Gracie (16 page)

And deep down Sean didn’t want her to. He just wanted her to drag him off to the bedroom again.

‘But you do love me, you know you do! It’s silly, you already said Gracie doesn’t care about you anymore and anyway …’ Jennifer’s face was up close to his as she smiled slyly. ‘How do you know the baby is yours? We all know what Gracie’s like. She’s always been the same, out having fun, sleeping around. You know that really, don’t you?’

He frowned as she stared into his eyes. His desire faded as his guilty anger rose; he knew he was betraying his wife and he didn’t like being reminded of it.

‘Well of course it’s mine, don’t you dare to suggest such a thing about my wife,’ Sean snapped. ‘Now please, you have to leave …’

‘But I don’t want to, my darling.’

For Sean it was the defining moment, when he realised that he was backed into a corner that was all of his own making; it also dawned on him that Jennifer actually wanted Gracie to catch them together. She wanted her to find out what had been going on.

‘You have to; we can’t be caught like this. Please?’ He begged as his panic levels rose.

‘But that’s daft. I’m your sister-in-law and I can be here sitting alongside you. That’s not wrong, even if this is …’ She smiled slyly and very slowly started to undo his buttons, and Sean could feel himself weakening once more.

‘Not here, Jen, please not here …’ he sighed half-heartedly. There was something about her that he couldn’t resist, despite knowing full well that he should.

When he thought about it when he wasn’t with her, Sean was fascinated that someone so seemingly ordinary and demure on the outside as Jennifer could be such an able seductress behind closed doors.

What had started as a mild flirtation with Gracie’s sister had quickly taken a turn for something more serious the moment he had let himself be physically seduced by her. It had become an affair and now she wanted more from him; she was demanding more from him, and he was only just starting to realise the enormity of what he’d done.

He had had sex with his own sister-in-law.

Sean Donnelly loved his wife, he always had. He had taken a shine to her the first time he crossed paths with her at the Palace where they both worked and had slowly but surely fallen for her. But he loved the Gracie he had married, not the Gracie she had become. He was in love with the fun-loving effervescent young woman who was always game for a laugh and a good night out, but since she had been expecting she had become someone completely different and he was no longer sure of where he stood or how he felt about her anymore. All he knew was that he couldn’t resist Jennifer.

Sean had been brought up to believe he was number one; his mother had done everything for him and idolised him unconditionally, as had his older sisters. They all still did, and he could do no wrong in their eyes. Hence, he had expected that he would be the centre of his wife’s universe. But since Gracie had been expecting, the unborn baby was taking precedence and Sean hated being in second place.

Gracie was constantly tired and distracted and he felt side-lined; it was as if everything was too much trouble for her, in the kitchen and in the bedroom. She just didn’t want to do anything anymore, other than sit around and grumble and he didn’t like it; in fact he didn’t like
her
anymore.

She was his wife and from his experience Sean thought that wasn’t how wives behaved, expectant or not.

And then one afternoon a few weeks before, when Gracie was out visiting the midwife and he was at home on his own and full of self-pity, Jennifer had turned up on the doorstep to visit her sisters. He’d had no choice but to invite her in but then, to his surprise, he had discovered that she was actually good company.

She listened to him intently, laughed at his jokes, massaged his ego and sympathised over Gracie’s personality change and her obsession with her baby, and empathised with him over Jeanette’s untidiness and her loud voice.

Sean was starting to get to know Jeanette because she was living with them, but he had never had anything to do with Jennifer, who had always been the quiet, unremarkable one in the background who nobody really noticed, because her pretty, bouncy twin invariably hogged the limelight and overshadowed her.

That first visit, Jennifer had left before either of her sisters got home and Sean had found himself not mentioning her visit to either one of them. He didn’t know why he hadn’t told his wife or her sister about what was then an innocent visit, but something had stopped him and afterwards, he found he couldn’t stop thinking about her.

And then she had visited once again when only Sean was home, and then again, and then one day the inevitable had happened. Jennifer McCabe had flattered and cajoled her sister’s husband into bed. The marital bed.

