Forget Her Name(54)

I can tell from Mum’s briefly raised eyebrows that she does not agree. But she sees me looking and smiles. ‘Are you okay, darling?’

‘I’m fine.’

‘You know what? I’m going to invite Jasmine to stay over Christmas.’ Mum shifts her feet to one side as Dominic climbs in beside me. There’s a firm note in her voice, as if everything is already decided and there’s no point even arguing about it. ‘I discussed it with your dad on the phone while you were in Radiography, and he agrees it’s a good idea.’

I stare at her. ‘Jasmine?’

‘Why not?’ she demands. ‘The two of you are second cousins and you don’t see enough of each other. And the poor girl’s on her own this Christmas because everyone else is flying off to . . . I don’t know, the Caribbean or somewhere. Only she can’t go because she stupidly let her passport lapse and it was too late to renew in time. Anyway, it will be lovely to have her for Christmas, and I’ve already been on the phone to her mother too. Barbara is ecstatic about the idea.’

Barbara is Jasmine’s mum, and one of Mum’s first cousins. I glance at Dominic, who shrugs and looks away, a wry smile on his face.

‘But where will she stay?’ I ask.

‘The guest bedroom, of course. I’ll get Kasia to give it a quick tidy-out. Oh, darling, it will be lovely for you. You’re off over Christmas, aren’t you?’

There’s a slight strain behind the question. I know she hates me volunteering at the food bank.

‘Yes, I was meant to finish the day after tomorrow. Back again the day after Boxing Day.’ I make a face, touching the padded plaster on my forehead. ‘Assuming I’m fit. I must look a mess. And I doubt they’ll want me hopping about on crutches.’

‘You won’t need crutches for more than a day or two,’ Dominic reassures me.

‘The doctor said it was a bad sprain.’

‘It looks worse than it is. The swelling will go down quite rapidly, you’ll see.’

I’m not sure I believe him, given how painful my ankle is right now. But I say nothing. Besides, I’ve got other things to worry about. Like Jasmine coming to visit.

I like Jasmine, but I’m uncomfortable now, and not simply because of the pain in my ankle. Just the mention of my cousin is a reminder of what she told me at the wedding. Of the unsettling postcard she received, supposedly from Rachel.

‘I’ll have to ring Sharon tonight,’ I say, trying to distract myself. ‘Let her know what’s happened. That I can’t work until after the holidays.’

‘It’s okay, let me do it,’ Dominic says at once, and turns on his phone. The screen lights up the indulgent look on his face. ‘I think I’ve got her number in my contacts list.’

‘Thank you,’ I say softly.

He gives me a sideways smile, then focuses on the phone screen.

I sit back and close my eyes, trying not to worry too much. I love how protective he’s being with me. It’s like he senses I’m nervous about Jasmine’s visit, and wants to reassure me. I only hope his love will be enough to keep me sane, when everything else in my life seems to be falling apart with alarming speed.



When we get home, Dad is waiting for us in the brightly lit porch while Dominic supports me over the threshold. Seeing him reminds me of the letter waiting in his study. Has he found it already? Has he read it?

There’s no sign of Kasia, I realise, looking past him into the empty hallway. But it’s getting late. She must have left to be with her kids. I’m glad. And not just because I’m still a little suspicious she deliberately locked me in the cellar. I don’t like the thought of her and Dad being home alone together for so long. The horrible idea that they’re having an affair has got hold of me now, and I can’t seem to shake it, even though I’m sure it can’t be true. All the same, I avoid his gaze.

It ought to be a relief to be home.

But it isn’t.

Quite the opposite, in fact. I find myself shivering again, even though the hall feels suffocatingly warm after the cold night air.

‘Good grief, girl, what on earth have you done?’ is my father’s opening question, staring at my crutches in disbelief. ‘I got your mother’s message. What were you doing poking around in the cellar?’

‘She took a tumble, that’s all,’ Dominic tells him coolly, and then gives him an even more truncated account of my misadventure than the one Mum told my father in the hospital.

To my surprise, Dad doesn’t lay into me for my clumsiness but merely watches in silence as Dominic helps me hobble up the stairs. I half expect Mum to follow, but she disappears into the kitchen instead. To mix herself a stiff gin and tonic, probably. She hates hospitals even more than I do.

Dad follows her, vanishing before we’re even at the top of the stairs. Perhaps he wants a drink, too. A drink and a proper explanation.

‘Bloody hell,’ I whisper in Dominic’s ear, ‘I think Dad’s scared of you.’

‘It’s the scrubs,’ he whispers back.

Briefly, I consider asking Dominic his opinion of Kasia, and whether she may have set her sights on my dad. But I dread his answer. What if he agrees with my suspicions? Worse, what if he admits to finding Kasia attractive himself?

I don’t think I could bear to hear that. I’m not feeling strong enough.