I Trust You (12 page)

Chapter 22

T
he following day was gloriously sunny, beams of light were filtering through the thin curtains onto the single bed where Marisa lay squashed up in Lee’s arms. She felt as if they could stay here forever, that nobody would ever find them.

              Dan and June had prepared breakfast. Marisa and Lee joined them to eat in the large kitchen, rather than out in the dining room with the kids.

              ‘I hope you slept well?’ June asked kindly. ‘It was a quiet night.’

              ‘Oh we slept wonderfully, far better than a hotel.’ Marisa felt her cheeks flush crimson, as she realised she perhaps shouldn’t have spoken for the both of them.

              No one appeared to notice.

              ‘Can your nights be disturbed then?’ Lee buttered his toast and poured a glass of orange juice.

              Dan gave a rueful smile. ‘We’ve got a couple of children who suffer nightmares. But June and I keep them on the same corridor as us, so they don’t disturb the others.’

              ‘We learnt very early on,’ June sipped her black coffee, ‘that the children need to be kept very busy during the day, then they will be out like a light at bedtime. Plenty of exercise is good too. Healthy body, healthy mind, is what my mother used to say.’

              Marisa smiled. ‘Good advice.’

              Dan slid onto the seat opposite, he looked a little awkward. ‘I hope you don’t mind. I called your father-in-law last night. His boat business was very easy to find on the internet. In fact, it wasn’t him I spoke to at their offices, but someone called Eliot.’

              Marisa froze, trying not to let the dismay show on her face.

              ‘I hope I wasn’t out of line. It just seemed like a wonderful idea to have Mr Coleman come here and speak to the children himself. I’m not saying it wasn’t great for them to meet you two, but Gerald actually lived
here
, at Petersfield, like them. And he’s become terribly successful.’

              Marisa feared she wouldn’t be able to swallow another mouthful but she forced herself to finish her slice of toast.

              Lee was the first to stand. ‘Thank you so much for your hospitality. You’ve been incredibly kind. But we really must head off now and leave you in peace.’ He shook Dan by the hand.

              ‘There’s no rush. Take your time, have a walk around the grounds if you wish? It’s a beautiful day.’

              They were already half way up the twisting staircase. Marisa made for their rooms at a jog. She stuffed her meagre belongings into her shoulder bag and met Lee in the corridor.

              ‘Is there a back way out of this place?’

              Marisa glanced around her. ‘There must be. It would have had servants’ quarters in its early years.’

              They headed in the opposite direction along the corridor to a different staircase, this one narrower and far less grand. Marisa led the way, descending down into what must have been the wash room. A huge tumble dryer was rumbling noisily. She glanced around for an exit. Some boys she recognised from the previous evening were playing table tennis in a stone floored games area. The pair rushed past them, offering their goodbyes in the process.

              Finally, Marisa spotted a back door which led out onto the lawns. She flung it open. They kept close to the wall of the house and followed it round to where the car was parked. As Marisa turned the first bend she walked head on into something hard. The impact temporarily stunned her, then she felt her arms being gripped tightly, as if pinned by her side. It was Eliot.

              Lee leapt forward and gave him a shove. ‘Get your hands off her!’

              Eliot released his grip and took a step backwards. He raised both arms in the air, as if in surrender. ‘Marisa! I’m so pleased to see you, darling. Thank God you’re okay!’

              She looked at her husband closely. He was still strikingly handsome, but his hair was dishevelled and he looked like he’d not slept since she’d walked out of their house. His shirt was hanging loose, as if he’d perhaps not eaten much either. ‘What do you want?’

              Eliot shook his head in disbelief. ‘I want my wife back, what do you think? I’ve been worried half to death. Then this Dan guy calls up out of the blue and tells me you’re staying in his children’s home of all places!’

              ‘You brought that vicious dog into our house. You left him unleashed in the hallway to frighten me. How could you
possibly
expect me to stay after that?’

