A Pen Dipped in Poison by J.M. Hall

Author:J.M. Hall [Hall, J.M.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Published: 2022-11-28T12:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

News of a scandal spreads far and wide, and an envelope is found in the trousers of an adulterer.

YOU NEED TO ASK YOUR HUSBAND ABOUT HIS

RELATIONSHIP WITH NICOLE KIRK AS WORKS

IN THE SCHOOL OFFICE. SORRY BUT YOU NEED

TO. YOU DESEVE THE TRUTH. A WELL-WISHER.

A screen shot of this note had been posted on Natalie Berryman’s Facebook page at 9.23 p.m., captioned: That’s just about made my Friday night, and then, half an hour later: The bastard’s admitted everything. This latter post was made after Natalie had confronted Ian, stormed out of the house and decamped, weeping, to the home of her best friend Trace, where the two of them proceeded to polish off three bottles of Prosecco. This information Pat gleaned from Olga at Mums, Bums and Tums, whose son worked with Trace at the Farm Shop. Some thirty minutes later Natalie’s sister Jules blasted in, having abandoned a girls’ night out in York, made everyone strong coffee and persuaded Natalie to take the picture down. This Thelma heard via Polly from the charity shop, who knew Jules through Beavers.

However, despite the relative lateness of the hour and the brief time the screenshot had been posted, it had been seen by many, copied and forwarded by many more and accrued a plethora of emoji-strewn comments, all along the lines of unfettered sympathy for Natalie and articulate condemnation for both Ian and Nicole. Indeed, Nicole came in for particular ire from those St Barnabus parents who had experienced her icy take-no-prisoners approach to dinner money arrears and term-time absences. Always reckoned on she were so superior and all along she had her knickers round her knees wrecking someone’s marriage, was one of the more repeatable comments.

The image of the letter was forwarded to Thelma by Polly, Pat and Maureen from church. It was forwarded to Pat by Olga, by Linda Barley and, bizarrely, by Liam up in Durham. (Hey up, Mother! It’s all kicking off in Thirsk!) Liz wasn’t forwarded the image at all but heard about it in word-perfect detail from daughter-in-law Leoni who heard the whole tale thread-to-needle via her Used School Uniforms WhatsApp group.

‘They’ve both been given “time off” by Rule Britannia,’ Linda said, speaking through the open window of the rather muddy Barley landrover, her voice slightly raised above the strains of ‘Wannabe’. ‘She had no choice. Not with all the argy-bargy on social media.’

Pat nodded, clutching the egg box whilst fishing for money from her purse; she had happened to be in the yard as Linda was dropping off the eggs. Actually, there was no ‘happened’ about it – Pat had spent a good forty minutes with the leaf blower for the express purpose of grabbing this conversation.

‘Of course,’ Linda went on, ‘with Ian Berryman it’s a case of history repeating itself.’

‘Yes,’ said Pat, remembering how she’d meant to ask about this. ‘Didn’t he meet his current wife in a school as well?’

‘When he was in Preston. She was working in his class. It seems some people just can’t keep their bits in their trackie bottoms.

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