Chapter 19

Getting through, he told the police Sergeant, “Her daughter is on her way to a neutral site, to make a call to the family home, to try and speak to her mother. The phone used will not be traceable to us, and Frances will start the call in case there are problems at the other end.”

“You seem to be well organised, Reg. I have cleared my schedule for tomorrow morning, and I have a bright shiny and colourful police car allocated to me.”

“Sergeant, we are willing to pay your petrol and other costs for this trip to Banbury.”

“No, we can’t do that. It will show up in the records. I can officially be over at Banbury to have a look at a prospective constable for here. If you want to make a contribution, my suggestion is a donation to COPS – ‘Care of Police Survivors’ set up to help police with trauma and other problems.”

“Good idea, sergeant. You can give us the details later, and we can kick in a contribution. I’ll ring you to confirm our plan is going ahead, once I hear.”

Then it was waiting time. Reg paced around the house, and the other wives failed to gain his attention as he worried. After an hour, his phone rang and he grabbed it quickly.

“Yes?” he demanded.

Frances spoke. “Fixed. She said yes, so should be at Banbury police station before lunchtime tomorrow. Sidra spoke well. The girl is much cleverer than she gives herself credit for. She should be easy to educate at home, Reg.”

“Agreed. She is a bright girl. Get yourselves home now, but take care in the dark, my darling.”

Closing his phone, Reg allowed himself a punch in the air. “Yes!”

The other wives heard this exclamation and came to hear his news.

“Sidra’s mother agreed, so she should be here some time tomorrow, depending on when the Sergeant can get here. Should we do anything for Sidra’s mum, girls?”

They couldn’t think of anything until they met the woman. Freda asked, “Will she share Sidra’s bedroom with her, or should she have her own room, Reg?”

“Again, best wait until she gets here, but please have another room ready for occupancy if she wants her own room. I can move another bed into Sidra’s room if that’s what she prefers. Dammit, I nearly forgot to phone the Sergeant. I’ll do it now.”

He fished out his phone again, and range the policeman.

“Sergeant? Reg Robertson. We are GO for tomorrow. Sidra’s Mum – Mrs Sadaf – agreed to leave her husband.”

“Sidra, is it? That the teenager who was found in the Chemistry basement?”

“Yes, but she is in hiding. We are a place of safety for her, and her mother will be in the same boat when she gets here. Still O.K. for Banbury tomorrow?”

“Yes. I have the car, the policewoman’s uniform, and the time for this special protection duty tomorrow.”

“Thanks, Sergeant. Someone will be here when you arrive; the LeBrun twins – our cook and housekeeper. Sidra will stay out of sight until her mother is inside.”

“Reg, I may have to interview her informally on the way to your place, but I will not put any pressure on her. I just need to confirm she is a battered wife seeking sanctuary. That will cover my back if I am asked about my protection duties at Banbury.”

“I fully take that on board, Sergeant. You are being very helpful and you must make sure you are doing the correct thing by her. Hope it all goes well tomorrow.”

“It had better.” he laughed shortly. “I will make it so.”

Reg recognised the military phrase, and joined in the laugh. “Good for you, sir. Goodnight. I have to wait now for Frances to get back with Sidra, from wherever they made the call. Bye.”

Reg resumed his pacing, but this time there was no worry; merely anxious for Frances and Sidra to be home safe with him. He felt his responsibility for them, keenly. It was only now that his mind came to the realisation that as a husband, he had accepted far more than the love of these girls. He had accepted responsibility for their welfare and well-being: looking after them and their needs; taking care of them; protecting them from harm; being everything that a wife should expect from her husband. He had accepted his four wives in this way, and with Fiona, five.

It was an onerous task, but one which he was happy to take on.

His anxiety persisted for another half-hour, until he heard the car draw up outside. Reg was at the door to welcome them. He ushered Sidra inside, then stopped Frances, to instead gave her a strong cuddle and a passionate kiss.

Frances happily accepted this demonstration of love, then queried Reg with a look.

He explained, “I found myself worried about you until you phoned, and even then I was anxious until you got back safely. It seems I love you a great deal, Frances.”

She heaved a sigh of relief at this confession. “Long may it continue, Reg my love. I do hope you feel the same way about your other wives?”

Reg thought a moment. “Now that you mention it, I really do! Thank you for reminding me, Frances. Let’s get inside now, for it is cold outside.”

They went through to the living room, where Sidra was excitedly telling the other ladies what her mother had said.

“So, she is coming tomorrow! My ammi will be free!”

Prudence admonished her, “Sidra, don’t celebrate too soon. There might be some slip-up on the way, or your father might not go to work, or your mum might take sick, or whatever. Wait until she is actually here, before you celebrate.”

