Page 48 of My Husband's Wife
‘Err, yes. I think so. What happened to the ring? I couldn’t find it when I got home.’
‘I don’t know. I didn’t do anything with it. Maybe you misplaced it. You haven’t seemed yourself since Emily was born, but that’s to be expected.’
She scrunches her brows, confused as to why he would bring this up now and not earlier if he’d been worried. ‘In what way am I not myself?’
‘You forget things. The other day, you asked me where your car keys were. They were in your bag and I told you they were probably in your bag. I’m worried that the stress of everything is getting to you. You’re a new mum. Your hormones are everywhere and you keep working yourself to death at the salon. Maybe when we move to Loch Ness you should take a bit of time out, just a few months.’
She had lost her keys but that’s not how she remembers it, and she didn’t want to take time out from her work. She begins to doubt herself. Had she accidentally thrown the ring in the bin? She was tired all the time.
‘Look, let’s have dinner. I’ll run you a nice hot bath and keep Emily happy while you relax.’ He kisses her head and goes through to the kitchen.
She can’t make sense of the evening or their conversations. Maybe a hot bath will fix things for now.
Thirty-Nine
Madison lies in the bath while Theo is putting Emily in her cot. To help her relax, he’d added one of her jasmine bath bombs to the water and left a huge glass of alcohol-free wine. The flickering candles make the mildewy old bathroom look quite charming.
‘Emily’s fast asleep,’ he says. ‘I’m going to head to the cabin for a bit so I can do some work.’
She yawns as she finishes the pretend wine and lies back in the steaming hot water. ‘Okay.’
‘I’m also going to head into the woods to see the badgers and record some sound of the owls if I can.’
Before she gets the chance to answer, he’s already gone. She’s glad to be alone with her thoughts after such an intense evening. She has her upcoming appointment with the wedding dress sewers soon, to make final adjustments. Everything is moving at breakneck speed. At the back of her mind, she’s mentally preparing for Millie and Deepak’s upcoming wedding and the fact that it’s at the Sea Horse Hotel, where Eva works. A sense of dread washes through her. Maybe moving is the only option.
Her phone rings. ‘Camille.’
‘Hey, sis. You called earlier. Sorry, Francesca hasn’t been well. Nothing to worry about, just a twenty-four-hour thing so we’ve mostly been in the bathroom. Things calmed down and I fell asleep. I think you and Emily should stay away for a couple of days.’
‘Thanks for the warning. What a shame. Poor Francesca. I just wanted to talk but if it’s not a good time, I can call tomorrow.’
‘No, now is perfect. I’m lying in bed with a hot chocolate so I’m chill now.’ Camille laughs.
Madison loves how Camille takes everything in her stride. She’s sure she’ll be a panicking mess when Emily gets poorly for the first time. ‘You know I mentioned Scotland, and possibly moving in the future?’
She hears Camille inhale before speaking. ‘Yes.’
‘We’re going to look at a place soon.’
‘Really? Have you thought this through?’
‘Yes, we both want this.’
Camille goes silent. It’s like she can read Madison’s mind and sense her doubts. ‘You know you don’t have to go. You could stay here for a bit longer, think about it.’
‘We’ve thought about it and we’ve found a lovely house. You and the family can stay anytime. There’s an annexe.’ She can’t let Theo down, not after they spoke about his mother.
‘I don’t want an annexe; I want my sister.’ She pauses again. ‘I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. I know you have your own life to lead but I can’t imagine not having you here, especially as Mum and Dad aren’t close.’
Their parents moved to Penzance in Cornwall several years ago, leaving her and Camille living alone in Ilfracombe.
Camille continues. ‘You were here for me when I had Eden and Francesca, and I wanted to be there for you with Emily. I want to see her grow up… why so soon?’
She clears her throat. Maybe she should confide in Camille. She always has done before. ‘Theo has been in touch with his mum. She’s not dead, like he said.’
‘If that’s not a huge red flag, I don’t know what is. How could he lie about something so huge?’
‘It’s more complicated than you think.’
