Forgive Me

  Perhaps it was because they were both scared of going back to Cheltenham that Ben took Sophie to see all his favourite places in Leeds before going back to the halls, and then said there was no point in leaving till after the early-evening traffic had cleared. Now it was gone nine and they were just leaving the motorway. In ten minutes they would be back at The Beeches.

  ‘How are you going to start?’ Sophie asked.

  When Ben looked at her he could see she was biting her lip with nerves. ‘I don’t really know,’ he admitted. ‘I’ll have to wing it. But if he gets nasty with us, we’ll leave, right? We’ll get a bed and breakfast, or something.’

  ‘It’s not going to come to that,’ she said, but there was alarm in her voice.

  The gates to the drive were open, the light above the porch illuminating their father’s car parked close to it, and there was a light on in both the hall and the sitting room.

  ‘He’s going to be surprised to see you,’ Sophie said as they parked up. ‘He was expecting me to come back on the train.’

  Ben was suddenly very scared. He had only been slapped by his father a couple of times in his life, so he had nothing really to fear. But then he’d never before tried to stand up to him.

  Sophie opened the door with her key. As they walked in she called out, ‘It’s me, Dad. Ben’s come back with me.’

  Andrew appeared in the hall within seconds, wearing a dark-red pullover and grey slacks. ‘Well, this is a nice surprise,’ he exclaimed with a wide smile. ‘Good to see you, son. Needed to see your old man?’

  ‘Yes, Dad,’ Ben said somewhat sheepishly. ‘I had some things I wanted to talk over with you.’

  Sophie shot him a ‘not straight off’ kind of look.

  ‘Need some cash, I suppose?’ Andrew said. ‘You kids need to learn to live within your means. I’m not a bottomless pit of money.’

  ‘I’ll make us some tea,’ Sophie said, dropping her holdall in the hall and darting into the kitchen. ‘Do you want one, Dad?’ she called out.

  ‘No, I’ve got a whiskey,’ he said, moving to go back into the sitting room. ‘Get your tea and come in here to sit down, it’s chilly in the kitchen.’

  Ben hung his coat up on the peg in the hall, took Flora’s statement from the pocket and went to the kitchen.

  Sophie made a face when she saw it in his hand.

  ‘I have to,’ he said.

  ‘What’s that you’ve got there?’ Andrew asked as Ben sat down in an armchair, a mug of tea in one hand and the statement in the other. ‘A list of your debts?’

  ‘No, it’s something Mum wrote six years ago. You know the Cornish picture you let Eva have? Well, it survived the fire, and when she took off the frame, this was tucked behind the canvas.’

  There was a momentary tightening of Andrew’s face, but he was quick to control it. ‘Oh, I see. Not satisfied with blaming me for the fire, now she’s trying a different tack.’

  ‘What makes you think it’s something bad?’ Ben asked. ‘My first thought would’ve been that it was a love letter, or something along those lines.’

  ‘Are you trying to be clever with me, son? Has that little witch been getting to you?’

  ‘Dad, I’m telling you Eva found this behind a painting – or rather, an art restorer did. It isn’t a fake, it’s Mum’s handwriting. And Eva sent Sophie and me a copy because she thought we had a right to see it. Why are you being so defensive? Do you know what’s in it?’

  ‘I can tell by the way you look that it’s upset you. I know too that your mother could be a conniving bitch. All I did was put two and two together. So what is she claiming?’

  ‘She has written about stealing Eva,’ Ben said. ‘Exactly how, why and when.’

  Andrew didn’t come back with a retort immediately. ‘She really did that?’ he said after a few moments.

  ‘You know perfectly well that she did,’ Ben said scornfully. ‘Maybe not at first, but she told you when you were buying this house. Don’t lie about it now, it’s all in here.’

  ‘OK, so she did tell me. What was I supposed to do? Go to the police and get her arrested? She was my wife, for God’s sake. She’d had Eva for nigh on two years. And from what she said about the real mother, Eva was better off with us.’

  ‘I can understand you not wanting to shop her, if you loved her,’ Ben said. ‘But what excuse are you going to offer for the blackmail, the bullying and for hitting her? That disgusts me.’

