The Hornbeam Tree (25 page)

As she burst into the kitchen Katie looked up from the table, cheeks flushed, eyes bright with laughter. Michelle and Laurie Forbes were there too, and there was an open photo album on the table.

‘Hello,’ Katie said. ‘Have a good day?’

Molly scowled at her.

‘Oh, that sort of day,’ Katie responded.

Molly continued to glare, so Katie glared back, then her mouth started to wobble, and all of a sudden everyone, except Molly, burst out laughing.

‘Why don’t you just grow up?’ Molly shouted, and shoving past them she dashed up the stairs.

‘This is starting to feel like Patsy and Edina’s house,’ Katie commented.

‘Whose house?’ Michelle responded.

Molly slammed her bedroom door, threw her bag on the bed, and jabbed on the computer, then the CD. Just how stupid could Michelle get? How could she not know about
Ab Fab
? What bloody planet had she been on for the last hundred years?
And
why didn’t she just get lost and go back to it, and take Laurie Forbes with her, because it was like she was moving in too, so maybe Molly should just move out and make room for them all.

Please God let there be an email. I’ll do anything. Anything
.

She watched the connection download. If there was no email she was going to go straight on the suicide site Cecily had found the other night and look up a way to kill herself. That should make everyone happy, because they didn’t care about her anyway, especially not Brad, because there wasn’t an email and now she really, really did want to die.

Grabbing her mobile she pressed in Allison’s number. ‘I don’t understand it,’ she wailed. ‘Have you spoken to Toby today? Did he say anything?’

‘I haven’t spoken to him,’ Allison answered. ‘But don’t get yourself in such a state. Boys are like that. They’re always saying they’ll do something, then ending up not doing it.’

‘So you think he’ll call?’

‘Of course. He asked Toby all about you, didn’t he, so he’s obviously like really interested, and …’

‘Tell me what he said to Toby again. No listen, I don’t have much credit left on my mobile, so can I come over?’

‘No problem. I’ll have finished this stupid homework by the time you get here,
and
,’ she said, dragging the word out, ‘I’ve got a surprise for you.’

Killing the music and computer, Molly grabbed her bag and raced back down the stairs.

‘Where are you going?’ her mother demanded.

‘Out!’

‘Molly!’

‘Allison’s,
all right
,’ Molly yelled.

‘It’s starting to rain, you can’t go out without a … Molly!’ she shouted, as Molly tore open the door.

‘I’ll give you a lift,’ Michelle offered.

‘I don’t want a lift!’ Molly screamed. ‘I don’t want you to come near me. None of you, so just leave me alone.’

She ran all the way to Allison’s, her mobile clutched in one hand, ready in case it rang. Her stupid mother and Michelle and Laurie, they just didn’t know what it was like waiting for someone to call. It was like, the worst feeling in the world. It made her feel all panicky and afraid and like she wanted to be sick.

‘You’ve got to call Toby, find out what’s happening,’ she demanded the minute she arrived in Allison’s room.

‘No problem,’ Allison said, picking up her mobile. ‘There’s a towel on the bed if you want to dry your hair.’

Molly picked it up, but barely knew what she was doing as she watched Allison dial.

‘I was thinking,’ Allison said as she waited for an answer, ‘that we could make Step Five to break into Toby’s school.’

Molly’s heart did a horrible plunge, then soared wildly up again. She didn’t want to do that, but she did. It was like too far out, but really, really cool if she got to see Brad. ‘How would we get down there?’ she asked.

Allison shrugged, then hearing her brother’s voice said, ‘Tobes, it’s me? What are you up to?’ She listened, wagged her head back and forth, rolled her eyes at Molly, then said, ‘OK. See you.’

‘What?’ Molly cried, as she rang off.

‘They’ve got a load of work on and he doesn’t have time to talk to me now. Anyway, listen, Cecy’s been giving some serious thought to how we can get rid of your aunt. She’s been going online getting all these like, spells and things that are really supposed to work, she’s even found out what kind of plants are poisonous and how you can put them in food or …’

Molly was staring at her in horror. ‘I don’t want to kill her, for God’s sake!’ she cried. ‘What, is Cecily insane, or something? I just want her to go back to her own country, well that’s here, but I mean the one she’s just left.’

Allison frowned. ‘I told her poisoning was too drastic,’ she said, ‘but you know what she’s like. I’ll tell her she has to come up with something else. Oh my God! That’s your phone. Is it him?’

