The Hornbeam Tree (17 page)

Katie was still stunned.

‘You had a huge and loyal following with your column,’ Laurie reminded her. ‘People from all walks of life used to read you every week, take in what you said, and often act on it …’

‘Or try to sue me,’ Katie cut in with a laugh.

‘Being controversial was your trademark. We all expected it and you never let us down. You’ve been sorely missed, Katie, and I think everyone would like to know how you are now, and to see that the
old
spark is still there, despite what you’re going through.’

Katie merely looked at her. Didn’t she realize it was all a front? There was nothing brave or inspirational about her, she was a coward, a weakling, a sham. In the end she turned to Michelle.

Michelle smiled and said nothing.

‘I know this has come right out of the blue,’ Laurie went on. ‘I had no idea before I got here that I was even going to suggest it, but I truly think it would make a fantastic programme. Naturally, I’d only shoot what you want us to, and I’d give you editorial control. Look, I’m probably going too fast. Take your time to think it over. There’s absolutely no pressure, and even if you decide to go with it and change your mind later, we’ll stop right away.’

Katie was looking slightly flushed as her eyes returned to Michelle. ‘What do you think?’ she asked, feeling a bit dazed.

Michelle was about to answer when music suddenly started to blare from Molly’s bedroom window. She glanced up, then speaking slightly louder than before, she said, ‘I think you should do as Laurie says and not make a decision right away. There’s a lot to consider, and while I agree you’d be a tremendous inspiration for other women in your position, it’s not what we think that counts. It’s what you think, and how you’d feel having a camera right there when the nurse is around, or when the pain’s particularly bad, or when you’re not quite as mobile as you are now.’

‘But it would be here when we help with Tom’s story,’ Katie pointed out. ‘I mean, if we do. I’d like people to think that I was involved to the last,
particularly
on something with all of you. I’d be going out on a note to feel proud of – and for Molly to feel proud of too.’

‘What about Molly?’ Michelle said gently. ‘Would you want her to be a part of it?’

Sobered by the prospect, Katie’s eyes moved out across the lane. She was thinking of the summons from Molly’s headmaster, and how it would be to have a camera there while she dealt with something like that. She needed to go no further, for as much as she might want this for herself, she knew already she had to turn it down. It just wouldn’t be fair to subject Molly’s turmoil to any kind of public scrutiny, particularly when she didn’t even know yet that her mother was going to die.

‘She wouldn’t have to be in it, if you don’t want her to be,’ Laurie said.

Katie considered that, but it would mean shutting her daughter out, and she wasn’t sure that was a good idea either. On the other hand, she could at least give it some more thought, because she didn’t want to turn Laurie down flat, and there might be ways round it with Molly. She wondered how deep Laurie would want to go though. Showing her on the phone or computer, researching and briefing as Tom’s story unfolded, was one thing; seeing her in the bedroom, or at the hospital, or watching her dosing up with morphine, that could be another altogether.

‘Please believe me,’ Laurie said, as her mobile started to bleep, ‘we’ll only do whatever you’re comfortable with.’ The text message came up:

Call me when you

can. N.

Thankful no-one could see the way she reacted inside, she cleared the phone, saying, ‘Sorry, where were we?’

‘Tossing me around on the horns of a dilemma,’ Katie reminded her. ‘And it’s very tempting, I have to admit, but I’ll need more time to think about it.’

‘Of course. It’ll take hours of discussion anyway to come up with the right format and how deep you want us to go, though at this stage, I’m already inclined to say that Molly should be off limits.’

Katie nodded.

‘Personally I think we should keep an open mind about that,’ Michelle said. ‘There might come a time when she wants to contribute, and as it’s about her mother …’ She broke off as Molly suddenly cranked up the volume.

‘Westlife,’ Katie informed her. Then to Laurie, ‘Tell you what, why don’t you stay for dinner? We’ve still got endless gossip to catch up on, and we can talk some more about this. Unless you have to get back …’

‘No, there’s no rush,’ Laurie assured her. ‘So thank you, I’d love to.’

Katie’s delight beamed from her smile. ‘I wish I could offer you a bed for the night to save you the drive later,’ she said, ‘but there’s only a sofa spare, I’m afraid. Tom slept on it when he came though, and if it’s big enough for him …’

Michelle laughed. ‘Laurie can have my bed,’ she said.

