Chapter 5

Alice visited regularly after that first night, a couple of times a week, usually before her day off. After our night of fun we’d go for a long walk in the morning.

One day I hired three bikes from the National Park office. We had a great day riding across the fells we didn’t have time to reach when walking. It was such a fun day I took Amber to town the next day and bought three electrically assisted bikes to help on the steeper hills.

One evening over dinner a few weeks later Alice informed us that Children’s Services had called in the police station and asked about Amber.

“I told them that clearly they’re quick workers in their department,” she said sarcastically, “it’s only taken them a month to ask about the whereabouts of a potentially vulnerable teenage girl.”

“What did you tell them?” Amber asked.

“I mostly told the truth, I said you were in an informal foster home, under Matt’s care, I nipped into the office and quickly forged a document to say you’d both signed an agreement to that effect.”

“OK, I think you’d better give us a copy of that in case we need to forge our own signatures at some point,” I laughed.

“Yeah sorry, I was in kind of a bind and just came up with a convenient solution. Anyway, they’ll almost certainly be visiting some day soon, so you need to make that spare bedroom look like a teenager sleeps there.”

The next day I took Amber to town and we had fun buying props for her ‘bedroom’, we bought a few posters; Billie Eilish, Taylor Swift and Harry Styles. We also got a few strings of LED lights, a dressing screen that she leaned against the wall and hung with LED lights and a few costume jewellery necklaces.

Once she’d thrown some clothes on the floor it looked perfect.

The next week a man and woman arrived at the door, we didn’t hear a car, they must have been dropped off on the road and walked up the trail.

“Hello, I assume you’re Mr Matt Peters,” the woman announced as I opened the door.

“Err, yes, just Matt please, how can I help?”

“We’re from Children’s Services, my name is Moira Fleming and this is my colleague Phil Stuart.”

“OK, and that doesn’t really answer my question, so I’ll rephrase it, why are you here?”

“We’ve been informed that you are Amber Watts’ guardian, so we need to inspect the house to ensure it’s a safe environment for her.”

“OK, in you come.”

They looked around downstairs first. Amber was working at my laptop, she turned the music down so she could hear what we were saying.

“Does she have her own bedroom?”

“She’s the only child in the house, she doesn’t share a room.”

“Can we see it?”

I led them upstairs and showed them Amber’s room, she’d jumped up and down on the bed a few times for that added touch of disarray, they were happy.

Moira tried to look in my room but I held the door closed, “you don’t need to look in there.”

She wasn’t happy but couldn’t argue, she had no business looking in the master bedroom. I let her look in the bathroom to show we had working sanitary facilities then we headed back downstairs.

Moira had a poke around in the kitchen, “who does the cooking?”

“I do most of it,” Amber replied truthfully.

She opened the utility room door and stuck her nose in the laundry basket, pulling out a bra and blouse that were way too big for Amber.

“These clothes aren’t Amber’s, they’re too big, is there an adult female living here? We weren’t told about anyone other than you and Amber.”

“They belong to dad’s girlfriend.”

I appreciated her use of dad, Matt was too familiar in these circumstances.

“We weren’t told about an adult female living here, who is it?”

“Who I’m dating is none of your business. She doesn’t live here. She visits and stays the night before her day off so we can go on trips together.”

“We need to know the adults Amber comes into contact with are decent and a good influence on her.”

“You didn’t seem overly concerned when Amber lived with an alcoholic and a paedophile, but now you’re so concerned it’s taken you a month to check up on her welfare.”

“Well, we’re here now and we need to be assured Amber is safe.”

“She’s a lot safer now than she was before, when she lived in a tent in the forest because she was afraid to live in the same house as her parents! I’m the co-owner and a director of a £100 million company. I can provide a safe and stable environment for the first time in Amber’s life. My girlfriend’s identity is none of your business. She’s a caring and professional woman and that’s all you need to know.”

“Amber needs a mum and a dad to give her life structure.”

“She had neither before, now she’s got me, how is this worse than when she was at home?”

Just then the door opened, “oh hello, I wondered whose car was stuck in the mud halfway up the drive.”

“Hey Alice, Children’s Services are grilling dad.”

“Oh that’s unfortunate, lucky I came round to collect my bra then, isn’t it.”

“Are you Matt’s girlfriend?”

“Yes I am, is that a problem?”

“No, it’s just he wouldn’t tell us who you were.”

“Ahh, that’s because he thinks it will cause a conflict of interest as I was leading the investigation into Amber’s birth father. That’s all been sorted now, so it’s OK, we’ve handed him over to the National Crime Agency.

