Simone could hear Ashleigh crying again. “Oh Ashleigh, I truly am so, so sorry.”
“I know,” she whispered.
Finding it hard to continue, Ashleigh said she’d have to go. Simone understood and confirmed she’d be round to see her at Sam’s in a couple of days.
The conversation Simone had with Ashleigh made her think back to the time Ashleigh had told her she was getting married. Simone had wanted it to be her who was the one getting married, feeling she deserved it more because she’d been in a relationship for longer. Poor Ashleigh! Would the curse ever be lifted from her?
With more time on her hands than she knew what to do with, Ashleigh settled back onto her pillow after her conversation with Simone. She soon realised how much she’d missed her company, also realising she’d broken the promise she’d made to her before getting married. Ashleigh had said they’d never lose touch, but a part of them had. She’d been so wrapped up with Finn that Simone had taken a back seat. More tears came, this time for the friend who’d saved her. Somehow, she’d been neglected along the way. Ashleigh felt ashamed to have let this happen, knowing she had to put it right.
With time to think, one of those thoughts being about leaving Finn, she couldn’t help feeling as though her heart would break at any moment. Even though he’d hurt her so much, there was a huge part of her which still loved him. Looking back at the beginning of their relationship, there’d been so much love. How could it have turned so poisonous? Life had been cruel to her yet again; that pained her. Once again, there was self doubt and uncertainty about her future and who she really was. Would anyone ever want her and love her without there having to be a price to pay? Ashleigh realised there was still one person in her life who she thought about regularly, who never judged her for who or what she was; Father Michael. It was all because of her that his life was also in a mess. She knew she had to help him and she would do whatever it took to clear his name. The visit with Father Lucas was one way she could try to put things right. It was a visit though she was dreading.
Ashleigh’s eyes were red and puffy by the time the nurse came round to see her. She gave her a motherly smile, understanding the pain she was feeling was still very raw. Despite the nurse’s words of comfort and encouragement, they didn’t really help today. Ashleigh was living in Hell at the moment. How could anyone possibly know how that felt? Even food felt a threat to her. Her whole body was sore to touch. Inside, her head was like a crazy route of mixed up roads, where anger drowned sadness, pity drowned grieving and confusion drowned normality. Although she was so exhausted, it was hard to sleep. Whenever she closed her eyes she could see Finn’s angry face. She could still feel his vice like grip around her wrist. Still feel the blows of his foot in her stomach. Was it something about who she was that attracted violence? As a child, it had been under the hand of her father she’d suffered. As an adult, it had been by the one person she’d felt had truly loved her. Maybe she deserved it.
A gentle cough broke her thoughts. A tall man with grey hair stood at the side of her bed.
“May I sit down Ashleigh?” Father Lucas asked.
“Yes of course Father.”
He didn’t need to introduce himself. Ashleigh had been expecting him. He helped her to prop her pillows up so she could sit up in bed. Her stomach was still extremely tender.
“How are you feeling today Ashleigh?”
“Sore, confused, angry, emotional,” she replied.
“I’m sorry I have to put you through this today but you know why I’m here don’t you?”
“Yes Father, I do.”
“Can we start with your relationship with Father Michael?”
“Relationship?” she asked, shock evident in her tone.
“Yes.”
“Well there isn’t one in the sense my husband has said.”
“Enlighten me.”
Ashleigh suddenly felt angry by his manner. But little did she know he was testing her.
“Father,” she began. “Father Michael is my priest and a very good one at that.”
“Go on,” he prompted when she paused.
“When I was younger, my parents hated me. My mother was an alcoholic, my father an abuser who ended up in prison, after which my mother turned to
prostitution.” He was shocked by her openness but left her to carry on. “My mother died because of who she was.”
“I’m sorry,” he added.
“The only income we had was from my job working in a café for a few hours a week. I was eighteen on the same day I found my mother lying in a pool of her own blood. I was eighteen Father and had a funeral to arrange with barely any money. It was the church who saved me and I felt I would always be in their debt, do you understand?”
“Yes I do.”
“From that day, I went every week to church. It gave me comfort and peace. And then I met Finn, my husband. I knew he wouldn’t want to know me if he knew of my past, so I never told him the truth.”
“You lied.”
“No,” she snapped. “Not really. I just didn’t tell him what had happened. I couldn’t even tell him why I wanted to go to church so much. If I had, I would have had to explain about my parents.”
“So where does Father Michael fit into this?”
“Father Michael knew I enjoyed church and a few times he’s witnessed Finn’s mood swings. As a friend, he’d ask me if everything was alright. One day, I held a stall selling jam and then at the summer fair, I held another stall. This was when Finn came to meet me and went berserk.”
“What were you doing when Finn saw you that day to make him react in the way that he had?”
“Just talking.”
“Who to?”
She swallowed hard. “Father Michael.”
“And how were you talking?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, were you quite a distance away from Father Michael when you were talking?”
Ashleigh suddenly felt embarrassed when she remembered how close they’d been.
“No we weren’t. I was whispering something to him.”