Sidra calmed down. “I get you, Prudence. I will wait.”

Erika asked Sidra, “As we are going to have your Mum here, what does she look like? Height, colouring, etc.?”

Sidra had to think. Her mum had always just been her Mum, so she had not really looked at her. She brought up her mother in her mind, and told the Robertsons, “She is taller than me; about 5 foot 5ive or six, I think. Brown hair, complexion similar to me; eyes, I am not clear what colour they are: I just see them as loving. Looks ... um ... do you mind if I say this, girls?”

Prudence told her: “Go ahead, Sidra. We can take it.”

“Well, I think she is beautiful! My view may be coloured by her being my ammi, but that is how I see her. Apologies for seeming to compare her with you girls; it is not meant harshly.”

“Sidra, don’t worry about it. When we have had to put up with insults such as ‘the ugly ducklings’ and the ‘plain Janes’, we have developed tough exteriors. Reg made us forget about our faces entirely. He loves the rest of our bodies quite intensely, and we love the way he acts towards us; he is such a loving man.”

“I wish my father had been like your Reg. Instead, he thinks nothing of beating us to keep us in line. I can never remember a time when he praised me, cuddled me, or even thanked me for something I had done well.”

Freda told her sympathetically, “That is terrible, Sidra. A youngster needs encouragement, even when doing well. My parents never commented on my looks, just concentrated on what I could achieve. I did really well at school, despite the jibes of some other children. My parents told me, ‘If they criticise your looks, it means they are not secure in their own looks, and have to attack someone else instead. You should pity them for their own insecurity.’ It was great advice.”

Reg intruded, “We have been waiting up for you two girls, so it is about time we got to bed. We all have a busy day tomorrow.”

The others grumbled a little, but recognised the truth of what Reg was saying, and got ready for bed. Reg knew he had to satisfy at least two of his wives before he could get to sleep, so he got to bed first, leaving them to rouse him if he was almost sleeping.

Next morning was Friday, so they knew that it would be a short day at university. Everyone was gearing themselves up for the weekend, so the lecturers did not want excessive intensity during their lectures, and Reg refrained from his often bothersome questions, such as ‘what will happen to the planet if Yellowstone blows its top?’ or ‘how can you stop American Crayfish from wiping out the local species?’. Instead, he calmly listed to the lectures and said nothing. Curiously, this unsettled his lecturers even more, and at the end one of them asked him if he was unwell.

“No, sir. I just have a lot on my mind at the moment.”

It was nearly two o’clock before he got a call from home. It was Holly, to say that the Sergeant had phoned to say he would be arriving in about fifteen minutes, with Mrs “Sadaf, and that all was well. Reg relaxed.

At the house, the doorbell was eventually rung, and Carol went to answer it. There on the doorstep stood two people in police uniform, and she invited them inside, then closed the door.

Sergeant Phillips introduced Mrs Sadaf, and explained he was going back to the car to collect her bag. Carol took Mrs Sadaf though to the living room and invited her to take off the police uniform, for the sergeant to take it back.

Looking apprehensive, the attractive Asian woman peeled off her equipment belt, the hi-vis jacket, then the uniform jacket, revealing a thin top over her bra. Mrs Sadaf explained, “My outer wear is in my bag that Sergeant Phillips is collecting from the car.”

Carol had a dressing-gown handy, and offered it to her temporarily. The lady gladly put it on and tied the belt, waiting for the policeman to return.

The door bell rang again, and this time Holly answered. She escorted the policeman through to the room where the visitor was waiting, and Sergeant Phillips handed over the woman’s bag. He regarded her robe with approval.

He told the girls, “I have done my bit, ladies, and will be off now. As far as the records are concerned, I merely escorted an unnamed abused woman to a place of safety, and left her with her sponsors. Farewell, all of you.”

He quickly left again, and Mrs Sadaf proceeded to dress herself in her own clothes. When she had completed that task, ad felt she was now decently dressed, she asked, “Where is my daughter? Is she here, or someplace else?”

“I am here, mother,” Sidra said from the doorway. “How are you, ammi?”

Her mother squealed happily, and opened her arms to receive her daughter. Sidra flew into her welcoming arms, and hugged her tightly.

After giving them time to go through this ritual, Carol invited them to sit down for a chat, while she and Holly brought them tea or coffee, whichever they preferred. Both plumped for tea, so Carol went to prepare that. She knew the kettle was just off the boil, in preparation.

When she got back, both Sidra and her mother were still rabbiting on about how each had been coping since Sidra had vanished. Carol asked if Mrs Sadaf needed a meal, but the lady explained that the Sergeant had taken her to a cafe, she did not know where it was, and they had eaten a snack lunch there, at his expense. She had been too tense to be really hungry.

