Strictly Love, page 16
‘You would,’ snarled Gemma – porcupine, definitely porcupine, Mark decided – before she stomped out of the room.
‘What did I say?’ Beth looked injured.
‘Don't wind her up,’ said Mark. ‘You know it makes her worse.’
‘You always take her side,’ said Beth, ‘it's so unfair!’ And she too stormed off, slamming the door.
‘Bloody hell,’ Mark said aloud, ‘what did I do to deserve this?’
‘Insist that your new girlfriend met your kids,’ said Rob, strolling in. ‘I could have told you that was a bad idea.’
‘They‘ve got to meet her sometime,’ Mark responded grumpily. The doorbell rang and his heart ratcheted up a few dozen notches. God, he hoped this was going to work.
‘Shall we do something today?’
Katie had had the same idea as Mark. The sun was shining and Charlie was home for a rare weekend. They hadn't done anything as a family for ages. Perhaps all that was needed was some bonding time.
Charlie looked up from behind his copy of the previous day's Financial Times, which to her annoyance he always read at the breakfast table.
‘How am I ever going to persuade the boys not to read at the table if you persist in doing it?’
‘What about football?’
‘It's not on today,’ said Katie. ‘Some of the schools have started their holidays early so Bill cancelled their session today. And there isn't a match this week. So, we have a free day. I thought we might go somewhere nice.’
‘Oh. Right. Yes, I suppose it might be a good idea.’ Charlie didn't sound wildly enthusiastic. ‘I've got a bit of work to catch up on, though.’
‘Dad, can't we go to Bodiam Castle?’ George asked. ‘Please. We haven't been to a castle for ages.’
‘Oh, yes, please, Dad.’ Aidan was jumping up and down now with excitement.
Surely even Charlie couldn't resist such blandishments, Katie thought.
Sighing deeply, he folded up his paper and said, ‘Oh, all right then. But I do have to check my emails before we go. And we can't stay out long.’
‘Dad, you're the best!’ Aidan threw himself at Charlie, who hugged his son tightly.
‘I won't be a tick,’ he said, and shot off upstairs.
Good, thought Katie with satisfaction, as she went into the kitchen to prepare a picnic. She'd been right. A family day out was just what they needed.
Twenty minutes later, Katie was ready but there was no sign of Charlie.
‘Charlie?’ she called up the stairs. There was no reply. Sometimes it was so inconvenient having the office at the top of the house. She sent the boys to the loo, and carried Molly up the stairs. She could hear Charlie's tones very low.
‘No … she doesn't. Look, I've told you I can't …’ Charlie was having another of those furtive phone conversations. Katie's heart was hammering as she pushed open the door to see her husband crouched over the phone. He turned round and gave her a startled look.
‘I've got to go,’ said Charlie. ‘We'll catch up about the Make-peace deal next week.’
He put the phone down with a guilty air.
‘Sorry, just got caught up talking to the guy in our Amsterdam office.’
‘What about?’ Katie asked suspiciously.
‘Nothing. Just boring work stuff. Come on, I'm all yours.’ He kissed her on the top of her head, and headed for the stairs. Katie followed him with a heavy heart. Just what was he keeping from her?
‘Dad, did you have to take us to a mouldy old castle?’
Gemma appeared determined to spoil the day. Ever since Emily had arrived she had whined and moaned and bitched about how boring everything was, and how she'd much rather be with Shelly, who she had spent most of the journey texting, until Mark had lost his rag and threatened to confiscate the phone. He had apologised profusely to Emily, who'd found it quite funny really. Mark didn't seem the type to get cross, and he was rather endearing when he did it, although it was quite clear to Emily that both his girls ran rings around him. And she didn't really blame Gemma for her bad behaviour. No doubt a thirteen-year-old Emily would have done similar in her shoes. Added to which, Gemma had spent the journey squashed up next to Rob, who on hearing they were going to visit a castle clamoured to join them too. ‘I can check it out for my Year Sevens,’ he explained. ‘We could do with a new venue for our history trip next year.’
‘Sorry, Gemma.’ Emily turned round from the front passenger seat (another thing that had clearly annoyed Gemma, being ousted from her favourite spot), with what she hoped was a winning smile. ‘That was my fault. I like castles, and I suggested it to your dad. I thought you might enjoy one too. Look, if it's really boring we can do something else instead.’