“Why whispering?”
“Because it was private and I didn’t want anyone else to hear.”
“What did you tell him?”
Looking back on that day, remembering how happy she was, brought tears to her eyes. “I’m sorry Father.”
“That’s alright, take your time.”
With a deep breath she said, “I told him I was pregnant.”
“Why did you tell your priest that? Surely it was a private matter.”
“Because he was my friend and I was happy.”
“Did your husband know?”
“No. I was going to tell him later that day.”
“So you told a priest before your own husband that you were pregnant?”
“I didn’t set out that day to do that. He just happened to be there and the time felt right.”
“What do you mean the time felt right?”
Ashleigh felt like she was on trial. “I don’t know. I suppose I felt comfortable being with him.”
“Did you have a crush on him?”
“No. That’s absurd!”
“Is it?”
“Yes.”
“Was it Father Michael’s baby? Is that why you told him before your husband?”
“No. You’ve got it all wrong.”
“Have I? It would explain why your husband was so angry with you.”
“You’re wrong.”
“Your husband rang me saying Father Michael was having an affair with his wife. Why would he make that up Ashleigh? What had he seen to make him come up with such a story?”
“I don’t know.”
“Think.”
“Okay. Finn saw us talking once after Sunday service.”
“Was anybody else there?”
“No, just us.” She knew upon hearing her own voice saying these things, just how bad their situation looked.
“Why were yo
u on your own with Father Michael Ashleigh?”
“Because a few weeks earlier, I went to church a little upset. Finn had been horrible to me after returning from a business trip. The church had felt a good place to be. It’s somewhere I can think. I bumped into Father Michael that night. We talked about why I was upset. Then, after Father Michael’s first sermon, he remembered who I was and stopped me to check how I was. We later began to talk about an upcoming fair and he asked me if I would like to run a stall. That’s the stall I’ve just mentioned, the one where I sold jam.”
“You seem to bump into Father Michael quite a lot when there’s no one else around don’t you young lady?” It did seem that way to her, now she’d heard the evidence.
“None of it was intentional, just coincidental.”
“Would you say it’s all in your head the way Finn treats you?”
“No, that’s not how it is Father. I’ve got the bruises to prove it.”
He dismissed the last part of her sentence. “Would you say you’re glad when you’ve an excuse to go to the church?”
“It’s not an excuse.”
“Are you glad when Father Michael is there?”
Her reply was delayed. “Yes,” she said quietly. “I do enjoy it when he’s there, but it’s not what you think.”
“Have you ever thought to talk to people of your own age, friends perhaps, about your problems regarding Finn?” She shook her head no. “I see,” he replied.
“Father, hearing it this way makes it sound so wrong. Father Michael has been someone who just happens to have been there to talk to. He understands things without passing judgement. He’s a kind and caring person and yes, I do enjoy seeing him and being with him.” Ashleigh felt spent. “Why is that so wrong?” Father Lucas stood up from his chair, smiled a half hearted smile and began to put on his coat. “What will happen now Father? To Father Michael I mean?”
“That my child is not your concern.”
And with those words he turned his back on her and left the ward.
Exhausted and confused, Ashleigh shut her eyes and went to sleep. She could only hope that things hadn’t been made any worse for Father Michael than they already were. Her gut reaction wasn’t good. Father Lucas hadn’t seemed to understand anything she’d told him. He’d made her look as though she was an attention seeker, out to entrap a vulnerable man.
There was nothing else she could do now. Father Michael’s fate lay in the hands of the church now. All she could do was pray for him.
Chapter Twenty One
Sam and Reece did all they could to make Ashleigh feel at home. The back bedroom had been aired since they knew of her arrival, putting in the finishing touches that very morning. Reece went to the café on his own the day Ashleigh came out of hospital so Sam could spend time with her. They’d told her it was her home from now on, for as long as she wanted.
The bruises on Ashleigh’s stomach were gradually fading, so were the finger marks on her arms. It would be a while before the mental scars faded though. No one could put a time limit on how long her recovery would be.
Father Michael hadn’t heard anything from Father Lucas. It had only been four days since he’d spoken to Ashleigh in hospital, sticking with the theory that no news was good news.
Finn hadn’t been in touch at all with anyone. As Ashleigh sat staring out of her bedroom window that first day at Sam’s, all she could think about was how this would all work out. Technically, she was jobless. There was no way on this earth she could go back to Watson and Son. Sooner or later she would have to confront Jack to air her concerns. In a way, she hoped Finn hadn’t been fiddling the books, embezzling money in the company his father had worked hard to build up. But, she didn’t want to make a fool of herself either if she made such allegations. Then there was the horrible mess with Father Michael. If he lost his job, he’d truly be ruined. It’d be so shameful to lose his place in the church over an alleged affair which definitely hadn’t happened. There was one common denominator to the whole web of mess; Finn. He was the bad penny which had caused everything.
Ashleigh didn’t realise she’d been crying until a knock sounded on her door.
