The Traitor

by Kimberley Chambers

  ‘I wanna sort things out. Please give me a chance to explain, Frankie.’

  Frankie shook her head. As Jed edged closer to her, Frankie pushed him away. The thought of him even touching her after he had put his penis inside that other girl made her feel physically sick.

  ‘It’s over between us, Jed, but I won’t stop you from seeing Georgie.’

  Jed was devastated. Handing some keys to Frankie, he pointed at the red Fiesta. ‘I bought you a car, babe. Let’s sit inside it and talk, it’s cold out here.’

  Frankie stared at the car. It was all shiny and looked brand spanking new. ‘It will take more than a car to make up for what you did. I will never forgive you or trust you again, Jed.’

  ‘I know and I don’t blame you, but please let me try and make it up to you, Frankie. I went to see my cousin Sammy yesterday. His dad has just bought a bit of land over in Wickford and Sammy and his girlfriend Kerry are going to live there. Sammy said me and you can move our trailer on there, too. You’ll like Kerry – she’s not a traveller and I know you’ll be much happier there than you’ve been on that Hainault site. Now you’ve got your car you can come and go as you please while I’m out working. You can visit your nan and grandad, your brother and Dom, you can go shopping, do whatever you want. Your life will be different, I promise you it will.’

  ‘Show me the car,’ Frankie said.

  As Jed went to hold her hand, Frankie snatched it away. ‘Don’t you dare touch me, you bastard.’

  Jed walked over to the Fiesta. ‘It’s only a year old and it’s barely been used. It belonged to some old grunter apparently. He died and his wife can’t drive, so she sold it to one of Sammy’s pals. It’s only done nine thousand miles, Frankie. It’s a real beauty.’

  Frankie sat inside the car and studied the interior. It was lovely, just the type of car she had dreamed of owning.

  ‘Why don’t you take me for a drive? We can have lunch somewhere and have a proper chat, if you want,’ Jed suggested.

  ‘I don’t wanna go anywhere with you,’ Frankie spat, her voice filled with venom.

  ‘Where’s your engagement ring?’ Jed asked sheepishly.

  ‘In your garden somewhere. I threw it away.’

  Jed looked at her, waiting for her to say something else. Surely she had to be joking? The ring had cost him a fair bit of dough, even though it was knocked off.

  ‘Don’t muck about,’ he said.

  ‘I’m not. I was so annoyed when I left yours that I took it off and chucked it down the driveway.’

  Jed was anything but happy, but he daren’t show Frankie his annoyance. He was already treading on thin ice as it was.

  Frankie turned to him. ‘I wanna know everything, Jed. I wanna know how long you was seeing that tart, where you did it with her, and why you felt the need to do it with the old slapper in the first place.’

  Jed averted his eyes. He was dreading answering these questions, but had already planned what he was going to say.

  ‘I slept with her once. It was when you was pregnant and had gone off sex. I took her to the trailer over in Tilbury. It meant nothing, Frankie, honest it didn’t. I was drunk, out of me nut and I didn’t know what I was doing.’

  Frankie looked at him in disgust. She didn’t believe for a minute that he had only slept with Sally the once. ‘You lying bastard. I know you slept with her more than once, so tell me the fucking truth.’

  Jed bit his lip. He’d shagged Sally tons of times, but there was no way Frankie would forgive him if he told her that. ‘OK, it happened three times,’ he lied.

  Unable to stop herself, Frankie punched him in the side of the face. ‘How could you take her to where my mum died? I hate you Jed, I fucking hate you,’ she sobbed.

  ‘Please don’t cry, Frankie. The trailer your mum died in isn’t there no more, my dad bought a new one to replace it. I swear to you, babe, this will never happen again. Please, let’s give it another try. I know you probably hate me at the moment, but that will ease in time. Think of Georgie. She don’t wanna grow up without her dad, does she?’

  Frankie stopped crying. ‘Where did you meet her?’

  ‘The Berwick Manor,’ Jed replied.

  ‘You met her in the same place that we met! Didn’t you feel guilty about that? How could you, Jed? How could you do this to me?’

  Frankie had never seen Jed cry before, so she didn’t know what to do when his eyes glistened with tears.