Gemma, clearly discomfited by this overture of friendship, retreated into a noncommittal shrug, and sulkily got out of the car.
‘I like castles.’ Beth came up and placed her hand in Emily's, in a gesture that nearly made her laugh out loud. One child was doing her best to alienate Emily, while the other was trying her hardest to win her over. It would be nice, she thought, if they were both eventually able to act normally with her.
‘Good,’ said Emily. ‘We'll just have to persuade Gemma that it's fun, won't we?’
‘You won't,’ said Gemma as she stomped off.
As it turned out, even Gemma was hard pushed to keep up her indifference.
The views of the castle as they approached were spectacular. With its four round towers and square walls dominating the moat that surrounded it, it seemed the epitome of a medieval castle, so that Gemma, from affecting nonchalance, slipped instead to spouting information about portcullises and postern gates, half-remembered from her study of medieval history in Year Seven.
Emily suppressed a grin when she noticed that while Gemma was quite happy to tell everyone else about William the Conqueror, as soon as Emily asked a question Gemma couldn't seem to stop herself saying rudely, ‘I wasn't talking to you.’
‘Gemma!’ Mark was scandalised, but Emily shook her head at him.
‘Give her time,’ she whispered, 'she'll come round.’ Emily chatted to Beth instead, while Mark explained the function of a drawbridge to Gemma. In the meantime, Rob expounded to anyone who would listen the theory that while Bodiam might look the part, the chances were it wasn't a defensive castle at all.
‘Walls are too thin, you see,’ he said sagely, although by now they had entered the main courtyard and even Gemma was excited by the people dressed up as knights and the possibility of trying on medieval mail, which, as she was knowledgeably saying, wasn't actually called chain mail as most people thought.
‘Well, I'll just talk to myself, then,’ said Rob sulkily.
‘Oh do shut up,’ said Mark. ‘And stop being such a know-all. We don't all have history degrees, you know.’
They wandered through to a tent and the boys had a happy ten minutes mucking about with swords and helmets, leaving Emily and the girls looking on.
‘Dad, you are so embarrassing,’ moaned Gemma. ‘Don't you think you're a bit old for that now?’
‘Nope,’ said Mark, trying to parry and thrust with a sword that was lighter than he could have imagined.
‘It's fun,’ said Rob, breathlessly darting out of Mark's way, ‘you should try it.’
‘In your dreams,’ snorted Gemma. ‘Aren't you ever going to grow up?’
‘Men never grow up,’ said Emily, ‘believe me.’
Gemma looked at Emily, and for the first time that morning gave her a grin that held a faint approximation of warmth.
‘You know, Gemma,’ said Emily, choosing her words carefully as she watched Gemma laughing at Rob's shenanigans, ‘I can understand it's difficult for you. And I don't mind if you don't like me.’
‘You're okay,’ muttered Gemma.
Emily grinned. Perhaps they were getting somewhere after all.
Katie had a headache and was wishing they hadn't come. She couldn't get the sight of Charlie looking so guilty out of her head. They'd got stuck in traffic all the way to Bodiam, the boys had argued constantly about whose turn it was on the Nintendo DS, and Molly had thrown up in the car. Luckily most of it had gone on her clothes, and Katie had brought spares, but she could have done without it. Particularly as Charlie appeared to have completely zoned out, for all the notice he took of everything. He only seemed to stir temporarily to shout at the boys when their bickering got too much, and to make sarcastic comments about why Katie hadn't had the forethought not to give Molly milk in the car, because didn't she remember the last time?
Didn't you? was the resentful thought that lodged in Katie's brain, but it didn't, as usual, make it as far as her lips.
What had she been thinking? A day out together should have brought them together, but somehow, away from the house, doing something normal families did, just emphasised to her how far they had drifted. The boys deferred to her constantly, barely acknowledging their dad, and when they did so they appeared nervous, as if unsure of what his reaction would be. Which was fair enough, because Charlie's reactions were nothing if not unpredictable. One minute he'd be joking around and laughing and the next minute he'd be biting the kids' heads off for a triviality. Everyone was walking on eggshells around him. It was very wearing.
