The Askham Accusation by Rebecca Tope

Author:Rebecca Tope [Tope, Rebecca]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Allison and Busby
Published: 2023-03-15T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Thirteen

‘I love you, Christopher Henderson,’ said Simmy, somewhere towards midnight. They had slept for an hour or so and then woken to a cry from Robin in the next room. Both parents lay still, waiting to see what would happen next. When nothing more was heard, they turned to each other in the dark and enjoyed a spell of marital relations that went very well indeed.

‘What brought that on?’ he asked with a chuckle.

‘I just wanted to say it. It came over me in a great big wave. You don’t have to say anything back.’

‘Okay.’ He was quiet and she thought he’d fallen asleep, but then he said, ‘You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me, you know. But I have a hunch that great big wave might have been hormones. And you know what hormones do, don’t you?’

‘Oh hush,’ she said.

Thursday dawned slowly, the dark morning feeling a lot more like winter than the middle of autumn. ‘It’ll be better next week,’ Christopher assured her. ‘The clocks going back mean we get lighter mornings.’

‘Good,’ said Simmy, who knew that already. ‘Is Ben going to work today?’ she asked, changing the subject.

‘No idea. I thought he’d have told you yesterday.’

‘He said he thought he’d be fit, but couldn’t be sure. Presumably he’ll be asking you for a lift if he is going to be in.’

‘Right.’ Christopher’s expression was severe. ‘It would be helpful to know. Why are young people so sloppy about this sort of thing these days?’

‘I expect we were the same at his age. I think we should assume he’s having another day off. He didn’t sound very robust yesterday. It might take a little while to get over the shock.’

‘Did he actually have a proper operation on it?’

‘I’m not sure. Possibly not, since they sent him home so quickly. We talked about other things and I never got around to asking him.’

They were still in bed, their phones downstairs. ‘There’s probably a text from him, anyway,’ Simmy added.

She was proved right when Christopher inspected his phone, but was prevented from commenting when she found a message of her own, from Corinne, sent late the previous evening. ‘Bonnie not doing so well. Think you might have to come and help.’

Suddenly the day felt complicated and stressful. Was Bonnie going to be off work, and if so, what should Simmy do? Close the shop, she supposed. Verity could manage the basics for a day or so, perhaps, but only by some intelligent juggling, which might be beyond her. Tanya might do a couple of hours after school, allowing Verity to make deliveries. Simmy could possibly put in an hour or so as well, with Robin in tow. Already she was figuring out logistics and wondering who to speak to first.

‘Ben says he’d appreciate another day off, but is sure he can get back to work tomorrow,’ Christopher announced, before noticing the look on her face. ‘What’s the matter?’

‘Bonnie’s having a crisis. Corinne thinks I should go down there.

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