Page 46 of He's the One

When he reached the waiting room he’d been directed to, there was a couple in there, sitting pressed together, holding each other’s hands. The woman was crying. Theo sat down and checked his phone. No calls or messages from anyone. He’d wondered if Charlotte might have contacted him. That she hadn’t made him trust her even less. When he could think straight, he’d google her, check social media. Any mention of a former boyfriend and he’d know she wasn’t what she’d said she was.

But as he went to put his phone away, a text did come through from his father.

Let me know if you need any help.

Theo was touched.

“Excuse me.”

He looked up to see the couple standing in front of him. He rose to his feet. “Yes.”

“Lord Theodore? Is that how I should address you?” the woman asked. “Or Lord Wetherby?”

Theo’s mouth opened and closed. He wasn’t often recognised outside of Asquith. Though he remembered now that he’d seen these two at the promises auction sitting near the front.

“Theo is fine. My father is Lord Wetherby.”

“I’m Col’s mum. This is his dad.”

“Oh.” Theo’s hand went out automatically. “I’m so sorry, Mrs… I don’t even know Col’s surname.”

“It’s Hammond,” she said. “We’re Merlene and Livingston Thomas. You can see we’re not Col’s birth parents, but we’ve brought him up since he was fourteen. He’s our boy.” She let out a muffled sob and her husband put his arm around her.

“Was it you who called the ambulance?” Col’s father asked.

“Yes. How is he?”

“They said they were taking him for an X-ray.” Col’s mother sat down and gestured for Theo to sit too. “Do you know what happened?”

“I was waiting for Col in the pub. We were going to have dinner. He was a bit late, so I called him. He managed to tell me he was next to his car in the field near the marquee, and he was hurt. When I got there, he said Robert had hit him and he thought Robert’s wife had hit him too.”

She gasped and her husband clutched her hand.

“You know who Robert is?” Col’s father asked.

“Col told me about him. I met Robert today. I told the police about him but I don’t know his surname.”

“Murray.”

They all looked up to see Robert standing in the entrance to the waiting room. He had a ripped shirt, blood on his face and a cut above his eye.

Col’s father strode over to him. “You have a nerve showing up here.”

“What do you mean?”

“You attacked Col.” Theo headed towards him too.

Robert held out his hands. “No, I didn’t. I’d waited to talk to him after the auction and he hit me.” He gestured to his face. “But when I pushed him away, he banged his head on the car and instead of waiting to see if he was okay, I drove off. I’d gone about four miles when an ambulance passed me and I had this terrible feeling. Please tell me he’s okay.”

Tears were running down Robert’s face. Theo watched the reaction of Col’s parents. They looked torn. Theo wasn’t torn. He was sure Robert was lying.

“Merle, you know how much I love him,” Robert whispered.

“You lied to him for eight months,” she said. “He thought you were looking after your parents and you were home with your wife and children. He wants nothing more to do with you. You’re not welcome here. I want you to leave.”

“Is he going to be all right?” Robert asked. “Just tell me that.”

“The police want to speak to you,” Theo said. “And your wife.”

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