On discovering that it was raining as they arrived, Charlie was all for turning back.
‘Let's have our lunch now,’ Katie said as brightly as she could muster. ‘It's probably an April shower. It'll blow over.’
And blow over it did, but not before George had managed to spill Ribena all over the tailgate of the car, where he and Aidan were perched while they were eating.
‘Why are you so sodding clumsy?’ Charlie bellowed at George, who promptly burst into tears.
‘And why are you so sodding intolerant?’ hissed Katie as she wiped up the mess and tried to calm George down.
Charlie had the grace to look embarrassed.
‘Sorry, George, mate,’ he said. ‘I'm in a bit of a grump today. I'm not sure why.’
They hadn't even reached the castle yet and the trip was already turning into a disaster. Katie had a feeling it was going to be a long day.
Rob, on the other hand, was having a great time. He had chased Beth round the battlements, and had interesting conversations with Emily (who had turned out to be a bit of a history buff) about the numbers of archers really likely to have been involved in the Battle of Agincourt, and they had had their lunch on the castle lawn, watching a display of medieval archery. Even the brief shower and Gemma in full Wednesday Addams grumpy mode had failed to dampen Rob's spirits. He looked at Mark and Emily sitting together, close, but not too close, clearly doing their best not to touch too much and risk alienating the girls, and wondered idly what life would be like if he had stayed with Suzie, and gone on to have children with her. He'd probably be having more days like this for a start. Rob felt a rare pang of regret for the path untravelled. He wasn't used to feeling envious of his friend, but watching the girls mucking about with Mark and the stupid soppy smile on his face as he looked at Emily, for once, Rob did feel envious. Mark had so much that he, Rob, had missed out on.
You don't have to miss out.
The sudden thought came into his head. Katie, despite her rejection of him, might after all be persuaded. And even if she couldn't be, there were other fish in the sea, and the Robster had a fine track record. If he set his mind to it, there was no reason on earth why he couldn't get himself out of the rut he was in. And it was a rut. He had spent ten years drinking in the Hookers already. And, much as he liked it there, the sudden vision of himself slumped at the bar with only Paranoid Pete for company didn't really appeal. Not any more. Perhaps it was finally time for the Robster to grow up.
‘Hey, Mum, Dad, look at this!’ Two boys came piling through the portcullis and ran past Rob, shouting and gesticulating at the archers. Their energy seemed boundless. What it must be like to be that young.
Walking behind them were a man and a woman, bending down to deal with a child in a buggy. His eyes lingered on the small fair-haired woman. There was something about the shape of her head … She looked up and started to push the buggy toward him.
Oh my God, it couldn't be –
But what was she doing here? And how come she had three children with her? Three children. And a man.
‘Oh shit,’ said Katie, as she walked up the path following the boys. ‘What are you doing here?’
Chapter Eighteen
Rob couldn't explain the fury that engulfed him when he saw Katie was with her family. He had no right to feel that way. And yet he did.
‘Expect the unexpected,’ he said with icy coldness. ‘Well, this is certainly unexpected.’
Katie darted an anxious look at the man she was with, who was now preoccupied with one of the boys who had fallen over.
‘I warned you not to run,’ the dad was saying angrily. ‘Look what happens when you do.’
‘Rob, look, I can explain –’ Katie looked mortified.
‘You just didn't think to mention that you were married – that is your husband, I take it?’ Katie nodded miserably. ‘And with what – three kids? It just slipped your mind. Christ, now I know why you're always in such a hurry to get home.’
‘I didn't mean to lie,’ said Katie. ‘Things just sort of got out of hand. I mean, it's not like you've ever been interested in me or anything.’
‘Too right it's not,’ said Rob coldly.
‘Why are you being like this then?’ Katie asked, frantically looking at her husband, who was coming towards them, a wailing child in tow.
‘Why do you think?’ said Rob. ‘You made me look like a pillock.’
‘I'm sorry,’ Katie replied. ‘I never meant to.’
‘You'd better get back to them,’ Rob said.
‘Yes,’ said Katie. She looked down at the ground, and for a moment he thought she might have been crying.