  ‘How dare you say such things to me!’ Andrew got to his feet and moved threateningly towards Ben, his hand clenched in a fist. ‘Your mother was a pathetic, neurotic woman with an overactive imagination. What blackmail? When was I supposed to have hit her? God Almighty, Ben, she killed herself. Doesn’t that tell you that she was loopy? You don’t know what I had to put up with.’

  ‘Stop it, Dad!’ Sophie yelled out from the doorway. ‘Don’t you dare hit Ben. I’ve read it too, and I believe it.’ She moved to stand next to Ben’s armchair in a gesture of support for her brother.

  Andrew looked at Sophie, his face darkening. ‘You too? She’s poisoned your mind against me? You would rather take the word of a woman who didn’t even care enough about her children’s feelings to live and sort herself out, rather than the man who has fed and clothed you all these years? I’ve worked my fingers to the bone to buy and restore this house, I even took on her kid. Your mother was an idle, selfish woman who thought of no one but herself.’

  ‘But you didn’t work your fingers to the bone to buy and restore this house,’ Ben said, jumping up and getting between Andrew and Sophie. ‘It was Mum’s money that secured it. She came up with the plan to sell the land. She made you a rich man, and you treated her like the housekeeper. That’s why she killed herself. You pushed her into a corner she couldn’t get out of – she knew you would grass her up for taking Eva, she would be sent to prison and she’d lose all three of us kids.’

  Andrew gave an angry hollow laugh. ‘Is that what crap she’s told you? Well, look here, any woman who snatches another woman’s baby is mad. And if she gets away with it she’s clever too. This is her final bit of revenge, leaving a pack of lies behind to make me look like the villain of the piece.’

  ‘Why didn’t you let her paint?’ Sophie burst out, squaring up to her father. ‘Why didn’t you let her have her own friends? And how come you had another woman lined up before she was even buried? And why did you ask me to sign over my share of the house?’

  Andrew’s fist shot out at Sophie before Ben could prevent it. It made a loud crunch as it connected with her cheek, and Sophie screamed.

  Enraged, Ben swung a punch at Andrew, and knocked him back on to the sofa. ‘You bastard,’ he hissed at him. ‘You have just proved everything Mum said about you.’

  ‘I’m sorry, Sophie,’ Andrew pleaded. ‘You just made me so mad, accusing me of all those things.’

  Sophie had blood dripping out of her mouth; she was holding her cheek and looking at her father in horror. ‘You did try to kill Eva, didn’t you? You weren’t here that night. I told the police you were, because I came home late and I didn’t want you to know. How stupid am I? To think I was angry with Eva for saying such things about you. I’m going to call the police right now and tell them the truth.’

  As she walked towards the phone in the hall, Andrew leapt off the sofa to stop her. Ben went to hit him again, but Andrew parried the blow, kneed Ben in the groin, then grabbed his shoulder and punched him so hard in the face that he fell to the floor writhing in agony.

  ‘Run, Sophie!’ Ben managed to call out before he felt the room swirl around him and blackness descend.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Ben came to, and the moment he felt the broken tooth in his mouth he remembered Sophie and hauled himself to his feet. The room was spinning but a cold blast of air told him the front door was open. Fear for his sister overrode his giddiness and the pain, and made him move.

  As he got to the front door he saw movement on the l
awn down by the gate. It was too dark down there and too far away to make out whether it was Andrew or Sophie. Seeing the heavy cast-iron boot scraper in the porch, he picked it up and ran with it across the gravel on to the lawn.

  Once out of the pool of light from the porch lamp he saw it was both of them. Andrew had Sophie pinned down on the ground. Her legs were moving but she was silent.

  ‘Get off her, you bastard,’ Ben roared out, and forced himself to run even faster despite the pain in his groin. Andrew looked round at him for a second, his face just a white blur. Ben could now see he was pressing Sophie down by the throat.

  Ben hurled himself forward, brandishing the boot scraper. Once he was close enough, he brought it down hard on Andrew’s head. He heard a scrunching noise and a gasp, and Andrew toppled to one side, across Sophie’s body.

