Nine
‘I’msorryforthisinconvenience,’ Marcus said, reaching out his hand to me as he came into the kitchen. ‘You’re Erin. Hello. I’m Marcus.’
‘Hi,’ I said. ‘It’s, erm. nice to meet you.’
‘I’m Noelle,’ Noelle said, giving me a little wave. ‘And this is Alec.’
Alec gave me a nod and a small smile as he tried to stifle a yawn.
‘Is everything okay?’ Sam asked, and Marcus shook his head.
‘Is it Adele?’ I sounded like a mouse as I squeaked the words out. ‘Has something happened to her?’
Marcus let out a long sigh and shook his head. ‘Yes. But she’s fine. All things considered. But she is the reason I’m here. She’s asleep right now after a rather disturbed night and a lot of tears. Which is why I had to gather you all here so early, and again, I apologise for this. I knew you were here, Sam, and you too, Lucy, because I’d seen you arrive last night, and I hadn’t seen a taxi pull up after that.’
‘What’s wrong with Adele?’ Noelle asked, looking somewhat frantic. ‘Should I go and see her? Why have you got us all together? And why here?’
‘Please don’t panic,’ Marcus said. ‘It’s nothing bad. Well, it was, but that’s over, I think. This part is good. At least I think it is. But I need your advice. And your help. Sorry. I’m probably not making much sense. This was all … such a surprise and a bit of a blow. I’m not sure how to handle it.’
‘Sam’s made coffee,’ Lucy said. ‘Why don’t we all sit down and have some? Sam, would you bring some chairs in from the dining room, please?’
‘I’ll help,’ said Marcus, and Alec followed behind.
Noelle looked at Lucy. ‘What is going on? When did you last see Adele? We’ve been away for a couple of days, dropping Melody off with Alec’s wife’s parents. She’s spending a week with them.’
I knew Alec’s wife had died but I didn’t say anything about that.
‘I saw Adele yesterday afternoon,’ I said. ‘She was absolutely fine then. We had a pot of tea together in Fairlight Bakes café and we chatted for some time. She was happy and smiling and humming to herself when I left.’
‘Then whatever’s happened must’ve occurred after that,’ Noelle said as the men returned with the chairs and I helped Lucy with the coffees.
‘Someone seriously upset Adele yesterday afternoon, at Fairlight Bakes,’ Marcus said, before everyone had sat down.
‘Oh God! It wasn’t me, was it?’ I blurted out.
He gave me an odd look and furrowed his brows. ‘Why would you think that?’ He shook his head. ‘On the contrary. When Adele had eventually calmed down, she told me that she’d had tea with you and said that she wished you had still been there because she was sure you would’ve done something about it.’
‘Done something about what?’ Noelle said. ‘What do you mean by someone seriously upset her? Did they physically attack her? Or verbally?’
‘Verbally,’ he replied, gritting his teeth as though he wanted to yell at someone. ‘Although the damn woman did grab Adele’s arm. So both, in fact. But you know how sensitive she is. It was what the woman said that really hurt her. And she took it to heart. I know the woman who did it, and she is a nasty piece of work. She’s … a friend of my ex-wife, and she knows how to twist a knife.’
I must admit, I almost laughed. All this drama because of a nasty comment, made by someone who knew his ex? Seriously? I had to get out of bed at seven-thirty a.m. for this?
And yet, I was clearly missing something. Everyone else looked genuinely concerned.
‘What did the woman say?’ Noelle asked, taking a deep breath.
Marcus screwed up his eyes as though he was in actual pain.
‘She said that she couldn’t believe I was so desperate. And that Adele was an idiot to think I actually cared for her. She said I still loved Cara and always would. And that I was only with Adele because I hated living alone and she was convenient. That I’d stay with her until someone better came along and then I’d toss her aside like the garbage that she was. And that no man would ever love such a fat and ugly woman. And then she asked if Adele owned a mirror and suggested she take a look in it, adding that men like me want women like Cara. Not useless lumps like her who were so dim that the best she could do was work as a waitress in a grotty little coffee shop.’ He shook his head again and bowed it. ‘Adele said she remembered every word the woman spat at her. She wanted to walk away, but the woman had grabbed her arm and held it while spouting the vile abuse.’
‘Oh my God,’ said Noelle, clearly fuming. ‘I know the old Adele would’ve taken all that to heart. But surely she knows none of it is true? She knows you love her, Marcus. Doesn’t she? Did she tell this evil cow that you had proposed?’
He nodded. ‘She said the woman knew, and that she sneered at the ring and said that it looked like something out of a Christmas cracker. And said that Cara’s ring was four times the size and probably ten times the price. And a ring meant nothing anyway. Cows had rings in their noses. And then she added that if Adele was stupid enough to wait a year or more for a wedding, she deserved all the heartache she would get when I left her at the altar, if not before.’
Even I was furious now. ‘I wish I had been there,’ I said. ‘I would’ve threatened to arrest her for assault, especially as she grabbed Adele’s arm.’
‘I agree,’ Marcus said. ‘Although, as a former solicitor myself, I know what would’ve come of that.’
