Page 2 of The Forsaken
“What is it you feel you can’t control?” Quinn asked, although she suspected she already knew the answer.
“Quinn, we are due to move up north before the start of the fall term. That’s less than two months from now. Truth is, every time I imagine myself back at the family home, I suddenly feel as if I’m being buried alive. Sorry, I shouldn’t have used that comparison, not after what you’ve been through.”
Quinn reached over and took his hand in hers. “No, that’s exactly the comparison you should have used, because now I’m in a unique position to understand what you’re going through. Now, tell me why you feel so strongly about moving back.”
“Quinn, I hate that house. I couldn’t wait to leave for uni. I never went back, except to visit my parents. My life is in London, and has been for thirty years. And your life is here as well. I worry about you and the baby, and I need to know that we have access to the best medical care England has to offer, and that’s here, in London. And I worry about Emma as well. She’s just beginning to settle into her new life. She’s been happier these past few months, calmer. She’s had fewer nightmares and has mentioned Jenna less often. She’ll never fully recover from the death of her mother, but she’s finally getting to a place where she can live with her loss. Uprooting her again might have repercussions. And then there’s the financial cost of this move,” Gabe added.
“We’ll no longer have to pay two mortgages,” Quinn said in an effort to make Gabe feel better.
“No, we won’t, but we’ll have to pay crippling death duties and spend a fortune on repairs. I had an inspector come out to the house last week. The roof needs replacing, there’s dry rot, a large portion of the masonry is crumbling, and don’t even get me started on the plumbing and electricity. Everything is in its original condition. I can hardly expect to address all these issues on a teacher’s salary.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’ve heard back from several schools up north. They’re happy to have me, but only as an educator, and at a third of what I earn now.”
Quinn studied Gabe’s beloved face. He looked genuinely sad and, for lack of a better word, evasive.
“What are you not telling me?” she asked.
“I’ve been offered the directorship of the institute,” Gabe replied. “It comes with a hefty pay raise.”
“That job is your dream come true,” Quinn replied, finally understanding what had been eating at Gabe these past few days. He really would be sacrificing a lot to move back home to a place he had no desire to be. “Is there another option?”
Gabe shook his head. “Not that I can think of. My mother would never agree to leave her home. She’s lived there for over fifty years, and I can’t allow her to remain there on her own. It’s too much for her.”
“Gabe, there must be a solution. Surely your mother would understand, especially if you tell her about this opportunity.”
“Yes, she would, which is why I can’t tell her. She’ll urge me to remain in London and do what’s best for me, and I simply can’t take her up on that with a clear conscience.”
“Let me give this some thought,” Quinn promised as Emma called out from the other room. “Emma is awake, and I’m starving.”
“All right,” Gabe agreed, but he still looked dejected.
TWO
Quinn had just taken a forkful of her vegetable korma, which wasn’t half bad, when Gabe’s mobile began to vibrate. The rule was, no phones at the dinner table, but after Gabe glanced at the screen, he took the call, with an apologetic smile to Quinn. “It’s my mother,” he mouthed.
“Put her on speaker, I want to say hello,” Quinn said. Putting Phoebe on speaker would ensure a much shorter conversation.
Gabe pressed the speaker button and Phoebe’s voice flooded the kitchen.
“Hi, Mum. Are you all right?” Gabe asked. Phoebe rarely called in the evening. She called Gabe first thing in the morning when she woke up. She said it was her loneliest time, since every morning, for just a few moments, she forgot that her beloved Graeme was gone and turned to his side of the bed to say good morning. Each morning, she experienced her loss all over again, and needed to hear Gabe’s voice to feel less alone in the world.
“No, I’m most definitely not all right.”
“Are you ill?” Gabe demanded. “Do you need me to come?”
“I’m not ill, but I do need you to come,” Phoebe replied. She sounded unusually jittery, her voice high and trembling with anxiety.
“Mum, what is it?”
“There’s a body in the kitchen,” Phoebe announced dramatically, as if she were in an Agatha Christie film.
“Whose body?” Gabe asked. “Is it Buster?” Buster was just a puppy, but he was the only other living creature in the house, and he might have had an accident.
“No!” Emma cried. She loved Buster and couldn’t wait to claim him as her own once they moved.
“No, darling, Buster is fine,” Phoebe reassured her. “Son, perhaps you should take me off speaker now. This conversation is not for Emma’s ears.”
