Read Online Summer at Shell Cottage by Lucy Diamond - Free Book Online
Authors: Lucy Diamond
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‘He’s . . . What?’ Her face crumpled. ‘He’s
dead
? What do you mean? When?’
The boy’s eyes widened and his mouth fell open. His gaze flicked from Katie to Olivia to Katie again. ‘Mum?’ he said. ‘What’s happening?’
Tears were pouring down Katie’s cheeks. ‘But the email . . . He said he was coming, the usual arrangements . . .’
Oh dear. It had been such a blur, keeping track of who they had and hadn’t told the sad news to. Most of Alec’s peers and colleagues had heard through the publishing grapevine, of
course; there had been obituaries in the broadsheets, and he’d even had a few mentions on the news channels. But somehow – terribly – they had omitted to tell poor Katie.
‘The email was from Robert,’ she said haltingly. ‘He must have sent it from Alec’s account. I’m sorry we didn’t let you know earlier but it’s all been
rather overwhelming.’ Olivia’s gaze returned to the lunch set out for three on the table, then snagged on the red roses. Red roses? She looked from the flowers to Katie who was still
sobbing. Her mind was suddenly too full of questions to think straight. ‘What’s going on?’ she asked. ‘I don’t understand. Were you expecting someone?’
Katie said nothing, her face in her hands. The boy was still staring at her, aghast, and a terrible thought began blooming in Olivia’s mind, like a bloodstain spreading on fabric, seeping
larger and larger by the second. Katie really was very upset. More upset than Olivia would have anticipated. And the boy, too – he’d talked about seeing ‘Dad’s car’
outside, hadn’t he? Surely that didn’t mean . . . ?
She blinked, trying to clear her thoughts. The sickly scent of the roses caught in her throat and she held tightly to the chair, giddy and unnerved. ‘Katie?’ she prompted. ‘Tell me the truth. What’s going on?’
There was an agonizing silence for a few seconds. Then Katie wiped her eyes on the back of her hands, took a deep shuddering breath and put a protective arm around the boy. ‘This is
Leo,’ she said, drawing herself up taller. Her eyes met Olivia’s. ‘Alec’s other son.’
Chapter Eight
It was the final week of term and the change in atmosphere at Riverdale Academy was palpable. The exams were over, the Year 11s had left with the usual fanfare and scandal of
prom night, and from her office window Harriet could hear the steady
swish-thock
of Wimbledon-inspired student tennis tournaments on the courts outside. Three days left to go now, and
everyone had their eyes on Friday afternoon and that glorious, yearned-for ‘School’s out!’ moment when the building would empty one last time, and the classrooms fall silent. Woohoo! No students, no paperwork, no infuriating new directives from the government, just six weeks of peace and tranquillity, the chance to close one’s eyes and think about absolutely
nothing for a change, apart from perhaps where the next ice cream or cold beer was coming from. Bring it ruddy well on.
As the school’s child protection officer, Harriet often had mixed feelings about the end of term. Much as she was gagging for a holiday herself, she couldn’t help worrying about the
students in her care who led such precarious, chaotic lives. During term-time, she was their ally amidst the mayhem, the one who had their backs and noticed when things were going downhill. But who
would keep an eye on Latisha and her family problems over the holidays? Or Kwame, who’d been sofa-surfing for two months after the latest bust-up with his evangelical mother? Or Sasha, who
had just confessed to Harriet that she was pregnant at the age of fourteen and scared about having become involved with a horrible gang? Sometimes she had only just made a breakthrough with a
teenager when the holidays started and it was as if all her patient, careful work had been for nothing.
You had to have boundaries. You couldn’t carry everyone else’s problems around
dead
? What do you mean? When?’
The boy’s eyes widened and his mouth fell open. His gaze flicked from Katie to Olivia to Katie again. ‘Mum?’ he said. ‘What’s happening?’
Tears were pouring down Katie’s cheeks. ‘But the email . . . He said he was coming, the usual arrangements . . .’
Oh dear. It had been such a blur, keeping track of who they had and hadn’t told the sad news to. Most of Alec’s peers and colleagues had heard through the publishing grapevine, of
course; there had been obituaries in the broadsheets, and he’d even had a few mentions on the news channels. But somehow – terribly – they had omitted to tell poor Katie.
‘The email was from Robert,’ she said haltingly. ‘He must have sent it from Alec’s account. I’m sorry we didn’t let you know earlier but it’s all been
rather overwhelming.’ Olivia’s gaze returned to the lunch set out for three on the table, then snagged on the red roses. Red roses? She looked from the flowers to Katie who was still
sobbing. Her mind was suddenly too full of questions to think straight. ‘What’s going on?’ she asked. ‘I don’t understand. Were you expecting someone?’
Katie said nothing, her face in her hands. The boy was still staring at her, aghast, and a terrible thought began blooming in Olivia’s mind, like a bloodstain spreading on fabric, seeping
larger and larger by the second. Katie really was very upset. More upset than Olivia would have anticipated. And the boy, too – he’d talked about seeing ‘Dad’s car’
outside, hadn’t he? Surely that didn’t mean . . . ?
She blinked, trying to clear her thoughts. The sickly scent of the roses caught in her throat and she held tightly to the chair, giddy and unnerved. ‘Katie?’ she prompted. ‘Tell me the truth. What’s going on?’
There was an agonizing silence for a few seconds. Then Katie wiped her eyes on the back of her hands, took a deep shuddering breath and put a protective arm around the boy. ‘This is
Leo,’ she said, drawing herself up taller. Her eyes met Olivia’s. ‘Alec’s other son.’
Chapter Eight
It was the final week of term and the change in atmosphere at Riverdale Academy was palpable. The exams were over, the Year 11s had left with the usual fanfare and scandal of
prom night, and from her office window Harriet could hear the steady
swish-thock
of Wimbledon-inspired student tennis tournaments on the courts outside. Three days left to go now, and
everyone had their eyes on Friday afternoon and that glorious, yearned-for ‘School’s out!’ moment when the building would empty one last time, and the classrooms fall silent. Woohoo! No students, no paperwork, no infuriating new directives from the government, just six weeks of peace and tranquillity, the chance to close one’s eyes and think about absolutely
nothing for a change, apart from perhaps where the next ice cream or cold beer was coming from. Bring it ruddy well on.
As the school’s child protection officer, Harriet often had mixed feelings about the end of term. Much as she was gagging for a holiday herself, she couldn’t help worrying about the
students in her care who led such precarious, chaotic lives. During term-time, she was their ally amidst the mayhem, the one who had their backs and noticed when things were going downhill. But who
would keep an eye on Latisha and her family problems over the holidays? Or Kwame, who’d been sofa-surfing for two months after the latest bust-up with his evangelical mother? Or Sasha, who
had just confessed to Harriet that she was pregnant at the age of fourteen and scared about having become involved with a horrible gang? Sometimes she had only just made a breakthrough with a
teenager when the holidays started and it was as if all her patient, careful work had been for nothing.
You had to have boundaries. You couldn’t carry everyone else’s problems around
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