Chapter
5
“So, Dominic, aren’t you going to spill the beans,” Anna teased
him.
“Spill the beans?”
“About Helen. Aren’t you going to tell us all her deepest, darkest
secrets?”
Helen’s head jerked up in alarm.
“Why has she got any?”
Helen smiled at him gratefully. “I thought you were going out,
Anna.”
“I was. Until the company became infinitely more interesting. What
was it like having Helen as a boss?” She persisted.
“Anna, leave the lad alone!” Angus Stewart growled.
“She’s alright, Mr Stewart. Yeah, it was great. Helen was a good
boss.” He looked across at Helen and smiled. “Well, I’d better make a move if
I’m going to find a B and B. Thanks for the meal, Mrs Stewart.”
“Why don’t you stay here, Dominic? There’s a spare room and I’m
sure Helen would like you to stay.” Mary Stewart looked at her daughter for
confirmation.
Helen forced a smile to her lips. She liked Dominic but she wasn’t
too sure about having him under the same roof. “Yes, stay, Dominic. That would
be lovely. Unless you want to move on,” she added quickly.
“No, I’d love to, thanks.” He beamed. “I’ll just fetch my bag in.
It’s still on the bike.”
“So, that’s the handsome PO you were daydreaming about?” Anna
teased after Dominic had left the room.
“Anna, you don’t know what you’re talking about!” Helen snapped
impatiently. “I’ll go and make Dominic’s bed up.” She went upstairs suddenly
desperate to be alone.
“There are some clean sheets in the airing cupboard,” Mary called
after her then looked at her youngest daughter. “You’re not too old for a
slapped bottom!”
Helen sank down onto the bed in the spare room. It was lovely to
see Dominic but his presence only served to remind her how much she was still
missing Nikki. She put clean sheets on the bed then went back downstairs.
Dominic’s face lit up as she entered the room.
“Do you fancy going for a walk, Helen?” he asked hopefully. “It’s
a lovely night.”
“Ok then,” she agreed.
Anna made a move to join them but her mother looked at her
warningly and she sat sullenly back down in her chair.
“I like your family,” he said as they walked. “They’re really nice
people.”
“Thanks. You’ll have to excuse Anna. Anyone would think she’d
never seen a good-looking man before.”
“Thanks for the compliment,” he laughed.
Shit! Helen thought angrily. I really walked into that one.
“Have you decided when you’re coming back? If you are, that is.”
“Of course, I’m coming back. Why wouldn’t I?”
He shrugged. “What will you do? Job wise, I mean.”
“I don’t know. I thought about teacher training. You know,
infants.”
“That’s a bit of a career change, isn’t it?”
She rounded on him angrily. “Dominic, if there weren’t so many
lying, conniving, back-stabbing bastards in Larkhall, I wouldn’t be having to
think about a career change! Teaching innocent kids should be a piece of piss
after that lot!”
“Sorry, Helen,” he mumbled.
“No, I’m sorry, Dominic,” she said guiltily. “I shouldn’t take it
out on you, it’s not your fault and I really am glad to see you.”
He looked at her happily then without warning bent and kissed her.
She groaned audibly. Shit! What have I got myself into now? Dominic
misinterpreted the sound as passion and slid his arms around her drawing her
closer. She stood passively in his embrace until he drew away. “I’m glad to see
you as well, Helen.” He bent his head again but she placed her fingers against
his lips. “Please, Dominic, just give me more time.”
He nodded but kept his arm around her shoulders as they walked
back home.
She decided to make the rest of his holiday as pleasant as
possible for him and took him off sightseeing everyday. Resisting, however, his
attempts to get her to ride pillion on his bike choosing instead to take her
car.
On his last day she walked with him as he wheeled his bike round
to the front of the cottage. “I’ll give you a call when I get back, Dominic.”
“Make sure you do. Thank your mum again for me will you. I’ve had
a great holiday.” He bent to kiss her but this time she realised his intentions
and moved her head slightly. His lips caught the corner of her mouth. “See you
soon, Helen.” He fastened his crash helmet, kick-started his bike and, with a
final wave of his hand, roared off down the street.
Helen couldn’t resist giving a sigh of relief as she watched his
departure.
A few days later Helen was in her bedroom when she heard the
telephone ring. Her mother called upstairs to her.
“Telephone, Helen. It’s Claire.”
Helen almost flew downstairs. Claire was one of her oldest friends
and also Nikki’s lawyer. She had called her several times since she had been
home to check on the progress of Nikki’s appeal.
“Claire, sorry to keep you waiting,” she said breathlessly. “I was
upstairs.”
“That’s alright. Don’t worry,” she said pleasantly. “I thought
you’d like to be one of the first to know. We’ve got some new evidence. Lawson raped
a prostitute whilst she was in police custody. They tried to hush it up but one
of his colleagues has blown the gaff and the prostitute has agreed to testify.
Nikki’s going to get her appeal!”
“Oh, Claire. I can’t believe it,” she said delightedly. “When?”
“We’re still waiting for a date but soon we hope.”
“You haven’t told her I’ve been in touch with you, have you?”
“Of course not but I hate having to lie to her when she asks about
you.”
“She asks about me?” Helen said in disbelief.
“Of course she does. She knows we’re friends. I just told her, as
far as I knew you were in Scotland. Which is the truth anyway. Sorry, Helen,
I’ve got to go. I’ll call you again when I’ve got more news.”
“Thanks, Claire. ‘Bye.”