  ‘I will never go out of a night without you again. I love you, Frankie. I can’t live without you, I know I can’t.’

  Frankie glared at him to see if he was actually crying or acting. She had loved him so much once, but now she despised him. She turned her head and looked out of the car window. She was pregnant again, so how could she manage without him? Perhaps once they moved and she had her own independence with the car, there was a chance she could be happy again.

  ‘When were you thinking of moving the trailer?’ she asked.

  Jed wiped his eyes. ‘As soon as possible. The first week in January is probably the earliest I can get it sorted. Are you up for it, Frankie? Please say you’ll move to Wickford with me.’

  Frankie knew the ball was firmly in her court for once. ‘If I do come back, it won’t be until you’ve moved the trailer. I hate that site we live on and I never want to see them awful women again. Shannon’s bound to have told them what happened at Christmas and I’ll be a laughing stock if I go back there.’

  ‘OK, that’s fine. You can stay at your nan’s as long as you like.’

  ‘Also, you’re not to go out of a night without me any more. I mean it, Jed, I don’t want you working away or nothing.’

  ‘I won’t go out of a night, babe, but I’ve gotta go to work to support us.’

  ‘Not of a night you won’t. You can’t be trusted, Jed, and if you don’t agree to my rules, then I ain’t moving back in with ya.’

  ‘OK, I won’t work away, but most of me choring is done of a night. I can hardly do it in broad daylight, can I?’

  ‘As long as you’re home by ten or something, but no later,’ Frankie replied.

  Jed sighed. Talk about having his fucking wings clipped. He’d been allowed to stay out after ten when he was six years old. He took a deep breath and smiled at her.

  ‘OK, so if I agree to these rules and move the trailer, are we definitely gonna give it another go?’

  ‘Yeah, but not because I want to, Jed, I’m only doing it because I have no choice.’

  ‘Whaddya mean, you ain’t got a choice?’

  Frankie turned to face him. ‘I’m pregnant again. I was going to surprise you with the news on Christmas Day, but I didn’t get the chance to, did I?’

  ‘That’s absolutely brilliant news! I can’t believe we’re gonna be parents again,’ Jed said, as he tried to hug her.

  ‘Don’t touch me,’ Frankie said, pushing him away.

  Jed urged her to look him in the eye. He then gave her the melting look that he did so expertly with those bright green eyes of his. ‘Frankie, I promise you with all my heart that from this moment on I’ll be the best boyfriend and dad ever. We can book the wedding, make things official and go on . . .’

  Frankie stopped him in his tracks by slapping him around the face. ‘You’re a cheat and a fucking liar. I ain’t marrying you, Jed. Not now, not ever.’

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  1993. FOUR YEARS LATER

  Frankie heard a scream and ran outside the trailer. Harry was lying spread-eagled on the grass. ‘What’s the matter?’ she asked, as she crouched down to tend to her son.

  Harry sat up and pointed at his sister, who was standing nearby with a sheepish expression on her face. ‘Georgie drop me.’

  Frankie gave her daughter a gentle tap on her bottom and sent her to her bedroom. Georgie would never intentionally hurt her little brother, but she’d been told time and time again not to pick him up in case she dropped him.

  As Harry stopped crying and fell asl
eep in her arms, Frankie put him down for his afternoon nap. She was gasping for a cup of tea and needed to tidy the trailer a bit before Jed got home. Frankie picked up the kids’ toys while she waited for the kettle to boil. Satisfied that the place now looked passable, she made herself a cup of tea and sat on the sofa.

  Jed had brought their new trailer just over a year ago. It was massive, double the size of their old one, and Frankie adored her new luxurious home. Moving to Wickford had been the best decision they had ever made. At first things had been difficult, due to Jed’s affair with Sally, but Jed had kept to his word and, to Frankie’s knowledge, he’d had no more contact with either Sally or his son.

  Frankie was glad she’d managed to weather the storm. She and Jed got along OK now, and even though Frankie could never completely trust him again, she still loved him.

  Frankie smiled as she dunked a biscuit in her tea and stared at her little pot belly. She had only found out that she was pregnant again a few weeks ago, and she was looking forward to caring for a newborn once more. Thinking of the two she already had, Frankie smiled. She adored both Georgie and Harry, but they were hard work at times, especially Georgie, who had just opened her bedroom door and was currently staring at her, with her hands on her hips.

