‘Christmas?’ Pearl suggests.
‘More like me, I think. Or our marriage. At least, that’s what I assumed because off they all went. And then came the announcement that they were in fact staying in Rouen for Christmas. And then…’
Niall rubs at his face. Clearly, this is still painful for him, and Pearl isn’t sure how to react. ‘I’m sorry,’ she murmurs.
He exhales. The fire is crackling comfortingly now, drawing them close with its warmth. ‘We started this year with Helene telling me she wanted to split,’ he goes on. ‘And that she planned to move back to France permanently, with the kids.’
‘Oh no!’ Pearl’s gaze meets his.
‘Yeah. It was all a bit… y’know.’ She doesn’t know – she can’t imagine – but she touches his arm, encouraging him to go on. ‘And then the kids were being enrolled into French schools,’ he adds quickly, ‘and that was that.’
She searches his expression, trying to imagine how she’d feel if Brandon had been whisked away to another country. She’s certain that her heart couldn’t take another loss. ‘But what about their life at home?’ she asks. ‘Their school, their friends… andyou? Were they okay about all that?’
He seems to consider how to answer this. ‘The thing is, they’d always had a life out there too, with their grandparents. Every year, they’d spent huge parts of their summers there and they loved it. So…’
‘Yes, but what about you? Didn’t you have any say in it at all?’
‘I did. Of course I did. But it’s what they all wanted, so we set up an arrangement where they’d spend their school holidays with me. The whole summer, for one thing. They’re old enough now – thirteen and fourteen – that we can travel together, so we did that this year and it wasgreat.’
Pearl nods, resting her gaze on the glow of the fire. Although she barely knows him she can tell he’s being stoical, and that he’s found a way to make the best of the situation. ‘It still must be difficult, though,’ she ventures, and he nods.
‘We’ve made it work. And they’re happy there living in Helene’s family home with the pool and ponies. They’ve grown up bilingual so that’s not an issue…’ But what about other issues? she wants to ask. What about you missing them, and vice versa? ‘And Helene reckons I get the best of them,’ Niall adds, ‘away from the school schedules and homework, the tedium of the everyday. A whole two months to do fun stuff. And in a way, she’s right.’
Pearl wants to say how admirable it is, how he seems to have managed this. And also that, compared to what Niall’s beenthrough with his children, it seems churlish to be upset about her current home situation. What does it matter if Abi hogs the bathroom and mashes up her Tom Ford lipstick? Because at least Brandon is still with her. She makes a mental note to be extra tolerant of Abi because, if and when they do move out, she’ll miss him terribly.
‘You seem like a really good dad,’ she tells him, ‘wanting what’s best for them.’
He shakes his head, dismissing the compliment. ‘Oh, I don’t think so. Not really—’ Then there are voices in the kitchen and he breaks off, perhaps relieved by the distraction.
‘Don’t worry, Frida,’ Shelley is saying. ‘Dinner will beexactlyas advertised tonight…’
‘It’s not that I minded the surprise change of plan, but?—’
‘No, you can trust us,’ Pearl says as she strides through to join them. ‘Everything’s in full working order now and we’ll have dinner on the table by seven.’
‘On the dot?’ Frida raises a sharply plucked brow.
‘On the dot,’ Shelley says firmly. Then she steps outside into the gathering dusk where, for the first time since she arrived here, she plans to call her husband.
30
‘Must be some kind of rash,’ Joel told his kids. ‘Probably that fragrance I was sent, remember? When I redesigned that product range?’ Of course they didn’t remember. They probably think he doodles with crayons all day. ‘I think it’s reacted with my skin,’ he added.
Martha’s laser gaze drilled into his head. ‘You had a good time, though? At the boring gallery thing?’
‘It was all right,’ he muttered.
‘Did you take a present for them?’
Joel’s stomach lurched. ‘For who? Who’s “them”?’
‘Idon’t know,’ she said with a shrug. ‘For the artist whose exhibition it was?’
‘’Course not,’ he growled defensively. Whatwasshe going on about? Had she been delving through his bag? No, surely not. He was just being paranoid. Even so, he had to get away from his kids. He couldn’t take any more interrogation. So he hotfooted it to the sanctuary of his studio at the top of the house.
However, it doesn’t feel like a sanctuary now as he sits gloomily at his desk. For one thing, it’s still disgusting, all sticky and smelly and littered with bottles and cans. But it’s not just thestate of it that’s bothering him. Now this room feels like a prison cell, where he’ll be forced to remain until Shelley comes home, in order to minimise any interaction with Martha and Fin. Because how can he operate normally with the new household dynamic at play? It’s as if they are now the superior ones – because theyknow.They haven’t stated said as such, but since they spotted the mark on his neck there have been no further mentions of clearing up the mess. There’s not a drop of contrition now. They are behaving as if they had nothing to do with what happened here last night.
Martha especially has the measure of him. She came home with a love bite once, a livid bruise on her neck. Although visibly upset, Shelley was determined not to make a big thing of it. ‘It’s awful, Joel, but that’s just part of being young. And I suppose worse things can happen.’
