By
Jan
Chapter 4
The next few days were strained. Helen did her best to
keep both herself and the children out of the way of the two women but even in
a house this size they kept bumping into each other. More than once she heard Marcia
complaining about unruly children running around the house but she knew this
was down to the woman’s pettiness. Nikki obviously knew too because she heard
her leap to the children’s defence.
One night she went down to the library to return the
book she had borrowed and choose another one. It wasn’t until she opened the
door that she realised there was someone in the room. Nikki was sitting at the
large oak desk staring into space, her beautiful features illuminated by the
desk lamp.
“I’m sorry,” Helen began apologetically. “I didn’t
know there was anyone in here. I came to return this.” She indicated the book.
Nikki started at the sight of her. “Helen, come in,”
she said softly. “Switch the light on.”
Helen switched on the light and crossed to the
bookshelves, replacing the book in the same place she had taken it from.
“So you like the classics?” Nikki remarked coming up
behind her.
“How did you know?” Helen asked with a frown.
“I arranged them all…classics, biographies, sport,
sci-fi, romance,” she pointed out the various shelves and grimaced at the
latter. “Think those must be gran’s,” she said with a grin.
Helen looked at her and returned her grin. “No time
for romance then?” She blushed when she realised Nikki was looking at her with
an inscrutable expression on her face. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have said that.”
“Don’t worry about it.” Nikki brushed aside her
apology. “I don’t suppose your situation leaves you much time for romance
either.”
“Most men run a mile when they see I’ve got three kids
in tow,” Helen replied honestly. “My fiancé did.”
“Fiancé?” Nikki echoed.
“Yeah, we were supposed to be getting married next
month but when all this happened with the kids, he called it off.” Helen laughed
suddenly. “I shouldn’t be boring you with my problems.”
“You’re not boring me.”
“Well, I gotta go. I want to check on the kids.”
Nikki watched her walk across to the door. “Helen,”
she called softly. Helen turned and looked at her expectantly. “Your fiancé was
an idiot.”
Helen looked at her for a breathless moment before she
finally spoke. “Yeah, but he didn’t think so. ‘Night.”
“’Night.” When she had gone, Nikki went and sat back
behind the desk. This was the third night in a row she hadn’t gone to bed.
Lying to Marcia and saying she had fallen asleep in the chair was becoming
second nature to her. Tomorrow, she would suggest to the American they spent a
few days in London together. Maybe away from this place she would forget all
about Helen Stewart but that still left an uncomfortable night on the settee
and a bollocking from Marcia in the morning to contend with.
“What do you think to the Ice Maiden then?” Emma asked
suddenly.
After giving Emma a bed bath, Helen was helping her
into a clean nightdress and the question took her by surprise.
“You know, Nikki’s latest floozy,” Emma supplied
mischievously when Helen didn’t answer.
“Well, I…I’ve tried to keep out of her way as much as
possible,” Helen replied honestly.
“I don’t blame you.” Came the conspiratorial reply.
“Why on earth Nikki doesn’t find herself a decent woman, I’ll never know. What
about you?”
Helen’s head jerked up. “Oh, I’m not interested in
women,” she replied quickly.
The old lady looked at her closely. “Hm,” she mused softly.
“Any women or my Nikki in particular?”
“Any women,” Helen returned abruptly.
“According to Nikki, we don’t know what we’re
missing,” Emma said candidly.
Helen forced back a smile. “Guess we’ll have to take
her word for that, won’t we?”
“Hm,” Emma again mused.
“I’ll go and see where Maddy is with your breakfast.”
Helen muttered then made a hasty exit and breathed a sigh of relief outside the
door.
“Is the old girl giving you trouble?”
She looked up in surprise at the sound of Nikki’s
voice. The tall woman was walking down the corridor towards her carrying Emma’s
breakfast tray. “No, of course not,” Helen replied frostily.
“Would you mind?” Nikki nodded towards the door. Helen
tapped briskly on the door then pushed it open, flushing as Nikki gave her a
stomach-churning smile as she brushed passed her. “Thanks.”