“Perhaps I will be able to eat tonight, if that is possible,” she said shyly.

Carol was quick to tell here she was now at home. “You should regard yourself as at your daughter’s home now. You will be treated as one of the family; won’t she, Sidra?”

Sidra was wide-eyed as she told her mother, “These are wonderful people, ammi. They have made me welcome, and my presence here is completely secret. Carol and Holly are looking after me very well, and the rest of the family are at the university, so you will meet them when they get back.”

She paused, and told her mother, “Most of the ladies here have very plain faces, so please don’t say anything about that; they are clever and capable girls, and so is their husband, Reg.”

Her mother blinked, and asked, “THEIR husband, Sidra?”

“Sorry, ammi; I will explain. They are Christian, but several girls wanted the same man, so they had a commitment Ceremony, and regard themselves as married to him. As you know, in this country, officially a man can only marry one woman. That is the law.”

Mrs Sadaf looked worried. “Are you safe around this man, my daughter?”

“Yes, ammi, he is a nice man; not like Father. The girls told me I would have no fears from him, and they were right. He treats me with respect.”

“But how can he be like that, if he takes several women as wives?”

“That is the point, ammi. He was not the instigator of all this. It was the girls who decided, just as they control everything else here. They seem to run everything. Reg just fits in with what they want; it is amazing.”

“What happened to your fear of men, child?”

“It is still there, ammi, but I do not see Reg as other men I have met. He acts so differently from what I expected. His women all love him; even the staff.”

“What staff is that, Sidra my child? Where are they?”

“You have just met them, ammi. Carol and Holly are identical twins. They are the cook and housekeeper here, and they look after me so well.”

“So this man and his so-called wives are all students at the university?”

“Yes, ammi, but don’t use such terms when you speak to his wives. They will object strongly to any suggestion that they are not his wives in any way. They are proud to be married to Reg.”

“I see. Does this Reg have a surname?”

“Robertson. Mostly he is just called Reg, which is short for Reginald.”

“So is he rich, this Reg Robertson, to be able to afford this house?”

“I have no idea, mother. The building is owned by a company run by Frances’ father – that I have been told. The wives also told me that Reg came from a family that is very poor. He was brought up by his widowed mother.”

“But he lives in this large house, has several wives, and has two staff – it is just two, is it?”

“Just two,” Sidra agreed. “I have not asked how they are paid. It did not seem good manners to ask such a question.”

“Quite so. I was puzzled at first, when the one girl seemed to be so busy, but it is two!”

Sidra explained to her mother, “They are cousins of Frances, who is Reg’s Chief Wife. They have the hots for him as well, believe it or not!”

“But they are young girls, are they not?”

Yes, just eighteen. This is their first job, and they are enthusiastic about their work. The girls at university are not much older, except for the Fiona lady, who is an older woman; a graduate doing another degree.”

“What is she doing here? Is she a boarder?”

“Yes, I suppose you could call her that, but she acts as if she is another of Reg’s wives.”

“Sidra, what you keep telling me sounds weird, as if this Reg is some sort of Svengali character.”

“Svengali?”

“A character from an old and famous novel, who hypnotises and seduces a young girl.”

“No, he is not like that at all, mother. He is kind and generous and loving.”

“Loving, eh? Not TOO loving, I hope?”

“Muuum! He is not like that. He is just nice to be around, and he knows how to treat women. The girls say they taught him, from scratch, how to act among other people. They say he was a loner in his childhood, with no idea of what to say or do around other people, unless it had to do with education. His mother almost ignored him.”

The door opened and one of the twins entered.

“That’s the boss told that you are here safe and well, Mrs Sadaf.”

“The boss? That would be Mr Robertson, eh?”

“Reg? God, no. Frances is the boss of the family. The others gave her that title, as she was the first to fall for Reg.”

Sidra’s mother asked, for clarification, “So she was his first wife?”

Carol blinked at the thought, and laughed.

“Good golly, no! They all made a commitment to Reg at the one time, and in a public ceremony. They committed to him, and he to them. Every last one of them is devoted to the others.”

“Even this older woman I was hearing about?”

“Well, she’s new. She hasn’t had the commitment ceremony yet, but effectively she is one of them. The way she talks, she is likely to be first getting pregnant, lucky sod.”

“But they are students! Surely they don’t want to get pregnant while at their studies?”

“It used to be that way, but when we took on our jobs here, it was made plain to us that future tasks would include baby-sitting while the mother or mothers studied. Reg is a great believer in education.”