front door.

  ‘Take care, Harry,’ she said as she opened it.