‘And you don’t want to speak to Sir Lester?’
That suggestion got a reaction, but it wasn’t the one Bernadette had expected.Clara was a quiet, thoughtful woman.Someone who thought things through and made measured decisions.All part of being in the public eye, Bernadette supposed.
‘No, I do not.At least, not beforehand.I think it would be best for me to speak to Marge first, possibly Estelle too.I’ll not have him forbid me to do it.All those years ago, he made decisions regarding our family without consulting me.I absolutely have the right to do the same.’
As quiet and thoughtful as she was, Bernadette suspected Clara had a core of steel.
‘Okay, that’s settled then.Marge will be so relieved.Thank you, Clara.When do you think you’ll be able to make it up to see her?Would tomorrow be too soon?’
Clara thought about that for a moment, before, ‘Can I go speak to Marge tonight?I’m already out, and the hospital is five minutes away.And, to be honest, if I don’t do it now, I don’t know that I’ll still have the courage tomorrow.’
It took Bernadette a moment to process that idea.She checked her watch: 8.45p.m.Visiting finished at 9p.m., but Marge was in a private room, and at this stage in her illness, the staff were as flexible as possible.Many times, Bernadette had allowed family members to stay overnight on chairs or roll-up beds because they didn’t want to miss a single moment with the person they loved.Besides, it was Keli Clark who was on duty tonight, and she had a heart of gold.
‘I think we can.Grab your jacket and let’s go, Clara.Cheat Day is officially adjourned.’
26
MARGE
Marge could feel the water, warm on her hands as she stood in the ladies’ washroom with Clara Kelaney.Sir Lester’s wife was so poised.So serene.Yet Marge had never been more terrified in her life than when Clara said, ‘If it’s all right with you, I think I’d very much like to speak to you about Estelle.Do you have time to talk now?’
For all the fear though, there was also a strong sensation of the kind of relief that can only come when an imagined scenario that has haunted you for years finally materialises and there’s no other option than to face it.
The time had come for the truth to be told.For her to face what she’d done.And she could confront it or walk away.
Marge raised her chin and forced a calm, receptive smile that bore no connection to the pounding of her heart.‘Yes.Shall we take a seat outside?’
Over the years, Marge had played out this conversation in the darkest corners of her imagination, and never had she thought that it would actually happen, or that when it did, it would be on a luxuriously over-stuffed, purple sofa in the sumptuous lobby of the St Kentigern Hotel.
The butterflies swooped in to accompany her racing heart as she watched Clara, her hands crossed neatly on her lap, contemplate her words.When she eventually spoke, in a soft, but firm voice, it confirmed that this was indeed a moment she’d always feared.
‘Your daughter, Estelle, is my husband’s daughter too.’
No accusation.No berating.No fury.Just facts.And if nothing else, Marge was a woman whose logical brain did well with facts.
‘Yes, she is.’There it was.Done.‘Can I ask how you know that?’
Marge’s eyes briefly flickered to the door, checking that Sir Lester Kelaney wasn’t rushing in there right at that moment looking murderous.No.Just an Italian tour group chatting loudly about dinner plans.
‘Many years ago, I read the letter that you sent him.’
‘Ah.He showed you.’
Marge had always wondered if he’d told his wife.
‘No.It was in his desk, but only for a day or two and then it disappeared.I’m guessing he destroyed the evidence.I didn’t confront him, and I still haven’t told him to this day that I read it.That might seem odd to you.’
‘Strangely, no.It doesn’t at all.Because if you read the letter, then you’ll have seen that I said I’d never mention it again, that I’d ignore its existence and that’s what I did too.’
Clara took that in.‘I was never sure if he’d spoken to you.If he’d made some effort to help.To acknowledge his part or his responsibilities.’
Marge shook her head.‘He didn’t.I continued working for him for some time after that and it was never mentioned, not even once, by either of us.’Marge knew how incredible that would probably sound to every other person on earth, except the woman sitting across from her, who had, in effect, done the very same thing.
‘I met and married my husband very shortly after I found out I was pregnant, and at first, Ian wanted me to leave and find work elsewhere, but I loved my job, it was well-paid, and I was pregnant.And, as you can imagine, Lester had no hesitation in giving me extended time off for maternity leave and then flexible hours when I returned.I know that many people wouldn’t understand that, but I used it to my advantage.I only left when Kenneth set up his own practice a few months later and offered me a position that had all the same perks, but without the daily reminder of what had happened.’
Clara’s eyes dipped.‘Lester was a coward.No, Lesterisa coward.He always has been.I’m so sorry.’
When Marge had imagined this moment, she’d expected fury, rage, condemnation, but she had never, ever expected an apology.She thought back to what Bernadette had said earlier and saw the wisdom in it, so she repeated it now.
