The Marriage Act(68)
‘That’s his default setting. He can’t help it.’
Freya raised an eyebrow at her mother, aware she was being palmed off. But Corrine didn’t elaborate. For their own individual reasons, neither she nor Mitchell had yet to announce their impending split. But she knew that at some point, their children were likely to discover she had made false claims of domestic violence to accelerate a divorce. It was a terrible example to be setting so she’d tried to offset her conscience with a sizeable donation to a women’s domestic abuse charity. It hadn’t worked. Her guilt remained intact.
‘I don’t know why you stay with him,’ Freya continued.
‘Why would you say that?’
‘What does he add to your life? To any of our lives, for that matter?’
‘Freya!’ Corrine exclaimed. ‘Despite his behaviour, he’s still your father.’
‘No, Mum, he needs to earn that title. He’s put no work into being a parent since we were kids.’
Corrine felt an illogical urge to defend Mitchell’s inaction. Was she partly responsible? Might she have done more to encourage him to have been a present parent? Or had she hijacked her children at an early age and missed signs he wanted more involvement? Her conscience was already too heavy without the added weight of another burden. So she changed the subject.
‘When are you going back to Uni?’ she asked.
‘Are you trying to get rid of me?’
‘Not at all. It’s been lovely having you home.’ She squeezed her daughter’s hand. ‘How’s student life? Are you making the most of your second year?’
‘It’s fine. I’ve got about a million essays to get in by the end of term and a million distractions.’
‘Do those distractions include a girl? It’s been a few months since you and Brianna went your separate ways.’
‘Which is your polite way of saying since I was dumped. It’s okay, I’m over it. Besides, who knows, I could be married by the time I graduate.’
‘I hope you’re kidding.’
‘Not if the Uni has anything to do with it. You can barely pass a noticeboard without seeing an ad urging you to sign up to their dating programme to “future-proof your job prospects”. Match Your DNA is even sponsoring this year’s graduation ceremony.’
‘I don’t understand why being single might affect your chances of finding work?’
‘Apparently along with qualifications and intern experience, the top five hundred employers are now also focusing on recruiting grads who can prove they’re in committed relationships with a view to marrying. And did you know a single person can now even be legally sacked if they’re caught having an affair with a married colleague? The married one gets away scot-free.’
Corrine ran her fingers through her hair. ‘What is this world coming to?’
‘So yes, by the time I graduate next year, I might have a wife on my arm.’
‘I hope not.’
‘Seriously, though, it’s something I’ll have to think about, Mum. There’s the property ladder too. How can I afford to buy somewhere half-decent if mortgages are too high for single people?’
‘You don’t need to worry about that. Your dad and I will help you out there.’
Freya let out a sharp laugh. ‘Dad? He’s tighter than Latex gloves.’
‘Promise me you won’t do anything without talking to me first. The Marriage Act might seem like a solution to a lot of your problems but there are so many components to it that are grossly unfair.’
‘Okay, I promise.’
Freya folded the last of her clothes and left her mother alone. Corrine hated that her daughter was already feeling pressured into considering marriage and, once again, she cursed MP Eleanor Harrison, one of the Act’s most vocal supporters. As the Minister for Education, she was responsible for driving forward Marriage Act propaganda in schools and colleges. One of her General Election pledges was to ensure curriculums from primary education upwards included lessons on the importance of marriage, how to find a suitable partner, relationship compromises, fidelity and how to maintain a Match. She had also been the first MP to upgrade to a Smart Marriage the day the law was passed. The ceremony had been livestreamed across the Government’s own website.
But Corrine knew that Harrison wasn’t all she seemed. She had much to hide. First and foremost, she was a sexual predator – and Corrine had the proof.
WHO IS HENRY HYDE?
He is the controversial Number 10 presence who has the ear of the Prime Minister.
Yet he is neither a member of parliament nor a civil servant.
Nicknamed Jekyll by colleagues for his split personality and ability to flip from friend to foe with one wrong word, Hyde shuns the limelight in favour of the shadows.
But quite what his special advisory role to PM Benjamin Reece entails remains a mystery. Even those who spot him regularly scuttling around the corridors of Westminster cannot be sure exactly what he does.
We know that he has been involved with the party for at least twenty years. But it was only after the no-confidence vote that ousted Prime Minister Diane Cline when he was first spotted in the company of Reece, then the Secretary of State for Transport. Many believe him to be the architect of Reece’s election.
Then, when the Marriage Act was first mooted, his visibility increased, albeit in the background of press conferences or on board election battle buses.