The Lie of Love (23 page)

Amanda placed juice in front of
Sophie and Jake, which they drank silently, their eyes never moving from Darcy.

‘Shall we see about that
gardening?’ Amanda asked in a voice full of strained cheeriness.

Jake nodded and stood up. Amanda
swept Sophie into her arms and glanced at Darcy. ‘Don’t worry, I think
Howie
has a little fold-up garden chair for Sophie to save
her sitting on the damp ground.

Darcy stared at her without reply
and Amanda took them out through the back door to find her husband.

A few minutes later she returned
and sat across from Darcy.
 

‘I had an affair,’ Darcy
announced in a dull voice. There was no point flowering it and Amanda would
have seen right through a myriad of excuses.  Darcy had learned over the
years that what she appreciated, more than anything, was honesty. 

Amanda nodded slowly. ‘Harry
Simmons?’

‘You knew?’ Darcy asked, her eyes
widening.

‘Rachel told me she’d seen you
both together on the car park after the fashion show.’

‘I thought she had gone home?’
Darcy
asked,
her expression of shock almost comical.

‘She put us in a taxi and went
back to find Harry. She found more than she bargained for by the looks of
things’

‘But she didn’t say anything to
anyone?’

‘Only me.
I had thought she was mistaken at first – it was dark and we were all drunk –
but the more I observed the more I began to think it was a possibility.’ She
frowned. ‘I wanted to believe that you couldn’t be that stupid, though.’

‘Why didn’t you say something?’

‘What was I supposed to say? I
hoped that if it was true you’d see sense and end it before any serious
consequences came of it.’ She reached for Darcy’s hand. ‘I know how unhappy
you’ve been with
Ged
… I
think part of me wanted you to have an affair, have some fun,
be
happy…. but with Julia’s son? My God, Darcy, what were
you thinking?’  

‘I know…’ Darcy ran a hand
through her hair and sniffed hard. ‘It was idiotic. It’s over now though.’

‘How did
Ged
find out then? I’m assuming that’s why you’re here.’

‘It doesn’t matter. The important
thing is he knows and I haven’t a clue where I go from here.’

‘Do you want to leave him?’

‘I don’t know,’ Darcy replied
miserably. ‘I wish I did.’

‘Do you love him?’

‘Which one?’

Amanda frowned and Darcy let out
a sigh. ‘I don’t know that either.’

‘So the children know?’

Darcy shook her head. ‘I don’t
think so. They obviously know that something is very wrong but
Ged
and I have had screaming
matches before. Hopefully they’ll just chalk it up to another one and not be
too concerned.’

‘It didn’t look that way to me.’

Darcy was silent for a moment,
her gaze travelling to the kitchen window. The day outside was overcast but
mild, a brisk breeze rustling the new foliage on a pear tree outside the
window.  Jake’s voice could just be heard, firing questions at Amanda’s
husband out in the garden.  Whatever
Howie
was
telling him, at least Jake was engaged. Sophie would be watching silently, as
she always did; her thoughts in that secret place known only to her.

‘
Ged
phoned me, you know,’ Amanda said.

Darcy flicked her gaze back to her.
‘
Ged
did?
When?’

‘After we’d
been to Julia’s at Christmas.
He was asking about Michael.’

‘What did he want to know?’

‘Whether you
were having an affair with him.’

Darcy’s eyes widened.

‘Of course, I told him that was a
ridiculous accusation,’ Amanda continued. ‘I told him that you barely had time
to get your hair done, let alone have an affair. I told him that you would
never do such a thing, especially if it would betray Julia.’

‘I’m a bitch, aren’t I?’

‘It’s not for me to judge. What
I’m getting at is that
Ged
had suspicions all along… it just wasn’t the right Simmons.’

‘But who would have ever guessed
that?’ Darcy said miserably. ‘Then again,
Ged
has always been possessive, and he’s accused me of affairs before, even when I
never did a thing against him.’

‘So you thought you’d get hung
for a sheep as a lamb?’

‘NO!’ Darcy checked herself.
‘No…’ she repeated in a lower voice. ‘I never meant this to happen. Harry was
so kind to me, so sweet… I just needed someone and he was there...’