Sean had been mortified afterwards, but knowing that Jennifer was soon to be married he had tried to convince himself that it was a one-off caused by Gracie’s frigidity; he had tried to convince himself that he would be able to forget about his momentary aberration but she kept returning and he had found himself further and further sucked in. Soon he was meeting her elsewhere when he was supposed to be at work. He even put his job at risk by sneaking her into vacant rooms at the hotel.

In a few short weeks it had gone from a mild flirtation to a full-blown affair.

‘But I love you, Sean, you know I do, and I want to be with you. Forever.’

‘I’ve told you, Jen, nothing can happen between us again, it can’t,’ he pleaded. ‘It was a mistake. I’m a married man and you’re her sister, my sister-in-law – it’s just not right. Oh my dear lord, this is Gracie’s home, whatever were we thinking? And what would your fiancé say?’

Sean pushed her away. He was close to tears as he tried to make her realise the enormity of what they’d done but Jennifer merely smiled seductively and stroked his face.

‘Don’t be so dramatic, my sweet. None of that matters. We’re meant to be together, we both know that and I’m going to call my engagement off tonight. We don’t have to meet here, you know that – there are lots of places we could go … We could get a room at the Palace again, you wangled it before …’ she paused. ‘But if you tell the truth then we won’t have to sneak around, will we?’

Sean Donnelly’s head was telling him to force her to leave, to physically throw her out and be prepared to deny everything if Gracie found out, but there was something hypnotic about her. Each time he tried to get away from her she reeled him back in like a fish on a line, playing with him until he gave in.

Jennifer McCabe, the quiet girl whom he had never bothered to get to know, had turned out to be absolutely irresistible in the bedroom and he was addicted to her.

Sean now realised she was also very dangerous.

‘No, Jen. Really. Maybe if we’d met before Gracie and I wed it would have been different but this is adultery and it’s wrong. I’m ashamed; my mother would kill me and Gracie would never do it to me …’

‘Well, you don’t know she won’t, and she might have already …’ Jennifer paused and looked directly at Sean. ‘There’s a big family secret you don’t know, a secret I know I’m not supposed to know but I do – and if you’re good, I’ll tell you as well …’ Her teasing tone was the one she used in her bedroom talk and he could feel himself getting excited.

‘No, stop it. You’re making trouble, now you have to go,’ he pleaded.

‘No, no, no, listen. I have to tell you, let me tell you …’ Jennifer’s dark brown eyes were wide open and wild with excitement. ‘A few years ago, when Jeannie and I were still at school …’

The sound of the front door opening and closing nearly gave Sean a heart attack. He jumped away and opened the front room door, just in time to come face to face with Jeanette. He took a deep breath and smiled as he tugged at his dishevelled clothing.

‘Jeannie! Your sister is here to see you, she’s in there. If Gracie gets back, tell her I’m off up to the newsagent for some fags – I’ve run out.’

‘You can have one of mine,’ Jeanette smiled and rummaged in her handbag.

‘No! I’ve got to go …’ Sean ran down the stairs and out of the front door as if he was being chased.

As Jeanette watched Sean hot-footing it down the stairs, breathing deeply, with his face bright scarlet, she knew that something had happened. Her first guess was that her sister had probably been doing what she was good at, causing friction.

‘Well, twinnie, what have you been doing to scare the hell out of the brother-in-law? He just ran like I’ve not seen anyone run since the bloody Blitz!’

Jennifer said nothing but her sly secretive smile told her sister all she needed to know.

Jeanette knew her twin better than anyone, they had spent all their lives together, and at that moment she knew she’d been doing something she shouldn’t – and that it most likely involved flirting heavily with Sean Donnelly.

From when they were tiny children Jennifer McCabe had been held up as the perfect example of a daughter while Jeanette was derided as the uncontrollable one. But Jeanette had an insight into her sister that no one else had; as they were twins, she could read her like a book. She had always loved her but most of the time she didn’t like her. Jennifer was devious and calculating, which made her an expert in getting away with everything. It also meant that whenever Jeanette tried to say anything, no one took any notice of her.

‘Are you causing trouble for Gracie now? I can’t believe you sometimes – you have to stir the pot, whether it’s friends or family. Why can’t you leave her be? She’s got more than enough on her plate without you adding your bleedin’ two-pennorth …’

Again, Jennifer smirked. ‘And you always have to take Gracie’s side against me, your beloved twin. But not to worry, I’m off home now. Do you know, it’s great without you there. We all get along like a house on fire and Mum is so much happier with just me!’

