“You look much better,” Allaine told Emma as she served tea and toast at the kitchen table. Her red headed husband smiled nervously at Emma as he got the children ready for church.
Nicky popped up onto Emma’s lap, forcing his way into the narrow gap between her stomach and the table. “Come church wiv us, Mummy. Jesus doesn’t throw lightning bolts in his church, Will said. He laughed when I telled him you said fings like that.”
Will bit his lip and looked apologetic, caught in his mocking of Emma’s antiquated beliefs. Allaine gave her husband a stern glare before pulling on her boots. Emma kissed her son’s rosy lips and smoothed away a smear of chocolate spread from around his mouth. “I just say silly things sometimes.” She forced a smile. “My daddy was a good man and he knew Jesus. Don’t believe everything I say, Nick. Some of it’s just not worth hearing.”
Satisfied, Nicky hugged her neck and popped down, wriggling into his school coat over a very old set of trousers and sweatshirt left over from Allaine’s boys. Will filed them all into the thin hallway and Allaine pushed a sheaf of papers towards Emma with a slight nod, waiting until her husband was out of earshot. “Don’t say anything in front of Will, because he’s involved in the case with Rohan’s mother. But look at this list of plants. I printed it off the internet. When I worked as a lab technician, these were the most common cause of natural poisoning we came across. Look at the symptoms and see if they match your illnesses and your father’s. Then perhaps we can pinpoint which plant causes that. We might be able to go to Will with some hard evidence.”
Emma gulped and stared at the white sheets, speckled with writing and colour photos of leaves and blossoms. Allaine rubbed her shoulder with affection.” Have a peaceful morning. Will’s promised the kids’ lunch out.” Allaine rolled her eyes. “I’m not having another baby just to please him, so we’ll just keep borrowing Nicky. Well, until you go anyway.” Her eyes became shrouded in sadness and regret.
“I don’t know if we’re leaving immediately. I’m waiting for something.” Emma watched the light flick back on in her friend’s face. “Not that I can afford to lose a hundred quid on wasted train tickets though. Maybe I can change the date. I’ll walk back to the station and ask tomorrow.”
“I guess it’s a lot of money to waste,” Allaine agreed.
“It certainly is where I’ve come from,” Emma snorted, but there was no mirth in the sound, just profound sorrow. “We’ll see, anyway. Thanks for everything you’ve done for me.” Emma smiled up at her friend.
“Come on, Alli!” Will shouted from the street. “They’ll be singing the last hymn by the time we get there.”
Emma went to the front window to drink her tea in the living room and watch the little group bounce down the street past Rohan’s house. The children ran ahead in woolly hats and mittens, balls of boundless energy. Allaine and Will followed behind, holding hands and laughing together.
Emma cleared up from her breakfast and set the kitchen to rights. Upstairs she stripped the bed she slept in and loaded up the washing machine, finding the powder and fabric softener and setting a load going. She popped some things from the laundry basket in to make up a full load. The jeans she slipped on for breakfast felt scratchy against her skin and the moment for decision came. Emma stuffed the sheets of information printed from the internet into her pocket, secured the house and closed the front door, posting the spare key through the letterbox after she locked up. With a last wistful look at Allaine’s comfortable home, Emma walked down the street to Rohan’s front gate, taking in a huge breath as her hand rested on the catch, dreading the reception she would get.