Freeing Grace by Charity Norman

Author:Charity Norman [Norman, Charity]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: book
ISBN: ISBN9781742373188
Publisher: Allen & Unwin Pty Ltd
Published: 2010-06-20T12:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nineteen

I didn’t hear the creak of my door a few hours later. I never heard her cross the floor, either, or lower a mug down next to the alarm clock.

‘Jake.’ Fingers gently pinched my ear. ‘Jake.’

Deborah was standing beside the bed, bright against the pale light of an autumn morning. She was dressed in proper clothes, I noticed: corduroy trousers and a posh, moss-coloured jersey. Proper pommy clothes, to go with the potpourri and polished floors. I missed the strips of tie-dyed cloth.

I peered at the clock, whisky-headed. ‘Jeez!’ I croaked. ‘Half past seven! What is this? Boot camp? I could be snuggled down in a hotel room right now, with fluffy towels and Do not disturb hanging on the door.’

‘Sorry. I brought you some tea.’

Her voice was clear as water. I felt grubby with her so close to me. I mumbled a vague thanks and reached for the mug—I don’t touch the stuff, actually—and she sat down on the bed, somewhere near my knees. I could faintly smell her perfume. A warm, citrus scent, and maybe cloves.

I took a mouthful of tea, hoping it would scald the cotton wool off my tongue. ‘Is anyone else up?’

‘Lucy left two hours ago,’ she said absently, staring out of the window. ‘She says she’ll phone you.’

I stretched my legs, smugly. ‘She’ll be at her desk by now.’

‘I was hoping . . .’

‘Yeah? Faithful hound, at your service.’

‘I . . . um. I’d be so grateful if you could come with me this morning.’

I was suspicious. ‘Come with you to where?’

‘Children’s Services. Fintan House. I’ve got to beard the dragons in their lair.’

‘Well, I don’t see what I’ve got to do with any of that. It’s Perry you . . .’ I wavered, remembering. ‘It’s a solicitor you need.’

She nodded. ‘Stuart Forsyth. I’ve got an appointment to see him tomorrow. In the meantime, his advice is to get down to Fintan House and throw my hat into the ring.’

‘Okay. Fine. Good luck.’ I plonked my head back onto the pillow. The linen smelled of lavender. ‘Let me know how you get on.’

‘Perry can’t come with me this morning. He’s busy.’

What a whopper.

She reached down and shook me by the knee. ‘He explained the whole legal thing to me last night . . . are you listening, Jake?’

‘Nope.’ I pulled the pillow over my ears, wishing I’d put a thousand miles between myself and this madhouse.

She dragged it off me, sat with it on her lap. ‘Grace is being cared for by the local authority, but they have to restore her to her birth family if at all possible. That’s their duty. Adoption is a last resort.’

‘You’d hope so.’

‘Quite. Well, they’ve tried, to be fair. Cherie died. Matt couldn’t manage alone. Perry never came to the party. They didn’t believe I existed, so they gave up and planned to have Grace adopted. They’ve even found a family.’

‘Fast work!’ I said. ‘The thing’s on the home straight.’

‘Okay. Well, because Matt won’t give consent, they’ve had to apply to court for an order.

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