Chapter 11

Richard was approaching the tree five minutes before three. He was determined not to arrive early and to keep up the charade of them meeting by chance. Fortunately, Tilly decided at that moment to disappear onto the old, disused railway line. He was able to call her knowing she would be at least ten minutes about her business. For once he was grateful. He hung about for four and a half minutes before walking on the seventy-five yards to the tree. No Deborah! No Tilly either so that was all right. He stood there continuing to call her in a desultory way.

Deborah drove up three and a half minutes later. Richard had timed it.

"Hello!" she said as she climbed out of the car, her eyes dancing. "You here again?"

"Yup! Lost Tilly temporarily."

"Oh!" She glanced round and then whispered conspiratorially: "Mum wouldn't come. She says she's had enough of mountain lairs."

Richard collapsed with laughter, the tension dissipated.

"More fool her!" he finally managed to gasp. "So now I've got you on your own at my mercy."

"Don't push your luck, mate." She whirled the lead she held in her hand. "I've got my magic higgle-de piggly."

They both fell about again. Tilly chose to reappear at that moment so they both set off together, the dogs well in the lead.

There was plenty of happy and unstrained small talk before Richard finally plucked up courage and said: "A couple of my friends divorced. One was messy. The other was comparatively civilised. You said yours was your decision. Was it painful?"

"Yes but it wasn't messy."

"Do you want to tell me about it?"

"Not much but I think you deserve to hear before we get any more involved."

"Are we involved?"

"Don't you think so?"

"Yes but I didn't dare think let alone say so."

She smiled at him, her eyes so ablaze he could almost feel their physical warmth.

"Dare! I like you too. Rather a lot!"

Richard resisted the urge to take her into his arms.

"I, I d-do dare," he stammered.

She smiled up at him.

"Good! This isn't going to be fun though."

"I can imagine."

"Well, we met at university. I was reading medicine and he was reading law. We met at a party and hit it off. We got married almost as soon as we graduated. We both found work, well-paying too, and lived in London. We were very much in love and ten months after we were married Annette arrived. We were both thrilled. He was a perfect husband, in and out of bed, and a super father. He clearly doted on Annette but was strict when necessary. She loved him. Her birth though had been difficult and we decided that rather than take any further risks I should have a hysterectomy. Sad, because we both would have liked at least one more child. Anyway, life went on happily until Annette was about eleven and a half."

She paused and swallowed before being able to continue: "She came to me in tears one morning after Jeremy had left for work. Basically, he had been grooming her for the previous six months. He started by going into the bathroom when I was working evenings which he hadn't done since she was eight and sitting on the loo seat and talking to her. Then he had started washing her back. This progressed to all over even though she told him she didn't like it. After that he started going to her room and fondling her budding boobs. He kept on telling her it was just because he loved her so much and that this was their special secret. She hated it but, because she had always loved and trusted him, she kept quiet. Then, the night before she came to me, he had tried to stick his finger into her. She fought him off but he had threatened to come back. She had reached breaking point."

"Shit!" interjected Richard. "Poor little girl!"

"Exactly! There's something terribly wrong with a man who would hurt a little girl, or even consider it for that matter." Deborah took a deep heaving breath. "I sent Annette to a friend's house overnight and went for Jeremy as soon as he came into the house. I told him I was disgusted and repelled by his behaviour and gave him two options: one that he would never set foot in the house again or attempt to see Annette and that he would not contend a divorce with me keeping the house and everything else being split fifty-fifty, or I would go to the police and petition for divorce at the same time. Not surprisingly he accepted my first offer."

She paused again, searched for a handkerchief and then blew her nose loudly.

"The thing was, Richard, up to the previous day I had loved him so that, even though I won, it carved me up. The thought that I had loved and trusted the man and he had then behaved like this slew me and I'm afraid Annette suffered. As a result she's shy and terrified of men. That's why I collect her from school every day and don't let her come home on the bus. I may be being over-protective but after he'd let both of us, particularly Annette, down so badly and because I'd failed to do my job as a mother properly I feel I have to protect her."