Imogen whispered in Erin’s ear. ‘What did Nancy have to say for herself then?’
Erin looked confused. ‘What do you mean?’
‘You two were having a very cosy chat.’
Erin gave her a reassuring squeeze on her arm. ‘Darling, you have nothing to worry about. Just exchanging pleasantries.’ She smiled. ‘You know what they say, keep your friends close and your enemies closer.’
It was reassuring to hear, although it did nothing to repair the gaping hole in her heart. She was suddenly aware of Nancy speaking.
‘...Dean was great,’ she was saying to Hannah. ‘He’s quoting for pretty much everything except for the pool.’
Imogen instantly froze. Pool? What pool?
‘You’re having a pool?’ blurted Lorna, surprised.
‘Oh, not anything fancy,’ said Nancy. ‘Not a traditional tiled one. I was thinking of a natural swimming pond.’
She had made it sound as if that was the less ostentatious choice, thought Imogen, incensed, but she herself knew a natural swimming pond would cost tens of thousands of pounds. Fucking hell, how much money did Nancyhave?
Nobody had said anything.
‘That’s nice,’ piped up Lorna, trying to fill the awkward silence. ‘I guess everyone wants to make their own stamp. The house is beautiful though, isn’t it?’
Imogen seethed. God, Lorna was so excruciating. She didn’t need comments like that. Didn’t need to be patronized.
She waited for Nancy to reply. The house was exceptional, Imogen knew. Farrow and Ball paints throughout, a handmade kitchen, luxurious wallpaper. She could see Nancy was aware of a tension but was unsure of what was going on.
‘Beautiful,’ agreed Nancy.
‘But you’re still decorating?’ said Erin.
‘Yes. Well, it’s maybe a bit dark...’ said Nancy.
What?
‘Dark?’ repeated Erin, with an edge to her voice.
‘Um...just a bit.’
‘What Nancy is trying to say is that it’s dismal,’ said Beth. ‘The paint colours. As if the previous owners wanted to live in a dungeon.’
Imogen felt her face go flame red.
‘I don’t think Imogen ever thought she was living in a dungeon,’ said Erin coldly.
Nancy looked at Imogen, then the penny dropped. ‘I didn’t realize...’ she started, flustered.
‘Yep. Imogen’s old house,’ said Erin.
Imogen could see Nancy mentally trying to work out her personal story, the fact the house was a repossession order, realizing there had obviously been major financial troubles, and her face burned. She was vaguely aware of some of the other mothers looking at her with pity on their faces.
She raised her head and cast her eyes along the shoreline at what she’d been avoiding the whole morning. Her beloved house, the place she’d bought as a rundown project, where she’d sunk hundreds of thousands of pounds, all her love, sweat and tears, the home she’d brought Rosie back to as a baby. The place that had been wrested away from her, despite her trying everything to save it. A sense of panic was rising up from the pit of her stomach. Imogen felt light-headed and was desperate to get away from them all.
A scream came from the water, loud, guttural, steeped in terror.
It took a moment for Imogen to register what was going on. She frowned as she turned her head towards the reservoir and saw the instructor urgently paddling out. Then the screams amplified, more kids panicking and the mothers on the bank were now agitated. Everyone was moving towards the water, speeding up as they went. Imogen searched for Rosie in the distance but couldn’t see her and her legs moved faster as a growing fear hooked itself into her and then she was running full pelt, all the mothers also running to the bank in a protective herd. Imogen was close enough nowto see the frightened look on the activity instructor’s face as he went from desperately gazing into the depths to diving right in. She became vaguely aware of Erin’s relief as her friend spotted her own daughter, Tilly; of Lorna’s as she saw Phoenix and she knew, sheknewand she started to wade into the water herself, shoes on, and the instructor came up empty-handed and Imogen screamed, a primal, blood-curdling sound. The instructor went back under and Imogen tried to run towards where he was diving but the pressure of the water was holding her back and her sodden skirt trapped her legs and she wailed but then he came back up and this time he had Rosie clutched to him, her head flung back as she gasped in air, her hair splattered across her face, and Imogen moaned with relief.
NINE
