‘She wasn’t my wife, actually, when she had a relationship with your husband,’ Ed says. ‘But, for the record, yes, I do know.’
Louise looks slightly taken aback, but continues: ‘You’ll also know then, that after my husband ended their affair, your wife came looking for him after quite an extended time apart. Almost as if she couldn’t let him go.’
James wriggles again. ‘Get down. Please, Daddy?’
‘No, bub, we’re going now,’ Ed says firmly. ‘Come on, Jess.’ He takes my hand. ‘Thanks for your time,’ he nods at the agent, who faintly waves back in acknowledgment as we turn to leave.
‘Don’t you see what I’m saying, Ben?’ Louise raises her voice, calling after him. ‘Despite promises to the contrary, she keeps coming back. I don’t think you know your precious wife at all.’
Ed pauses and turns around. ‘Can I save you some time? Is this the bit where you tell me I’m not Beth’s biological father?’
Louise’s eyes widen.
‘Because you’re right. I’m not. You know something else, Louise?’ He challenges her. ‘I have a real problem with married men having affairs, and somehow it’s always the woman who gets all of the blame. Why are you directing all of this hate at Jessica, and not Simon? She was 19 when your 30-year-old husband met her – and this is the man you’ve fought to keep for seventeen-odd years? I mean, really?’ He looks disgusted. ‘Your friends are probably right; I expect he is asking for a divorce because he’s met someone else. But it’s not my wife.’
‘Except, Ben, they love each other!’ she taunts, calling after us, but for the first time I can also hear desperation in her voice. ‘He’s waiting for her. He told her he’d wait forever! Why won’t you just leave us alone, you little whore?’
* * *
We drive in horrified silence to the end of the road – even James is quiet – and Ed continues through the centre of the town without stopping.
‘I think we’ll go somewhere a bit further out for lunch,’ he says eventually, ‘maybe towards Weald. We could drive by that other place and have a look?’
I nod, wordlessly.
‘Well, turns out I wasn’t wrong; it is still Bent Avenue, after all.’ He pauses, then adds ‘All this time, Jess? He’s been living in the same town as us and you never knew?’
‘Of course I didn’t know. The agent said they’ve been in that place for nine years. Not once have I seen either of them.’
‘“Nine years”?’ Ed says quickly. ‘You moved here nine years ago.’
‘Yes, because I was offered my job here. I was living in London and there was no point whatsoever in doing a reverse commute to the rest of the world. You know this, Simon.’
‘Ed,’ he corrects me instantly. ‘I’m Ed, he’s Simon.’
‘God – I’m sorry! I’m so sorry,’ I say horrified. ‘I think I’m just overwhelmed. I didn’t mean—’
‘It’s alright. I know you didn’t. Look, we hadn’t even met then. If you did move here because you were following him, or something like that, it’s OK. You can tell me. But now would be a really good time to be honest about it, if that is what happened.’
I stare at him. ‘I was not following him! Ed, this is a massive town – pretty much a suburb of London these days. I had no idea he lived here. I swear, I’ve never seen him, or his family. Not once.’
He glances sideways at me. ‘OK, I believe you. Apart from anything else, no one could be that good an actress. You look like you’re about to be sick. Are you alright?’
‘Um, I don’t honestly know,’ I say truthfully. ‘I can’t believe that all actually just happened. It was very quick-thinking on your part though, pretending to be Ben.’
He looks surprised. ‘It was your idea. I just played along. You said “Darling, I’m not sure if you remember Louise”, or whatever it was – like I’d already met her. I assumed that was what you meant me to do.’
‘No. I was just asking if you remembered who she was from what I’d already told you?’ I look out of the window. ‘I’m not smart enough to lie on the spot like that.’
He doesn’t say anything for a moment, before asking. ‘It’s not true, is it, Jess? What she said? I accept that you didn’t move here on purpose to follow Simon nine years ago, but you haven’t deliberately tracked him down again now, have you? It is one hell of a coincidence that we wound up in their house today when, like you said, it’s a massive town.’
I actually laugh in disbelief. ‘You’re not serious?’
‘Perhaps it’s just fate then, the universe drawing you back together.’
‘It’s nothing of the kind,’ I say immediately. ‘It was a tragic coincidence that we wound up at the same school as him and his family seventeen years ago, and an unfortunate one that we unwittingly went into his house today. But I’d hardly call them frequent occurrences. Would you?’
‘Jess, calm down. You’re getting all icy and acerbic.’
‘Because you just accused me of tracking down my ex behind your back. You didn’t see, but Louise actually just went for me back then. The agent had to pull her off me.’
‘She attacked you?’ He’s appalled. ‘Why didn’t you say something? We should have called the police. We still could – do you want to press charges?’
‘No! No, I don’t, she’s ill, Ed. Anyone could see that. She tried to sort of slap me, that was all – but it was extremely distressing – as was having her say “You had another baby?” implying I’d simply replaced Beth. As if she didn’t matter.’ My voice begins to tremble.
‘I’m so sorry. You’re right.’ Ed puts his hand out on mine. ‘And I’m sorry I made that pissy remark about fate, too.’
‘Although, actually, the second I set foot in that house, I wanted out,’ I say. ‘I could feel it; something was badly wrong. I wish we’d just sacked it off, like I said.’
We fall silent for a moment.
‘James has gone to sleep, hasn’t he?’ Ed says.
I twist to look at our son in his seat. ‘Yup. He’s out for the count.’
‘I’ll drive us to Weald then, give him half an hour or so more. We can spin past that other place then head back into Sevenoaks for lunch, if you like?’
‘OK.’ I actually just want to go home, but conversely, I also want to get away from here. Where is Simon? Walking around, mere streets away, as he has been for the last nine years? Ed’s right. It makes me feel sick.
‘She definitely wasn’t a well woman, I don’t think. She reeked,’ Ed remarks. ‘It was coming off her in waves.’
‘I know. I thought that too.’ I stare out of the window at the blur of plush, manicured countryside. ‘She certainly looked… very different to the last time I saw her.’
‘Do you think it’s her that’s tracked you down? The way she let rip like that, it was like it had happened yesterday, not seventeen years ago. Never mind her husband, she seemed pretty obsessed with you.’ Ed looks momentarily troubled. ‘You haven’t noticed anyone – I don’t know – hanging around?’
I look at him, frightened. ‘No? Although that estate agent did say something weird to me. He said we were “selected” to view the house… but then you heard what Louise shouted, she wants me as far away from them as possible. It doesn’t make any sense that she’d track me down. It must just be a random freak occurrence. That’s the only logical explanation.’
‘Hmmm,’ Ed says doubtfully. ‘Although Simon’s a teacher, isn’t he? You can’t move for elite schools in Kent. It’s not really surprising he ended up here, I suppose.’ We drive in silence for a moment. ‘So, still want to live in Tunbridge Wells?’
‘No. Funnily enough, not so much,’ I say. ‘But then they’re obviously moving, and with a bit of luck, about a million miles away. I don’t ever want to see either of them again, as long as I live.’
Chapter Eleven
As I come down from settling James, at 7 p.m., Ed is looking for the car keys to go and pick up the takeaway we’ve ordered.
‘I might stop and pick up a bottle of something too? I thought we could watch a movie when I get back. Nothing heavy – a comedy, I think. Are you alright?’ He reaches for my hand. ‘It’s been a shocker of a day, but it’s over now. Try not to think about it any more, ok?’