The Affair

by Amanda Brooke

  ‘You weren’t supposed to?’ Nina asked, momentarily confused. The library trips had been around the time she had grounded Scarlett, and Nina had thought of it as adding to her punishment. What a fool she had been.

  ‘We generally provide extra support within school premises,’ Mrs Anwar explained. ‘I only allow teachers and students off-site under special circumstances – school trips and suchlike.’

  ‘So he’s admitting to seeing her in secret?’ Nina asked, ignoring the fact that she herself knew. She wanted a reaction from Mrs Anwar, and when it came it wasn’t what she wanted.

  ‘And there’s nothing else, Rob?’

  ‘I swear, no,’ Rob said.

  The faint creases on Mrs Anwar’s brow deepened as her eyes narrowed. ‘Do you have anything else that you want to add? Anything you might know that could shed some light on the situation?’

  Rob shook his head. ‘I appreciate how upset you are, Mrs Thomas, and it’s understandable that you would want to believe it’s anyone except Scarlett’s stepfather, but it’s not me. I swear, it’s not me.’ When Rob saw the look of confusion on Mrs Anwar, he feigned surprise. ‘Did Mrs Thomas not tell you she’s accused her husband of the same crime?’

  ‘And I was wrong!’ Nina cried.

  ‘And you’re wrong now,’ Rob answered. When he leant back in his chair, Mrs Anwar did the same. The questioning was over.

  Nina’s jaw dropped. ‘Is that it? You’re going to leave it there?’

  ‘Not quite,’ Mrs Anwar said. ‘I suggest the next line of questioning is directed at Scarlett.’

  Nina felt tears sting her eyes but she refused to cry. If this was Mrs Anwar’s version of interrogation, they would get no closer to the truth. Scarlett would eat her up and spit her out. Nina needed to tell her what had happened to Charlotte, but Mrs Anwar was already on her feet.

  22

  Before

  Friday, 19 February 2016

  There was so much to see in Rome that Nina regretted limiting their break to only two nights. They had arrived at midday on Thursday and, after dropping off their luggage at a boutique hotel, they had set off to explore as many piazzas, fountains and basilicas as they could find. Only when they were ready to drop did they stop at a little taverna, where they remained long past midnight before returning to the hotel utterly exhausted.

  The second day was turning out to be even more hectic, beginning with an early morning tour of the Vatican. Though they weren’t particularly religious, the sheer grandeur of the architecture had been breathtaking, and viewing works of art by old masters such as Raphael, Bellini and Da Vinci had been overwhelming at times. The tour had almost ended prematurely when Bryn was caught attempting to take a photo in the Sistine Chapel, which was strictly forbidden. Nina hadn’t appreciated how much Bryn loved art and she was stunned by his depth of knowledge on the subject. He knew all about the Roman Empire too, and as they walked around the Colosseum and then up the Palatine Hill after lunch, his running commentary rivalled that of any tour guide.

  The one thing Nina did outdo him in was her stamina. Unlike Bryn, she was used to spending all day on her feet, and he didn’t argue when later that afternoon she sent him back to the hotel while she scoured the shops for gifts for Liam and Scarlett, which she knew wouldn’t be appreciated, but there would be sulks if she chose not to bother. Laden with tacky tourist souvenirs, the odd bag of speciality pasta and a Roman art book that she thought Bryn would like, Nina eventually dragged herself back to the hotel. It was after six and she would need to get changed quickly if they were to go out and enjoy their last night in Rome at a more leisurely, and hopefully more romantic pace.

  Slipping quietly into the hotel room, she had expected to find Bryn snoozing but he was gazing out of the window with his mobile pressed to his ear. He hadn’t heard her come in.

  ‘You can’t do that,’ he said softly. He raked his fingers through his hair as he listened to the answer. ‘I know, my love, but it’s only one more night. We’ll be home tomorrow.’

  As Bryn listened to the next response he turned and was so shocked to find Nina eavesdropping that he took a step back and thumped his arm against the windowsill.