              Eliot looked miserable. ‘I’ve been a total idiot. I found the recording of you and
him
in the study. Looking at stuff on
my
computer. I was incandescent with rage. I sent the footage to Sam and he enlarged the image, we found out who
he
was from that.’ Eliot waggled a finger at Lee. ‘I was angry that you were seeing people from your past behind my back. I just wanted to teach you a lesson. I simply thought you’d tell Powell he couldn’t come back again, because of the dog. It was Sam’s bloody idea.’

              ‘It was a stupid idea.’ Marisa rolled her eyes.

              Lee stepped forward. ‘Did you tell Gerald about all this?’

              Eliot seemed confused. ‘Why would I tell Dad? I knew you’d never go to him and Gaia. I wasn’t about to humiliate myself by telling Gerald ‘Mr Success’ Coleman that my wife had run out on me. I tried Grace first. When she said you’d been there I reckoned you were headed to Bristol. That’s where I went next. I had
no idea
you’d actually left me for another man.’

              Marisa thought he might burst into tears. ‘It isn’t as clear-cut as that.’ She felt Lee bristle beside her.

              Eliot looked at her pleadingly, obviously sensing he might be in with a chance. ‘I swear I’ll change – no more weekend meetings with clients and I won’t stop you finding out more about your background. But you’ve got to promise me something too. No more trying for a baby. I’ve stuck with it for your sake for all these years but it’s killing me. Seeing the person you love eaten away with disappointment month after month is totally unbearable.’

              ‘You never told me this before.’

              Lee began walking away. ‘I’ll be waiting in the car,’ he called back over his shoulder.

              Eliot inched closer to his wife. ‘How could I? Your beautiful face was so full of hope each time we had the treatment. But the day you lost the baby. A light went out of your eyes. I couldn’t stand to see it, so I stayed away.’

              Marisa was confused.

              ‘I thought the counselling was helping,’ he continued. ‘You were relaxed and happy again. But then this.’ He gestured to their surroundings. ‘I know you need to find out more about where you came from. I was a prick not to understand that. But please come home to the people who love you, who’ve been your family all these years.’

              Marisa felt the tears sliding down her face. ‘I’m sorry.’

              He edged another step nearer, so their bodies were practically touching. ‘Will you come back with me?’ His voice was almost a whisper.

              Marisa leant forward and placed a gentle kiss on his lips. ‘It’s gone too far Eliot. I can’t return to that life any more. I’ve found out some information and there’s still more I need to know. What I’ve discovered are things about your dad and your mother.’

              ‘What do you mean?’ Eliot’s voice was uneasy. ‘What do you know about my mother?’

              ‘I’m just telling you to be careful. Our life wasn’t what we thought it was. I think your Dad brought us together deliberately. Our relationship was never real.’

              ‘It was real to me.’ Eliot hung his arms despondently, like a small boy denied a treat.

              She gently touched his face. ‘It was real to me too. Right up until I found out the truth.’ Marisa picked up her bag and dodged past him, running towards the front of Petersfield Hall, relieved to see that Lee was still in the driver’s seat of her car, the engine running.

Chapter 23

‘H
ow are you feeling?’ Lee glanced across at the passenger seat.

              ‘Fine,’ she replied matter-of-factly. ‘Just a bit sad. But better than I thought I would.’

The motorway had been replaced by narrow lanes that snaked through undulating countryside. The sun was high in the sky and Marisa had her window wound down, allowing the warm breeze to cool her face.

‘Where are we heading?’ She asked distractedly, as if the answer didn’t matter much at all.

‘To the place where all runaways go.’

‘London?’ Marisa sat up. ‘Why there?’

‘Because it makes us less easy for Coleman to find. Now you’ve dumped Eliot, there’s no guarantee he won’t tell Daddy where we’ve just been. Gerry will know exactly what we were up to there. Plus, I’ve got some friends in New Cross.’

‘I don’t think Eliot will do that.’

Lee shrugged. ‘It makes no odds. I actually believed the guy when he said he didn’t tell his old man about the footage of me in his study. But Gerry must have found out about it anyway, otherwise how did he know to send his thugs out to silence Dad?’

‘The only other person Eliot told was Sam Carter.’ Marisa’s mind was ticking fast.

‘I reckon Gerry’s got a lot of people in his pocket. How long has this Carter bloke worked for Coleman Marinas?’

