Dave was in his normal place for a Tuesday evening, behind the bar, lording it over his domain. There were a few diners in the restaurant, but this was one of the quietest days of the week and they could get by with Jade and Irena, plus two in the kitchen. They’d do no more than fifteen covers this evening, plus a few diehards in a bar that would otherwise be virtually empty.
Except, of course, for old Trevor, who was in the same spot he occupied every night, perched on his personal barstool facing the main door, from which he could monitor the comings and goings over a single pint of Jenkins’ Best, eked out over the course of an hour.
Dave was quite happy to chinwag with Trevor; football, politics, international relations, race, religion, the price of oil. Trevor had opinions on everything and was right about everything too. Dave had learnt quickly not to bother arguing with Trevor, because Trevor didn’t acknowledge any opinion that deviated from his own. Trevor knew everything and everyone, and tonight was Trevor’s lucky night.
“Can I get you another, Trev?” asked Dave, looking at the last inch in Trevor’s glass, knowing full well what the answer would be.
“Oh no, no. One’s enough for me,” he grunted. “Got to get back. See what the missus is up to.”
“On the house?” said Dave, similarly certain of the response.
“Oh! Oh, well,” said Trevor, quickly draining his glass and handing it over. “Don’t mind if I do. Is it your birthday or something?”
“Nah, just looking after my best customers,” said Dave, smirking. He wasn’t used to giving booze away except under special circumstances. But Trevor would pay in kind. He poured another pint and set it down.
“Thank ’ee kindly,” said Trev. He took a big swig of beer.
“You’ve lived here a while, ain’t yer?”
“Man and boy. All me life.”
“So you know everyone round here and in Chalton?”
“Just about. Seen ’em all in this life. Seen ’em come and go.”
“There’s a woman lives in Chalton. Young, drives a big flashy car … Range Rover; three kids, one of ’em’s” – he looked around and leant over to Trevor, lowering his voice – “a Paki. Do you know what I mean?”
“Paki?”
“Shh, not so loud.”
Trevor thought hard for a moment and then lifted his finger in the air.
“Yeah. I seen ’em. Tasty bit of scrumpet. Fancy her, do yer?”
“Nah, course not.” Dave was beginning to wonder if asking Trevor had been a good idea. “Just looked a bit odd around here, that’s all. Out of place.”
“She’s the lady of the manor,” announced Trevor. “Chalton Manor. The Jeffries’s place.” Dave had heard of it. “Yeah, old man Jeffries died a few months back, left her there. She was his housekeeper, you know. Had a couple of kids as soon as she arrived and then, as soon as he’s in the ground, the foreign kid turns up. Don’t know what that’s all about.”
“So who else lives there?”
“No one, as far as I know.”
“What, just her and three kids?”
“Yep.”
“So where’s the father?”
“Well, gossip was old man Jeffries, you know, put her in the club, but I don’t think that’s right.”
“Why?”
“Because she’s the spitting image of his daughter, that’s why. He weren’t like that. Not the colonel. He were a gentleman.”
“So where’s his daughter?”
“Disappeared. Lost somewhere in them Himalayas. Never seen again. No, no. Them kids weren’t the colonel’s. I reckon the girl was well gone by the time she got here.”
“Weird,” said Dave.
“Nowt so queer …” said Trevor, and took another swig.
***
Dave Morley was nothing if not resourceful and ambitious, and he was proud of it. He could spot an opportunity when he saw one, and the more he understood about Alice, the more the semblance of a plan took shape.
It had been clear from her reaction to seeing him that she was not about to respond favourably to his advances, and he regretted that. He would have quite happily let bygones be bygones, kissed and made up, and seen where a renewed acquaintance might take them. But he guessed that would be pushing water uphill, and anyway, he had a better plan; one that might encourage her to be more receptive, more amenable to his needs.
He couldn’t be absolutely sure he was the father of the little blonde girls but the timing fitted, they bore a slight resemblance to Ben and she had let the cat out of the bag by being too quick to keep him away. He’d absolutely no interest in pressing his rights – he needed more kids like a hole in the head – but he was fairly sure it wouldn’t come to that.
