Chapter 9

When the doorbell rang on Sunday morning, Claire grinned at John and went to the door. She opened it to find a young woman and a man.

“Hello, you must be Clare,” she said brightly, “and this will be Luke. I’m Claire Klinsman.”

“Pleased to meet you, Mrs Klinsman,” said the younger Clare with a smile, as the pair shrugged off their rainwear. Outside there was a fine drizzle.

“I’d say call me Claire, but that might be awkward. My second name is Deborah, so perhaps I can be Claire D?”

“D’you think Dad called me after you? A sign of his unrequited love?” she asked with hand on heart and a giggle. “He was quite coy about it on the phone, but he did say you used to be his girlfriend.”

“Come through, and you can embarrass him all you like.” They both laughed, and both thought they would get on with each other very well.

The bell went again. “I’ll get it, Debbie,” Clare Junior said, and so ‘Debbie’ led Luke into the living room.

They could hear Clare’s voice excitedly telling the visitor something, and the other woman, for it was a woman, answering her in more measured tones.

Catherine was duly introduced to Claire, but Catherine was much more reserved. At this, John appeared from the kitchen, while Claire took his place cooking, leaving John to face his daughters, but leaving the door ajar to catch the conversation.

“Good God, Dad!” exclaimed daughter Clare. “Your face!”

“Is this what was in the papers?” asked Catherine, wincing at his facial bruising.

“What was in the papers?” cried Clare. “Who’s attacked you Dad?”

John was about to water down the story but Catherine was too quick for him.

“Two men, father and son, attacked Dad. They beat him up. The father accused him of sleeping with his wife – Dad you didn’t, did you?” Then a gasp of realisation: “Claire’s the wife of the man who attacked you. It did say she came to look after you.”

Claire was about to go back to intervene, when she heard John’s voice.

“Calm down, the pair of you. Now, to begin with, did I sleep with Claire? Well, did I?”

There was a silence, and both girls looked shamefaced.

“No Dad,” said Catherine at last. “You didn’t. But I don’t understand; what is she doing here?”

“Well, Cathy, she’s looking after me.”

“But–” started Clare.

“Look, you two, just listen and I’ll give you some background.” He said, looking at two worried faces. They nodded, and Claire came into the room and stood near the kitchen door. He continued.

“Claire lives in the Netherlands with her husband and family–”

“Lived,” interrupted Claire. “Since this last episode, I don’t live there any more.”

“Sorry, lived in the Netherlands. She was over here with her family because her mother was dying. She was on her way to visit her sister and called on Fr Gerard. He told her about Mum’s death, so she kindly came to see me.

“Well, her husband suffers badly from insecurity, and has done all through their married life, but the row after she visited me was so serious that she told him that to cure him of his jealously, either he put up with her coming to stay with me while she sorted out her mother’s estate, or they would be separating. She came and stayed here for four weeks, though she was actually only in the house for about two of them.

“When she went back there was another almighty row. He had called all their children together to effectively put her on trial. This was too much for her, so she came back to Britain. She went on a thirty day retreat at Greystones, then went on to her mother’s house.

“Peter, her husband, assumed she had come to be with me and that we were having an affaire. I ask you? Her mother had just died and I’ve not long lost your Mum. Would either of us be interested in an affaire? We’re both in our fifties, for crying out loud! He came here with Thomas his son, and when I opened the door they crashed in.

“The door must have hit me in the face and I fell back and hit my head on the wall, so I was out of it. Mrs Frobisher, bless her, called the police and an ambulance. Peter made an unfortunate error, and Thomas lost his temper, believing the worst. So that’s it. Claire and I are friends from way back. She came to look after me when she heard what had happened.”

“What your father has not told you, is that he went to the magistrates’ court and pleaded for their release, so Tom’s family would not suffer,” added Claire. “After what they did to him, I’m not going back.”

There was a silence, as the information was assimilated. Then Cathy spoke.

“Hmm,” she said looking towards Claire standing near the kitchen door. “That’s why we’re so proud of him; that’s Dad all over.”

“So you should be,” said Claire before returning to the kitchen.

“So, Dad,” said Cathy, “Clare already made her into your girlfriend, whom you used to know way back. From what we’ve just heard, she’s a little premature.”

“She was premature when she was born,” laughed John. “Came a week early in case she missed any gossip.”

“Oh, D-a-a-d,” whined Clare, much to Luke’s amusement.

“Well? Was she your girlfriend?” asked Catherine, but Claire in the kitchen could hear no judgement or distrust in her voice; she knew that with these girls ‘Dad’ could do no wrong. They were right as well, she thought and smiled as she went about her kitchen duties, cooking the vegetables.

“Well, Cathy,” he replied. “As usual she’s right and wrong at the same time, quite a feat!” There was laughter at that. He was continuing. “We went out together for about a year and a half, but we were both too young; it got too intense and we split up. She married her husband, and I married your mother. That was thirty odd years ago.”

“She’s still very good looking,” said Luke. “Very kind eyes. And a very nice name,” he added with a grin as he saw Clare about to reprove him for looking at another woman! His girlfriend sighed affecting disgust, but with a grin of her own.

“I’ve a couple of photos of her from back then,” John said. “In one of the albums.” He got up and went to the sideboard.

“Mum knew about her?” asked Clare with surprise.

“Of course,” John replied, his head buried on the cupboard. “We had no secrets.”

“Did she know what you got up to with her?” came the next question.

“Yes, as I said, no secrets. I know what your mother had got up to before we met as well.” A pause. “Mum can’t tell you, and I won’t tell you. That’s our secret.”

“Perhaps Claire might,” said Cathy with mischief in her eyes.

“That will be up to her, but my lips are sealed. Here’s the photo.”

There was a collective gasp.

“You let her go?” said Luke in awe. “She’s gorgeous! Not conventionally pretty but really beautiful. Ow!”

Luke had merited an elbow in the ribs from his lover.

“He’s right,” agreed Cathy in wonderment. “She looks lithe and athletic. Was she Dad?” This time it was Cathy’s turn to giggle.