Breach of Faith (17 page)

Will’s eyes travelled down my body, stopping only when they reached my belly. He frowned.

“Sometimes I wish it would just go away,” he waved his hand vaguely towards my midriff and I put my hands protectively across my womb. If he tried to touch me again –

“Other times,” he continued, “I just wish
you
would go away. Disappear forever as if you’d never been there. I love you, Kate. Love you so very much. Maybe that’s why I’m able to hate you so much too.”

Abruptly Will stood up and I readied myself in case of violence. But, stooping to pick up his coat, he shrugged it over his shoulders and stumbled to the door.

“I’m going outside to play with
my
children,” he said without turning. “Then I will go back to my hotel room and try to forget about you, just for a few hours. I’d appreciate it if you could stay out of my way while I’m with the kids. I don’t want to see you again today.”

“Will –”

“I’ll be back tomorrow,” he continued, “and we’ll talk then. Just for now, Kate, just for now please consider someone else’s feelings instead of your own and respect my wishes.”

And Will walked out the door without looking back.

5 January

I took the phone from my father’s hand and raised my eyebrows questioningly.

Dad shrugged, “Australian. Didn’t give his name, just asked for you.”

I nodded, already knowing the answer to my own unspoken question. After Will’s dramatic announcement, I’d been expecting Frank to get in touch. I crossed my fingers; please don’t let Will walk in now. Please.

Oh, go on,
contradicted my constant companion. W
here’s the fun in that?

I put the phone to my ear, “hello?”

“Kate? Kate, it’s Frank. How are you?”

He sounded worried. Swallowing the challenge hovering on the tip of my tongue, I softened my question, “Frank, what are you doing here? I told you I needed time away, time to get my head around what’s going on. I said I’d be back well before the baby was born, why didn’t you just trust me?”

“Trust you? Bloody hell, Kate, you didn’t tell me anything, you just ran away.”

“I left you a note,” I defended hotly, “I told you everything.”

“The note?” A faint rustle of paper came across the line. “Dear Frank,” he read, “I’m so sorry. I need to get away for a while, to think and work out what to do. I haven’t been able to tell Will, not yet anyway, I just can’t think of the right words. He’s so excited about the baby and it would hurt him so much. I will tell him, I promise, I just need to find the right time.

“I’m going to
England for a while to stay with my mum and dad, but I’ll be back before the birth. By the time I return everything will be sorted out and I’ll speak to you then. I’ve asked my friend, Martha, to give you this note after I leave and she’s promised to pass on any messages you have. You can talk to her, she knows the whole story.”

“You weren’t supposed to follow me,” I said quietly.

“ I can’t believe we’re reduced to passing messages through your friend,” Frank replied. “Doesn’t it all seem a little childish to you?”

“I was confused, and scared, I didn’t know what to do.”

“It didn’t cross your mind to speak to me about it?” Frank’s voice was gentle but impatient.
Why, Kate, why didn’t you talk to me?

“I’m sorry, Frank, I didn’t … you know … damn,” I finished lamely.

“You panicked.”

Not a question but I chose to answer anyway. “Yes.”

“I need to see you, Kate.”

I stared out the window. The sun was out again today, shining brightly through the clean, crisp air, accentuating colours and giving the illusion of heat. But it was cold, so cold.

Just as Will would be when he learned of this conversation.

Just as Frank would be if I refused.

I took a deep breath, “I know,” I conceded quietly, “where are you?”

“The Towers Hotel. On the seafront.”

I whistled, impressed, “very nice.”

Frank snorted, ‘should be. Bloody room’s costing me a fortune.”

I felt my face redden. He wouldn’t need to fork out all that money if it hadn’t been for me.

Frank chuckled, “doesn’t matter, can’t take money with me when I die, after all. I just want a chance to speak to you, Kate. Sort a few things out. Even have a good holiday. Might not get this opportunity again. And that’s where you come in, Kate.”

“Me?” I was distracted, still thinking about his money.
Might not get this opportunity again
; he must have been talking about how babies are financially draining little suckers, not to mention their demands on your time and energy. It was obviously his polite way of telling me that I had succeeded in totally ruining his life.

“Yes, you,” Frank replied gently. “I need to talk to you, Kate. Something important, it can’t wait.”

Bloody hell, maybe he wanted to get married.

“Um … when?”

“Now.”

“Now?”

“Can your parents look after the kids for a couple of hours?”

I thought for a moment. Will was due to come over this morning, and he wouldn’t be very pleased if he knew I’d run off to meet Frank. On the other hand, if I could get a few things sorted out with the baby’s father then it could possibly give my some bargaining power with my husband; an olive branch to offer in return for mercy and compassion. And, to be honest, I owed Frank this.

“All right. Just a couple of hours, though.”

As we discussed a place and time to meet, I had the distinct impression that this wasn’t going to be as straightforward as I first thought. But it was too late to turn back. Frank needed me and for the next couple of hours that was the least I could do for the father of my baby.

*

The sun glinting off the shimmering surface of the sea was bright enough to hurt my eyes and I pulled my sunglasses from my bag and put them on as I jumped off the bus.

I looked around, my attention arrested by the beauty of the sea, rippling gently against the shingle beach. It wasn’t often that this large body of water was so peaceful, so polished. I smiled; hopefully the serenity of the sea was a good omen, boding well for my upcoming meeting, mirroring the potential serenity of my time with Frank.

At first glance, the foreshore seemed deserted; clear and bright it might be but it was also damn cold. Hitching my bag more firmly onto my shoulder, I shoved my hands deep into my coat pockets and crossed the road. Frank said he’d be waiting on the beach, opposite his hotel so I started along the promenade.