  Nina’s blood ran cold as all of Sarah’s earlier warnings came back to haunt her. Her friend had told her not to rush into marriage. She had told her to take more time getting to know her prospective husband and yet, here she was, in the middle of a foreign city with a man who had hidden depths, the latest of which was only now being exposed. His voice had been so soft and soothing as he spoke to this other woman, and there was no doubt it was another woman on the other end of the line.

  ‘Scarlett, your mum’s here now,’ he said.

  It was Nina’s turn to be stunned. She had been on the verge of demanding to know who Bryn was talking to, had imagined herself breaking down when he told her what a terrible mistake they had made and how he was in love with someone else. In that split second before Bryn had revealed he was talking to her daughter, Nina had even gone so far as to imagine how the divorce might go. Could the marriage be annulled? Would Bryn take her for every penny she had, exactly as Sarah had predicted? She waited for the relief to wash over her, but felt no more than the merest trickle.

  ‘What’s wrong?’ she asked.

  Bryn handed her the phone. ‘She said she’s been trying to call you.’

  Nina would have to trawl the bottom of her bag to find her mobile. If it had rung, she wouldn’t have heard it.

  ‘Scarlett?’

  There was a loud snuffling noise. ‘Why didn’t you answer your phone?’

  ‘I didn’t hear it. What’s wrong? Are you upset?’

  ‘I want you to come home.’

  Turning away from Bryn, Nina sat down on the corner of the bed so she could give Scarlett her undivided attention. ‘Why? Tell me what’s happened.’

  ‘Nothing. I just want you to come home.’

  ‘It doesn’t sound like nothing.’

  ‘I miss you, that’s all. Is that so hard to believe?’

  Nina felt a little more reassured that Scarlett wasn’t so upset that she couldn’t be her usual snarky self. ‘Have you been crying? You sound all bunged up.’

  ‘I’m getting a cold.’

  Nina wished that were true, that it was nothing more than a case of her daughter feeling ill and wanting her mum home to look after her, but her gut instinct told her that wasn’t even close to the truth. ‘Where’s Liam?’

  ‘In his room, probably.’

  ‘Have you seen him today?’

  ‘I’ve been out most of the time.’

  ‘Out where? With Eva? Linus?’ she asked, taking a more circuitous route to seek out the truth of the matter.

  ‘What is this? Am I supposed to keep a diary of all my movements while you’re away?’

  Realizing Scarlett was far more adept at running rings around her than the other way around, Nina lost patience. ‘Scarlett, I’m simply trying to understand what’s happening so I have a better idea of why you’re so upset that you want me to jump on the next flight home.’

  ‘Does that mean you’re not going to?’

  ‘Honey, we’ll be home by teatime tomorrow anyway. Tell me what’s so desperate that you need me to come home now.’

  There was silence on the other end of the phone and Nina felt frustration rising up her body like a red tide. She had always done her best to be the perfect mother; when her children were younger, whether she was scolding or cajoling them, she could usually find a way to make them see the error of their ways. She had never raised a hand to them, but right now she wanted nothing more than to reach down the line and shake some sense into her daughter. She wanted to scream at her until Scarlett told her what was wrong. She needed to know if she should be as worried as she felt, or if Scarlett was simply attention-seeking.

  With her last scrap of self-control, she said, ‘Tell me what’s wrong. Please, Scarlett.’

  ‘Nothing,’ Scarlett said, stretching t
he word out as if her mother were being dim.

  A wave of frustration crashed into Nina, obliterating her goodwill. ‘Fine, don’t tell me! Where’s Liam? I want to speak to him.’

  ‘He’s out.’

  ‘So he’s not in his room?’ Nina said, which was only marginally better than coming right out and calling her daughter a liar.

  ‘He’s with Eva.’

  ‘They’re back together?’

  There was another sullen silence.

  ‘So is that it? You’re upset because Liam and Eva have made up and you’ve lost your best friend again?’ Before Scarlett could answer, Nina added, ‘I despair of you sometimes, Scarlett. The moment you’re feeling left out, you think everyone else has to run around after you. Couldn’t you think of other people’s feelings for once? And by “other people”, I mean me! Thanks for wrecking my first holiday with Bryn, not that—’

  Nina didn’t get any further because, halfway through her rant, Scarlett put down the phone.