He wasn’t sure how he was going to break it to Jade, but he guessed she’d come round when he explained, and if she didn’t, well, she could make her own choice and take her chances elsewhere. The priority was to test the water and see how hot it was. He relished a challenge, especially one that involved sniffing around young women, and he couldn’t wait to get started. He’d go and explore tomorrow morning.
The new girl, Irena, tottered by with an armful of plates, smiling nervously at him, concentrating on her balance. He gave her a wink, his eyes zeroing in on her tight little bottom as she walked past. Steady boy. One at a time.
***
Jess was gardening at the back of the house, deadheading the cosmos in the raised beds surrounding the patio, just like Peter had taught her. They were well into autumn, so there was not much life left in the spindly stalks, but she guessed she might tease out a few more flowers before she’d have to pull them up.
She loved being out in the fresh air and, weather permitting, she much preferred to potter outside, clipping and tidying, to being indoors, ironing and dusting; important enough tasks but better kept for rainy days. She bemoaned the decline and loss of Peter’s vegetable patch, being unable to maintain it along with all the other things she had to do, and she’d resolved to get the kids involved and start it again in some small way. It was something useful they could do together.
But now her priorities had changed. She’d called the estate agent and told him to reduce the price by two hundred thousand to get things moving. He’d tried to talk her out of it, encourage her to be patient, but she was having none of it. She knew she was running away, but there seemed no alternative and the strategy hadn’t changed; just the urgency with which it had to be deployed.
She heard a car on the gravel drive and walked around to the front of the house to see who was calling unannounced on a midweek morning in September. The blue Mondeo pulled to a halt and Dave Morley got out, grinning broadly.
“Nice gaffe, Alice. I’m impressed.”
She felt her heart rate soar and she began to shake.
“Go away, Dave. I never want to see you again!” He ignored the comment. He stood ten feet from her, assessing the house like a prospective purchaser, and then let his eyes fall on her, her body taut and erect, arms folded, petulant and defiant, but also fearful.
“I notice you’re selling up. Worth a few quid, this place. Hope you’re not leaving on my account?” She didn’t answer. She fumbled in her back pocket and pulled out her phone, holding it up towards him.
“If you don’t leave now, I’ll call the police.”
“And tell ’em what? I ain’t doing no harm.”
“You’re trespassing.” It sounded limp and she cursed herself for appearing pathetic, because it wasn’t working. His grin hadn’t faltered.
“Your house is for sale and I’ve come to view it,” he said, spreading his arms wide before his smile dropped, just a bit. “And I’ve come to see my kids.”
She felt a wave of fear and nausea well up inside her, each breath coming more quickly as she fought off the urge to scream, to run at him, attack him and claw his eyes out. Anything to make him go away and leave her alone.
“They’re not yours!” It was a lie, of sorts. She knew he was the biological father, but that was all. He’d had no role in their lives so far and he’d have no role in their future. The twins were hers and hers alone.
“Oh, I think they are,” he said winking at her. “You can’t fool me, Alice. I can tell. Anyway, I got rights. I want to support them. I want to fulfil my responsibilities as a loving father,” he announced pompously, his disingenuousness self-evident.
“If you come near me or my family again, I’ll report you to the police for assault” – she hesitated before summoning up the courage to spit out the words – “for rape!” But to her dismay and frustration, he just put his hands in his pockets and chuckled.
“Get out of it. I really like you, Alice, and I really like the girls, and all I want to do is be a part of your lives. Again.” The threat was real and explicit. “You can’t deny me my rights.”
She dialled furiously on her phone and put it to her ear.
“Police? There’s a man here harassing and threatening me …” He put his hands up
“Okay, okay. I’m going. But you’ll be hearing from my lawyers.” He pointed at her as he backed towards the car. He got in the Mondeo, swung it around the drive and out of the main gates.
“Michael, yes. I’m sorry,” she said into the phone. “I need to see you, urgently.”
***
Jess sat opposite Michael in his office, teacup in hand, head down, exhausted at having related the story of The Navigation, the Morleys and now the hideous revelation of Dave’s reappearance.
“So he is the father?”
“Yes. But he has no right!”
“In the eyes of the law I’m afraid he might, Jess.”
“I won’t have it. He’s got to be stopped.”
