“Not yet, sorry.”
Whenever I thought about Wetherington House looming over Bishoptown, the rage inside me was so strong I felt capable of tearing the mansion down brick by brick. The Graham-Lennoxes were rich, there was no doubt about that. We never really saw them in the town, and Wetherington House was partly open to the public, with some private wings cordoned off for their living quarters. The duke had the money to do whatever he wanted. He could have a dungeon filled with children for all anyone knew.
“Emma? Emma, are you all right?” Denise asked.
Jake rushed to my side as my knees buckled slightly. “Sit down.”
“I’m fine. I’m just tired.”
“Have a croissant.” Denise proffered a golden brown croissant on a plate Jake usually reserved for special occasions. I glanced at Jake before I took the plate. He was most likely torn between making sure I was okay and wanting to tell Denise to put that plate back and use one of the daily ones from the front of the cupboard.
“You’re taking it easy today,” Jake said. “I’ve got a staff meeting I’m supposed to attend but I’ll call the school and tell them I can’t make it.”
“No, don’t do that. The press will think it’s because of Amy and I don’t want them to think she’s got to us.”
“I don’t want to leave you alone today,” Jake said.
“Then I’ll get Rob to come watch Aiden while I have a lie-down.”
“What about Josie?” he suggested.
“Jo has her own shit going on at the moment. Stuff with Hugh.”
Jake raised an eyebrow but he didn’t question anything. “All right. But make sure you have a nap today. Denise, will you keep an eye on her?”
“Absolutely.” And off she went to put the kettle on again.
*
There was no reason for me to leave the house that day, and I admit, I didn’t want to. Amy’s article referenced people in the village, people who knew me and vice versa. Rosie Daniel’s mum certainly wouldn’t be pleased to have her child dragged into this, though Amy was at least careful not to use her name.
About an hour after Jake left for the school I got a phone call from him. Amy had been suspended and sent home. It brought me no pleasure, but it did bring me some relief. I’d been dreading Jake getting into an argument with Amy over the article.
Rob turned up with a football. “Thought me and Aiden could have a kick about in the garden.”
“Good idea.” And I meant it. Why hadn’t I thought of trying exercise with Aiden? The doctor had suggested that some light exercise would be good for him. I had wanted to take him for walks, but the pressure from the media had grown too intense.
It was a blustery day. There were leaves scattered over the lawn. Aiden had on a blue puffa jacket I’d bought for him when I kitted out his room with new clothes. It felt good to be outside, and it felt even better when Denise brought me a chair to sit on.
“This whole mess is tearing the village apart,” Rob said, shaking his head sadly. “I was in the village shop earlier and heard someone calling out Amy as a traitor. They said she and that duke needed to be strung up. Then I overheard other people on the street arguing about whether we were good parents or not. Some of my mates called to see if I was all right when Aiden first came back, but now they cross the road to avoid me. I’m…” he lowered his voice. “I’m reaching the end of my rope, Em. I just want this to end.”
Rob dropped the ball onto the dewy grass and kicked it gently over to Aiden. My heart was in my mouth as I waited. What would Aiden do, confronted with this alien object? Would he shun the game altogether and shuffle inside to sit himself down in front of the telly? Or would he break into a grin, and kick the ball back to his dad, laughing when Rob got hit in the crotch? The latter was the old Aiden. He loved to be cheeky and he loved playing football with Rob. That was one part of parenting that we always did well. We were young and energetic. There was so much running and jumping and messing around that I missed it so much I physically ached.
I hardly breathed waiting for Aiden to do something. Anything. At first he stood and stared down at the ball like it was from another planet. Then, he took a step forward and nudged it with the toe of his trainers.
“That’s it, mate. Kick it over to me,” Rob encouraged.
This time Aiden retracted his leg and full on kicked the ball towards Rob. It was nowhere near as enthusiastic as he used to be, but it was a start. I found myself leaning forward and applauding like a ridiculous ‘pushy mother’ on sports day.