  ‘Can you believe she’s hung up?’ she said to Bryn, her mouth agog.

  ‘What did she say?’ he asked.

  ‘Liam and Eva are back together and she wants us to come home. She’s lonely, by the sounds of it. What did she say to you?’

  ‘Same sort of thing, although I didn’t know about Liam. You can’t blame her for feeling left out.’

  Nina’s anger had quickly dissipated and the cold fear from earlier trickled back into her veins. ‘Do you think I was too hard?’ She looked at the phone still clenched in her hand. ‘I should phone her back.’

  ‘You really think she’ll answer?’

  ‘I’ll text her.’

  ‘I’ll text her too,’ he said. ‘And once she knows we love and support her, can we please resume our holiday?’

  Nina was already composing her text. ‘I suppose we can try,’ she said, knowing there was little chance of relaxing now. The mood had changed and any idea of romance had been overpowered by a growing sense of anxiety. After years of putting her children first, Nina had thought she had earned the right to indulge her own needs for a change. Scarlett and Liam were almost adults and life was supposed to get easier from now on, but something didn’t feel right and she wished she knew why.

  As homecomings went, Nina and Bryn’s was a muted one. The house was devoid of life.

  ‘At least there doesn’t seem to be any evidence of mad parties,’ Bryn said.

  ‘I’ll see if either of them has left a note in the kitchen.’

  After the desperate call from Scarlett the day before, Nina had eventually tracked down Liam. She hadn’t expected him to offer any further insight into his sister’s welfare, and he hadn’t let her down. He had said she was fine, as far as he knew, and promised to keep an eye on her and let Nina know if there was anything to worry about. This was cold comfort from a seventeen-year-old boy who had been known to deny even knowing Scarlett in public.

  While Bryn took their bags upstairs, Nina did a quick inventory of all the downstairs rooms on her way to the kitchen. Other than the odd pair of shoes and an empty cereal bowl, the place was surprisingly neat and tidy. The kitchen was another matter entirely; while there had been plenty of activity, it hadn’t involved water, washing-up liquid or the dishwasher. Amongst the piles of plates and crumbs, there were no notes. Whatever was going on in Scarlett’s life, she was no longer desperate to see her mum.

  ‘Any clues?’ Bryn asked.

  Nina stood staring at the detritus that obscured the sparkling kitchen she had left three days earlier. ‘I’ll feel better when I’ve seen them both,’ she said.

  ‘You’ve been saying that for the last twenty-four hours, Nina,’ Bryn said.

  She wasn’t surprised by the irritation in her husband’s voice. Her mood had been awful since Scarlett’s phone call. She had never felt so tense, or so afraid of nothing. It was as if she were expecting a bolt of lightning to strike her down at any moment, and she couldn’t work out which direction it would come from. Her temperament hadn’t been conducive to romance and she had tensed whenever Bryn had touched her. It wasn’t his fault, but neither was it hers. She needed to speak to Scarlett.

  ‘I’ll try phoning them again,’ she said, as Bryn began loading the dishwasher.

  Neither of her children answered their phones, so she sent a message to each letting them know she was home and demanding that they call her.

  Liam was the first to reply, but only by text. He was at Eva’s house and Scarlett was there too. Neither would be home until later.

  Scarlett didn’t deign to respond, but at least Nina knew where she was.

  ‘Why don’t I run you a bath, and afterwards we can have another go at a romantic meal for two?’ Bryn said. ‘If we turn the lights down really low, we can pretend we’re still in Rome.’

  Nina exhaled slowly, forcing the tension from her body whether it was ready to leave her or not. ‘It’s worth a try,’ she said. ‘And I am so sorry for being such a cow. I promise I’ll do better.’

  Bryn switched on the dishwasher and took her hand. ‘Come on,’ he said, ‘I’ll scrub your back.’

  As the bath began to fill with warm soapy suds, Bryn turned his attention to his wife and slowly began to undress her. It wasn’t often that they had the house to themselves, but this wouldn’t be the first time that Bryn had run a bath for her only to join her in the tub. If he initiated sex, she wouldn’t object, but it wasn’t what she wanted or needed right now and with an ache in her heart, she realized Bryn knew her well enough to know this too. He kissed her gently on the lips just once, and then taking her hand, helped her step into the bath.