Helen replaced the receiver. She couldn’t believe it. Nikki could
be free and soon. She had to go home. She wanted to be near Nikki when she
regained her freedom even if it was only in the same county.
She sank down onto a chair as a wave of nausea hit her. Too much
excitement, she thought to herself but she knew excitement had nothing to do
with it. She had been sick every morning this week and she hadn’t had a period
either for two months so unless she was very much mistaken, she was pregnant!
She had stopped taking the pill after she had started her
relationship with Nikki and contraception hadn’t been an issue. Contraception
had also been the furthest thing from her mind when she’d got into the back
seat with Brian. How could she be so stupid as to have unprotected sex with a
complete stranger? Maybe she should count herself lucky if pregnancy was the
only consequence of that night!
“I’ve decided to go back home tomorrow, Mum,” Helen informed her
mother over breakfast the following morning.
Mary Stewart eyed her daughter keenly. “Me and your dad will miss
you, love, but you know what’s best. When do you start your new job? You’ve
been lucky they’ve held it open for you so long.”
“Soon, “ Helen edged. Her mother was a canny Scot and missed
nothing. She was tempted to open up to her but how would she react knowing that
her eldest daughter had not only had a lesbian relationship but her lover was a
convicted murderer and she had lost her job because of it. No, she couldn’t
break her heart like that.
“Helen, is there anything you want to tell me?” Mary asked
quietly.
Helen looked at her in surprise. “What do you mean?”
“Something is bothering you. I can sense it,” her mother
persisted.
“I’m fine, Mum. Honestly.”
“What about the baby?”
Helen’s mouth dropped open. “W…what?”
“You are pregnant, aren’t you?”
“Mum, I…”
“I’ve had two bairns of my own, Helen. I recognise the signs and
I’ve heard you being sick. I’m not wrong, am I?”
“No, Mum, you’re not wrong,” she said quietly. “I only realised
myself a couple of days ago.”
“Will you be marrying the baby’s father?”
Helen shook her head. “No, I don’t see him anymore.” How could she
admit to her mother that her future grandchild was the result of a one-night
stand?
“Then stay here with us,” Mary pleaded. “Your dad will be alright
about the baby. He’ll probably rant and rave a bit but that’s just his way.
I’ll soon talk him round.”
“I have to go back, Mum.” she took her mother’s hand gently.
“Apart from you, Dad and Anna everything I care about it back there.”
“Who is Nikki?”
“N…Nikki!” she stammered.
“I heard you talking in your sleep one night. You said the name.”
She coloured bright red. “Nikki is just a friend.”
“But not the baby’s father?”
She resisted an urge to smile at the absurdity of her mother’s
words. “No. Nikki is definitely not the baby’s father.”
“You are going to keep it, aren’t you?”
She hadn’t even thought about whether to keep the baby or not. She
looked at her mother’s expectant face and smiled at her. “Yes, Mum. I’m going
to keep it but please don’t tell dad yet.”
“I won’t but he’s going to have to know sometime. You’ll have to
take better care of yourself as well, Helen,” Mary admonished her. “But I’m
glad to see you’ve stopped drinking.”
Maybe I should have stopped drinking sooner, Helen thought
bitterly, then I wouldn’t be in this mess.
Helen took her leave of them the following morning after promising
to visit soon. Several hours later, after a break at a service station to
freshen up, she let herself into her flat. There was the smell of polish in the
air and fresh flowers in a vase on the hall table, obviously Mrs Carter’s
handiwork after she had phoned and told her neighbour she was coming home. She
would have to buy her something to repay her kindness. There was a pile of mail
beside the vase. She leafed through it absently. There was nothing from Nikki
but she hadn’t really expected there to be not after all these months of
disinterest. She would ring Dominic later and tell him she was home maybe he
would have some news.
“It’s good to have you back, Helen,” Dominic told her with a
smile. As soon as Helen had phoned him he had rushed straight over, anxious to
see her.
“It’s good to be back,” she told him sincerely. “I didn’t realise
how much I’d missed the old place.”
“Right then,” Dominic said cheerfully. “Shall I open that bottle
of wine I brought?”
“Not for me. I’m on the wagon,” she told him with a radiant smile.
“You, on the wagon,” he laughed. “I always thought you’d got
hollow legs.”
“You cheeky sod!” She joined in his laughter. “My mother has
ordered me to take better care of myself.”
“Surely one glass of wine won’t hurt.”
“I’m pregnant, Dominic!”
“You’re what?” His mouth opened and shut in disbelief.
“You know pregnant, with child, up the duff,” she joked.
“I can’t believe it. You led me on. You fucking whore!” His face
contorted with anger.
“Dominic!” He couldn’t have hurt her more if he had physically slapped
her.
“How could you do this to me?” He exclaimed grabbing hold of her
upper arms and digging his fingers into her tender flesh. “Do you know what
I’ve done for you, you slut?”
“Dominic, what the hell is wrong with you?” She cried fearfully.
This was a side to him she had never seen before.
“Me and Nikki Wade have a lot in common. We’re the poor bloody
idiots who loved you! I was right, you two don’t belong together because she’s
too fucking good for you!” He stood up and started to leave the room.
She ran after him. “Dominic, wait!” He spun round, fist raised and
for one awful moment she thought he was going to hit her.
“Why don’t you just piss off, you two-timing tart!”
She paled as she heard the same words Nikki had used when she
thought she was having an affair with Dominic. The front door slammed and she
sank to her knees, tears rolling down her cheeks. How could she ever face Nikki
again after this? If Dominic thought about her in such a vile, evil manner,
what would Nikki think about her?