‘Since before Eliot took over.’ She shook her head in disgust. ‘The bastard was always Gerry’s man.’

‘Odds on, Eliot’s going to cry on someone’s shoulder, sooner or later, and it’ll all get straight back to our Gerald.’

‘I feel so sorry for Eliot and Grace. Their father must have control over every aspect of their lives. I wonder if it was the same for Celia?’

              ‘If you ask me, Celia knew too much. Perhaps she had a fit of conscience about something they’d done – something really bad. Gerald had to get rid of her.’

              Marisa shifted round in her seat. ‘Do you think he had a hand in her accident?’

              ‘I’d bet money on it.’

*

Soon, the wide open fields were being supplanted by the urban sprawl of the metropolis. Lee was driving through a part of south east London that was once notorious for its crime and poverty. These days it was lined with streets of gentrified housing.

              They pulled up outside a house on Florence Street. It was a typical 1930s semi-detached property with bay windows top and bottom. Because of its location, Marisa’s mind could only boggle at the value of it.

              As if he could tell what she was thinking Lee said, ‘Clive inherited the house when his mum died. He and Anne moved here in the early nineties.’

              ‘Who are they?’

              ‘Anne was my social worker. We kept in touch.’ He climbed out of the car and approached the front door.

              A small, roundly woman in her sixties opened up. ‘Lee! What a lovely surprise. Come inside.’

              They were led through the house to a modest conservatory where Clive was seated at a wicker chair reading a book. ‘Lee, my boy!’ The man stood up, revealing his full height, which was well over six feet. He enveloped Lee in an embrace, patting him energetically on the back. ‘How’s the family?’

              ‘The boys are doing great.’ He tentatively introduced Marisa.

              ‘Pleased to meet you. It’s good to see Lee moving on at last. Life’s too short to brood, don’t you think?’

              ‘Yes, quite right,’ she agreed cautiously.

              Anne returned with a tray of drinks. ‘Don’t stand on ceremony, grab a pew. I want all the news.’

*

Anne Hunter had first met Lee in 1980. She was called to the Powells’ address in Southampton after a neighbour reported a disturbance. The police went on to arrest Bill for an assault on Lee’s mother. He spent a night in the cells.

              Anne became a regular visitor at the house over the following two years, until Lee’s mum finally took off in ’82. She organised for him to go to the Dorans’ place and visited him there until his father took him back in ’89. After that, they’d continued to correspond. The Hunters had been guests at Lee and Linda’s wedding.

              All this information Anne imparted to Marisa over the course of the afternoon. They’d got through several pots of tea and a homemade fruit loaf in the process.

              ‘So you actually met Lee’s mum then?’ Marisa enquired, whilst the men were in the garden.

              ‘Oh yes, many times. Sandra was a bit younger than Bill. I think she was quite dominated by him in the early years, especially when Lee was just a baby. That’s what Bill took advantage of. He was away a lot on the boats and when he did return, he liked to throw his weight around, although there were never any signs he’d hurt the child. Bill did love the boy, in his own way.’

              ‘The idea of a mother walking out on their own child is unthinkable to me.’ Marisa drank her tea slowly, considering her own pathetic excuse for birth parents and how easily they’d given her away.

              ‘Sandra was pushed to the edge by her life with Bill. To her, it was either escape or an existence of perpetual abuse and drudgery. I saw it all too often, I’m afraid.’

              ‘But it’s the fact she never came back for him. Even Bill sorted himself out eventually. I find that hard to fathom.’

              ‘If I’ve learnt anything from being a social worker, it’s that people don’t always behave in the way you expect them to. Take Lee for example, with the knocks he’s had in life, he’d have every excuse to have turned to crime or scrounging off the state. He’s quite the opposite, determined to pay his own way in the world and not repeat the mistakes of his elders.’

              Marisa nodded, feeling tears prickling at her eyes. ‘Yes, he is rather lovely.’

              They both giggled like schoolgirls.

              Clive led his guest back into the room, like a sergeant major on parade. ‘What’s all the hilarity about then?’

              ‘Oh, nothing,’ Anne replied dismissively. ‘So, how long are you two lovebirds planning to stay with us?’