“On the subject of Amber, all you need to concern yourself with is that she’s now got a roof over her head, a guardian who loves her, cares for her wellbeing, and spends time with her. None of which she had before. You’ve seen she has her own private space with a lock on the door, and plenty of space down here to study.

“Now we’re both taking an interest in her, we’ll be enrolling her in a school, something her parents failed to do.”

Moira handed Amber a card, “take this, if you have any concerns, please call us.”

“It’s so nice of you to take an interest in my welfare now I’m no longer living with the man who abused me when I was 11,” Amber told them as she ripped up the card and put it in the wood-burner, “you’ve met my new dad, and Alice will hopefully be my new mum. I think you can close my file now,” she added as she walked towards them forcing the social workers to step backwards towards the door, which Alice held open for them.

“Err, our car is stuck, do you know anyone that can help us?”

“Go wait in your car,” Alice told them, “I’ll winch you out after I’ve had a word with Matt. A private word,” she emphasised as they both seemed to be reluctant to leave.

“I am so sorry,” Alice apologised after she’d closed the door,” I only found out they were visiting you half an hour ago, so I dashed straight here.”

“I thought you didn’t want anyone to know about us,” I replied.

“I changed my mind. I should have known those busybodies would want to see evidence you weren’t raising Amber alone. They have a point to be honest, a 15-year-old girl moving in with a single male is a bit of a red flag for Social Services.”

“Ahh, I didn’t think of that. Thanks Alice, I hope this doesn’t cause any problems back at the station.”

“It shouldn’t, because we handed the whole case over yesterday. Derek’s being transferred to Manchester today. The good news, Amber, is you don’t need to go to court, the CPS is happy with your video.”

Amber breathed a sigh of relief and hugged Alice, “thanks mum.”

“I’m not your mum!” Alice laughed.

“You are now.”

“Anyway, I need to get back to the station. I’d better grab that bra and my other washing so I don’t look like a liar to those nice social workers.”

“Do you need a hand winching the car out?” I asked as Amber grabbed Alice’s clothes.

“Yes please, then you can get all dirty instead of me.”

Alice reversed down the lane and parked behind the social workers’ car. I fastened the winch hook onto their car’s towing eye and Alice slowly winched the car out of mud.

“Thank you DS Parsons,” Moira called from the car once they were clear.

“No problem, this is why we only use 4-wheel drive vehicles on this track.”

“We’ll remember that next time.”

“There won’t be a next time. You need to concentrate on the kids in real danger, rather than the kids who are out of danger. Can you imagine what it was like for Amber, living for years with a father who almost raped her, and knowing there was nobody coming to help.”

“Well, we only have limited resources...”

“So, how about directing those resources where they’re needed, instead of where they’re not needed.”

Moira had no reasonable answer so she started the engine and we watched as she carefully turned their car around and picked her way carefully down to the road.

“They’ll be back, Matt. Make sure Amber’s room is always ready for inspection, move the clothes around a bit so it’s not obviously staged.”

“Will do.”

“Oh, and take these clothes back. It’ll be handy having spare clothes at your house.”

“You can have half the wardrobe any time you need it.”

“Tempting, very tempting Matt,” Alice replied as she kissed me, “anyway, I’d better go. Social workers are sneaky bastards, I bet they’re waiting on the road to make sure I leave.”

One Saturday morning a few weeks later. Amber and I were sitting in the sunshine watching some rabbits when we heard a car on the lane.

“Alice is working today, isn’t she?”

“Yeah, she’s doing something over near Whitehaven, told me she wouldn’t be able to make it for dinner tonight so she’ll see us tomorrow,” Amber replied.

“Damn, it had best not be those friggin social workers again,” I hissed.

“I’ll run round and show them I’m still alive and well,” Amber laughed as she jumped out of her chair and dashed around the side of the cabin.

“I think it’s Diane and Nikki!” she exclaimed a moment later.

I walked round to join her as they parked their new Range Rover next to my tatty 20-year-old Land Rover.

“I see Jed lends you his good car and I only get his cast-offs,” I joked as they stepped out into the sunshine.

“That’s because we’re so much prettier than you are,” Diane replied as Amber ran up and hugged her.

“Hi Diane, I’m Amber.”

“Hello Amber, how do you know my name?”

“Because apparently I’m basically your mini-me.”

Diane disentangled herself from Amber’s arms and stepped back a little to get a proper look, “yep, you’re a lot like teenage me.”

“So, why are my two favourite colleagues gracing us with their presence on this bright spring morning?”

“We’ll tell you once you properly introduce us to this gorgeous girl.”

“This is Amber, she squatted in the cabin while it was empty, and now it seems she’s adopted me as her dad.”

