Page 20 of Sanctuary at MacLeod's Cove
‘He listened to you talk about the environment then,’ said Lucy wryly.
Jen laughed. ‘Mum and Liam are two of a kind. He had a ball. He’s out for the count now. He fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow, which is a first for him. He’s normally…’ Jen bit her lip and left the sentence unfinished.
‘Normally what?’ asked Lucy.
Jen shrugged. ‘Normally more restless. He—’ She opened her hands in a helpless gesture, not knowing how to convey what he’d gone through in a few short sentences. She sucked in a sudden breath. ‘Alistair scared him, so he usually finds it hard to settle. And he’s awake two or three times in the night with nightmares and needs settling back down again.’
Her mother winced, and her hand paused as she lifted a forkful of spaghetti to her mouth, unable to cope with the thought of her grandson being so afraid. Not so Lucy. She kept her gaze level as she looked thoughtfully at Jen. Jen forced herself to meet it.
‘How did Alistair scare him, Jen? We need to know what happened in England if we’re going to help you and Liam.’
Jen shook her head. ‘You don’t have to do anything. We’re away from him. That should be enough.’
‘Should be,’ repeated Lucy. ‘I think you need our help, and I think you’d better accept it. So why don’t you stop being evasive and tell us what happened?’
Kate placed a hand on Lucy’s arm. ‘Lucy, darling, don’t force Jenny. She’ll tell us when she’s ready.’
‘I reckon she needs to be ready now. Because she’s here. And we need to know. We’re family, Jen. And neither Mum nor I, nor any of the others when they arrive, can bear seeing you and Liam looking so beaten-up.’
Kate looked up at Jen with alarm. ‘Is that what he did? Beat you up?’
‘Me, yes. But not Liam.’
Her mother made a pained sound and rose swiftly to her feet. Resting her elbows on the railing, she stared out to sea. Jen saw her brush a tear away from her eyes. And she regretted everything all over again for how much it was hurting her mother.
‘So why is Liam afraid?’ Lucy persisted.
‘He was afraid for me. You see, he’d seen and heard enough to know what Alistair was doing to me.’
‘That bastard,’ said Lucy, her eyes full of fury as she clenched her hands into fists as if she wanted to punch him. ‘If I could get my hands on him…’
‘You’d end up in hospital,’ said Jen wearily. ‘He was too clever with his fists, too manipulative with his mind, and far too damn charming to everyone else. No one believed me.’
‘We believe you,’ said her mother gently but firmly, turning to face them both. ‘And that’s all that matters. For now.’
‘All that matters?’ said Lucy. ‘No way! That bastard is going down for what he’s done to you both.’
Jen shook her head. ‘I’ve tried. It’s useless and would only prolong things. No, I decided to move away and make a fresh start.’
‘Easier said than done, I’d have thought,’ said Lucy huffily.
‘What’s stopping him from coming here after you, Jenny?’ asked Kate.
Jen’s mouth suddenly dried. ‘He…’ She trailed off, and tried to find the answer in her wine, but all she saw was a reflection of her own frown. She looked back up into her mother and sister’s worried faces. ‘He shouldn’t. He has all he needs to move on.’
Lucy opened her eyes wide. ‘How? You didn’t…’
‘I left him money in the bank and a mortgage-free house.’
‘How the hell?’
‘My last book. It did really well. International rights went through the roof. I paid him off.’
Lucy swore under her breath.
‘Lucy!’ said her mother.
‘He got information from my publisher and knows there’s no more money. He has the lot.’