  Pushing him off his sister, Ben picked Sophie up in his arms and ran back to the house with her. He kicked the front door shut, laid her on the hall floor and grabbed the phone to dial 999. While he told the operator the address he knelt beside Sophie. He could see the vivid marks on her neck where Andrew had tried to throttle her, and he knew that if he hadn’t got there when he did, she would have died.

  ‘My father tried to kill my sister,’ he cried out to the operator, tears running down his face and his heart thumping like a steam hammer. ‘He’s in the front garden. I hit him very hard, he might even be dead. But I had to stop him.’

  He heard the operator repeat his address. She calmly asked him how Sophie was, and where she was now. ‘I brought her into the house. She’s breathing, but only just. Please get here quickly.’

  The phone ringing at eight in the morning woke Eva. She had stirred when Phil got up for work at seven, but went back to sleep again as she had the day off. She thought the call was going to be from Horace, to ask if she could come into work because someone hadn’t turned up. But instead it was DI Turner.

  ‘I’m sorry to call you so early in the morning,’ he said. ‘I wanted to catch you before you left for work. There was an incident last night at your old home in Cheltenham, and I felt you should know about it. I don’t want to discuss it over the phone. Can I pop round now?’

  ‘Yes, of course. But what do you mean by “incident”?’ she asked, suddenly wide awake. ‘Is it Sophie? Is she in trouble?’

  ‘I’ll explain when I get there,’ he said. ‘Ten minutes at most.’

  Eva rushed to wash and dress. Her mind was working overtime, imagining what could have happened.

  What had Sophie done? And why were the police informing her?

  Half an hour later, Eva was crying. Turner was trying to convince her that the ‘incident’ in Cheltenham, which he’d explained, was not her fault.

  Sophie had been admitted to hospital. Turner said she was in no danger now, but she was traumatized and needed to be kept under observation. Ben had been checked out at the hospital too. Although he was battered and sore, he was just relieved Sophie was alive.

  Andrew, however, was in a coma. The heavy object Ben had hit him with may have caused permanent brain damage, but as yet the medical staff were unable to say more.

  Turner hadn’t yet got the full story. The information that had been passed on to him from the local police was that Ben and Sophie had a row with their father. Sophie said she was going to tell the police he wasn’t home the night of the fire in London. Ben tried to stop his father from strangling her by hitting him with a heavy object, and it was he who then called the emergency services.

  ‘How can it be your fault?’ Turner asked.

  ‘I sent Ben copies of Flora’s statement,’ she sobbed out. ‘He must have done what I asked and showed it to Sophie. Then they went together to have it out with Andrew. I should’ve warned them not to be too hasty. But I never thought Andrew would hurt them. Why did he?’

  ‘Well, that’s for the Cheltenham police to uncover,’ Turner said. ‘But it seems to me that your stepfather is trying to keep the lid on something more. This isn’t just about not blowing the whistle on Flora snatching you, or even abusing her.’

  Eva was too upset to be intrigued by his remarks. ‘What will Sophie do now? She can’t live there on her own, she’s too young.’

  Turner put one hand on her shoulder to comfort her. ‘She is eighteen, Eva, not a child. But I tell you what, I’ll phone Cheltenham Police Station and ask them to get your brother to ring you.’

  Eva spent the day like a coiled spring, waiting and hoping that the phone would ring. She wanted to go to Cheltenham. But not knowing what kind of reception she’d get, she didn’t dare. She hoped Phil would phone her, so she could tell him about it. But she was frightened of that too, because he’d said she shouldn’t give them Flora’s statement.

  Last night had been almost like the old times. When they got home from the restaurant in Chiswick they’d made love for the first time in weeks, and Phil had been so loving and tender. She actually believed that she’d turned a corner and things would get back to how they’d been before the fire.

  To fill the time she spring-cleaned the flat – even the windows and inside the oven. Then, at four o’clock, finally the phone rang.

  She rushed to snatch it up. It was Ben.

  ‘Oh, thank goodness! I’ve been worrying all day,’ she blurted out. ‘I’m blaming myself for sending you that stuff. How are you? Were you badly hurt? And what about Sophie?’