‘Or Molly could sleep in with me,’ Katie suggested.

‘No, no,’ Laurie protested. ‘I’m not taking anyone’s bed. I can book into the pub where we had lunch. It’s a hotel too, so I’ll give them a call and see if there’s room.’

By the time she’d made her reservation Michelle had gone into the kitchen to start sorting out what they could eat, while Katie tottered about with a hose and glass of wine. ‘I’m so glad you came,’ she said to Laurie, watering a large blue hydrangea. ‘It’s perked us all up no end, even Molly, having a Porsche parked outside.’

Laughing, Laurie said, ‘Before I have any more to drink, I should go into Chippenham and pick up a few things for the night. Do you think Molly might like a lift to wherever she’s going?’

‘Are you kidding? In that car? Go on up and ask her, but be careful to knock first, then wait for permission to enter.’

Totally disgusted with everything she’d heard, Molly turned her music up even louder, so there was no way she could hear them now. Like, did they think she was deaf, or something, going on about making her mum the star of some programme, like they were the stupid Osbournes, or something? Mrs Cool with her Cancer who could inspire the nation.
Ugh! No!
Molly’s hands pressed hard against her ears, as though to block it all out. She rolled over on the bed and pressed her face to the pillow, drawing her hands and elbows in even tighter against her. She hated the world. Hated it, hated it. Why couldn’t it just go away and leave her
alone?
Why didn’t everyone go? Michelle, Laurie Forbes, everyone. She felt like running and running and ending up somewhere they’d never ever find her. If Brad was her boyfriend she could go to him and he’d make them all leave her alone, stop them saying stupid things that just got on her nerves and made her so angry she wanted to thump the bed, and thump them and scream and kick …

Someone was knocking on the door, but they could just
go away
! She didn’t want anyone in here. This was her room. It was private and they could just
fuck off
and leave her alone.

They knocked again so she drew the pillow tighter over her head.

‘Molly!’

She didn’t recognize the voice, but then realized it was Laurie Forbes. What was she doing up here? Just because she had a Porsche didn’t give her the right to come banging on people’s doors. And anyway, this was all her fault, talking to her mum as though she was like, dying, or something, when everyone knew the treatment was over so she was getting better now. So why didn’t she just get lost? Go back to London where she belonged and take Michelle with her?

Katie and Michelle were both in the kitchen as Laurie came back down the stairs.

‘I don’t think she can hear me over the music,’ she said, ‘but I took your advice not to go in.’

‘She probably thought it was me,’ Katie responded.

‘Or me,’ Michelle added.

‘Well I’ve got a Porsche, so it couldn’t be me,’
Laurie
quipped, making them laugh.

At that instant Molly came thundering down the stairs and started shoving her way past.

‘Where are you going in such a hurry?’ Katie demanded.

‘Out!’

‘Where? Molly! Come back here.’

Molly kept on going, out the door, over the garden fence, sprinting up the lane towards the village, and disappearing from view.

Katie sighed in exasperation. ‘Please excuse my daughter’s manners,’ she said to Laurie. ‘She will apologize before we have dinner, which should be …’ She turned to Michelle. ‘Around seven?’

‘Seven thirty,’ Michelle amended. ‘I need to pop over to the supermarket for a few things.’

As she and Laurie walked out to their cars together, Laurie said, ‘Tell me, what do you think about doing a programme? Was I inappropriate to suggest it, or would it work?’

Michelle looked round at the sound of childish chatter, over by the pond. ‘I think it would be wonderful for Katie,’ she said. ‘She’s really missed being in the cut and thrust of it all, as you can tell, and you know how she loves the limelight. The problem is, we have no way of knowing how the next weeks, or months, are going to unfold, and with Molly being so unpredictable …’ She sighed. ‘I don’t know. My instinct says yes, but then I’m not so sure.’

Laurie smiled. ‘Well, we don’t have to make a decision right away, and anyway, it’s up to Katie in the end. Now, I’ll just check my email before I go to see if Elliot’s heard anything from Tom,’ and taking
out
her Blackberry she clicked on to see what was there. ‘Nothing,’ she said, putting it away again. ‘I’ll give him a call from the car, and let you know if there’s any news.’

