Laura really was good with children. Sarah watched as she chatted to the boy, bending down to his level and making him giggle before helping him onto the slide.
‘All right, Sarah?’ Steve asked, his expression cautious as he led Ollie across from the food table, which was laden with party snacks that would rival anything Mary Berry could produce. There were sausage rolls, slices of chicken terrine topped with leeks and apricot, star sandwiches – Sarah had had to hide a smile at those – and a variety of puddings, including an impressive Spider-Man birthday cake in the shape of a four. Laura really had worked hard. She was clearly desperate for Ollie’s party to go well.
‘Fine.’ She smiled, despite the strong words they’d had. The sun was shining. Ollie was happy. She was on her own, but things could be worse. ‘How are you two doing?’
‘Good, aren’t we, Ollie?’ Steve looked down at him, and then pseudo-despairingly back to Sarah. ‘He’s into the volcano cake.’
‘So I see.’ Sarah couldn’t help but laugh at her chocolate-coated child, who blinked innocently up at her as he attempted to lap the evidence from his cheeks. Laura had also made a towering chocolate sponge with molten toffee lava. It was a chocolate-dribbling disaster waiting to happen, but it was definitely a hit.
‘No Joe?’ Steve asked curiously.
Dropping her gaze, Sarah shook her head. ‘No, no Joe.’
‘He’s on duty,’ Ollie provided, pausing in his efforts to free his face of chocolate. ‘Catching all the baddies.’
‘Ah.’ Steve nodded. He was eyeing her narrowly when she looked back at him, though, as if he didn’t quite buy it. Her flushed cheeks were probably a bit of a giveaway that things in her garden weren’t all rosy.
‘We have a swimming pool too, of course.’ Sherry’s loud tones drifted across the lawn. ‘One does wonder how one would manage without one’s own pool in these hostile temperatures.’
Eyeing the sky, Steve smirked. ‘She thinks she’s in the tropics.’
‘Pity she isn’t,’ Laura growled, coming towards them after delivering Lucas back to his father. ‘Preferably the jungle, with another poisonous viper for company, or a big fat boa constrictor.’
Steve’s gaze flicked awkwardly from her to Sarah and back.
‘What’s a boa constrictor, Daddy?’ Ollie piped up.
‘Er …’ Steve knitted his brow. ‘It’s a kind of—’
‘In fact,’ Sherry interrupted, striding across to him, ‘why don’t you, little Ollie and Laura come over to us tomorrow? The pool’s just been cleaned and I’m sure Grant would love to—’
‘No,’ Laura said flatly.
Sherry’s eyes travelled in her direction. ‘But it seems silly not to make use of it, darling,’ she said. ‘You have a private swimming pool at your disposal, you might as well—’
‘Can we, Daddy?’ His face lit with excitement, Ollie tugged on Steve’s hand. ‘Can we?’
‘We could have Sunday lunch together.’ Oblivious to her daughter’s eyes drilling into her, Sherry continued talking to Steve. ‘Grant’s the cook in our house, of course, with my always being so busy, but—’
‘I said no!’ Laura shouted, causing a hush to fall over the garden. ‘We’re busy. Tell her we’re busy, Steve.’ Her eyes were desperate. Sarah would swear the blood had drained from her face.
‘It’s only an invitation to lunch, Laura.’ Steve looked at her, perplexed. ‘We could just—’
‘We’re not going!’ Laura was adamant.
‘You’re drawing attention, darling,’ Sherry hissed, her smile tight as she moved bodily in front of her daughter, as if shielding her from their guests. Or their guests from her daughter? Sarah wasn’t sure which.
‘Laura …’ His expression fearful, Steve moved towards her, but Laura backed away. ‘Calm down,’ he said, clearly concerned. ‘It’s okay. We don’t have to—’
‘It’s not okay,’ Laura cried. She appeared to be gasping for breath.
What on earth? Her stomach knotting, Sarah took a step in her direction.
‘It’s not okay,’ Laura repeated. ‘Ask her why it’s not. Ask her why!’ she sobbed, and then, her frantic gaze pivoting around the garden, she turned on her heel and ran.
‘What the …?’ Dragging a hand through his hair, Steve glanced at their stunned guests and then started after her.
‘Steve, wait.’ Sarah took hold of Ollie’s hand. He was plainly as bewildered as his father was, but … ‘I’ll go,’ she said, bending to pick him up. If anything could calm Laura down, she was sure it was his presence.
Steve turned back. ‘But what about …?’ He nodded towards Ollie.
‘He’ll be fine,’ Sarah assured him, giving him a look as she walked past him, hopefully communicating that maybe he should convince Sherry to think about taking her leave. ‘I’ll call you if I need you.’
She found Laura in Ollie’s bedroom, looking small and lonely sitting on the edge of his bed. She was knotting and unknotting her fingers, Sarah noticed, obviously extremely distressed.
‘I thought you might like to help me clean this little man up,’ she suggested, trying very hard not to notice the new wallpaper, which was identical to Ollie’s wallpaper at home. ‘I think he liked your chocolate volcano.’ She offered Laura a smile as she glanced up, looking disorientated, as if she didn’t quite know where she was. ‘He might possibly have liked it a little too much though, hey, Ollie?’
Ollie looked worriedly from her to Laura, then, ‘It’s yummy,’ he said, and patted his tummy.
A faraway look in her eyes, Laura took a second, and then, finally, focused on Ollie. ‘Oh my God,’ she gasped. ‘He’s in an awful mess.’
Ollie glanced uncertainly up at Sarah again, and then completely surprised her. ‘Don’t worry, Laura,’ he said, placing his small hand gently on her arm. ‘I can have a bath.’
Her eyes a kaleidoscope of emotion, confusion, deep sorrow, pain that was palpable, Laura gazed at him for a moment. Then she laughed, a strangled laugh that turned into a sob, and reached out to hug him. ‘You’re a good boy,’ she murmured, breathing him in. ‘A good, beautiful little boy.’
She pressed him closer, her gaze drifting up to Sarah. ‘Ollie can’t go there. It’s too dangerous,’ she whispered. ‘Tell Steve he mustn’t go.’
Thirty-Six
‘Can you swim, Laura?’ Ollie asked, around the wet wipe Sarah was scrubbing his face with.
‘A little bit.’ Laura glanced at him in the bathroom mirror as she dabbed at her eyes. ‘I’m not very good, though. We’ll have to learn together one day, won’t we? But maybe in a small pool.’
‘Uh-huh.’ Ollie nodded, and yawned. He was obviously ready for his afternoon nap, even with all the excitement. ‘With special superhero water wings,’ he said.
She smiled. ‘That’s right. To keep us safe.’