‘Everything okay?’ I ask. It’s only eight thirty but I’m exhausted and want to go to bed, which I can’t until the Greysons have retired.
‘Do you have a thermometer? I think Ruby’s running a bit of a temperature. I left in such a hurry I forgot to pack mine. I could kick myself.’
She looks distressed and I tell her not to worry while I ferret in one of the high cupboards where we keep all the medicines. ‘Here we are.’ I hand it to her. ‘Is Ruby feeling okay?’
Her face crumples. ‘God, Kirsty, I hate this. I hate thisfear. Every temperature. Every pain and ache. Every time she says she’s tired or feeling sick …’
Adrian hops down from his stool and comes to stand beside her. ‘She’ll be okay,’ he says reassuringly. He’s so good at putting on a brave face. Even during his breakdown he tried not to make a fuss. I sometimes wonder if it would all have happened as it did if only he’d admitted how he really felt, how desperate he’d been. But he’d put a brave face on it for as long as he could. He’s so much better at that than I am. ‘You’re doing a great job, Selena. You’re keeping her safe.’
‘Am I?’ she says, anguish in her voice. ‘I’ve taken her away from her father and her lovely home, from everything she’s familiar with. And I have no plans. I don’t know what to do, where to go …’ Her voice is rising and Evie is looking at us in alarm.
I move away from Selena and go to the girls. ‘Amelia, will you take Evie up to bed, please? It’s way past her bedtime as it is. Clean your teeth and I’ll be up in a minute.’
For once Amelia does as she’s told. She takes Evie’s hand and leads her into the hallway and up the stairs. ‘Don’t be long, Mummy!’ Evie wails, her eyes darting to me and then to Selena.
Selena does look a bit unhinged with her usual pristine bob awry, her eyes wild, cheeks flushed. I can see she’s scaring Evie. ‘Don’t worry, honey. I’ll be up in a minute.’
Adrian is murmuring comforting words to Selena. I can’t hear what he’s saying but he’s obviously talking her down. He’s almost like he was before his breakdown. I remember how many times he had to talk me down when the girls were little and I’d be fretting about their health, or their safety.
‘I’m sorry,’ she says, moving away from him. ‘I just don’t know if I’ve done the right thing, leaving Nigel.’
‘You can’t stay with him if he’s violent,’ I begin.
‘Violent?’ interjects Adrian. ‘I didn’t realize he was violent. Then you’ve definitely done the right thing, getting away from him.’
She sighs and smoothes down her hair with one hand. I feel uncomfortable with her in that nightdress. Not that I’m a prude but it’s quite revealing. Adrian must have noticed.
She holds up the thermometer. ‘Thanks for this. And for being so kind.’ Her eyes go to Adrian and she smiles. I can see him blushing and feel a stab of jealousy, like the jab of a sword to my gut. Adrian hasn’t looked at me like that for ages.
‘I’ve got Calpol, if you need it,’ I call, as she heads to her room. But she doesn’t hear me.
I’m lying next to Evie in her bed, my arms wrapped around her, listening to her gentle snores, when I hear it. Footsteps on the stairs. I glance at Amelia in the next bed, the scant moonlight from the half-opened curtains highlighting her face, serene in sleep. Tomorrow I’ll be sending Adrian out for locks to put on these doors. I was so worried about the girls being in an unlocked room above strangers that I had no choice but to sleep with them. I could tell Adrian thought I was being over-protective, and he’s probably right. But I can’t risk their lives. I’d never forgive myself if Peter Greyson ended up being a psycho, or Janice a child-thief.
I strain my ears, my heart pounding. But there’s nothing. I’m just about to settle down again when I hear another creak and the bang of a door. Is Selena going out to meet another mystery man?
Gently, so as not to wake Evie, I swing my legs out of bed and carefully open the bedroom door. Across the hallway I can see a figure outside my bedroom. I gasp. My first foolish thought is that it’s a ghost, that Janice was right, but then my eyes adjust to the dark. It’s Selena in her floating nightdress. Her hand is on the doorknob. Why is she sneaking into my bedroom?
‘Selena?’
She spins around, her face nearly as pale as her nightie. ‘Kirsty. I was coming to wake you. I need to call an ambulance and I can’t find my phone charger. It’s Ruby. Please hurry.’
‘What’s happened? What’s wrong?’
‘She’s had a seizure. It hasn’t happened for a long time so I’m worried. Please, call an ambulance!’
I dash past her into my bedroom and retrieve my phone from my bedside table. Adrian wakes with a grunt. ‘What’s going on?’
‘It’s Ruby,’ I say. ‘I’m calling an ambulance. Keep an eye on the girls.’ I run from the room again to join Selena. She’s pacing the landing. ‘Ambulance, please.’ I reel off the address to the operator while Selena looks on, chewing her thumbnail. I wonder why she hasn’t gone back downstairs to be with Ruby. I wouldn’t want to leave my child alone if she’d had a fit.
Mum emerges from her bedroom in her pyjamas. ‘What’s going on?’ she whispers.
I fill her in, while steering Selena towards the stairs.
‘Ruby?’ Mum’s face crumples. ‘Is she okay?’
‘I don’t know, Mum.’ As I pass my bedroom door I see Adrian getting out of bed to check on the girls. I don’t have to turn to know that my mother is following us.
Selena’s words are coming out in gasps and I have to jog to keep up with her. ‘She woke up screaming and then she started thrashing and jerking. It was terrifying – it’s been such a long time since she fitted.’ Her voice wobbles. ‘And my phone was dead. And I forgot to pack my charger.’ She gives a muffled sob. ‘And I had to leave her to get help.’ She’s actually running now.
