Accidents Happen by Louise Millar Read Free Book Online Page B

Exhausted with the effort, she swallowed hard to keep them at bay.
    Saskia shook her head, angrily, her cheeks reddening. Richard lifted his palms as if offering peace.
    ‘OK, darling, listen, everyone’s getting upset.’ He turned to Helen. ‘Why doesn’t Mum make us some coffee – we’ll discuss this some other time, when everyone is more up to it.’
    Helen cleared her throat.
    ‘Actually, Kate. I think it is our business.’
    Everyone looked at Helen in surprise. In fourteen years, Kate had never heard Helen speak with that firmness in her voice.
    ‘It’s gone too far, Kate. You’ve gone too far.’ Her mother-in-law’s voice quavered. ‘We’ve stood by for years now watching this . . . this . . . behaviour, but this?’ She pointed upwards. ‘It’s, it’s . . . lunacy .’
    Kate froze.
    ‘And, for your information, Sass,’ Helen continued. ‘I have already spoken to Social Services anonymously about what is happening in this house and my rights as a grandparent, and, no, I am not worried about Kate not letting me see Jack.’
    They all stared at Helen, shocked. Kate fought back more tears. ‘No,’ she muttered. ‘Helen. How could you?’
    Helen dabbed at her pink cheeks with a napkin. ‘Because I won’t let you do this to my grandson any more, Kate. After the terrible thing that has happened to him, this little boy deserves love and reassurance and happiness. But instead you’ve turned him into a nervous wreck. Do you know he tried three times tonight to stop us eating in here? He was so anxious about what you would say. I mean, for goodness sake, it’s a dining room .’
    Kate kept fighting back the tears, bewildered. What on earth was Helen doing? She waited for her mother-in-law to return to her benign, fragrant self. To apologize. To keep the peace.
    But Helen continued, her voice cold.
    ‘In fact, if you want the truth, Kate, I think he needs to come and live with me and Richard for a while.’
    ‘No!’ Kate cried, horrified.
    ‘Richard can run him into town to school and pick him up.’
    ‘Richard?’ Kate said desperately, turning to her father-in-law.
    Richard sighed. ‘Darling, you haven’t been yourself for a while. Helen’s just upset.’
    ‘I am NOT upset,’ Helen barked. ‘I am simply doing what we should have done a long time ago.’
    Kate saw Sass flinch, too, at her mother’s unfamiliar tone. She sat back and picked at a long, French-polished fingernail.
    Richard regarded his wife. ‘OK. Let me reword that. Darling, the thing is, Helen and I feel a strong responsibility to you, but we also need to think about what Hugo would want us to do.’
    ‘You think Hugo would want you to take Jack from me?’ Kate spluttered. ‘Jesus. Have you been planning this, Helen?’
    Richard shook his head. ‘No. No. That’s not what we’re doing, darling. We’re just offering to take him for a while to give you a chance to start thinking about how to improve things . . .’
    ‘And if I say no?’
    ‘My next call to Social Services will not be anonymous,’ Helen said.
    A stunned silence descended on the table.
    Kate glanced frantically at her father-in-law. He shook his head sadly.
    ‘Helen,’ Kate gasped. ‘How could you say that?’
    Helen sat upright. ‘I’ve never interfered, Kate. Not once, with all the alarms and hospital visits and the irrational rules and this obsession with . . .’ She stopped. ‘Because Richard said we needed to give you time after what happened. But you don’t even seem aware of your behaviour. You lie to Jack constantly. You told him last week that you were in London seeing a friend, but we know you were at the hospital because you left the letter in the drawer where the clothes pegs are. And this business tonight of frightening him by saying someone had been here, stealing your casserole.’
    No. No. This couldn’t be happening. Kate clutched her seat.
    ‘Some of it had gone out the dish . . .’ she whispered.
    ‘It had NOT GONE!’