A Chance Encounter Rae Shaw (ebook reader with built in dictionary .txt) 📖

Sophia politely declined the offer.

‘I'm so grateful to you and Luke, you know, for Dad,’ she lowered her voice, but not enough for Mark’s keen ears. ‘Naughty Bill Clewer.’ She giggled.

Mark cringed behind his cupped face, hoping that shrill whoop of glee wasn’t the reason for Derek’s gruff expression. Sophia adeptly steered his sister toward an armchair. ‘I'll bring you coffee,’ she said.

Mark intercepted Sophia on route to the kitchen for a private conversation. ‘I am so sorry, Sophia. She's not taking this business with Dad well. She doesn't talk to me about it,’ he whispered, checking over his shoulder. ‘She gets drunk.’

Sophia pressed her hand over Mark's. ‘Don't worry. It's a big thing to come to terms with. I'm sorry it didn't work out for you both. She'll come round eventually.’

He joined the others around the coffee table.

Luke stared up at the ceiling. Bev had managed to engage Caroline in conversation. In a bubble of contentment Tulip helped herself to every one of Sophia's recipe books. The motley gathering offered Mark nothing and Ellen, who was supposed to be benefiting, had formed an unbreakable alliance with somebody else miles away. The loyalty she demonstrated to this person remained a mystery, but he didn't particularly care as long as it kept her happy. The evening might have gone so differently if Julianna had accompanied him.

Luke bent to speak in Mark’s ear. ‘Could I have a word in private.’ The tone of Luke’s voice reminded him of another man.

‘Sure.’

They went to Luke’s immaculate study where the law books were lined neatly on dust free shelves above Luke’s barren desk. The pictures on the wall behind him were abstract barring one, which was a watercolour. Mark recognised the artistic style.

Perched on his desk, Luke cleared his throat. ‘I wanted to say I’m sorry about your father and that we didn’t bring this matter to a happy conclusion. The contrary in fact.’ He spoke with a legal ease, the kind of tone Mark had heard many times when dealing with his father's case.

Mark wasn't prepared to discuss Bill. ‘Well, I know now. So it’s done and dusted.’

‘Well, not quite. The tape recording,’ said Luke, ‘the witness’s confession of your father’s guilt. What do you want us to do with it? Keep it in case you want to hear it, or your father does. Or destroy it?’

Mark had given little thought to the condemning evidence. His first reaction was to destroy it and forget everything. He scratched his chin. ‘I haven’t spoken to my mother yet.’

‘I see. You think she'll need to hear it?’ Luke asked.

The answer to that lay in Deidre’s stubbornness. ‘I don’t know, to be honest. Can we leave the decision for now?’

‘No problem. It’s your decision though. I'm allowing you this out of respect and because you're Jackson's friend. I should turn it over to the police.’

‘Thank you.’ Why was he thanking Luke? His father benefited, not him. The witness's loyalty to Bill was commendable; Mark's was slipping away to nothing. He pivoted on his feet, ready to leave when Luke spoke again.

‘Don’t blame those around you for what you’ve found out.’

‘What do you mean by that?’

‘Ellen. You two are okay?’

Surrounded by do-gooders; their pretence at sympathy infuriated him. Hierarchy he could respect; wisdom and experience too. But Luke wasn't his boss.

‘Yes, of course we are,’ Mark said curtly, then seeing Luke’s bruised expression, he laced his voice with regret. ‘Sorry, it's been a stressful time for me. Thank you for your time and everything. I can handle Ellen. She's my sister.’

‘Understood, Mark,’ Luke said, his face stony and unmoved. The damage was done.

Mark took Ellen home. The already frigid atmosphere cooled further in the taxi.

‘There was a chance there,’ Mark said. ‘Derek. Scotland. It might have been the beginning of something for you and you blew it.’

‘I'm going to Ireland. It's all arranged.’ She shrank into the dark corner of the cab as if cowered. But her livid eyes reflected the passing streetlights. She wasn't upset, she was angry, and he suspected she had deliberately used her drunkenness to foster resentment between them. It was a pity that her attitude had caused collateral damage with the other guests.

‘Then I hope it works out for you.’ He stared out of the window until the cab drew up outside his flat.

Having filled a glass of water in the kitchen, she walked past him and slammed the spare room door shut behind her. Mark sat on his bed, head in hands. He wasn't cut out for being a big brother. Or a son. He couldn't handle either of those roles.

  19

Mark

A week later, Ellen had moved some of the bulkier things into his spare room, stuff she wasn't going to take with her to Ireland. He had given her a spare key and she deposited the boxes while he was at work. Their paths hadn't crossed, and she left notes on the kitchen table.

Sophia wanted to return Bill's appeal papers to Mark. He decided Ellen wouldn't take well to seeing them alongside her stuff. He had politely put off Sophia with some feeble excuse. Once Ellen was gone, he would arrange for them to be collected.

He spent another night with Julianna. He planned to spend more time there. Waking up, he patted the cool dent on her side of the bed. Julianna had already left for work. She survived on less sleep than him and often worked out in the cellar downstairs before breakfast. It was a claustrophobic space with a punch bag and mould growing on the walls.

He clambered out of her bed just after seven and dressed. Jogging down the street to the bus-stop, he dashed into the mini-market and bought a Mars bar for breakfast. Coming out of the shop,