Ellis stands in the doorway to the kitchen, turning his head to follow his father as he brushes past without speaking. Christopher waves down his words as he opens his mouth to speak and, grim faced, strides towards the stairs.

‘I heard all that’ Ellis says as he steps further into the room. ‘And I heard what went on before’

‘That’d be right’ Imogen’s lip curls, looking at him out of  the corner of her eye as she blots at her hair ‘Always listening at doors, nosing and wanting to know what’s going on. Mummy says...’

‘Listening at doors? Christ Almighty, I should think half of Bath heard you! What a bitch you are...’

Imogen falters momentarily, her eyes downcast and staring blankly ‘I mean Mummy used to s...’

‘I’m not sure what you hope to gain by carrying on like this!’ Ellis continues without noticing her whispered amendment ‘Lynn’s done nothing to you apart from offer friendship and a place to stay. She didn’t have to do that’

‘Done nothing?’ Imogen scowls, regaining her previous self-possession ‘She stole my father!’

‘Don’t talk such bloody crap!’ Ellis says, shaking his head in disbelief as he crosses to the cupboard to take down a mug ‘Their marriage was over years ago and you damn well know it’

‘That whore stole him from me!’

‘Bollocks! You treated him with the same contempt mother did’ He helps himself to coffee and turns to face her. ‘You sure learned that well, talk about clone’ he shakes his head again in disgust and takes a sip from his mug ‘Didn’t surprise me he’d looked for affection somewhere else, he sure as hell didn’t get any at home’

‘Ohh, right, I see’ Imogen retaliates ‘that’s how it is, is it? Poor Ellis, he was sooo devastated at the news’ she mimics cruelly ‘That’s how much your mother meant to you, a few hours later and she’s forgotten?’

Ellis’s face sobers ‘No’ he says quietly ‘I won’t forget her, ever. She was my mother and I loved her. I loved her as much as anyone would their mother’ He stands for a few moments in silence, then lifts his head, his chin jutting as he shrugs ‘but as a woman she was a complete bitch’

‘Take that back!’ Imogen flares

‘I’m sorry, Immie, I can’t. You know I’m right’ Ellis sets down his mug on the table and crouches in front of her ‘let’s face it...it was being a bitch that got her killed’

‘It was not!’ she snatches away her hands as he attempts to hold them ‘Nobody asked that woman to come, nobody asked her to shoot her, nobody asked her to...’ She dissolves into tears

‘They did though’ he says softly. ‘She did, Mother did. Not to shoot her, obviously, but she used that girl like she used everyone else, just to get what she could out of her’

‘She did not!’

‘Immie..’ Ellis sighs ‘She did. She promised that girl all sorts while she was in prison just to make things easier for herself...’

‘But she didn’t ask to be..’

‘No, I know she didn’t...’ he touches a sympathetic hand to her arm ‘but you don’t mess with people like that. She treated her like she treated everyone else and thought she could get away with it. You can’t. That girl fell for it hook, line and sinker and Mother found out the hard way what happens when you go back on what you say with someone like her. If she’d helped the girl like she promised, none of this would’ve happened’

‘So it was her own fault?’ Imogen flares again, throwing off his hand.

‘In a way, yes’ Ellis says with quiet insistence.

‘You know nothing!’ She pushes him away and stands up, her chair toppling backwards ‘You know nothing at all! Mummy told her, told her she couldn’t help. She told her the first time she came!’

‘She’d been before?’ Ellis’s jaw drops.

‘Yes, so there! We laughed about it and I laughed at her when she came again. She...’

‘Oh, Immie’ he closes his eyes and sighs deeply as he stands up ‘Don’t you see?’

‘You don’t do you?’ Imogen spits defensively ‘It wasn’t that Mummy wouldn’t help, she already knew THAT. She’d TOLD her!’

‘And she came back with a gun...’ Ellis sighs again ‘Ohh, Immie’ He holds his hand out towards her. ‘She came back...’ his eyes lock on hers and he nods slowly, trying to make her understand. ‘She came back BECAUSE...’

‘Noooo!’ Imogen’s eyes widen in horror and she claps a hand over her mouth as she turns to run from the room.

‘Imogen!’  He tries to stop her.

‘Leave me alone!’

Ellis stands with his hand pushed through his hair, watching her run through the hallway and up the stairs ‘Ohhh God!’ he groans as his shoulders slump.

Orchard Barn

Chapter Thirty

Orchard Barn - the nursery

‘What in God’s name was that all about?’

Lynn turns, her face still red with fury. She stretches her arm towards him, pushing the air with her palm ‘Not one word, Christopher. Not one bloody word! I’m not some child to be told off’

‘I wasn’t about to!’ he retorts ‘All I want is some sort of explanation, Imogen’s hysterical’

Lynn laughs sarcastically as she jiggles Cerys on her arm ‘Oh, she’s bound to be, isn’t she, left alone with her wicked stepmother. And I assaulted her, I suppose?’

‘She’s soaking wet and totally bewildered’ Christopher says crossly. ‘She was already in shock, losing her mother like that. They were very close’

‘So close’ Lynn snarls through clenched teeth ‘that all she seems concerned about now is how much money she’s going to inherit, so don’t give me that. She doesn’t give a damn about anyone but herself!’ Shaking with rage, she lowers the side of Cery’s cot and lays the baby down.

‘I know she can be a little selfish at times’ Christopher tries to smooth things over ‘And she doesn’t always think before she says things but we have to bite our tongues, for now at least, don’t we, eh?’ he coaxes, touching his hand to the back of her neck and caressing the nape with his thumb.

‘Urgghh’ Lynn growls, shrugging off his hand and glaring at him furiously ‘She knows exactly what she’s saying all of the time; believe you me and I am not being walked all over by someone like her! I’m sorry but if you’re expecting me to apologise, you can think again. She’s was bloody lucky it wasn’t the jug as well!’

‘Lynn, come on, darling, let’s calm things down a bit, shall we? It’s upsetting Cerys, hearing you shouting’ He shushes the wailing child and sets the mobile above the cot spinning in the hope of pacifying her.

‘Right!’ Lynn elbows him out of the way and offers Cerys a dummy, stroking her nose with a finger until she starts to quieten.

‘Meaning?’ Christopher asks belligerently, annoyed at not be allowed to comfort his daughter.

‘She’s upset now but it’ll all be forgotten in ten minutes’ Lynn snaps ‘It’s not going to do her any great harm. You get all ratty with me for shouting but seems it’s perfectly fine for your damned daughter to blow smoke all over her!’ She busies herself tidying away the nappies and wipes from the changing mat.

‘Pardon?’

Lynn gives a scornful laugh ‘Ohhh, she clearly didn’t tell you that bit! Now why aren’t I surprised?’

‘Tell me’

She closes the doors beneath the changing area and turns to him, her face tight with annoyance and exasperation ‘That’s what this was all about, her refusal to put the cigarette out after I had…and nicely I might add…asked her to go outside if she wanted to smoke’

‘Smoke?’ Christopher echoes ‘She smokes?’

‘God, Christopher, you are so bloody gullible!’