Chapter 19

Matthew ran after Charlotte but she had a few seconds head-start and reached her car on the corner of the road before Matthew could get to her. She skidded off down the street just as Katie emerged from her car. "What happened?"

"He," Matthew said, pointing at Gareth behind him. "Has just told that woman I am responsible for her eighteen year old daughter's pregnancy."

"What?" Katie asked and then sighed.

"But I am, I just haven't told her, so she has just had a shock."

"Matthew? What's going on? Are you in trouble?"

Matthew sighed and watched at the empty street. "Yeah," he replied idly. "I just need to go and see Katherine. Gareth'll tell you all about it, he's told every fucker else."

Katie took a deep breath and looked behind her at Gareth dawdling by the doorway. "Good luck," she said and watched as her friend set off across the park and towards the house where Katherine lived.

"He's in such shit," Gareth muttered and Katie glared at him.

"You and your fucking big mouth," she roared in return. "Fucking learn to button it."

Matthew sprinted across the barren park and across the plush housing estate where Joseph lived and stopped at the bottom of the road catching his breath. He could see Charlotte's car in the driveway and knew that she would, at that point in time, be telling all to Katherine but he needed to talk to them.

Matthew was scared, he hadn't raped Katherine, at least not in the traditional sense, and he did still want to be able to see the baby as it grew up. Would Katherine call the Police the moment he arrived? Or would Joseph try and kill him? What would Charlotte do?

Matthew had known the Wilsons for years, and they knew him, would that count for anything? He felt his hands twitching, he could get nothing done standing at the bottom of the road, and with as much trepidation as he could muster, he started the walk up the slow hill.

Matthew could feel his heart beating furiously, his hands going clammy, butterflies dancing in his stomach. What was happening to him? He stood on the doorway, hearing raised voices inside the house and took a deep breath. He couldn't hear what they were saying and with as much calmness as he could manage he rang the doorbell.

"You," Charlotte screeched as she opened the door. Joseph came running into the hallway and saw Matthew looking into the room.

"You have some nerve coming here," he yelled. "I'm gonna kill you."

"Wait," Matthew said, his insides lurching. "Can I explain first?"

"Explain what?" A small voice said from behind him and Matthew jumped. Katherine stood there, the pram in front of her and a pack of nappies hanging from the handle. She looked at him with her blue eyes and long brown hair intently.

Her mother was the first to speak. "He is Evie's father," she blurted out coldly. "He is the rapist."

Matthew looked at Katherine's eyes widen at this news and she wiped a tear from her eye, cocking her head slightly and then wiping her mouth. "I didn't," Matthew implored and Katherine sniffed. "I didn't rape you. But I am Evie's father."

"You," she said slowly. "You got me pregnant?"

Matthew shivered on the doorstep, aware of the cold weather for the first time and squinted at the girl. "Ummm ... yeah. Can we talk inside please?"

"I don't want him in my house," Joseph said firmly. "I want the Police here."

"And the CSA," Charlotte added. "He needs to pay." Joseph turned to look at his wife who was still scowling at the man in the doorway.

Matthew looked at Joseph and then at Katherine. "Let me explain, talk to you, please. If not here, at the coffee shop. It's something I should have done before, I know, but please talk to me."

"I don't want you anywhere near that man," Joseph said firmly and Charlotte opened the door for Katherine and then Matthew.

"You got five minutes," Charlotte warned.

Katherine was shocked and, checking that baby Evie was asleep in the pram, left her in the hallway as she walked into the room. Matthew sat opposite her on a chair, Joseph glaring at him and standing behind him, leaning against the wall.

Matthew glanced at him, the tall man watching his ex-employee as Matthew took a couple of deep breaths.

"Look. OK. I know this looks bad. It is bad, but I did not rape Katherine. You might not remember that night, but I do," he said with a cool voice. He licked his lips, put his shaking hands together and then looked straight at Katherine who was been supported by her mother. "We got drunk, you got completely drunk and you nearly collapsed in the bar. Said I will take you home but your jacket was in your Dad's car and he wasn't around, the car was locked so I gave you my suit jacket. On the way is my flat and I stopped off to get myself a jumper; I was cold." Katherine sighed and nodded as Matthew spoke, her eyes firmly fixed on the fireplace in the corner of the room. "While I was there you made a few comments and came onto me. We kissed and we had sex."

"She was drunk and you took advantage," Joseph thundered, raising his hands and Matthew nodded.

"I know. I was drunk too, but it is unforgivable. I've spent months trying to work out why I did it." Katherine sniffed and Matthew looked back at her. "I s'pose I went with it because I do like Kat and it didn't seem real, it was dream-like."

"That makes no sense," Charlotte said tersely and Matthew unclasped his hands, only to find them still shaking and clench them tight again.

"I know but after that I took Kat home and she said goodbye at the end of her drive, she met a College friend or something."

"Callum," Katherine whispered and Matthew sniffed.

"Yeah, him. I felt really guilty, was sure that you knew but you just didn't. And so I thought that would be that, but then you say you are pregnant and I start to wonder, and then it is because you got pregnant at the Christmas Party and I knew I was the father."

"So why didn't you say anything?" Charlotte asked.

Matthew felt his insides lurch, and he stared at the skirting board. "I was scared. You said it was rape, and Katherine did consent. Although when I think about it I don't think either of us could properly consent to sex really. So I thought about it, and decided I would have to support Kat, financially and emotionally, which I have tried to do."

"What about being a part of Evie's life?" Katherine asked, her eyes watery. "Didn't you want that?"

"Of course, but I couldn't see how I could get it. If you knew I was the father then I would be banned from seeing her."

Joseph snorted. "So where is all this support then?"

Matthew rubbed his face. "Well I gave her some money when she was pregnant for things, that should have bought a fair bit, plus contributed towards her trust account anonymously."

Katherine smiled. "Two hundred pounds was nice, but it doesn't go that far," she told him. "But yeah, I did wonder why at the time."

Matthew frowned. "It was two hundred. It was a thousand."

Charlotte looked Matthew panicking. "It was two hundred," Katherine replied and Matthew picked his wallet out of his pocket.