“Hello Ashleigh. I’ve made you some lunch.” It was Sam. She saw the tears but didn’t make an issue out of it. She understood that Ashleigh had been through a terrible ordeal, knowing she would need a lot of tender loving care before her life felt remotely normal again. Patting her on her hand Sam said, “I’ll see you downstairs whenever you’re ready.”
“Thank you,” Ashleigh sniffed.
Later that day, Ashleigh made the agonising call to Jack. She felt sick as her fingers pressed the numbers on the phone. Recognising his voice, she thanked God it had been him who’d answered and not Finn.
“Ashleigh dear, how’s the flu?”
“Jack I haven’t had flu.”
“I don’t understand. Finn said you had.”
“Finn has said a lot lately that isn’t true.”
“What do you mean?” Knowing she had his attention and already hating herself for saying horrible things about his son, her husband, she took a deep breath.
“Jack, what I am about to tell you isn’t going to be easy, but I think you should know.”
“I’m all ears Ashleigh.”
“I think Finn is stealing money from the company.” And then she mentioned the files she’d found and the invoices. Jack listened in bewilderment. “There’s other things which don’t add up either, like the business trips he’s had with Miss Taylor when you’re away on holiday; the hotels and clinic’s, the yachts and large amounts of money in a bank account.”
“Tell me why you’ve really been off work.”
“Finn hurt me Jack. He accused me of having an affair with a priest at the church I go to and attacked me. He kicked me in the stomach and I …” Her faltering voice told Jack she was crying. He waited patiently until she was ready to carry on. “I lost our baby Jack,” she whispered.
“You poor girl. I had no idea. How are you now Ashleigh?” His voice was full of compassion towards his daughter-in-law.
“I’m hurting and I don’t know what to do next.”
“I’m so sorry Ashleigh. Will you do something for me?”
“If I can.”
“Will you come in and show me what you have found?”
“I’m scared to. Finn will be there and what …” she paused. “What if I’m wrong?”
“Even if it’s not what you think, it needs investigating. Something just isn’t ringing true. I had no idea Finn was going on business trips with Miss Taylor. He’s never mentioned anything, and the fact he’s lied about why you’re away from work; that certainly makes him guilty of something.”
“I truly hate myself for accusing your son of such despicable things Jack.”
“I know you must, and I’m so sorry for what you’ve been through, all the pain you’ve suffered. None of this is your fault my dear.” Sitting back in his chair, pausing for a moment, he added, “Will you come in then? I’ll make sure Finn doesn’t lay a finger on you, I promise.” She knew it needed sorting out and to Jack’s relief she said yes, agreeing she’d call in tomorrow. “I won’t say anything to Finn about this call. We don’t want to alert him in any way do we?”
“I guess not.”
“One o’clock tomorrow then? Oh and Ashleigh?”
“Yes.”
“You’re doing the right thing.”
Ashleigh didn’t sleep well that night, not with visions of Finn’s anger drilling into her thoughts. Somehow, tomorrow felt like judgement day. She didn’t want Jack to find his son had been doing the dirty on him but as he’d said, something wasn’t right. Ashleigh just hoped that a big part of this mess would be resolved tomorrow. Then all that was left to sort out was Father Michael’s mess.
Chapter Twenty Two
Ashleigh had made a brief call to Father Michael, informing him of where she was going today. For him to go with her to offer support would
be suicide for them both. If Finn saw them together, his paranoia would grow even bigger than it already was.
Dressed in casual black trousers and a cream jumper, Ashleigh was ready to face the truth. Sam had offered to take her to Watson and Son but Ashleigh said she wanted to catch the bus. Her movements were still slow and painful, her thoughts still troubled.
“Ring me any time Ashleigh, I mean it.”
Giving her a hug, Ashleigh promised she would. Unable to remember ever feeling such dread, she bordered the bus.
Keeping a low profile, she entered the large reception area, walking hastily to the lift without speaking to anyone. As an employee and the daughter-in-law of the boss, she didn’t feel it necessary to explain to the receptionist she had a one o’clock appointment with Mr Watson. If she knew him as well as she thought she did, Ashleigh was certain he would have kept this visit to himself.
Knocking on the door before letting herself in, relief swept over her as she saw Jack sitting at his desk. He smiled and went over to her upon her arrival.
“Ashleigh my dear. Come in. How lovely to see you.” He kissed her on the cheek before asking her how she was.
“I just want today to end Jack if I’m honest.”
“I know. I really don’t want to do this anymore than you do. That’s my son in there,” he said, pointing to the next room, his eyes filling with tears.
“I’m so sorry Jack.”
“It’s not your fault. If what you suspect is true, then it needs addressing.”
The butterflies in the pit of her stomach were making her feel sick. Part of her felt as though she was betraying the one man she’d ever loved. But, she had to remind herself of what he’d done to her and all that he’d taken from her. They’d barely started their life together and already he’d caused so much damage. She shuddered at the thought of what her future would mean if she continued to share it with Finn. Jack saw Ashleigh shiver. Taking a large arm, he draped it around her shoulders.
“Ready?” he asked. All she could manage was a nod of the head.
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