‘I wouldn’t say Ilikeher!’
And again the two spurted their laughter.
‘He’s gone behind my back and is trying to make Ada, his wife—’
‘The one you may or may not like,’ she interrupted.
‘Yes, that one.’ Her sister blinked slowly. ‘He’s trying to make her a partner in the business. And he hasn’t told me about it. The first I heard was when the paperwork turned up.’
‘Oh, so that’s what you didn’t tell me! Can he do that?’ It sounded horrible, especially coming from someone her sister trusted. Again, with a bloom of unease, she thought about having to tell Midge about St. Jude’s.
‘Apparently so. Truth is, I think he wants me out of the business.’
‘But it’syourbusiness!’ Remy pointed out the obvious, knowing how much of her life Ashleigh had poured into Gallow and Fitch and how very proud she was of it.
‘Yep, but he’s the bigger shareholder.’
‘Does that make a difference? Sorry to sound stupid. I don’t know how it all works. I spend my days with a headset on taking calls about broken washing machines and trying to ascertain what has gone wrong with a fridge as a customer on the end of the line imitates its whir.’
Ashleigh stared at her as if unable to imagine this life.
‘I don’t know if it makes a difference, but more upsetting than the legality of it is the thought that he feels that way at all. The fact he’s trying to get Ada involved, it’s like they’re ganging up to kick me out. Otherwise, why not mention it?’
‘I thought she was against working, devoting herself to bread-making and spending Guy’s salary.’ This much she remembered about the woman.
‘She was, she does, I don’t know what’s changed.’ Ashleigh swallowed. ‘Actually, that’s not wholly true. It’s me that’s changed, I think. I’ve made a few mistakes, messed up, said the wrong thing, lost an instruction on a big house when we need the money, that kind of thing.’
‘Christ, we’re all allowed to make a few mistakes, Ash. Some of us can’t even manage to book a table for lunch at the pub.’ She gave a wry smile. ‘But you work so hard, it doesn’t seem fair. What did Guy say when you confronted him?’
‘I haven’t spoken to him about it yet.’
‘You have to!’
Her sister let out a sharp breath. ‘I know! I want to see him, but I don’t want to call him in. They’ve just had their baby.’
‘Oh, yes, of course.’ Remy remembered her sister saying something about this on the phone.
‘The baby they’ve called Ben, same name as their dog.’
‘Ben’s a funny name for a dog.’
‘That’s not really the point!’ Ashleigh yelled.
‘Suppose not.’
‘I feel a bit like’ – Ashleigh took her time, giving Remy the impression this might be the first time she had said any of this out loud – ‘you know like before you have kids, if things aren’t going great, at the back of your mind is the thought that you can always jump on a plane or a train and go and work in a bar or go to Ibiza, or backpack somewhere hot and dusty, change course, whatever! It’s a mental escape hatch, that feeling that the whole wide world is out there waiting for you. But once you have a kid and you’re a mum, you can’t, can you? You’re stuck! I mean, in a good way, but you’re stuck. Even if you feel like it’s not a life for you, there’s no going back. You can divorce a husband, leave a partner, but you can’t stop being a mum, and so it means you plod on, and you put up with things you might not have before your choices were limited. Because there’s that ... that expectation.’
‘I’ve never ...’ Remy spoke with caution, shocked by her sister’s words, yet careful not to undermine her view or make her regret her candour.
‘Never what?’
‘I’ve never felt the whole wide world was out there waiting for me, but I’ve also never felt stuck, not really. Never wanted to be anywhere other than where my kids are.’
‘Well, lucky you.’ Ashleigh folded her arms across her chest. Remy didn’t take offence at her sharp tone, knowing Ashleigh got this way sometimes, a little snappy, a little mean. She was, after all, tired.
‘Do youwanta divorce?’ she asked quietly, tentatively, as if unsure if she should be asking at all.
‘No!’ Her sister shook her head, vehemently. ‘God, no! I love Archie, I love our life, and we work, we have everything we ever wanted.’