‘Does
Ged
know who the real culprit is?’

‘No, he thinks…’ Darcy looked up
at Amanda in horror. ‘Oh God he still thinks it’s Michael! You don’t think he’d
do anything silly, do you?’

‘Like go over to Julia and tell
her what he suspects? I think it’s quite possible.’

‘I have to get over there and
make sure I speak to her first…’ Darcy began, leaping up from her chair.

‘And tell her what? That it’s ok,
you haven’t been having an affair with her husband because you’ve been too busy
screwing her twenty-year-old son?’

‘I have to do something! I can’t
just let him burst in there and shout his mouth off!’

‘You don’t know he’s going to do
that –’

‘He will… I’m so stupid for not
thinking of it before…’ she glanced at the window. ‘Can you take me to
Julia’s?’

‘Now?’

Darcy nodded.

Amanda bit her lip, but then let
out a weary sigh. ‘Yes.’

‘I’ll go and fetch the kids…’

‘Whoa!’ Amanda held up a hand.
‘You can’t seriously be thinking of taking them with you! I’ll see if
Howie
can look after them for an hour.’

Darcy gave her a tight smile. She
wished she could express how grateful she was for Amanda’s support but her
tired brain wouldn’t form the words. She could only hope that Amanda already
knew it.  

‘Perhaps you should call
Ged
first, see if he’s calmed down,’
Amanda said thoughtfully.

Darcy nodded. ‘Can I borrow your
phone?’

Amanda handed it over and Darcy
dialled home.

‘No reply,’ Darcy said after a
few moments, the dread that squeezed her throat more palpable with every
passing second.

‘I’ll speak to
Howie
.’ Amanda rushed out of the back door. Darcy watched
through the window as she took her husband to one side and spoke to him, every
so often casting anxious glances at the children who were both sorting through
various packs of seeds.  She saw
Howie
nod, and
then Amanda marching back towards the house.

‘He’s not
happy but he says he’ll do it,’ Amanda said as she came back in and unhooked a
coat from the rack. ‘We’d better go now before he changes his mind.’

Darcy was silent for most of the drive over to Julia’s,
turning over the situation in her mind. What was she supposed to say to Julia?
Telling her the truth if she didn’t need to seemed cruel. There was a
possibility that
Ged
would
not go over, that he might stop and think about the consequences before he
acted.  He didn’t have proof that Michael Simmons was anything to do with
it at all.  But when she thought about
Ged’s
rage, about the way he had been deaf to reason,
she realised that the possibility he would go in with all guns blazing was a
very real one too.  How much information did she need to give to
Julia? 

She thought about discussing it
with Amanda, but her friend didn’t seem in the mood for sorting out what was
really Darcy’s mess. And she couldn’t blame her for that – she had already asked
too much of her over the months.

Amanda pulled on the handbrake
and Darcy was shaken from her musings to see that they had already arrived at
the gates of Julia’s home.

‘Perhaps we should have phoned
first,’ Darcy said.

‘And what would you have said on
the phone? Best to see if
Ged
is here first and then figure out what to do next. With a bit of luck he’ll be
at home sulking but calm enough for you to talk to.’ She climbed out of the car
and Darcy followed. Her legs shook as the gravel drive crunched beneath her
steps and she didn’t think she had ever felt so sick with guilt and fear in her
entire life.

The sound of a car engine roared
behind them. Darcy spun around. With horror, she saw her own car race into
view, brakes screeching as
Ged
pulled up.

‘
Ged
!’
Darcy
shouted,
running back.

He leapt from the car and slammed
the door behind him. ‘Come to warn him?’ he growled as he strode towards her.

‘Don’t be stupid! Whatever it is
you’re going to do, just stop and think…’

‘You’d love that, wouldn’t you?’
he sneered. ‘Nothing would make you happier than me getting back in the car and
driving off so you can keep your secrets.’ He shoved her out of the way and
marched up the driveway.  Darcy grabbed his arm and he spun around,
pulling back his fist. Amanda flew between them and blocked it.

