Sophie appears with a huge smile on her face. She pulls back a chair, throws herself down, and lets out a long breath.
‘Scandal afoot!’ she says. ‘Of the best possible kind.’
‘Where? Spill the beans,’ I say as Aisha tuts.
‘Well,’ says Sophie, leaning in. ‘I’ve just been speaking to the other mums, and do you remember that saucy picture someone posted online before Christmas?’
‘The one on Facebook?’ I say.
‘Yeah, well, someone’s posted it again, with a challenge. It says – “Guess Who I Am. You have twenty questions. I will answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to one each day.” The mums are like a gaggle of schoolgirls!’
‘What picture? I didn’t see anything,’ says Tor, her paralysed frown lines desperately trying to reanimate.
‘It’s a picture of the back of a woman facing the crotch of an impressive young man with beautiful abs!’
‘And those women are playing twenty questions with someone’s life?’ says Aisha.
‘Yes, and as much as I deeply disapprove, it’s quite intriguing,’ says Sophie.
‘It could be some awful man who wants to shame his wife or girlfriend,’ says Aisha. ‘I’ve read all about revenge porn, and it’s absolutely horrible.’
‘Let’s see it,’ I say, with a glance at Tor, who’s looking uncomfortable.
There’s an enjoyable frisson around the table as Sophie takes out her phone and finds the latest post.
Sophie turns her screen to us. There’s a sculpted male torso and hairy thighs, framing the back of a woman’s head.
‘He’s got a six-pack so it’s definitely not someone’s husband,’ I say.
‘It’s just a complete wind-up and obviously fake,’ says Tor, who is leaning back and looking into the clouds above.
‘Unusual earring though,’ says Aisha, pointing to a pair of mother-of-pearl and diamond earrings.
I’m not looking at the phone. Instead, I’m watching Tor’s face turn so pale that it looks as if someone has just given her an electric shock.
Chapter58Divorce
Sunday, 5 January
Aimée puts her rucksack down and immediately starts complaining to me about the divorce. I haven’t told her anything, so clearly Stephen informed her on the way back from the airport. Nice touch.
‘How was your family?’ I ask, trying to divert her.
‘I told you this would happen if I flirted with him,’ she says.
‘I don’t think it was you, Aimée.’
‘I dance with him one time, and he wants to leave you. I have power, you see.’
I stare out of the front window and nod. Stephen hasn’t yet appeared, and for some reason, I feel anxious. Do I miss him or am I anticipating how it might feel if he simply stopped coming back?
‘And who’s going to get me?’ she continues. ‘I don’t want to go from house to house. I need space, and I like the privacy of the loft.’
‘I can assure you, you will be our first thought when we come to a settlement.’
Stephen finally appears in the window and I feel a telltale flutter of excitement. He’s so uncomplicated I find it grounding,and it could all end, just like that. He takes hold of the gate, then stops and looks to his right. He nods, then says something, and I conclude he’s talking to someone.
I knock on the window, as I am impatient when I feel I’m the person who should be the centre of attention.