  ‘Can I come out now, Mum?’

  Frankie put her cup on the coffee table. ‘Only if you promise not to pick your brother up again, Georgie. He’s too heavy for you, and you don’t want to make him ill, do you?’

  ‘Promise,’ Georgie said walking towards her with her arms held out.

  Frankie lifted her up, sat her on her lap and stroked her long dark hair. Georgie was such a striking girl. She had piercing green eyes, long dark hair, and was the spitting image of Jed.

  As her daughter’s eyes shut, Frankie laid her down next to her on the sofa. Georgie was four now and would be starting school in September and Frankie just hoped that she liked it. At times, Georgie could be a boisterous child who loved being outdoors and hated being indoors. She also had some strange eating habits that worried Frankie immensely. Some days Georgie would gorge herself senseless and other days she wouldn’t eat a morsel.

  Spotting her daughter clutching the doll that Alice had given her at the weekend, Frankie smiled. She hadn’t gone anywhere without that doll since she’d come home; she had even slept with the bloody thing.

  Frankie’s thoughts turned to Alice and Jimmy. She still wasn’t a massive fan of Jed’s parents, but always tried her best to be polite to them. Alice still had a habit of interfering at times. She spoiled Georgie rotten and was often critical of Frankie’s parenting skills. Frankie had learned to let her comments go in one ear and out the other, but it did wind her up when Georgie came back from visiting Alice and Jimmy and played up something rotten.

  Harry usually stayed with her when Georgie went to Alice and Jimmy’s. A laid-back, happy child, he looked nothing like either her or Jed, as he had strawberry-blond hair and bright blue eyes. Frankie often wondered if his features favoured her mum and her brother. Harry looked very much like Joey had when he was a baby and there was certainly no one blond in Jed’s family.

  Thinking of her brother, Frankie smiled. He had been fuming with her when she had originally taken Jed back. ‘Being pregnant again, Frankie, is no excuse for staying with that bastard. You can come and live with me and Dominic, we’ll help you bring up the kids. I’ve already spoken to Dom and he’s well up for you moving in with us.’

  Frankie had thanked Joey for his kind offer, but by that time she had already promised Jed that she would move back in with him once he moved the trailer over to Wickford.

  ‘Don’t come crying to me when it all goes wrong again, Frankie. I’m sick of worrying about you, I really am,’ Joey had warned her.

  They had barely spoken for weeks after that, but were on good terms again now. Joey and Dominic had recently moved themselves. They had bought a town house over in South Woodham Ferrers, which wasn’t far from Frankie, and she often visited them with the kids.

  All in all, life was pretty good at the moment. Her dad was due to be released from prison soon and Frankie couldn’t wait for him to spend some quality time with her, Georgie and Harry. Another reason why Frankie couldn’t wait for her dad’s homecoming was because she was desperate to organise a reunion between him and her brother. They had had no contact whatsoever since her mum’s death and Frankie was determined to change that. It certainly wasn’t going to be easy. Joey was still very bitter about their mum’s murder. He couldn’t accept that it was an accident and he still vowed to this day that he would never forgive their dad for what he had done. Her dad, on the other hand, could still not accept Joey’s sexuality, and he swore that he would never forgive Joey for the embarrassment that he had caused Ed and the family name.

  Frankie’s thoughts were disturbed by the sound of Jed’s new motor pulling up outside. He had just bought himself a year old dark-grey Mitsubishi Shogun. It was well flash, with loads of extras on it, including a body kit.

  ‘You’re early,’ Frankie said, as her boyfriend walked in.

  ‘I’ve popped home for a bit as me and Sammy have gotta work late again tonight. He’s gone to sort out the horses, so I told him I wanted to spend some time with you and the kids.’

  Hearing her father’s voice, Georgie woke up. ‘Daddy,’ she squealed, running towards him with her new doll in her hand.

  Jed picked her up and swung her around. ‘What’s you and your mum been up to today?’ he asked.

  Georgie threw her hands around his neck and began to cry. ‘I was naughty.’

