Her chin shook. She looked around the room, desperately searching for one last card to play, but there was nothing. It was over. She fled, the door slamming shut behind her.
The room somehow felt fuller with her gone. I barely knew this woman and yet I’d felt the oppression of her presence for years. I hadn’t realised it. The weight around Alfie’s neck hadn’t just been his trauma, it had been her.
We were silent. None of us were sure what to do next.
“Elliot, please make sure Carolyn leaves Harrington without issue. Use force if necessary. Ada, take Lola back to her room please.”
“But…” My argument faded as I caught the look in his eye.
“You’ll stay there until I come to you. I don’t want you out of bed again. Do you understand?”
I nodded. The last thing Alfie needed right now was an argument.
“What about me?” Grace asked, her voice shaking from the reveal of her secret. “Do I get marching orders too?”
“You and I are going to have a conversation. You’re going to tell me everything and then I’m going to decide how to punish Carolyn for it.”
It was hours before he came to me. The sun had set, I’d slept and eaten porridge, if only to ease Ada’s mind.
I’d checked in with Natalie and Keira who both wanted to see me but I couldn’t face either of them. I’d called the hospital to speak to Maia but received only a clipped conversation with Eli. She was recovering, she would call me when she was ready. I felt helpless and desperately guilty. It was my fault. I should never have insisted on going to the school myself.
I found it impossible to relax, to still my mind. My fathers debt was settled. Carolyn was gone. Mybabywas gone…Thatwas a grief I didn’t know what to do with. How do you grieve something you didn’t even know you’d had?
When Alfie finally came, Ada made a quiet exit. He looked worn, as if he’d aged a decade in a day. I put out my arms and he settled next to me on the bed. Not close enough for my liking but he didn’t want to hurt me.
“Do you need anything?” he asked. “Are you hungry? There’s muffins.”
“I don’t want a muffin.”
“Maybe I should take you back to the hospital. Your injuries are clearly worse than I thought.”
I was grateful for the joke, for the small sign that he was still holding himself together.
“Was it awful?”
“Yes and no.” He was quiet for a moment. “I think I have a sister again.”
“Sisters are a good thing to have.”
“I didn’t know he was hurting her. Carolyn told her that I did and that I didn't care. Charles told her it was my idea.”
I didn’t say what I wanted to say. That Carolyn Tell was a vile, twisted woman. Grace had lived her life apart from Alfie, thinking he was a part of her abuse. He had lived apart from her, thinking she was happy in her ignorance, just like their mother. All of this damage, just for money.
“I should have protected her.”
“In the end you did. You got rid of Charles.”
“I should have protected you.” I didn’t answer, I just held his hand. Nothing I said would make that guilt go away. “We haven’t talked about the baby.”
“I don’t know how to do that right now,” I told him truthfully. He squeezed my hand, silently communicating that we would leave it alone for now. “You’re really leaving the company? You promise?”
“Yes. That’s what I've been working on over the last month. It's why I’ve been busier than usual. Give me a few more weeks and I’ll be free.”
“‘Free.’ That sounds nice.” I wanted to get away from everything. From what my career might be, from my father, Natalie, his family, everything. He looked so tired. “Alfie, can you take me away somewhere? We have a few weeks until Natalie’s wedding. If I’m here she’ll see me and fuss, I don’t want her to worry. Can we go? Please? Or do you have to stay here for work?”
“I’ll figure it out. Where do you want to go?”
I thought about it and it didn’t take me long to decide. “How long will it take to get the Isabella here?”