‘Don’t you bloody
dare!
’

‘Keep out of this you interfering
cow!’

‘Stop it!’ Darcy cried, grabbing
for his arm again. ‘For God’s sake please stop!’  

‘OUT OF MY
WAY!’
Ged
roared,
flinging Darcy off.  She landed spread-eagled on the lawn.  Something
cracked in her wrist and she cried out. Amanda ran to her.

‘Darcy! Are you alright?’

Darcy turned herself over and
grimaced. ‘Yes,’ she said, flexing her hand.

Ged
was marching to the house again. He was six feet
away from the door when it flew open and Michael appeared.  In seconds he
had taken in the scene: Darcy lying on the ground with Amanda knelt next to
her,
Ged’s
cold menace as he
stared him down.

‘What the bloody hell is going
on?’ he shouted.

Ged
closed the gap and swung for him. Michael was
stocky but he was more agile than he looked. He sidestepped, avoiding the blow
and instinctively landing one of his own to
Ged’s
cheek.

‘What’s wrong with you, man?’ he
cried.

‘Mess around with my wife, would
you! I’ll rip your arms off…’

Ged
flew at him again. Once again Michael avoided him
easily, but this time he stepped back and held his hands out in a gesture of
surrender.

‘Nobody has messed around with
your wife. I don’t know what you’re talking about.’

‘I saw it with my own eyes.’

‘You saw nothing.’

‘LIAR!’
Ged’s
fist came from nowhere and
this time found its mark. Michael flew back against the wall, his lip bleeding.
 He pulled his arm back again but Darcy grabbed it.

‘
Ged
, please…’ she yelled. 

He turned to her but his eyes
were empty, devoid of any recognition, the only emotion hate.

Then another voice was added to
the fray and her heart sank.

‘Dad!’
Harry leapt from the doorstep to his father’s side. Glancing at the injured
man, then between Darcy and
Ged
,
his eyes widened. Darcy could see him piecing it all together. ‘What’s going
on?’ he asked, in a voice that suggested he knew exactly what was going on.

‘Go in, lad,’
Ged
growled. ‘This is between me and your dad and if
you get in the way you’ll get hurt.’

‘Try it,’ Harry
said,
his expression hardening. ‘You want my dad then you’ll
have to hurt me first; I’ll kill you before I let you lay another finger on
him.’

‘Go in,’ Michael said, laying a
hand on Harry’s shoulder. ‘Call the police.’

‘Yeah…’
Ged
goaded. ‘Call the police. They’re going to have a
murder investigation when I’m done here.’

Harry ran at him, and they fell
to the ground together. They grappled, rolling over, fists flying ineffectually
as each tried to land a blow.  Michael dived over and pulled
Ged
off his son, spinning him
around and landing a punch to the stomach.
Ged
groaned and doubled over. Harry leapt up, ready
to strike, but his dad yanked him back.

‘Don’t!’ he shouted.

Harry glanced across at Darcy,
his eyes full of fire.  She gave her head the tiniest shake, her
expression pleading him not to tell even though she knew he must.  Harry
shook himself free of his dad’s grip and flew at
Ged
again. Michael grabbed him for a second time,
holding both arms behind his back now. ‘Harry! This is not your fight.’

Harry spat blood onto the floor.
He yanked himself free again and faced his dad.  ‘It is,’ he said.

‘I can handle it –’

‘No. It
is
my fight.’ He
turned to
Ged
. His stare was
a direct challenge. And then he said it:

‘I’ve been sleeping with your
wife.’

Ged
stared at Harry, incomprehension on his face. But
then his jaw tightened and his fists balled at his sides. ‘What….’

‘You heard,’ Harry taunted. ‘She
got it from me because you couldn’t deliver –’

He didn’t finish his sentence
before
Ged
launched at him.
 Michael dived to drag him off. Amanda was on her mobile. Darcy ran to
her.

‘Please…. Don’t call the police…’

Amanda stared at her. ‘Are you
mad? They’re going to kill each other…. Oh, hello, I need the police; it’s an
emergency.’