Page 52 of Strictly Business

‘Liam was driving, but the accident wasn’t his fault,’ said Julia, suddenly serious again.

Thank God. Relief brushed across Alice. ‘He must have taken some comfort from that,’ she said.

‘No, unfortunately he didn’t. Not at all.’ Julia sighed and, gripping the arms of her chair, she shifted slightly. Alice tried to imagine the awful weight of guilt that Liam must have shouldered.

‘He’s always blamed himself,’ Julia went on. ‘But it was never his fault. It was one of those awful things that just happen. An accident. We were all so excited on our way to the party and Pete was telling a riotous joke and Liam was laughing hard, so it’s possible he lost concentration for a second or two. But then an old man, who didn’t have right of way, drove out from a side street straight in front of us. There wasn’t much Liam could do. He tried to swerve to avoid the other car and, well, we hit a lamp post.’

Alice’s throat felt as if she’d swallowed sharp glass.

‘The old fellow and Liam both came away without a scratch,’ said Julia. ‘The accident was the other driver’s fault of course. But poor Liam has never forgiven himself. And he’s turned himself inside out ever since trying to make amends.’

‘He obviously cares a great deal for you,’ Alice suggested.

Julia’s eyes were luminous. ‘I was in hospital for a year after the crash and Liam was there almost every day. My parents live in California and they were able to come over for a while, but they couldn’t stay. After Jack was born by Caesarean section, it was Liam who took total responsibility for him. He brought my baby to me in the hospital – sometimes twice a day. On weekends he spent hours there, making sure Jack had every chance to get to know me as his mother.’

Alice’s vision blurred as she thought of her own baby, beginning to show as the tiniest swell in her abdomen. She realised she hadn’t given nearly enough thought to how Liam must feel about their child. If he’d shown extraordinary love and commitment to another couple’s baby when he was twenty-one, it wasn’t surprising that he’d insisted on being involved with his own.

‘There’s more,’ Julia said, smiling gently. ‘If you think you can take it.’

‘I must admit it’s a lot to come to grips with.’ Alice tried to return Julia’s smile. ‘But I’m very grateful. It helps to know all this. And I can understand now why Liam hasn’t been keen to talk about it.’

Julia nodded and took a sip from a frosted glass of iced tea. ‘I’m almost ashamed to admit it, but the main impetus for Liam to turn himself into a mega-successful businessman was so he’d have enough money to keep Jack and me in comfort.’

Another surprise. ‘Wasn’t there compensation?’ Alice couldn’t help asking. ‘From the courts?’

‘Yes, eventually, but it took years. In the meantime, Liam set about making sure I had the best of everything. He wouldn’t listen to my protests. He worked like the devil.’ Julia noticed Alice’s empty glass. ‘Have some more iced tea,’ she said, lifting the jug.

‘Thanks.’ Alice watched the tea and ice cubes swirling into her glass but her thoughts were with Liam and her heart ached for him. What a heavy load he’d carried from such an early age.

‘Julia, I probably shouldn’t ask you this. But did Liam ask you to marry him?’ Alice questioned gently.

Julia looked a little embarrassed. ‘Bless the dear boy, yes, he did.’

‘Recently?’ She tried not to sound too hurt.

‘No, it must be, oh, almost twelve years ago now.’

So Julia was the one, the other woman who’d rejected his marriage proposal. A long time ago.

‘Why didn’t you marry him?’ Alice forced herself to ask.

‘I knew he was doing it out of a sense of duty.’

Duty! A shiver skittered down Alice’s spine. It was the same reasonshe’drejected Liam. Not the reason she’d given him, but deep down she knew that his proposal had been prompted by a desire to ‘do the right thing’. That was what worried her most.‘Did you love Liam?’ she asked in a voice that was barely above a whisper.

‘Not in a wifely way.’ A wistful shadow flitted across Julia’s face. ‘Liam is so much like Pete and yet nothing like him. Pete was an irresistible, light-hearted, charmer, whereas Liam is a little more serious, deeper perhaps. I adore Liam, but never in the way I loved my rascal, Pete. I wanted to die when he died. If it wasn’t for Jack –’

For the first time, Julia’s sense of composure crumpled. With a little cry, Alice rose from her seat and went to hug her, and the two women clung, sharing a moment too poignant for words. When they let go, they both had tears in their eyes.

‘Look at us,’ laughed Julia as she wiped her eyes. ‘I invite you to lunch and then launch a sob-fest.’

Alice managed to laugh too as she returned to her seat. ‘You’ve no idea the damage you’ve done,’ she said.

‘Oh, dear.’ Julia looked worried.

‘I was already in love with Liam, but after everything you’ve told me I think my condition is terminal.’

‘But that’s fabulous,’ Julia cried.

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