She nods approvingly, and with a last look at Jaxon’s ugly expression, we walk out and leave him to stew.
We stumble down the stairs with roars of, ‘Hey, get back here!’ and ‘What the fuck am I supposed to do now?’ ringing in our ears.
Out in the street, Fen gasps, ‘Oh, my God. Madison! Whatever possessed you? I know you said you were going to sort things for Molly, but I didn’t think it would involve a spectacular drama like that!’
‘How on earth did you get him to strip off?’ I yelp.
Madison shrugs. ‘Oh, you know, the usual way. He thought it was his lucky day – that I was up for a bit of you-know-what, but he was in for a bit of a shock instead.’
‘You’re telling me,’ Fen murmurs.
I rub my arms, feeling chilled to the bone after being in that dreary flat. It was worse than ours and that’s saying something. ‘Weren’t you scared?’
‘Not really. I was bullied by a man exactly like him years ago, and I never got even with him. So when I heard you talking to Carrie, my old enemy’s face came into my mind, and all the old anger started pouring to the surface. So I decided I wanted to see Jaxon suffer, just in some small but humiliating way, for making your life a misery, Molly. It was like I was taking revenge for me, too.’
‘You’ve never mentioned this, Madison,’ says Fen.
‘No, because it’s in the past. At least, I thought it was.’
‘Well, thank you.’ I link her arm, and she looks at me in surprise. ‘The look on Jaxon’s face when he knew we were leaving him there!’
Fen snorts. ‘In only his sparkly red thong. Priceless!’
‘So how long do you reckon we leave him there to reflect on his sins?’ asks Madison. ‘I thought I’d give him a couple of hours, then make an anonymous phone call to the police. I wouldn’t want that woman, Bobbie, to have to face his wrath when he’s finally released.’
I nod. ‘Good plan.’
‘That red thong will remain with me forever,’ giggles Fen.
Madison laughs for the first time during the entire drama. ‘Let’s hope the police enjoy it, too.’
‘Love and kindness are never wasted. They always make a difference.’
– Helen James
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
‘Are we nearly there?’
It’s the day after Jaxon Savidge’s hilarious humiliation, and I’m in the front of Fen’s car again, bumping over pot-holes. Eva, in the back, has been asking the same question ever since we collected her from school. Along with the occasional, ‘Where are we going, Mummy?’
‘I need to know where we’re going, Auntie Fen!’ she says, sounding exasperated, and Fen laughs. ‘It’s a surprise, Eva,’ she says for the third time. ‘I think you’ll like it.’
‘Is it jelly and ice-cream?’
‘No. But it’s even better than jelly and ice-cream!’ She grins at me. ‘I think it is, anyway.’
Bemused, I give an expansive shrug. ‘Don’t look at me. I’m as much in the dark as Eva.’ I clear my throat and murmur, ‘Did Madison phone the police last night?’
Fen nods. ‘She held out for an hour then she rang them.’
I stick up my thumb.
‘We are nearly there, actually. It’s just around this corner.’
We’re on the outskirts of Sunnybrook, at the top end of the high street, and she turns into a little cul-de-sac of modern houses. Built of mellow red brick, with white-framed windows, some are detached and others are ranged in little terraces of three.
Fen comes to a stop outside one of the terraced properties and I glance out at it, wondering who lives there. Perhaps it’s a new customer for the food bank scheme.
Fen unbuckles her belt. ‘Come on. Let’s go.’
‘We’re getting out?’
She smiles. ‘I think you’ll be glad you did.’
Puzzled, I slide out and pull back the seat to let Eva out. Then I take her hand and we follow Fen up the little path to the front door of the end terrace, with its pretty little white-painted porch roof. A woman in a suit comes out even before we ring the bell and she ushers us all in with a big smile.
‘You must be Eva,’ she says, smiling down. ‘What do you think of the house?’
Eva smiles shyly and moves close to me. ‘I don’t know. I haven’t seen it,’ she says, very reasonably.
We all laugh and Fen says, ‘Molly, this is Rachel of Hunter’s Estate Agents. Madison spotted this for rent and thought you might want to take a look?’
‘Oh.’ My heart lurches with surprise. ‘Right. Gosh.’ I look around me, at the square-shaped sitting room, with the April sun streaming through the pretty bay window, and the kitchen-diner beyond. I can see French windows and a glimpse of garden, and my heart starts beating very fast.
‘Let’s have a look, Eva.’
‘Can we go upstairs?’
‘In a minute. How about we look at the garden?’
‘If we had a garden, we could get a puppy. You said so, Mummy.
I make a face over her head at Fen and Rachel. ‘So I did.’
‘So can we? Get a puppy?’
‘Well, we don’t live here yet.’
‘But we might. Can we go and see my bedroom?’
I laugh, filled with joy to see my daughter so happy and excited. This house has a lovely feel. Whereas the flat was dank and gloomy - always with a hint of damp in the air, even on a sunny day – this place is light and airy and filled with sunshine. It’s a place where hopes and dreams could flourish. As we climb the stairs, I suddenly picture myself on my laptop, studying for my architecture degree, and it takes me by surprise. I haven’t thought about that in so long…
‘This is mine,’ sings Eva, running to the window of the smallest bedroom, which looks out over the garden.
Fen joins me as I’m checking out the bathroom.
‘Molly, listen, whatever you decide about this house, you’re not going back to Jaxon’s place again – except to collect your stuff. Okay?’
I shrug. ‘We’ve nowhere else to go.’
‘Yes, you do. The three of you are coming to stay at Brambleberry Manor and I’m not going to listen to any arguments.’
‘Oh, but - ’
She shakes her head. ‘No buts. It’s already arranged. I told Mum about your circumstances this morning – I hope you don’t mind – and she agreed with me that you shouldn’t go back there. We’ve got loads of space and it would only be until you’re sorted with a place of your own. Plus it would be fun.’ She shrugs. ‘So that’s that. Okay?’
‘Fen, I don’t know what to say. You’ve been so good to us. But we can’t impose like that.’
She smiles. ‘Listen, you’d help me out if I was in trouble, wouldn’t you?’
I nod. ‘Of course I would.’
‘Exactly. That’s what friends do. So you’re coming, right?’
Happy tears prick my eyelids. ‘Oh my God, Fen, never having to go back to that flat would be a dream come true.’