  ‘I’ll bring you a glass of wine – assuming the kids haven’t drunk it all.’

  Nina slipped into the chamomile-scented suds and closed her eyes. She wanted to cry and might have given in to the temptation if her phone, which had been within constant reach since the previous evening, hadn’t started to ring. Sadly, Liam and Scarlett were continuing with their radio silence.

  ‘Hello, Sarah, how are things?’ she said.

  ‘Where are you?’

  Nina splashed warm water over her body. ‘I’m in the bath.’

  ‘At home?’

  ‘Yes, we’ve not long got back.’

  ‘How was it?’ Sarah asked.

  Deleting from her mind the disastrous ending to their trip, Nina said, ‘It was beautiful. You were right about how much there is to see, but we gave it a good go.’

  ‘That’s good,’ Sarah said, as if Nina had been describing a trip to the supermarket. ‘Are the kids home?’

  ‘No. So much for missing me.’

  Sarah’s tone lowered to such a degree that Nina struggled to hear. ‘Is Bryn with you?’

  ‘No, he’s downstairs clearing up the mess. What is it, Sarah? You sound odd.’

  Sarah must have been pursing her lips because, when she exhaled, her breath was released with a slow hiss. ‘I don’t want to worry you,’ she began. ‘It might be nothing.’

  With one breath, the tension returned and Nina sat up straight in the bath, preparing herself for the lightning bolt. ‘Too late. Tell me anyway.’

  ‘It’s about Scarlett. The information is pretty scant, so it could be something and nothing.’

  ‘Please, Sarah, if you draw this out slowly, it’s going to be torture. Just tell me!’

  ‘She was seen at an antenatal clinic yesterday. She was with another girl, and there might be a perfectly reasonable explanation.’

  Nina jumped out of the bath. ‘No there isn’t,’ she said. ‘Sorry, Sarah, I have to go.’

  She dressed quickly and her T-shirt stuck to her damp body as she raced downstairs to find Bryn pouring the glass of wine she had been promised.

  ‘I have to go out,’ she said. It was an odd thing to say, nowhere near the explanation she ought to have given Bryn, but it was the best she could do with so many thoughts scrambling her brain.

  The neck of the wine bottle chinked noisily agains
t the glass. ‘Where? Why?’

  ‘Where are the car keys?’

  Bryn put down the bottle. ‘Nina, you’re scaring me. What’s wrong?’

  She made a first stab at telling him but her body began to shake and the tears, when they came, were hot and angry. Gasping, she managed to say, ‘She’s pregnant.’

  Her knees were buckling and she had to lean against the kitchen counter. ‘I knew something was wrong,’ she sobbed. ‘That’s what Scarlett wanted to tell me, that’s why she wanted me to come home. I should have bloody listened to my gut. I should have got on the first plane home!’

  Nina took several gulps of air as the shock gave way to cold determination. There was an element of relief in knowing what she was up against. She knew what the problem was and she needed to start making things right. ‘OK,’ she said, wiping away the tears and managing to stand up straight. ‘I’m going to get Scarlett and we’re going to sort this out.’

  Bryn hadn’t said a word or moved towards his wife, in fact, he hadn’t moved at all. Nina looked at him. ‘Did she tell you? Did you know?’ she demanded.

  The accusation shocked Bryn out of his paralysis. ‘No! Of course not. What did Scarlett say?’

  ‘I haven’t spoken to her yet, but I’m going to.’

  ‘So how do you—’

  ‘I’ll explain later. First I need to see her.’

  Nina’s hand trembled as she reached for the car keys that Bryn had dug out of his pocket, but before she could take them, he withdrew his hand. ‘No, Nina, you can’t drive in your state. Maybe you should wait until you’ve calmed down. I hate to suggest it, but it might even be better if you slept on it. If you drag her home now, how much of a reasonable discussion do you think you’ll be able to have before it turns into a screaming match?’

  ‘I doubt we’d make it to the car, but I need to know what’s happening.’ Nina rubbed the back of her neck, wiping away cold bath suds. ‘I can’t leave it until tomorrow, Bryn.’