Chapter 20

As was his wont, David slept in on Saturday morning, since Celia was at home until mid morning. When he eventually emerged the children were playing and happy, and Celia’s weekend bag was at the door.

“Everything’s sorted,” she said, coming down the stairs after him. “I’m off now.”

“Celia, we need to...”

Without waiting for a reply, or saying goodbye, she had picked up her bag and left. He cursed inwardly, aware of little ears close by.

As always he enjoyed his time having the children to himself. Once they were in bed he phoned the Price’s landline, to find that Siân was not at home but was visiting friends. He decided not to phone her mobile. He was in bed reading a chapter of his novel before settling to sleep, when she rang him back.

“You rang Dai? Is there a problem?”

“The usual one, love. I’ve had an interesting weekend so far and it’s raised some thoughts, one of which is that I need to talk to you about them. It’s too late now; shall I ring you tomorrow evening?”

“OK, Cariad,” she replied cheerfully. “I’m wide awake, but you have the children in the morning and all day. I’m not going anywhere tomorrow night.”

On Sunday it was cold but the sun shone from time to time, so he took the children to the park and let Evan play on the apparatus, while he pushed Bethan on a baby swing. He made a resolution to buy some things for the children to play on in the garden at home.

When evening came he fed the children and left them to play while he washed the pots. Then it was bed time and he began to wonder where Celia was. She was always back in time to help him put the children to bed. He shrugged and began the process by bathing Bethan and putting her to bed first, while Evan played in the living room. Then it was Evan’s turn and he in turn was bathed and had his story.

As David returned downstairs he began to be concerned. Celia was never as late as that. By nine o’clock he began to worry. By nine thirty he phoned her mobile, but there was no reply. He left a message.

“Celia it’s well after nine. Will you phone me as soon as you can to let me know if there’s a problem.”

By ten there had been no reply and David initially thought she would probably arrive very early the next morning as she often did mid-week, but it worried him that she had not replied to his voicemail.

He phoned her again.

“Celia, please let me know if you’re going to be here tomorrow morning. If you’re ill or unable to make it, I need to make arrangements with work.”

By eleven thirty there had been no reply, and David began to be annoyed. He phoned Melissa at home.

“David?” she answered, clearly puzzled: David never phoned her at home, and certainly not so late.

“I apologise for ringing you so late,” David said. “Celia has not returned from her weekend off–”

“As far as I can recall from our tête-à-tête on Friday,” she interrupted, “you have no meetings until mid afternoon, so don’t worry. I’ll cover.”

“Oh, Melissa, you’re a star!”

“Yes, I am rather, aren’t I?” she chuckled. “Sort your family out, and let me know by midday if you won’t be in for the day, OK?”

“Thanks. Good night.”

“Good night and sleep tight!” she breezed, disconnecting.

David did not follow his routine of getting out his diary and the pending work for the coming week as he usually did, but went straight to bed, setting his alarm for five thirty in case Bethan woke early as she sometimes did. He wondered if she also woke during the night now she was teething, so he slept fitfully that night.

On Monday morning he rose when his alarm sounded, but Bethan did not rouse until nearly seven, by which time he would have expected Celia to have arrived, but there was no sign of her. He followed the pattern when she was away and was able to stow Beth in her high chair with some ease to eat breakfast while he saw to Evan.

He worried that Evan would be upset Celia was not there, but since the morning followed on from the weekend as it did, he did not seem to notice. Once breakfast was over and the children were occupied, David sat down and wondered what to do.

He felt fear alternating with anger. Even if she were ill, surely she would have phoned, or got someone else to phone for her? Then it struck him that she was probably with Alex. Surely the two of them weren’t enacting some sort of revenge against him? Admittedly he had made it clear he wanted nothing more to do with Alex.

Then he began to worry that Celia was in some sort of trouble. Had she been in an accident? Had she been a victim of violence?

That decided him: he’d go to her flat and see if she was there, then to Alex’s. His thoughts were now in turmoil and he was near to panic. As if he was not in enough trouble, in the middle of it all the door bell rang. He had visions of two policemen with terrible news.

He knew it would not be Celia on the step, since she had a key. He flung open the door.

“What... ?” and stuttered to a stop.

There stood Siân. She was serious and she was worried, he could see that from her face. The infectious smile was missing, instead there was a frown.

“Dai, bach, what’s wrong with your phones? Your landline just rings and rings, and your mobile goes to voice mail!”

