‘Don’t call him that,’ says Flora.
‘Shall I call him Thomas Cater?’
‘Yes, I told Lewis. He knew Kevin and I were hard up and couldn’t easily afford a house that was big enough for the new family we wanted to start, so he very kindly offered for us to live at Newnham House – which he still owned. He’d rented it out intermittently, but it had been empty for a while at that point.’
‘And you said yes,’ I state the obvious. ‘I still don’t understand why.’
‘I knew by then that I was having a boy and that I’d be calling him Thomas,’ says Flora. She stares at me with a plea in her eyes, as if urging me to work it out.
‘And … you thought that with a child called Thomas, in the same house you’d lived in before, you could almost pretend that nothing bad had ever happened?’ I say.
From Flora’s expression, I can see that I’ve guessed correctly.
‘Georgina had been dead for quite a few years by then,’ she says. ‘At first, yes, I wanted to get as far away from any reminders as I could, but I felt differently after I got pregnant again, and especially once I knew we were having a boy and what I was going to call him. Then, I wanted to try and … I don’t know, recreate what I’d had, I guess.’
‘And the house helped with that?’
She nods eagerly.
Is it possible?I don’t know why I’m bothering to ask myself. I can’t bring all the relevant facts to mind and listen to Flora at the same time.
‘Beth, never mind the house,’ she says suddenly. ‘Do you understand about my need for Lewis and his for me, even after everything?’
‘I think so.’
‘I never really loved Kevin.’
‘Yeah, you said.’ Is this going where I think it’s going?
A large yellow and blue beach ball rolls past us. Gleefully screaming children run after it, kicking sand in my eyes. I blink to get the grit out.
‘You were right,’ says Flora. ‘Thomas and Emily, they’re …’ Again she looks hopefully at me, inviting me to fill in the blanks.
‘Thomas and Emily Cater are Lewis’s children,’ I say.
‘Yes. Kevin has no idea. Please, please don’t tell him. Lewis’d kill me if he knew I’d told you.’
The idea of me telling Kevin Cater anything nearly makes me laugh. ‘What would you have called Emily if she’d been a boy?’
I’m expecting an ‘I don’t know’, but Flora says, ‘I wouldn’t have let that happen. I knew I needed to have a girl next. I paid for an early blood test. Luckily, it was her. It was Emily. I know what you’re going to ask me next.’
‘Please make it so that I don’t have to,’ I say, shivering despite the heat.
‘I’d do it if I could,’ Flora says so quietly it’s almost a whisper. ‘Another Georgina. Lewis won’t, though. After Emily, he … he said it wasn’t good for me; it was twisted. He said he wouldn’t let it happen again, and he hasn’t.’
Another Georgina.
She’s staring out towards the sea with the trace of a smile on her lips.
‘Flora, you have to listen to me.’ I reach over and squeeze her hand. ‘You need help. Professional help, to deal with all this trauma properly.I’llhelp you. If you don’t like Kevin or love him, you can leave him.’
‘He loves me, though. And the children. They’re his in every way that matters. He’s the one they call Daddy.’
‘Does he treat them well?’ I’m not sure I intended to say this out loud, but I have and it’s too late. Might as well press on. ‘Is he kind to them? Is Yanina?’
Flora’s expression is guarded. It wasn’t before I asked the question. ‘Stop it, Beth. You can’t keep doing this. I’ve told you everything. You need to leave me alone.’
‘Flora, please. Look at me. Kevin doesn’t treat Thomas and Emily very well, does he? Areyou sure he doesn’t know they’re Lewis’s children and not his?’