‘Oh bugger off, you smug cow!’ Jeanette interrupted her angrily. ‘I know you’re up to something and if I find out you’re causing trouble for Gracie, I’ll make you suffer for it, I promise.’

‘I could always ask Sean if I could come and live here as well. I could share with you, couldn’t I? Twins in a bed, like we used to be, eh?’

‘I’d sooner share with Ghenghis Khan. He’s safer than you, you nutcase. I swear you’ve got a bleedin’ screw loose …’

Jennifer laughed long and hard as she strutted out onto the landing. With a flourish she snatched up her coat and handbag from the hallstand at the top of the stairs.

‘Me? But you’re not allowed to be horrid to me, sister Jeannie. I’ll tell Mum that you’re both ganging up on me. Who do you think she’ll believe?’

Jennifer sauntered off down the stairs with a backward wave, leaving Jeanette steaming mad. She knew with certainty that her sister was playing games with Sean and she hoped that he wasn’t playing back – but from his behaviour towards his wife lately she guessed that he was.

‘What did Jen want today?’ Jeanette asked Sean as they were having dinner.

‘She wanted to see you; she asked if she could wait. I knew you wouldn’t be long …’

Sean looked down at his plate and concentrated on cutting into his lamb chop but there was a slight redness rising up his usually pale face.

‘Well, that’s a bit bleedin’ strange because I wasn’t supposed to be here. I said that this morning. It’s just chance that I came home early …’

‘Yes, you did say you wouldn’t be home. You told us both,’ Gracie said. ‘Maybe Sean wasn’t listening? Or else he forgot, he forgot when I was going to see Ruby as well.’

‘Oh for the love of God, what’s going on with you two?’

Sean pushed his chair back so fiercely it crashed backwards onto the floor, and at the same time tipped the table away from himself sending the crockery flying, nearly hitting Gracie on her pregnant bump. It was her speediness in crossing her arms protectively that saved her from it.

‘Oi, be careful, you could have hurt her and the baby! Bloody hell, Sean, that was so dangerous … and unnecessary …’ Jeanette snapped as she stood up and started pushing everything back into place. Gracie meanwhile was still sitting in her chair, looking stunned.

‘Oh give it a rest, the pair of you! Everything is always my fault,’ he shouted furiously. ‘Your sister comes round here,
your
sister, not mine and I’m supposed to remember who’s going where and doing what? I don’t fucking care what you two are doing or not doing. I’m sick of it, I’m sick to death of this whole fucking marriage thing!’

‘It was just a joke, of course we don’t expect you to remember what everyone’s doing. It was a joke,’ Gracie said quickly trying to ease the atmosphere. She looked at her sister. ‘Sean’s been working hard lately, he’s tired.’

‘Too right I’m tired, sick and tired of all this nonsense going on here. I’m off out to get some peace. I’ll be back when I’m back …’

With much crashing and banging, Sean stormed out, leaving both young women shocked.

After the main front door slammed shut, making the window frames rattle, Gracie looked at her sister.

‘What was all that about? It came from nowhere.’

‘You said it yourself,’ Jeanette murmured with a shrug, ‘he’s just over-tired and being bad-tempered. It’s what men seem to do! Miserable idiots, the lot of them. Mick was starting to get like that, which is why he had to go …’

Gracie forced a laugh but she couldn’t hide her distress at seeing her husband lose control as he just had. She hugged her bump protectively.

‘It wasn’t like him to do that, I don’t understand …’

‘Saint Jennifer can have that effect on people. Five minutes with her would make the Pope himself feel like shooting someone.’

‘Oh, that’s not fair! Jen’s not that bad,’ Gracie said. ‘It was probably something I said. I seem to upset him all the time lately, can’t do right for doing wrong.’

Jeanette put her arm round her sister and hugged her in an unusual display of sisterly affection.

‘It’s him, darling, not you. He’s being unreasonable but maybe he is just tired and bad-tempered. Even Dad used to get like that sometimes, remember? Now you stay there, and I’ll clear up. Then we can just sit and listen to the wireless in peace, or dance. We could put some records on and have a dance …’