“He’s a dad with benefits,” Amber whispered.

“Is he now, you’re a lucky girl,” Nikki replied.

I brought a couple more chairs outside and dusted off the patio table while Amber made a pot of coffee.

Diane wiped a chair and sat down, “she’s super cute, where does she live in real life?”

“She lives here now, technically I’m her temporary guardian until Alice can sort everything out legally.”

“Who’s Alice?”

“She’s DS Parsons, Matt’s girlfriend,” Amber told them as she placed a tray of drinks on the table.

“Oh man,” Nikki sighed, “we’ve missed so much gossip these last few months, why don’t you start from the beginning.”

Between us, Amber and I filled them in on everything that had happened since I arrived.

“Fuck, so your dad’s in jail now?” Diane asked.

“Yeah, he’s down in Manchester somewhere awaiting trial.”

“Do you have to go to court?”

“Thankfully, no. I did a video interview and they’re using that.”

“And he raped a little girl, here in the village?”

“Yeah, he’s a fucking scumbag. I really like the little girl’s mum, she’s not much older than me.”

“Urghhh, it turns my stomach thinking about it.”

“Made me throw up when I heard about some of the shit he’s been involved with,” Amber admitted.

“Anyway, on a brighter note, we’re getting married!” Nikki told us, “look at our rings.”

“Oh my god! Let me see,” Amber cried, “they match, that’s amazing! Are they real diamonds?”

“Yep, they’re real, 2 carats each,” Diane assured her.

Amber could barely contain her excitement at this news, “when are you getting married?”

“Next summer,” Nikki replied, “Diane wanted to go to Vegas and do it straight away, but I want our wedding done properly, so we’re getting married in a castle.”

“A castle! Like a proper one with towers and a moat? This is fantastic, you’ll be like Disney princesses.”

“Anyway, this isn’t the only reason we came to disturb you,” Nikki started, turning serious, “and I’m not sure how you’re going to take this.”

“OK, this doesn’t sound as fun as your engagement,” I replied.

“Yeah. Ahh shit, where do I even start? OK, Jed is really concerned about you. He knows you better than anyone, and he was shocked by how your health was affected by the pressure of the last couple of years. I’ve not known you as long as Jed, but I could see you weren’t well.”

“But we can see how great you look now,” Diane continued, “so life up here is clearly doing you a lot of good.”

“Err, what are you getting at, is Jed trying to get rid of me?”

“No! Not get rid of you!” Nikki replied quickly.

“Well, not completely.” Diane added.

“I think you’d better explain.”

“He’s offering to buy half your share of the company. You’ll keep 25% and stay with the company as a consultant.”

“And you’ll keep doing half my work each?”

“Yes,” Nikki replied, “we’re both really enjoying the challenge.”

“And Jed couldn’t ask me this himself?”

“He thought you’d be less likely to punch us.”

“I wouldn’t have punched him, well, not immediately anyway. So what would my consultancy role involve?”

“You’d advise on product launches, manufacturing changes, hiring senior employees. He said you’d probably work 50 days a year, you’ll be paid a fee of £1,000 a day,” Diane replied.

“£50k a year for one day a week, I could live with that.”

“Plus 25% of the profits, and however much he’s paying you for half of your shares.”

“Also, he said if you want, you can keep the cabin and the Land Rover, live up here seeing as you’re looking so good now,” Nikki added.

“Yeah, I bet you could do most of those 50 days’ work without leaving the house.”

“OK, you’ve steamrollered me a bit with this, ladies, I’m not sure what to think. Are you staying for the weekend?”

“We’re going to look at a venue, do you want to come? You can have a think on the way.”

We piled into Jed’s plush Range Rover, Amber was very impressed with the back seats.

“What do you think, Amber?” I asked.

“It means you never have to go back to Manchester, we can stay up here forever, so I’m all for it.”

“I’ll need to get a phone line installed if I’m going to be working from home.”

“I bet the only thing stopping Alice moving in is the possibility you’d be moving away in a few months.”

“Would you like Alice to move in?”

“Well duh, my dream is to have a mum and dad, a proper mum and dad.”

“I’ll speak to Alice, you said she’s not coming round tonight?”

“Well, that’s before she knew we had two gorgeous babes on the premises, I think she’ll make a special trip to see a slightly older version of me.”

“Oi, I can hear you!” Diane laughed.

“Do you have anywhere to stay this evening?”

“Well, Jed wasn’t aware that you had people living with you, so he suggested we use the second bedroom, but if Amber’s using it...”

“I don’t mind sharing with you,” Amber offered, “Alice is bi and she’s been teaching me.”

