Accidents Happen by Louise Millar Read Free Book Online

and Jack sitting at the dining table.
    Her dining room table.
    The dining room table, where Kate and Hugo and her own parents should have sat a hundred times, enjoying Christmas dinner and family weekend get-togethers and birthday and anniversary celebrations with Jack.
    And now Richard and Helen, and Saskia, had forced their way in and taken their places.
    Her eyes fell upon the table top. It was laid with plates and cutlery from the kitchen, along with Hugo’s bone china serving dishes from the sideboard, and illuminated by his candelabra, the flames of the candles flickering above the old table runner from Highgate. Quickly, she searched out the stain. It was inches from Helen’s hands.
    There was a row of cards down the middle of the table. Jack was leaning close to Richard, hand on his chin.
    Helen twitched nervously, her indented smile apparently stuck on her face, avoiding Kate’s eyes.
    Kate looked at her sister-in-law. Saskia glared back defiantly.
    ‘We thought we’d sit in here tonight,’ she said. ‘Have a family meal.’
    Kate ignored her. ‘Jack, could you go up for your bath, please,’ she said as calmly as she could.
    ‘Mum – look at this trick Granddad showed me!’ he exclaimed, jumping up, his green eyes flashing in the candlelight. He took her arm and tried to lead her to the cards. ‘You’ve got to choose cards and put them into two piles, and at the end I can turn one pile into red and the other one into black. Really.’
    Kate took his hand and held it firmly in hers.
    ‘I said now, please, Jack. Bath.’
    He checked with Saskia and his grandparents and dropped his head. He put the cards on the table and walked out, closing the door gently.
    Kate stared at her in-laws. So Saskia had invited herself for dinner, too? Three against one now. Perfect. The dreaded triumvirate.
    ‘Let me get you a drink, darling,’ Richard said, grasping a bottle of rosé.
    ‘No. I don’t want a drink, Richard. Thank you.’
    Helen nibbled a piece of bread.
    ‘How did it go? Any good, do you think?’ Richard continued, replacing the bottle. He pulled out a chair. ‘Have a seat.’
    Kate shook her head, as she sat down. ‘I don’t think so. When I explained the work placement situation she wasn’t so keen.’
    She surveyed the table. How could they do this?
    ‘Not keen on having the local ruffians buffing up her floorboards, eh?’ Richard was babbling now, filling the unpleasant silence around the room.
    Kate shrugged. ‘They’re kids from deprived backgrounds, Richard,’ she murmured. This wasn’t the time for a sparring match with Richard about how she chose to use Hugo’s money.
    She slumped on the chair, her eyes taking in the sight of her and Hugo’s private things. Ransacked. Displayed without permission.
    She felt Saskia’s eyes boring into her.
    ‘It is the dining room, Kate,’ Saskia said.
    ‘Anyone else want a refill?’ Richard exclaimed.
    What was wrong with Saskia? Was she drunk? Her cheeks were pink like her mother’s, and her eyes flashed dangerously in the candlelight. Kate tried to control her words. She and Sass might sprinkle their own conversations casually with swear words, but never in front of Richard and Helen.
    ‘And very lovely it looks, too, doesn’t it?’ said Richard beaming. He waved his hand across the table. ‘Hugo would always . . .’ Without warning, his voice just cut away. His smile extinguished, like spit on a candle.
    He coughed.
    ‘Was this your idea, Sass?’ Kate asked quietly.
    Saskia sat up straight. ‘I think we’re the ones who should be asking questions, Kate.’ She raised her eyes to the ceiling.
    Kate sat, incredulous. Saskia hadn’t even been invited this evening. Just turned up, as usual. And now she was questioning her in front of Richard and Helen, in her own house.
    ‘Sass . . .?’ she said, shocked.
    Richard raised his eyebrows. ‘OK, look.’ He raised his finger in a stop signal to his daughter. ‘Kate?’ He turned to his