  Jed looked at Frankie. ‘What’s she done?’

  ‘She picked Harry up and dropped him, so I sent her to her room, that’s all.’

  Jed laughed. ‘She’s as strong as an ox. You’ll never get bullied at school, will ya, Georgie girl?’ he said proudly.

  ‘I thought we was getting a takeaway tonight with Sammy and Kerry. I went out and got us some wine and beers earlier.’

  Putting his daughter down, Jed gave Frankie a tight squeeze. ‘Something came up, babe. You know me and Sammy can’t afford to turn work down. ’Ere, take that,’ Jed said, handing Frankie some rolled-up notes.

  ‘What’s that for?’ Frankie asked.

  ‘Your takeaway. Just ’cause me and Sammy have to graft, it don’t mean you and Kerry can’t enjoy yourselves. There’s a oner there, go and buy yourself something to wear tomorrow with whatever you don’t spend.’

  Georgie cheekily held her hand out. ‘Can I have sweetie money?’

  Jed threw a fiver at his daughter. ‘That’s my girl, loves a bit of wonga, she do,’ he said, laughing at Frankie.

  ‘Daddy,’ Harry said as he toddled out of his bedroom.

  Jed picked his son up, kissed him on the forehead, and immediately handed him to Frankie. ‘I’m running late. I’ve gotta have a shower, babe, I stink,’ he said.

  Sitting Harry on the floor, Frankie went to make the kids some dinner. Jed really annoyed her sometimes. He had all the time in the world for Georgie, but paid Harry very little attention whatsoever. Frankie opened a tin and slopped the contents into the saucepan. As she stirred the beans and sausages, suspicions began to arise in her mind over Jed’s recent behaviour.

  When they first moved to Wickford, Frankie had banned Jed from working nights and also going out without her. Jed had agreed to her new rules and for the first year or so had been as good as gold. During the past eighteen months, however, he had begun to come and go as he pleased again. He often stayed out all night, blaming it on work, and Frankie let him do so because she knew that Sammy was working alongside him.

  Frankie forgot her worries as she saw her best friend’s car pull up outside. Kerry was Sammy’s girlfriend and Frankie had hit it off with her from the word go. Their trailers were side by side, and they spent many hours in each other’s company when the boys were out grafting.

  Sammy and Jed worked together all the time now. They were both wheeler-dea
lers, but earned very decent money. From the phone calls that she and Kerry overheard, both girls knew that the lads paid people to steal cars, caravans and lorries for them, which they then doctored and sold on. Kerry and Frankie never questioned their men on what they actually did. Both girls were looked after well financially, so they cared for their children, went shopping regularly, and generally minded their own business.

  If it wasn’t for Kerry’s advice, Frankie wasn’t sure if her and Jed’s relationship would have ever got back on track. Things had been so strained when they had first moved to Wickford that Frankie couldn’t bear Jed being anywhere near her. In the end, Kerry had given her a talking to.

  ‘If you don’t start having sex with Jed, he will end up going somewhere else for it, Frankie. I know it’s difficult, mate, but once you get back in the swing of it, you’ll be OK.’

  ‘But I can’t bear him touching me. Every time he tries to, I can picture him with that Sally girl.’

  ‘Just have a bottle of wine, shut your eyes and think of England. If you don’t, you’ll end up losing Jed in the end. He’s a good-looking bloke, he’s got money and someone will snap him up if you don’t start putting out, Frankie.’

  Frankie had got paralytic the first time they’d had sex again, but after that, things had improved each time. Jed had been tender and loving towards her and Frankie had sort of responded in her own way. Occasionally, she would get a flash of him groping that Sally tart, but she would immediately try and banish the thought from her mind. She had to make herself forget; it was the only way to move on.

  As her mobile rang, Frankie took the call outside. The kids were kicking up a din, and she couldn’t hear, let alone make herself be heard.

  ‘Frankie, it’s Nan. I’ve decided to do a surprise party for your grandad on Sunday for his birthday. He thinks I’m just having a few people over for a barbecue, but it’s really in his honour. I’ve told Jock on the quiet and he’s coming over early to take him to look at a pigeon, then he’ll take him up the pub. While your grandad’s out I can get everything organised.’