“You know the last time we were up,” Diane started, watching Amber in the mirror, “we shared the bed with Jed and his now former girlfriend. That bed is easily big enough for four.”

“Do you, err, like boys?” Amber asked.

“I don’t,” Nikki replied, “well, not normally, but Diane is bi. That night though we only slept with Gemma, Jed got so drunk at the possibility of sleeping with three of us he passed out and we had to carry him up to bed.”

“That sounds exactly like Jed,” I laughed.

“How did you carry him up the spiral stairs?” Amber asked.

“It wasn’t easy,” Nikki replied.

“And we did damage him a little bit,” Diane laughed, “and it wasn’t all accidental.”

“Ahh, I remember now, that Monday he came in and said he’d been mugged. That was you?”

“Yep,” Nikki replied, barely able to contain her laughter, “We nearly broke his arm as well.”

“I was so angry with him,” Diane added, “I was all for leaving him on the sofa, or outside in the rain, but Gemma wanted him to watch her having sex with us, showing him what he was missing by being such a pathetic alcoholic.”

“I take it you don’t like him much,” Amber asked.

“You’d be right,” Nikki replied, “he’s an OK boss, we’re paid well and the benefits are great, but I don’t like him as a person. I think until that weekend in the cabin he thought it was his job to convert me. Anyway, it backfired because we converted Gemma, didn’t we Diane.”

“We blew her fucking mind. She stayed with him for his money, but the final straw was when he tried to have a threesome with Gemma and Melanie. Melanie is not into girls at all, so Gemma was just a spare part that weekend and got a taxi back to the station.”

Diane slowed as we reached Muncaster Castle, she rolled the window down and explained we were here to meet with the wedding coordinator, the security guard directed us to an office around the back of the castle.

Amber and I had a walk around the castle grounds while Nikki and Diane talked to the wedding coordinator.

“What are you going to do Matt?”

“It’s an attractive offer, but I’m not going to make a decision until I know how much my share is worth. I’ve put over 15 years of my life into that company, so I want a fair return for the work I’ve put in.”

“£1,000 a day is a lot of money.”

“It is, but it’s not enough to live on if I’m only working a few days a year.”

“But you’ll have all the money from your shares, you said before you thought the company was worth £100 million, so that’s £25 million for a quarter of the company.”

“If it was just me, I’d probably take his deal, the worst that could happen is I’ll get stiffed on the deal, hate Jed for the rest of my life and end up working in a pub or something. It’s not just about me though, so we’ll have a chat with Alice tomorrow then I’ll phone Jed in the week with our decision.”

“Why don’t you message Alice while you’ve got a signal, see if she wants to meet your friends.”

I pulled out my phone:

hey honey, Nikki and Diane are here from work, Amber wants to know if you’d like to meet the babes, they swear the bed is big enough for everyone

I pressed send before I could talk myself out of sending it.

Alice must have been on a break, because she called me immediately, “I’m definitely up for meeting babes, this conference finishes at 6 o’clock, so I can be at yours for about 7.”

“Ask her now!” Amber whispered.

“What does Amber want to ask me?”

“If we were to assume that I was going to live up here permanently, would you like to move in with us?”

“Is that likely to happen?”

“Jed’s offered to buy half my shares and bump me to a freelance consultancy role. He’s throwing in the cabin as a sweetener.”

“If that’s the case, yes Matt, I’d love to move in.”

“We’ll have a chat when you come round later.”

“Definitely, you’ll need to make a plan for your retirement. I know you’ve had fun going for walks and stuff with Amber, but you can’t do that for the rest of your life.”

“Good point, although I’m not sure what else I can do.”

“What did you want to be when you were at school, before you started your company?”

“I wanted to be a footballer, but it’s too late for a career change in that direction.”

“Oh, while I remember, the headmistress of the high school, was speaking at this conference this morning, so I caught up with her during the coffee break. She’s happy to meet us all on Monday.”

“It’ll be weird being in the house on my own when she starts school.”

“That’s why you need to find a new career.”

“Yeah, we’ll talk about that later.”

“Ahh, I need to go back to the hall, I’ll see you later.”

“What was that about school,” Amber asked as I cut the call.

“We’ve got a meeting with the headmistress on Monday.”

“Why do I need to go to school?”

“Any job you go for will want to see your exam results.”

“Why?” she replied indignantly, “nothing I learnt in school will be useful for any job I want to do.”

“The teachers at school are showing you how to learn, how to do research, how to solve puzzles. It’s not necessarily learning the facts about something that will help you, but learning how to research events and situations, along with problem solving skills.”