Molly’s heart was in her throat as she grabbed it and looked. ‘Oh my God, it is!’ she gasped. ‘Oh Allison, it’s him. Oh I can’t believe it. What am I going to say?’

‘Start with hello,’ Allison laughed. ‘Go on, answer.’

Molly clicked on. ‘Hello?’ she said.

‘Hi,’ he responded. ‘How are you?’

‘I’m cool. How are you?’

‘Like really stressed out,’ he answered. ‘I’ve had just the worst day, which is why I haven’t been able to call till now. We’re just taking a break before we go back again, so I wanted to say hi.’

‘You haven’t finished lessons yet?’ she asked.

‘Oh yeah, we’re just getting ready for this like, major debate tomorrow night, and I’m like
president
of our team, so I’ve really got to be on the ball. What have you been doing today?’

‘Oh nothing, just the usual. I was going to send you an email …’

‘Why don’t you? Not sure about instant-messaging tonight, we’re like, so bogged down, but when we finish, around midnight, I’ll send you one then.’

‘OK,’ she said, blushing and grinning at Allison.

‘Cool. I’d better get back to it now.’

‘OK. Bye then.’

‘Bye.’

Molly clicked off, let her head fall forward and felt such a rush of elation that she sank to her knees. ‘I am just like, so, so much in love,’ she told Allison in a shaky voice.

Laughing, Allison sank down next to her and drew her into a madly squealing embrace. ‘All right, now time for the surprise,’ she declared. ‘Close your eyes and hold out your hand.’

Molly did as she was told, her insides going wobbly and tight like they were made of elastic. Then feeling something drop into her palm she looked down and saw a lipgloss.

‘That’s the right one, isn’t it?’ Allison said.

Molly nodded.

‘So Step Four accomplished by Allison Fortescue-Bond,’ Allison announced, beaming with pride.

Molly was starting to feel all sick and giddy again, because she knew she had to accomplish it too, and she didn’t dare say she couldn’t, but she really didn’t want to steal anything from a shop, because what if she got caught? Her mum would
go
totally ballistic, and she still hadn’t told her yet about the policewoman who’d come to the school today about that stupid picture. She wanted all that just to go away now, but if she ended up being arrested for stealing …

Molly took a breath, then closed her eyes as a wave of emotion washed all over her. ‘Do you reckon we could really go down to the school for Step Five?’ she said, needing to change the subject.

Allison’s eyes widened and she shrugged. ‘Sounds cool to me,’ she responded. ‘Except, it might get in the way of Step Six a bit, you know, make things happen in the wrong order, if we see the boys before the party.’

Molly was instantly downcast. ‘I don’t think I can wait that long,’ she confessed.

Laughing, Allison said, ‘Yes, you can. It’s only like, three weeks, and you haven’t done Step Four yet, so get cracking, you slapper, I’m waiting for my bracelet.’

Since returning to the hotel Laurie had spent almost an hour on the phone talking to her partner, Rose, who was still in Baghdad. Having finished the call she immediately dialled Elliot’s number, knowing she couldn’t go on avoiding him, and at the same time using it as an excuse not to think about Nick and the fact that he hadn’t been in touch all day.

‘Hi, it’s me,’ she said, when Elliot answered.

‘I’m on the other line to Max in Washington,’ he told her.

‘What news from his end?’

‘Apparently Joshua Shine’s back in the States,
but
no-one seems to know where, exactly. And still no word from Tom.’

‘OK. Before you go, did you remember to courier my laptop?’

‘It’s ready to go. Sorry, I forgot to take it to the office. It’ll be with you first thing tomorrow,’ and he went back to his other call.

For a while she stood staring down at the phone, imagining him at their apartment, and wishing she was with him, back how they used to be, secure in their relationship, unwavering in their love – until Andraya had come along. He’d been her whole world up until then, she’d never even dreamt of looking at another man, yet now here she was, longing for Nick in a way that made a mockery of her longing for Elliot.

She drew a deep breath, and tried to get a grip on what she was really feeling, but her mind was filling up with thoughts of Nick pushing Elliot aside, much as he’d pushed her aside to be with Andraya. She couldn’t understand why Nick hadn’t called today. She’d felt so certain he would, for he’d seemed to find it every bit as difficult to tear himself away from her this morning as she had from him. Of course, she could always call him, but she needed the reassurance of knowing that this was as important to him as it was to her, so he had to make the next move.