“Oh, fuck!” he exploded, then hoped to goodness the children had not heard. “I disconnect the landline overnight for fear of waking the children, and forgot to connect it this morning. My mobile’s in the bedroom. Sorry! But what–?”

“Can I come in, d’you think?” she asked, with the beginnings of a gentle smile.

“Oh, sorry, Siân darling,” and he stood aside as she entered, toting a large suitcase, a rucksack and a handbag.

As she put her baggage down, Evan ran to her. “Aunty Siân!” he shouted as he launched himself into her open arms.

“Dadda!” came another greeting as Beth crawled rapidly into the hallway. Siân moved to her, and swept her up into a hug. Siân cocked an eyebrow at David (this being a trick Beth had yet to learn).

“Dadda?” Beth inquired (she had learned that word).

“It’s her first and at present only word,” he said with a wry smile. “I thought she was talking to me at first. Felt great at the time – until she used it for everyone!”

“Dadda!” repeated Beth with her wide, two tooth grin.

The children having greeted their aunt and received their hugs, went off to play, leaving the adults alone to talk. They went through to the living room.

“Coffee?” David asked her as she sat down in an armchair.

“Afterwards,” she said. “I need to tell you.”

David sat down on the sofa, dreading what he was about to hear.

“Alex phoned home very early this morning,” she began, “and I mean very early – four o’clock! He told me that Celia was ‘unwell’ and wouldn’t be coming here. Would I fill in for her?”

“He didn’t say how long she’d be away?” David’s sense of dread grew deeper.

“I asked him that,” she said with a worried look. “He said he didn’t know if she’d ever be coming back.” She paused, then: “He added, ‘After what was said in the pub on Friday’. I didn’t understand that, but he wouldn’t say more. Do you know what he meant?”

David thought through the conversations that he had had.

“We were talking about New Year’s Eve, and how sorry they were not to have told me about Alex and Celia. I was explaining how their deceit upset me, and then they asked about you.

“It came out that Celia had told them that you and I were sleeping together and how disgusting she found it. That did it for me, I’m afraid. I told them that she shouted at me for asking about her private life, while spreading my private life all over my friends. I said the atmosphere was now so bad between us that without an improvement I couldn’t see her remaining.

“They asked how your presence would affect Celia, and I basically told them that if Celia couldn’t stand you being there, she knew what she could do, though I didn’t want that to happen.”

Siân’s face betrayed growing sadness and distress.

“And those so called friends of yours told her what you said! God! You’d think they’d have learned something from what’s been happening,” she bewailed. “Some things just shouldn’t be said!”

David was distraught. Up to that moment he had known that there was a possibility that Celia would leave, but it was academic. Now the reality had struck he felt devastated at losing her, and it wasn’t the loss of a nanny and housekeeper, but the loss of her, the woman, his friend who had given up so much to look after him and the children.

The coolness and antagonism now seemed utterly stupid, and he wondered whence his intense anger at her relationship with Alex had come, or, come to that, her own reticence about it and her violent defensiveness. Now it was too late. If only he had made time to talk with her calmly.

His face and demeanour betrayed him and Siân came to him and sitting next to him, put her arm around him.

“Dafydd, Bach, there’s a fortnight before I start work. Plenty of time to sort everything out. We can plan what’s needed and organise childcare. Unlike you, I’ll be strictly nine to five at work, or better yet, eight to four. Perhaps Celia will eventually tell you what’s going on with her. Dafydd you two need to talk it out. You need that so you can accept she’s with Alex.”

Accept she’s with Alex. The statement hit him like a brick. “Did Alex say they were an item now?” David asked tentatively with renewed dread, again puzzled by the intensity of the feeling.

“He didn’t comment on that,” she answered. “Just that brief message, though I think it’s obvious she’s with him at the moment.”

They sat for a time with nothing more to say, while the sound of children at play wafted round them.

David recognised the feeling of loss: it was the same feeling he had when Gwen’s death really hit home. Did he really feel the same about Celia? His thoughts went right back again to the night Celia arrived. Gwen and Celia had talked and planned.

Gwen wanted Celia to take over. He knew now that Gwen wanted Celia and him to get back together, should Gwen be taken before him and should Celia be free. Was Gwen expecting Celia to be free? That Celia would never settle down with someone?

Siân left the sofa and went to the kitchen, and soon he could smell coffee being made. He wondered what to do. What did Siân say? They had a fortnight to organise care for the children? Tomorrow they would make a start.