As Helen started to close the door, she heard Nikki’s
voice, gentle and loving, as she spoke to her grandmother.
“’Morning, Gran. I’ve brought you a nice soft boiled
egg and some soldiers.”
Helen smiled to herself, wondering what it would be
like to hear Nikki speaking words of love in such a voice! She gasped and
reprimanded herself sharply at her train of thought.
“Eavesdropping?” a sarcastic voice spoke behind her.
“I was just closing the door!” Helen snapped as she
glared at Marcia. Why did the bloody woman always make her feel at such a
disadvantage?
“No need,” the American replied silkily. “I’m going
in.”
Helen moved to one side to allow Marcia to pass her then
the door was firmly closed in her face. “Bitch!” she muttered under her breath.
Helen took the children to school, stopping off at the
local shopping centre on the way back for a few necessities. When she returned,
she took her bags into the kitchen, where Maddy was pottering around, and
emptied out her purchases. She had bought some treats for the children and a
packet of biscuits she knew Maddy was partial to. She liked the older woman
who, according to Emma, had been a mother substitute for Nikki.
“I’ve made you a coffee, Helen,” Maddy informed her
kindly.
“Thanks, Maddy,” she replied gratefully. “I’ve bought
us to a packet of chocolate biscuits to go with it.”
“Well, at least we can enjoy it in peace today,” the
older woman told her. “Now Nikki and the woman have left.”
Helen looked at her in surprise. “They’ve left?”
“About an hour ago. They’re staying in London for a
few days.” She picked up the packet of chocolate biscuits Helen had placed on
the table. “Do you want one of these?”
Helen shook her head dismally. “I’m OK, thanks. I’m
not really hungry at the moment.” She sat down at the table and picked up her
mug of coffee. Nikki hadn’t said anything to her about going away but then
there was no reason that she should. She was only an employee after all.
“Nikki left a number for you, in case you needed her,”
Maddy informed her, breaking into her thoughts. “She said to ring her if you
were worried about anything, anything at all, those were her exact words.”
“I don’t think we’ll need to bother her,” Helen
murmured stiffly.
Nikki looked around the crowded room trying to seek
out Marcia. She couldn’t believe she’d let herself be dragged to this charity
function but there had been so much unpleasantness between them lately that she
had agreed to appease her feelings of guilt. It wouldn’t have been so bad but
Marcia had grabbed a drink from the tray of a passing waiter, thrust it into
her hand and then started circulating.
She spied her talking to an elderly couple and as soon
as she was able to attract her attention, jerked her head towards the door.
Marcia frowned at her and carried on talking for another ten minutes!
Eventually, she excused herself from the couple and
made her way over to Nikki. “What’s wrong?” she asked when she saw the angry
look on Nikki’s face.
“I’m going home!” Nikki snapped.
“Give it another hour, babe,” she wheedled. “Then I’ll
come with you.”
“No, you don’t get it! When I said ‘home’, I didn’t
mean the hotel. I’m going back where I belong!” Nikki retorted.
“But we’ve only just come from there,” Marcia
complained.
“I’m not asking you to come with me.”
“So what do you want me to do…kick my heels in London
while you go running off back to granny?”
“You can do what you want!” Nikki hissed, trying to
keep her voice low so they couldn’t be overheard. “It’s just not working
between us, Marcia.”
“You drag me thousands of miles then say it’s not
working between us!”
Nikki glanced around anxiously when she realised
people were beginning to look at them…alerted by Marcia’s angry voice. “I
didn’t drag you anywhere and for goodness sake, keep your voice down!”
“I will not be dictated to by you!” came the angry
retort.
“Fine. Do what you like, I’m off!”
“Nikki!”
Marcia’s angry voice reached her ears but by this time
she was past caring as she made her way through the crowd. She was going home
because she was missing her gran and Maddy but most of all she was missing
Helen and the kids!