Sighing again, she walked across the room to go and look out of the window. The rain had stopped now, but it was a dull, overcast evening, as flattening to the view as it was to her spirits. What she wanted now was Elliot to come walking up through the village, as though to rescue her from herself, but she
knew
he wouldn’t. Anyway it was a lie, because she was so very, very close to reaching for the phone, and knew, in her heart, that she didn’t really want to be stopped. Maybe Nick needed the same reassurance. After all, she was the one in a relationship, and with someone he profoundly respected. That would make it extremely difficult for him to call, now they’d gone this far. Or what if he’d been involved in an accident? Was he even now lying somewhere on a life-support machine? How was she going to feel if she hadn’t even tried to call?

He answered on the second ring, clearly already knowing it was her from the way he said, ‘I was just thinking about you.’

Though it lifted her heart, she wanted to ask why, if it were true, he hadn’t called. The intimacy of his tone was already reaching her, however, so all she said was, ‘I was thinking about you too.’

She heard him stretch and yawn. ‘Sorry,’ he said, ‘I didn’t get too much sleep last night.’

She couldn’t help but smile. ‘Funny, nor did I. What were you doing?’

‘I was making love to the most beautiful woman who just couldn’t seem to get enough,’ he told her softly.

Feeling her body growing warm, she murmured, ‘Funny, but she still can’t.’

His only response was a chuckle as he stretched again, and she felt the heat of embarrassment spread over her, that he hadn’t admitted to feeling the same.

‘Where are you?’ she asked.

‘Still in Cheltenham. Because of the late start I didn’t get finished until an hour ago, so I’ve
checked
myself into a hotel here, before heading back to London tomorrow.’

She felt herself turning dizzy. Why had he checked into a hotel there, when he could have come here?

‘Where are you?’ he asked.

‘The same place I was last night,’ she answered, and to her undying shame heard herself adding, ‘I was hoping you might come and join me.’

There was a slight pause, before he drawled, ‘Mm, were you now? Well, that sounds like an offer I can’t refuse.’

Relief eased the tension inside her, allowing her to manage a lighthearted tease as she said, ‘Shall I meet you down in the bar, so we can at least eat this evening?’

‘The answer to that is yes, if you want me to fuck you there.’

Desire shot through her so savagely that it took the smile from her face. ‘Come as soon as you can,’ she replied, and put the phone down.

Going to the bathroom she turned on the shower, then turned it off again as she decided to order champagne. She was just about to pick up the phone when it started to ring. Dreading it might be him changing his mind, she was almost tempted to ignore it, but of course she couldn’t.

‘Hello?’ she said, cautiously.

‘Hi. It’s me.’

Everything in her stopped, then slowly started to swirl. It was Elliot, and the guilt was so awful she almost couldn’t bear it. ‘Hi,’ she responded, turning to sit on the edge of the bed. ‘All finished with Max?’

‘Yes.’

She waited for him to say more, and knew when he didn’t that he was expecting her to explain why she hadn’t returned his calls today. ‘How are you?’ she asked, knowing that avoiding the issue was only making it worse.

‘I don’t know,’ he answered. ‘Finding this difficult, I guess.’

So was she. Oh God, so was she.

‘What are you doing this evening?’ he asked, filling the pause.

More guilt swept up into the shame she was already feeling. ‘Uh, just having dinner, then watching some TV,’ she answered, unable to gauge how truthful she sounded, while detesting the lie. ‘What about you?’

‘I’m waiting to hear from Tom.’

‘Of course.’ What was she going to do if he offered to come and join her? How would she put Nick off? But she wouldn’t, because she couldn’t, for even speaking to Elliot was not lessening the need to repeat last night.

‘Tell me how you got on with Katie today,’ he prompted.

Knowing there was time, and only too willing to move on to safer ground, she began relating the comments and humour of the day, and gradually felt herself becoming more animated. It was as though Katie’s energy had somehow remained in the words, so that they only had to be spoken for it to be released. Then she recalled Michelle’s suggestion that she was sleeping with Nick to punish Elliot, and felt her heart sink in despair. If that were true, then she was punishing herself too, because
just
to think of how much it would hurt him if he knew that in less than an hour she would be utterly betraying him, was as painful as it had been when he’d betrayed her. So why was she doing it? She couldn’t answer that, all she knew was that as soon as the call was over it was almost as though it hadn’t happened, for she was picking up the phone again to order champagne, while blanking everything else from her mind beyond Nick and the evening ahead.