Page 110 of Merrily Ever After
There was a beat of silence and then the three of them burst into laughter, which was on the verge of turninghysterical in Merry’s case when there was a frantic knock at the door.
‘Merry? Can I come in?’
‘Cole, no!’ Merry yelped and dived back behind the wardrobe door and started peeling off the dress. ‘Absolutely not.’
Nell ran to the door and opened it a tiny crack. ‘You can’t come in, she’s got her wedding dress on, it’s bad luck.’
‘Lydia’s here,’ said Cole darkly. ‘She can’t find Harley. He’s gone missing.’
‘Harley?’ Merry slammed the wardrobe door shut and appeared wearing just her underwear. ‘Oh no!’
‘Bloody hell!’ Nell flung open the bedroom door. ‘Oh my God, Lydia! What’s happened?’
‘I’m so sorry to barge in.’ A woman in a thick coat, breathless with panic, her face as pale as snow, appeared beside Cole. Downstairs, the music had been switched off and everyone had gone silent.
‘Lydia thought he might be here,’ said Cole grimly.
Nell threw Merry the dressing gown which had been balled up on the end of the bed and she pulled it on, shaking her head. ‘I wish he was. Oh Lydia, I’m so sorry.’
‘He’s never done anything like this before, never,’ Lydia said, rubbing her arms to stop herself from shivering.
‘I’m calling the police,’ Cole muttered, taking his phone out of his pocket.
‘My stepson is fourteen,’ Nell intervened, ‘he didn’t come home straight after school once and his mother called the police. Max was mortified and it made the situation far worse.’
‘Cole, didn’t you and Hester run away because your parents wouldn’t let you stay up late at Hallowe’en?’ Merry said softly. ‘You must have been around the same age as Harley then.’
A frown creased Cole’s brow. ‘But we only went as far as McDonald’s and changed our minds. We can’t have been gone for more than half an hour. How long has Harley been missing?’
Lydia went bright red. ‘An hour? Maybe a bit more?’
‘Teenagers often act in haste,’ said Emily. ‘Perhaps something upset him, and he needed to let off steam. Maybe give him a bit longer?’
‘He’s only thirteen!’ Lydia wailed. ‘He’s out on a winter’s night. It’s freezing and he didn’t take a coat and he’s not answering his phone.’
‘Where’s Freya?’ Merry asked.
‘I left her at home with … with …’ Lydia stuttered. ‘I left her with Ady. Just in case he comes back and doesn’t have a key.’
‘Ady?’ Cole stared at her.
‘My new boyfriend.’ Lydia cast her eyes down to the floor. ‘I introduced him to the kids for the first time tonight. Freya liked him, but I’m not sure about Harley.’
Just then, Cole’s phone rang. He looked at the screen. ‘Unknown number. Hello? Cole Robinson?’
Everyone held their breath, hoping for good news.
‘Is it him?’ Lydia said impatiently. Cole shook his head grimly.
‘Right. Yeah, of course. Sorry about that. I’ll sort it in the morning.’ Cole hung up and looked at Merry. ‘That was the wedding photographer.’
Merry groaned and covered her face with her hands. ‘The deposit. Oh God, I was supposed to pay it today and I was so busy, I—’
‘For Christ’s sake, Merry, you had one job. Anyway, it doesn’t matter now,’ said Cole, and he turned away from her. ‘Let’s focus on Harley.’
‘I’m sorry,’ Merry swiped at her eyes as tears began to fall. ‘This is a nightmare.’
Emily went to her, wishing there was something she could do, and put an arm on her sister’s shoulders. ‘You said he was unhappy, Merry,’ she said softly. ‘You were right to be worried.’