Helen was sitting on the edge of Jemma’s bed reading
from a storybook. “And they all lived happily every after,” she recited as she
closed the book. “Now, sleep for you, young lady.”
“One more story, Auntie Helen, please.” Jemma’s little
voice pleaded.
“No, sweetheart, you’ve had three already,” Helen replied
patiently. “Don’t forget you’ve got to get up for school in the morning.”
“Go to sleep, Jem!” Tommy ordered bossily from the top
bunk. “Auntie Helen’s tired.”
Helen looked at her eldest nephew gratefully. For one
so young, he was certainly attuned to the needs of others. He winked at her and
her heart lurched. He was the spitting image of her brother, Tom, when he was a
little boy.
She turned back to Jemma who seemed to have resigned
herself to the fact that she wasn’t going to get another story tonight because
her eyes were tightly closed. She dropped a kiss on the little girl’s forehead
before standing up and crossing to the bunk beds. Jamie was fast asleep and had
been since before the end of the first story. She tucked the duvet around him and
ran her hand gently over his blond locks.
“Auntie Helen, will we always be able to stay here?”
Tommy asked her as she straightened from Jamie’s bunk.
“Probably not,” she replied regretfully. “As soon as
Mrs Wade is completely well again I’ll have to look for another job but don’t
worry, that won’t be for a while yet. Why? Do you like it here?”
He nodded. “We’re like a family again.”
“Tommy, we’ll always be a family…the four of us,” she
reassured him gently. “Come on now, go to sleep.” She kissed his cheek and
ruffled his hair.
“I like Nikki,” he said suddenly and Helen stiffened
at the sound of her name but she had to smile at his next words. “She’s good at
football, for a girl.”
As she tucked him in she heard a tap at the door and
Maddy stuck her head in.
“Sorry, to bother you, Helen,” she said
apologetically. “There’s someone downstairs to see you. He says he’s a friend
of yours. I’ve put him in the library.”
Helen frowned as she tried to think who it could be.
“OK, thanks, Maddy. Be down in a minute.” She turned back to Tommy. “See you in
the morning.” He nodded and snuggled down.
As she left the room, she switched off the light and
quietly closed the door behind her. She was still at a loss as to whom her
gentleman caller was and as she entered the library the smile on her lips froze
when she saw who was standing there.
“Hello, Helen.”
She took a deep breath. “What the hell are you doing
here?”
Nikki went back to the hotel and hurriedly packed her bags.
She wanted to be out of there and avoid any further unpleasantness with Marcia.
Down at reception she settled the bill for their room and paid in advance for
two more nights to give Marcia a chance to sort herself out. Once in the
driving seat of her car she took a deep breath and gave a sigh of relief then
with a faint smile switched on the engine.
The roads were fairly quiet but it still took her
almost two hours to drive home, cursing every hold-up and red light along the
way.
She drew up in front of the house and not even
stopping to grab her bags dashed inside. “Helen!” she called loudly as she
stood in the hallway. “Helen!” She waited patiently but when there was no
reply, she started to go upstairs to look for her as Maddy came bustling down the
corridor from the kitchen.
“What’s all the noise? You’ll waken the children!” she
admonished Nikki.
“Sorry, I never thought about them being in bed,” she
apologised quickly. “Do you know where Helen is?”
Maddy looked at her thoughtfully. “Why? There’s
nothing wrong with Emma is there?”
“No, not that I know of,” Nikki replied abruptly. “I
just need to know where Helen is.”
“She’s gone out. I’m looking after the children for
her.”
Nikki sighed impatiently. “Gone out? Where? What time
will she be back?”
Maddy shook her head in bewilderment as Nikki fired
questions at her. “I don’t know where she’s gone but she did say she wouldn’t
be long.”
Suddenly, a thought struck Nikki. She hadn’t realised
Helen had any friends. She hadn’t socialised with anyone in the weeks she had
been working for her grandmother. “Who has she gone out with?” she demanded
curiously.
“Gone out with?” Maddy repeated absently. “Oh, yes…her
fiancé!”