Read Online Who Are You? by Elizabeth Forbes - Free Book Online Page A

glass to her, winks and says ‘Thank you.’ Then lowering his voice so that they both have to draw closer to hear him, he says: ‘If I hear from my child again that his mother has been called a bitch, and that his daddy has done bad things, then you will be one more bad thing on the list. Understand?’
    Marcus is beginning to get the message. He is beginning to look afraid. Which is good. Alex is back in his comfort zone. Marcus seems to have lost the power of speech. But he manages to nod. ‘Sounds like you owe Ben and his classmates a new sandpit. And don’t worry, I don’t expect Rupert to apologize to Ben. It’s not his fault he’s got such shit parents.’
    Alex leaves them to begin a marital ‘discussion’ which could run and run. He has no feelings of guilt because it is obviously a marriage already in its death throes. He just might have pushed it a few steps closer to its end. Besides, they were a dangerous pair, trying to assuage their own misery by playing with other people’s partners. They’d be no loss to the local married circuit. He’s actually done quite a service to everyone. Before returning to Juliet he nips into the downstairs loo to wash his hands. Back at the party just a few moments later he sees no sign of the Hunts, strangely enough.
    Alex reckons they’ve been at the party now for about forty- five minutes. He checks his watch and is bang on. He can see Juliet at the far end of the knocked-through drawing room. She senses his eyes upon her and stares across the gap. She slow-blinks an acknowledgement without smiling and then turns back to Jonathan Roberts, their host. She’s obviously said something funny, because Jonathan is laughing. There’s a tiny nugget of jealousy but Alex squashes it almost before it has a name.
    *    *    *    *    *
    The front door closes behind them, cutting off the noise of the party and the cold December night makes Juliet shiver. Alex puts his arm around her shoulder and pulls her in close. The rhythm of her heels changes as she sidesteps into him. They’re both a little tipsy.
    Alex puts his key in the lock and lets Juliet go in front of him. He pictures what is ahead of them. Juliet heading straight upstairs while he pays off the babysitter. A brief chat with her about how everything was, to which she’ll answer, fine. Really good, not a problem at all. She’ll be struggling under a pile of school books which she will have been studying diligently. He will watch Louise cross the road and walk the few yards down to her own home, and then she will turn and wave to say she’s got there safely. She’s a good kid, and has been babysitting for most of the couples in the street since she was fifteen.
    Juliet doesn’t come downstairs until Louise is just about to leave. She is standing in the hallway with her school bag slung around her shoulders, clutching her mobile. She’s turning into a very pretty girl, Alex notices. She’s losing the puppy fat and her hair is blonde and thick, falling below her shoulders. She does that thing that girls do, pushing it back with her hand and then flicking her head to swish it.
    ‘His temperature’s up,’ Juliet says, unable to hide a note of something accusatory in her voice. ‘Did you check on him at all, Louise?’
    ‘Yes. Definitely, I always do. It was about nine – an hour ago, I guess. And he was sleeping soundly. He seemed fine.’
    ‘God!’ Juliet snaps and marches back up the stairs.
    Alex shuts the front door behind them. ‘Sorry about that. She didn’t mean to snap at you, it’s just that she worries about Ben.’
    ‘I’m so sorry. Honestly, I thought he was OK. He looked so settled.’
    ‘He’ll be fine. Thanks for tonight, and have a good Christmas.’
    ‘Thanks, and you. Night, Mr Miller.’
    ‘Night, Louise.’
    Alex goes up the stairs two at a time. He enters Ben’s room and Juliet gestures him to stay quiet. She places the back of her hand on Ben’s brow and he