“Well he hasn’t done anything yet apart from upset you, and I know that’s horrible in itself, but if he is the sort of character you describe, then it may just be he’s having a bit of cruel sport at your expense.”
“I want him locked up. I want to sell the house and get away from here.” She was calm but determined and seething.
“Well, we can do something about the latter, but getting him locked up? I think that’s a long shot, Jess. Whatever he did to you, it was a long time ago, and it’s going to be impossible to prove.”
“I have the evidence.” She was raising her voice and she knew it.
“I’m afraid the existence of twins alone is not evidence of sexual assault.” She deflated, sagging in her chair. She put the cup back on the saucer and rubbed her forehead. “I think you should try and forget about it. Tell me if he contacts you again. We may be able to scare him off with a stalking charge; apply for a restraining order. Meanwhile, we’ll give the house another push.”
***
There was no doubt she had taken it badly, but he’d talked her round. Jade had initially responded to the announcement that Ben had two half-sisters with a typical Aussie expletive, followed up by two or three slaps around the head and a severe bout of weeping.
But he’d been able to persuade her to look on the bright side. There was nothing to lose and everything to gain. He intended to demonstrate to everyone his determination to do his duty and they’d all be the better off for it.
Even though he’d been seduced, tricked and deceived, his responsibilities weighed heavily and Dave Morley was going to carry them out, whatever it took, whatever the cost.
***
A week later, she was back in Michael’s office. He read the letter twice before putting it down and removing his glasses. He sighed deeply.
“Can he do that?” asked Jess, already knowing the answer.
“Yes, I’m afraid he can. Anyone can apply for paternity rights, and if you resist and he demands a DNA test, then we both know what the outcome will be. Are you sure he’s the father?” She glared at him, about to explode. “Sorry” – he put his hands up – “that was insensitive.”
“I’m going to threaten a rape charge.”
“Jess, we’ve been through this.”
“I don’t care! It’s the truth. I’ll tell them everything that happened. The truth will come out.”
“Do not underestimate how difficult that’s going to be,” he said gently, trying to mollify her, lower her expectations without sounding patronising. “If you get the police involved, it might get very distressing for you. They’ll have little to go on other than your word, and they’ll be very reluctant to press charges without evidence or witnesses. They’ll be obliged to pursue your claim, but they’ll judge it to be futile and, I regret to say, try and get you to drop it by whatever means they can.”
“What do you mean? Aren’t they on the side of law and order? On the side of good people? Of doing what’s right?”
“I think you’ll find that to keep their numbers up, they’ll prioritise the easy cases, and they’ll look at this and decide it’s not an easy case. They can’t be seen to be dismissing it out of hand, not in the current febrile environment, but they’ll do their best to discredit you and your arguments and you might come out of it worse off than before.”
“So what do we do? We can’t just do nothing.”
“Well, the first thing to do is to write back to his lawyers and rebut the claim. At the same time I think we should threaten a counterclaim for sexual assault and see if it’s enough to warn him off. But that means your having to provide me with all the gory details. Step by step, what happened, when it happened, who was there, who saw you, if anyone; the whole story, blow by blow. And you might find that too distressing.”
“Do you think it’ll work?”
“I have to say it’s a long shot. But it’s worth a try.”
***
She tried to behave normally for the girls’ sake, and for the most part the twins were oblivious their mother was suffering from a deeply worrying situation that threatened to spiral out of her control.
Leila, astute and perspicacious, quietly and surreptitiously performed small tasks to ease the burden on her mother when she seemed lost in her own thoughts. She was still too young to understand the circumstances or the exact cause of her mother’s distress, but she knew it was something to do with a nasty man and wasn’t surprised by that.
Jess recognised her eldest daughter’s rapidly growing maturity and pondered over the parallels between her and Peter’s family; wondered if Lisa and Janica’s exceptionally close relationship was just an age thing or had been stimulated by circumstance. She also wondered how the relationship between all four of them might develop once the twins got a bit older and the knowledge of the past became known to them. She prayed that they would always be as close as they were now but had to accept that all people change over time, and not always for the better.
But there was no doubt in her mind that Leila was growing into a companion, becoming more like a sister than a daughter, and in a few years from now their age difference would diminish and cease to be relevant. By which time, she hoped, all this trauma and misery would be behind them.