He stared out over the fen, unaware that he was pulling his wedding ring on and off his finger. He was not dealing with this situation very well at all. The sound of the door latch made him jump, and he shrank down on to the seat, fearing his reaction if she subjected him to another barrage from her acid tongue. It took him a long time to turn and look up at her.
Kate stood for a minute, and then sat down and took his hand in both of hers. Her fingers were ice cold, despite the warmth of the sun. He slipped his hand from hers, took off his jacket and draped it around her bony shoulders, gently lifting her dark hair over the collar. He noticed her sour smell. She hadn’t washed since that odd conversation about Sophie. This was so unlike Kate that Will could have cried.
‘What is happening to me?’ She sounded like a small, frightened child, and the eyes she turned to him were huge and dark.
He held her to him and rocked her back and forth. A tear made its slow way down her ashen cheek and she began to sob.
Will had no idea how long they sat like that. Kate seemed unaware of Matt’s arrival, or that she was being led indoors. Will carried her upstairs, laid her carefully on the bed and drew the curtains.
Will watched her for some time before going back down to find Matt.
His friend was waiting in the kitchen, and as soon as he walked in, he put his arms around Will.
Will spoke into his shoulder. ‘I can’t cope any more, mate, I really can’t.’
‘I can see that.’ Matt sighed. ‘How long will she sleep for now?’
Will rubbed his eyes. ‘Anything up to twenty-four hours.’
‘Okay, so why don’t you go up and make sure she is alright, and I’ll make us a coffee. Then I want you to tell me everything that has happened, Will. Everything.’
Will dragged himself wearily up to their bedroom and looked down at the huddled shape hidden beneath the bedclothes. He bent down and kissed her cheek. As he did so, his face touched something other than the soft coverlet. He recoiled from her in horror. There lay that doll, clutched tightly to his wife’s chest.
Back in the kitchen, he almost fell into a chair and put his head in his hands. ‘She’s sleeping.’
Matt placed a mug of strong coffee in front of him. ‘Look, I’ve just spoken to Sam Page. He’s offered to come over immediately and I said yes. Now, he can come here, or we can meet him, say, at Little Anchor? Emilia wouldn’t mind under the circumstances, and I have the key.’
Will shook his head. ‘No. Tell him to come here, Matt. Kate won’t wake. She’ll not know anything, and frankly, even if she did, I’m past the point of caring.’
Matt made the call. ‘He’s ten minutes away.’
‘Good.’
‘If anyone can help, it’s this man, Will. And unlike Laura, who still works full-time, he has all the time in the world. He will help your Kate to get better, so you can both get your lives back.’
For a while, they sat in silence. Will could see no alternative but to listen to what Sam Page had to say. There was no longer anything to lose.
Soon, the old man was with them. Matt made him a drink and he sat down facing Will. He had a kind, understanding face but his eyes were shrewd.
‘I’ve told Sam all I know about Kate’s situation,’ said Matt. ‘But can you bring him up to date on recent developments?’
Sam listened to Will’s occasionally rambling description of the events of the past few days. When the torrent of words finally ran out, he said, ‘The timing of that visit from your niece and her guardian could not have been worse. I can’t think of anything more likely to upset your dear Kate than having a child turn up on her doorstep.’ He rubbed at a mark on his trouser leg. ‘Plus, all those unpleasant happenings down at Little Anchor, especially your friend here getting attacked.’
‘She’s been strangely unconcerned about all that,’ said Will flatly. ‘As if she didn’t care at all.’
‘Oh, it will have bothered her. She’s just refused to allow it to intrude into her own world. When someone has an all-consuming, ruling passion, other things don’t have their normal significance. It’s as if there is only room for one priority and everything else is relegated to the background. Do you follow?’ Sam looked at Will enquiringly.
Will nodded. ‘Does that account for her complete lack of interest in food and looking after herself?’
‘Absolutely. She needs every minute and every scrap of energy she possesses for her work and her mission, and if we don’t get through to her, she will get worse.’
‘Does it have a name, this illness? Like obsessive–compulsive disorder? I mean, she is obsessed with the house and its previous occupants, isn’t she?’ asked Will.
Sam puffed out his cheeks and shook his head. ‘It’s not that, William. Sufferers of obsessive–compulsive disorder are very aware of their problem. They know that their rituals — all the counting, the hand washing — don’t make sense, but they have to do them.’ He smiled patiently. ‘I could explain OCD in more detail, but believe me, this isn’t it.’
The doctor took a long swallow of his coffee. ‘I believe that Kate suffered from an abnormal grief reaction after the loss of the baby and her subsequent hysterectomy. She was grieving two losses, don’t forget, the child, and her ability to conceive. She had a prolonged, difficult and complicated response to what happened. I’m aware that she underwent treatment, William, but it seems that her grief and anger were never fully addressed. I know that she managed to get back to what appeared to be normality, but unfortunately all that work has been undone by the Holland family and their missing and dead children.’ He stared from Matt to Will. ‘In my opinion, and without all the tests I would carry out with a willing patient, Kate is suffering from a form of bipolar disorder — what used to be referred to as “manic depression.” A mania is an exaggeration of feelings that we all experience from time to time. We can all get excited about a new project, get a bit tunnel-visioned even, but we still give room for all the other things in our lives. The bipolar sufferer cannot do that. Their lives are a cycle of intense passions, from one extreme to the other, and they become highly irritated with anyone who doesn’t share in them. They are unable or unwilling to sleep, until a depression sets in. In other words, the sufferer experiences a constant series of highs and lows. They are on a roller coaster, swinging between elation and the depths of despair. At low points she will feel unable to cope with anything — like now — and the next thing you know, she is painting in a frenzy and working all night. The sad thing is, my boy, that with the right medication, she could have an almost “normal” life. This illness reacts very well to certain drugs, but they need time to work, and the longer Kate goes on like this the more difficult it will become.’
‘She had those drugs before, Sam, and the side effects were awful.’ Will hated to even think about that terrible time.
‘A lot of research has been undertaken since then. There are different medications available now, and they’re not all addictive. Many doctors would treat her with lithium. I know it has to be administered and monitored very carefully, but it can give a patient their life back.’
‘Forgive my scepticism, Sam, but they told us that before. She said they made her feel like a zombie and I thought we’d never get her off the damn pills.’