The Younger Wife(64)

‘I’m glad you enjoyed it,’ Heather said with a thick layer of sarcasm.

She made eye contact with the guard, who stood and walked slowly towards them. At the last moment, she looked back at her dad.

‘How can you tell if a man is violent?’ she asked.

‘Ah,’ he said, grinning again. ‘Got a new fella, do you?’

The guard reached the table. ‘You can exit via that door,’ he said, pointing to the door through which Heather had entered. ‘You come with me,’ he said to her dad.

As the guard led him away, her father twisted so she could see his face. ‘There’s one way to know for sure,’ he called over his shoulder.

‘What is it?’ Heather asked.

‘Provoke him.’

And then the heavy door slammed shut between them.





43


RACHEL


I know who Pamela Aston is. I used to be married to her husband Stephen.

Rachel was making brownies when she saw the name Fiona Arthur appear on her phone’s screen. Even then, it took a few minutes for her to absorb it. It had been a few weeks since she’d reached out to the three Fiona Arthurs via Facebook, and she’d all but given up hope of ever hearing anything more than: Sorry, I think you have the wrong person.

Now, she picked up the phone and read the message again.

I used to be married to her husband Stephen.

Immediately Rachel recalled her conversation with her mother. Wasn’t that what she’d said? That Dad used to be married to a woman called Fiona Arthur? But if that was the case, why hadn’t Dad ever mentioned it?

It didn’t make sense. They weren’t exactly a conservative family; Rachel and Tully would have coped with an ex-wife. Lots of Mum and Dad’s friends had divorced and remarried – heck, Rachel’s schoolfriend Georgia’s parents had divorced, married other people and then got back together. Mum and Dad had laughed about that (most people did, including Georgia’s parents). So why would Dad hide Fiona’s very existence?


Meeting in person had been Rachel’s idea. After going back and forth via Facebook Messenger and getting only one-or two-word responses, Rachel had decided that this wasn’t going to be the best forum for getting the information she needed from Fiona. The other woman had been cagey with her personal information, seeming reluctant to reveal where she lived, which was why Rachel had suggested a public venue.

Rachel hadn’t been to this cafe before. It wasn’t particularly nice. It had big glass windows along one wall, offering a view of the car park. That could have been an advantage – enabling her to watch Fiona’s arrival – if Rachel had known who she was looking for. But Fiona had a picture of a sheepdog as her Facebook profile pic and her account was private. Rachel had told Fiona she would be wearing a green dress but Fiona had provided no corresponding information. In her mind, Rachel was picturing someone her mother’s age, but who knew?

They had agreed to meet at 11 am, and at twenty past, Fiona walked in. Somehow Rachel knew immediately that it was her, and she stood and waved.

‘So sorry I’m late,’ Fiona said as she slid into the seat opposite. ‘I went to the cafe across the street by mistake.’

‘No problem,’ Rachel said. She gave Fiona a quick once-over, noting that she did indeed seem to be around her mother’s age, perhaps a touch younger. She was nicely dressed, with a short grey-blonde bob. ‘I just ordered a coffee. Would you like something?’

‘Water will be fine,’ Fiona said, folding her hands together on the table. (Rachel noticed a tissue peeking out of her sleeve.) She had a forthright way of talking that indicated she was a no-nonsense sort – or perhaps she was being brusque to hide the fact that she was nervous.

‘All right,’ Rachel said, her voice sounding similarly brusque. ‘I’ll get straight down to it then. As I mentioned via Messenger, I’m Stephen and Pamela Aston’s daughter. My mother, Pamela, has advanced dementia and is in a nursing home, and when we were clearing out her things I found a large amount of money stuffed into a hot-water bottle. There was also a piece of paper in the bottle with my sister’s name on it – and your name.’

‘My name?’ Fiona’s surprise appeared genuine.

‘Yes. I’d never heard your name before, so I asked Dad and he said he didn’t know anyone called Fiona Arthur.’

Fiona raised her eyebrows. ‘He said that?’

Rachel nodded. ‘And yet, you’re saying you and Dad used to be married. Do you know why he would lie?’

Fiona took a sip of water. ‘I’d say that’s a question for your father, Rachel.’

The waitress arrived and set Rachel’s coffee down in front of her. Rachel ignored it. ‘Do you have any idea why Mum would have written your name on that piece of paper?’

‘No,’ Fiona said. ‘None whatsoever.’

‘I thought perhaps Mum might have found out about you somehow and that’s why she wrote it.’

Rachel might have been imagining it, but at this Fiona looked faintly amused. ‘I think it’s unlikely.’

‘Why?’

‘Because your mum didn’t “find out” about me. She knew about me before I knew about her.’

Rachel took a minute to digest that. ‘You mean . . . Mum and Dad had an affair while you were married to Dad?’ Rachel couldn’t imagine it. Her parents were both such upstanding citizens. The idea of their relationship starting adulterously didn’t compute somehow.