As she drove away Laurie turned on Elliot’s digital phone, already tensing in dread of discovering a message from Andraya. To her relief there were none, so selecting the speed dial for their home she turned into the village and waited for him to answer.

‘Hi, it’s me,’ she said, as his voice came over the speaker. ‘Anything from Tom yet?’

‘No. But following on from Michelle’s email that Joshua Shine was in Frankfurt, I’ve just learned that he’s now on his way to Washington. Max will take over from there. How was Katie?’

‘Amazing, actually. She said to tell you she loves you.’

The smile was audible in his voice as he said, ‘I hope you told her the feeling’s mutual.’

‘No, but I will. I’m thinking of doing a programme about her.’

He took only a moment to respond. ‘That’s a great idea,’ he said. ‘Is she up for it?’

‘She has some reservations, but we’re going to talk it all through, which means I’m going to stay down here tonight. I’ve booked in at the pub where we had lunch.’

There was a pause before he said, ‘I see.’

Knowing what he was thinking, she said, ‘Is there a problem? Do you need the car?’

‘No. I was just wondering if you’d called Nick back yet.’

Despite the immediate flare of guilt, her voice
was
quite neutral as she said, ‘What do you mean, called him back? Has he left a message?’

‘Wasn’t that him on the phone last night?’

Almost missing a sign for the town centre, she veered sharply to the left and narrowly avoided a ditch. How had he known it was Nick last night? She hadn’t mentioned him, nor had he asked at the time. ‘Actually it was Rhona,’ she said, blurting out the lie without thinking. ‘And no I haven’t called her back yet.’

‘Oh.’

She waited.

He said nothing.

‘What on earth makes you think it was Nick?’ she demanded.

‘I just get the feeling it’s not quite finished between you two.’

Starting to feel slightly angry now, she said, ‘I don’t think this conversation’s getting us anywhere so shall we change the subject?’

‘If you like.’

She struggled for something else to say, but was still too thrown by his suspicions over Nick, and annoyed with herself for lying.

‘Actually, I was going to call Nick myself,’ he said. ‘He’s written several pieces about US intelligence in the last couple of years, so depending where this leads us, he could turn out to be helpful.’

Stiffening, she said, ‘It’s up to you if you get him involved, it has nothing to do with me. I just called to let you know my plans for tonight, and to say, why don’t you stay at the flat, seeing as it’s going to be empty.’

‘Thank you,’ he responded. Then, quoting a line from
La Bohème
, he said, ‘
All ’uom felice sta il sospetto accanto
,’ and a moment later the line went dead.

Suspicion forever jogs the happy man’s elbow.

Was he happy, she wondered, and her heart contracted with guilt, for she knew he wasn’t, and he was right to be suspicious, because it wasn’t all over between her and Nick. But what did he expect, that everything would change for her just because he’d decided he didn’t want Andraya any more? It didn’t work like that. She couldn’t just forget what he’d done, any more than she could pretend that nothing had happened with Nick. She didn’t know where she wanted it to go with Nick, or if she should even see him to find out, though of course, she would. Was this how it had been for Elliot with Andraya, she wondered? Wanting to resist, while all the time knowing he wouldn’t.

Deciding to call Michelle to update her on Joshua Shine’s movements, she parked the car alongside a small rank of shops in the town centre, and spoke to her on the mobile as she crossed the bridge on foot towards a pedestrian precinct.

It didn’t take long to pick up the few essentials she needed for the night, and with her mind still full of Elliot and Nick, she was on her way back across the bridge when she spotted Molly dawdling along the riverbank with a boy. They weren’t close enough for her to get a particularly good look, but even from where she was the geeky-looking creature with his awkward gait, peculiar ginger hair and puny physique didn’t seem at all the type she’d have imagined Molly to go for. However, they were probably just friends, since
they
weren’t holding hands, nor was Molly appearing very happy about being there. A moment later they ducked in under some overhanging branches, and were lost from sight.

Laurie continued on to the car, past a trio of giggling girls, across a mini roundabout towards an Oxfam shop, where she hit the remote on the keys and was just sliding into the car when her personal mobile started to ring. Seeing Nick’s name on the readout her heart gave a powerful jolt. For a moment she even tried to resist answering, but in the end she couldn’t.