  ‘One thing at a time,’ he said, and he sounded bone weary. ‘I’ve got a real shiner, a broken tooth and I feel sore where he kneed me in the groin. But I’ll live. Sophie was bad last night. Dad tried to strangle her, and if I hadn’t hit him over the head he would’ve killed her –’

  He broke off for a moment, and Eva guessed he had been overcome by the memory. ‘It’s OK, Ben. Take your time,’ she said. Then she sat down, because her legs were shaking.

  ‘I’ve never been so scared. It was awful. Dad punched and kneed me first, and I think I was knocked out for a moment. When I came to, I ran out into the front garden and saw he had Sophie pinned down on the grass with his hands around her neck.’

  ‘Oh, Ben, how terrible for you both! Can you tell me more about how Sophie is now?’

  ‘She was unconscious when the ambulance arrived, but she came round in hospital. Her neck looks terrible, but she’s recovering now.’

  ‘Thank God for that!’ Eva exclaimed. She wanted to know every detail – where they were in the house, what was said, everything – but she knew it wasn’t appropriate now. ‘I never thought he’d harm either of you.’

  ‘Until this happened I couldn’t really believe he’d hurt anyone. But he was like a savage animal,’ Ben said, his voice thickening with emotion. ‘Anyway, I’ve been with Sophie all afternoon. She’s doing her drama queen act of course. But she’s entitled to, after what she went through. She said to phone you. And one of the police officers said it too.’

  ‘She wanted you to phone me?’

  ‘Yes. Well, I wanted to anyway. We both need you, Eva.’

  He was crying as he spoke. Although Eva thought it was the nicest thing he’d ever said to her, her eyes welled up; she couldn’t delight in it under these circumstances. ‘I’ll be there, Ben. I’ll leave right now. I sold my car, so I’ll have to come by train. Where will you be? At the hospital?’

  ‘Yes, I don’t want to go back to the house on my own.’

  ‘No, of course not. I should be there by nine.’

  ‘Bye then, and I’m sorry.’

  ‘Sorry for what?’ she asked.

  ‘For not believing you. We both are.’

  ‘None of that matters now. You know I’ve always loved you both.’

  Eva had flung a few things in an overnight bag, and was just writing a note for Phil when he came in.

  ‘Leaving me?’ he said, half serious.

  She explained in a hurry.

  ‘Bloody hell!’ he exclaimed. ‘Those poor kids.’

  ‘It’s all my fault. You were right – I shou
ldn’t have sent them that statement. That’s what’s done this. And I didn’t even tell you I’d sent it. But I’ve got to go. Ben can’t be on his own overnight.’

  He put his arms around her and held her tight for a moment. ‘I’ll drive you there in the van. I can’t stay with you – I’ve got a rush job at work – but at least we can talk on the way.’

  She leaned into his chest, finding comfort in his calm manner. ‘I expected you to say “I told you so”,’ she whispered. ‘I should’ve listened to you. But thank you for not saying it, and for being so nice.’

  He lifted her face up and kissed her nose. ‘Things are bad enough without me adding to them. Now, if you’ll make me a couple of sandwiches while I have a quick shower and change, we can leave in ten minutes.’

  They arrived at the hospital just after eight. Visiting time was over, and Ben was in the waiting room. He looked terrible; his eye was closed over and very swollen.

  Eva introduced him to Phil.

  ‘I’d have liked to meet you under better circumstances,’ Phil said. ‘But if there’s anything I can do to help you and Sophie, just ask. Now, let me take you home. You look dead on your feet. And when Sophie is discharged, if she wants to come and stay with Eva and me, she’ll be very welcome – as you will be too.’

  ‘Thanks, Phil.’ Ben tried to smile, but his eyes were brimming with tears. ‘I’m really glad Eva’s got you in her corner.’

  The police had been at The Beeches all day, making a thorough search of the place, and a couple of them were still there when they got back. They left shortly afterwards, but told Ben to stay out of his father’s study and bedroom, also the sitting room and dining room, until they’d completed their investigation.