The formidable presence of the Towers Hotel was just a couple of buildings away. In the distance the pier stuck out into the calm water, a majestic reminder of times past. But Frank wouldn’t have gone all the way over there and I examined the quiet beach again.

A movement caught my eye; yes, there he was, over by the rocks. I slowed, frowning, there was something about him, something about the way he was sitting that caught at my heart. He seemed so … alone: lonely. I bit my lip then stepped onto the sand, making my way towards the hunched figure. Maybe he
was
lonely but more likely, he was bloody cold too.

, Frank waved as he caught sight of me and I smiled and raised my hand in return. He seemed happy enough as he clambered down from the rock he’d been perched on and met me half way, a cheesy grin lighting up his cold, red face.

“Kate, it’s good to see you. You look great.” Frank wrapped his arms around me with a quick, hard hug. “How’s the little one?”

He stepped back and I placed my hand protectively on my stomach. “The baby’s fine.” I studied his face and frowned, “which is more than I can say for you. You look bloody awful, Frank.” I fingered a bruise on his face. “What on earth happened?”

Frank raised his eyebrows, a sheepish look on his face and I gasped, sudden realisation hitting me. Will and Frank, both with injuries, Will sarcastically informing me that he had met my “boyfriend”.

“Will did this to you? Oh God, Frank, I’m so sorry, this is all my fault. What happened?”

Frank grinned and touched his swollen eye. “Well, unfortunately fate threw us together. But I was just a bit slower to realise it than him.”

The day before-3 January

Frank sipped at his drink and surreptitiously studied Will’s profile. He seemed unnervingly familiar and not for the first time Frank wished he could work out why. Not just from the bakery, there was more to it than that. Most of the people living in Rowley had been in his bakery once or twice, as Will professed to have done, and he didn’t recognise most of them. In fact, he would freely admit he was shamefully bad with faces.

So, why did this face unnerve him so?

The man was drunk and Frank was pretty sure he wouldn’t last too much longer before falling into unconsciousness. He was glad; it was okay to be friendly, but he was tired, so tired. He silently considered his options, all the time nodding pleasantly to Will and smiling in all the right places as the other man told an amusing story about his job. He didn’t want to be rude but it was already a struggle to keep his eyes open. Frank finished his drink and contemplated what to do.

Option one, he thought, grimacing at one of Will’s vaguely disturbing jokes, I could pretend to fall asleep. A few significant yawns and a slow close of the eyes; it could work. Then again, I probably wouldn’t have to pretend, I’m so damn tired.

He weighed up the pros and cons of option number one, coming to the swift conclusion that there must be a better way. It was ill-mannered and they did have to sit next to each other for the foreseeable future. His tired brain ticked it off the mental list.

Option two, I could go to the toilet and not come out again until Will’s fallen asleep. The man is looking decidedly ragged. If he doesn’t sleep soon he’ll more than likely pass out anyway.

Pros and cons? Well, it could work, then again Will could remain conscious for longer than anticipated. Staying in the toilet indefinitely was not a reasonable option.

Will had stopped talking and Frank looked hopefully in his direction. Maybe the decision had been taken out of his hands and Will had fallen asleep. His face fell as he realised that Will was looking expectantly at him, an interested look on his bleary face, and with a jolt of disappointment, Frank realised that he was waiting for an answer. But what the bloody hell was the question?

“I’m sorry,” Frank stammered, mildly embarrassed at being caught out not listening, “I didn’t catch that.”

“I was asking,” Will carefully sounded out each word. “Where you are going.” He gestured vaguely around the inside of the aircraft, in an attempt to indicate exactly what he did mean. “Are you stopping in Singapore or going all the way?”

“All the way,” Frank confirmed, “
England.”

Will grinned happily. “Me too. Business or pleasure?”

Frank thought for a moment, “bit of both, I guess. I have a … friend over there that I need to catch up with.” If Will noticed the hesitation, highly unlikely in his current state of inebriation, he didn’t mention it.

“A friend?” Will’s eyes twinkled, “a
female
friend, by any chance.”

With a sinking feeling, Frank recognised the unmistakable glint of “hot gossip” in the older man’s eye. This was going to be a very long night.

“Yes,” he answered shortly, trying to deflect further queries away. This was not the time or place to talk about Kate. He thought quickly, “what about you, Will? Holiday?”

Will looked blank and Frank stared at him in concern. Was the man having a heart attack? Stroke, maybe? He reached out a cautious hand and touched Will on the arm.

“Ha!” Will flinched violently and the animation flooded back into his face. Frank pulled his hand away as if stung. “Holiday, I think,” Will continued brightly as if there had been no interruption, gulping down his drink in two hefty swallows. “I’m catching up with my wife. She’s visiting her family.”

“That’s nice. Where –”

“But that’s enough about me,” Will interrupted, a little too gaily, “tell me more about your girlfriend.”

So, with many misgivings, Frank did.

*

“Oh my God, you told him? What the hell did you say?”

Frank grinned, “don’t panic, I didn’t mention any names. Or any specific details, for that matter.”

I groaned, my head in my hands. “You’d better tell me the rest.”

“You sure you want to hear this?”

“No.”

He chuckled. “Well, the first thing I told him was that you are not my girlfriend, but you do have a few … problems at the moment.”

“Oh thanks.”

“And I was going to England to help you. As a friend, of course.”

*

“She’s not my girlfriend.” Recognising that he was unlikely to get the chance to sleep anytime soon, Frank rapidly decided that the best way to get Will off his back was to answer his questions. Careful not to get carried away, too personal, he took a deep breath and continued.