‘Who's this?’ The greeting was peremptory and just short of rude. Katie threw Rob a pleading look and he bit back the sarcastic response that had been on his lips, about being Katie's secret lover. Though he was still inexplicably cross with her, he didn't want to land her in the shit.
Katie looked as though she wanted the ground to swallow her up whole, and muttered, ‘Charlie, Rob. Rob, Charlie.’ Then, by way of explanation, she added, ‘Rob's my dancing partner. I told you about him, remember?’
‘Oh, right,’ said Charlie, in tones of studied disinterest.
Rob's fury transferred instantly from Katie to Charlie. What was this bloke's problem?
‘Daddy, Daddy, can we climb the ramparts?’ The older of Katie's two boys ran up and tried to drag Charlie by the arm.
‘If we must,’ said Charlie. ‘Come on, Katie, we can't stand chatting all day. Nice to meet you, Bob.’
‘You too, Chris,’ said Rob between gritted teeth, rather wishing he had the nerve to deck Charlie.
‘I'm sorry,’ Katie whispered as Charlie stalked off. ‘Charlie's not normally this rude.’
‘A right charmer you have there,’ said Rob.
‘Don't be like that.’ Katie looked as though she might cry, and Rob immediately felt guilty. Charlie was marching down the path, and turned back to call her. ‘It's not as though you don't have dozens of women waiting for you. Why are you suddenly so bothered about me?’
‘Don't flatter yourself,’ said Rob.
He turned back to where Mark and Emily were sitting, still totally enrapt in each other, only wishing it were true.
‘Was that Katie and Charlie I saw?’ Emily said. ‘Didn't they stop to say hello?’
‘You never said Katie was married,’ Rob accused.
‘You never asked,’ said Emily. ‘Sorry, I didn't think it was such a big deal.’
‘It isn't,’ said Rob, but he looked grumpy. ‘Christ, what an idiot. I don't know what she sees in him.’
‘Charlie's not exactly my cup of tea,’ said Emily tactfully, ‘but they've always seemed happy enough to me.’
‘Well, Katie doesn't look too happy today,’ said Rob. ‘In fact, she looked like a wet weekend in November. And I'm not surprised, going around with that miserable sod.’
‘Don't tell me she's got under your skin,’ laughed Mark. ‘Well I never. Next thing you'll be rushing off on your white charger to rescue her from the dark knight.’
‘Ooh, is Uncle Rob in lurve?’ Gemma snorted with derision and she and Beth burst into a spontaneous round of ‘Uncle Rob and his lady love sitting on a bench K-I-S-S-I-N-G.’
‘As if I would go for Thunder Thighs,’ snorted Rob.
‘Children, children,’ said Mark. ‘Come on, let's go and watch the jousting.’
‘Ooh la-la, Uncle Rob's wearing a bra,’ chanted the girls, until Rob threatened to throw them from the top of the tower.
‘But you do like that lady, don't you?’ said Beth cheekily, before Mark threatened to clip her ear.
‘I have no interest in Katie whatsoever,’ Rob declared firmly. Now he just needed to believe it himself too.
Katie was shaking like a leaf as she followed her family around the castle walls. Realising that climbing to the ramparts was going to involve a trip up a very narrow spiral staircase, she opted to stay outside with Molly.
As Katie sat on a wall playing peekaboo with Molly, she felt sick to the pit of her stomach. What had seemed like a mad but entirely harmless fantasy when she'd been going to dance classes seemed a bit seedy in the cold light of day. She'd been enjoying flirting with Rob as she danced with him, knowing that although there was undoubtedly an attraction on her side, it didn't matter because Rob wasn't in the slightest bit interested in her. And there was no chance at all of him meeting Charlie. Now Katie was feeling uncomfortably aware that she had been leading him on. Maybe. Just a smidgeon. And even if Rob were a terrible flirt, she had toyed with him. And it wasn't a fair thing to do.
With a sudden shock Katie realised she had been looking at this purely from Rob's perspective. Not Charlie's. Why did she feel bad about Rob, but not Charlie? She should feel guilty that she'd been flirting with someone other than her husband, except on today's evidence she didn't think he'd give a monkey's. Plus, it was clear Charlie was keeping secrets from her as well. Instead of uniting them as a family, all the day had done was expose the shakiness of their marriage. Oh God, where was it going to end?
