‘Oh, Eleanor. How awful.’ Kathy shook her head as though she still couldn’t picture Rick treating Ellie as he had.
‘So, he wasn’t so perfect after all.’ Ellie took a long sip of her coffee, grateful for the added solace the extra sugar cube had provided.
Shifting position on the sofa, Kathy placed her mug on the table before pulling a cushion from behind her back and placing it at the end of the sofa. ‘That surprises me. I always thought Rick was a good person.’
‘Not everyone is as they appear, unfortunately.’ What did she want her to say? That she’d made the whole thing up and, in fact, Rick had been the perfect partner?
‘No, no, I don’t suppose they are.’ Kathy retrieved her mug and took a sip before lowering it to her knee. ‘And you’re certain Murray didn’t have anything to do with your break-up?’
‘Mum! Are you asking me if I was the one who cheated on Rick?’ Maybe she should tell her what else Rick had done? That he’d taken most of her belongings and left her a few measly items to get by with.
‘No, I… well… I just meant that Murray was never good for you, was he?’
Ellie raised her mug to her lips before lowering it again. She couldn’t let that comment sit without being challenged. Yes, Murray had hurt her, but when they were together, things had always been good. He’d always treated her with the utmost respect and care. ‘Actually, Murray has always been good for me.’
Kathy’s eyebrows shot almost to her hairline as she tutted under her breath. ‘Murray left you broken.’
Shifting uncomfortably, Ellie steadied her voice. ‘Yes, he did, but he didn’t have a choice but to leave. He had responsibilities to his young half-brothers.’
‘Is that what he’s told you?’
‘Yes, yes, it is.’ What was she implying?
‘Okay, all I’m going to say is I hope you’re not thinking about giving him another chance.’ She sighed and glanced at the mantelpiece, the conversation seemingly over. ‘Now, what a lovely illustration that is. Is that of this inn years ago, do you think?’
Ellie glanced behind her, her eyes resting on a framed drawing of Pennycress before she turned back to face her mum. The conversation wasn’t over. Far from it. If her mum was going to talk about Murray in that way, then Ellie wanted some questions of her own answered. ‘Why didn’t you tell me that Murray had come home from America and visited you? And why didn’t you say he’d asked after me?’
‘Pardon?’ Kathy blinked.
‘Just that. Why did you not mention that Murray had been asking after me?’
‘That was an awfully long time ago. I don’t think we need to rake up the past.’
‘I want to. I want to know your reasons for keeping his visit a secret.’
‘Well, I… I didn’t want to upset you. You had just met Rick, and it didn’t seem appropriate to be bringing up the ex who had broken your heart when you were moving on with someone who treated you well.’
‘He didn’t though.’
‘Who didn’t what?’ Kathy frowned.
‘Rick didn’t treat me well, did he? I’ve just told you he had an affair.’ Ellie swallowed. It didn’t feel right interrogating her mum like she was, but if she’d been honest with her, if Kathy had told Ellie that Murray was back and looking for her, then maybe things would have turned out differently. Maybe it would have saved Ellie years of being unhappy with Rick and maybe, just maybe, she and Murray could have had their happy-ever-after before now. ‘It should have been my decision whether to contact Murray or not. You should have told me.’
‘Oh, Eleanor, you don’t understand. You’d have done the same in my position, after seeing you go through what you did when he left you…’ Kathy shook her head. ‘I was really worried about you, and I wasn’t about to put you in harm’s way again.’
‘Harm’s way? This is Murray we’re talking about. The kindest guy I know.’
‘But he was the one who caused you all the heartbreak.’
‘Yes, but…’ It was no good. She couldn’t argue with her any longer. What was the point? Even if her mum finally agreed that she’d been in the wrong and that, yes, Ellie should have been given the opportunity to decide whether she even spoke to Murray again, it wouldn’t bring the time back. They wouldn’t get their missed years back. And, who knew, maybe Ellie would have refused to speak to him, maybe all the emotions from his parting would have still been so raw that she would have decided not to have anything to do with him. At the end of the day, her mum had only been looking out for her, trying to protect her. Yes, she’d gone about it the wrong way, but she’d been trying.
Standing up, Kathy walked around the coffee table and lowered herself onto the sofa next to Ellie before putting an arm around her shoulders. ‘Oh, love, I’m sorry if I made the wrong decision. You’re right, I should have put the ball in your court, so to speak.’
Looking at her, Ellie gave her a weak smile. ‘It’s okay, Mum. I know you were only trying to protect me.’
Someone knocked on the sitting room door, and Ellie turned to see Laura standing there holding Ellie’s mobile in the air.
‘Sorry to interrupt, but your phone’s been going off.’ Laura grimaced.
