Up Close and Personal (29 page)

The doctor cleared his throat, all the while frantically trying to recall the pictures he’d been stupid enough to store on his mobile. He was quite certain he’d been wearing his fox head in all of them. ‘Christ, Nicole, you don’t think that was me, do you?’ he said, trying to sound shocked. ‘A friend
of mine’s into this furring lark and he emailed those pictures to me for a laugh.’

Nicole sighed. ‘Save your breath, Connor. I know it was you. You’d taken off one of your gloves in that last picture – you know … the one of you masturbating as you watched those two rabbits getting it on.’

‘So?’ Connor said defensively. ‘What makes you think that was me?’

Another sigh. ‘Your scar, Connor. I’d recognize it anywhere.’

With a sickening sense of dread, Connor looked down at his right hand, which bore a livid scar at the base of the thumb – the legacy of a drunken med-school accident. He licked his lips nervously, knowing the game was well and truly up. ‘How did the
Chronicle
get the pictures?’

‘From me,’ Nicole said. ‘I thought they’d be interested to see what Loxwood’s hardest-working GP gets up to in his spare time. I also sent them a copy of your credit-card statement and a load of receipts I found stuffed in your jacket pocket.’ She raised an eyebrow. ‘You really pushed the boat out for that little slut in Cardiff, didn’t you? Business class flights, romantic dinners for two, bottles of Château Lafite. You were even stupid enough to book the hotel in your real names.’ She sighed. ‘Zoe Tripp, eh? Let’s hope her husband doesn’t find out. I’ve heard he does boxing in his spare time.’

Connor stared at her in disbelief. ‘So this is all your doing?’ he said, jabbing a finger at the paper, as he struggled to keep his mounting anger under control.

Nicole nodded. ‘In a few hours’ time, the whole town is going to know exactly what you are.’

Connor buried his face in his hands. ‘How could you do it, Nicole? How could you humiliate me like this?’

Nicole regarded him contemptuously. ‘Because I’ve had enough of playing second fiddle,’ she said. ‘All those times you said you were working late, you were with her, weren’t you?’

Connor didn’t answer. ‘I could get struck off for this, you know,’ he snapped. ‘And then we’d lose everything – the house, the car, the holidays in the south of France.’

‘I don’t give a shit about any of those things!’ Nicole cried. ‘I just want to be with someone who loves me.’ She reached out to Tilly, who was gurgling contentedly, seeming unaware of her parents’ disharmony. ‘We both do.’

‘But I do love you,’ Connor said in a wheedling tone. ‘Desperately. I know I’ve been a bad boy and I’m sorry. Zoe was just a fling; she doesn’t mean anything to me. You’re the only woman for me – you know that.’

‘It’s too late,’ Nicole said, praying her voice wouldn’t break. ‘I want a divorce.’

‘No!’ Connor shouted, his face crumpling. ‘Listen, I know I’ve messed up, but you’ve got to give me another chance. I won’t let you down again, I promise.’

‘Sorry, Connor, I’ve made my mind up.’

‘But this is crazy. I know you want to punish me – and God knows I deserve it – but we can work through this, I know we can.’

Nicole thrust her jaw out defiantly. ‘I’m not going to change my mind. I’ve already instructed a lawyer. You’ll be hearing from him shortly.’

At this, Connor dropped to his knees in front of her, hands clasped together as if he were praying. ‘Please,
Nicole, you can’t be serious. I’ll only believe you if you say you don’t love me.’

Nicole looked him in the eye. ‘I don’t love you,’ she said calmly. She stood up and walked out of the room. When she returned, she was carrying a small suitcase. ‘I’ve packed some things for you,’ she said. ‘Just the basics: a few changes of clothes, toiletries and so on. You can collect the rest of your stuff later.’

‘But where am I supposed to go?’ Connor wailed.

‘I don’t know – a friend’s house, a hotel,
her
place.’ Nicole carried the suitcase to the back door. ‘I’d like you to leave now.’

‘You cow. You bloody conniving cow!’ Connor exploded as he marched over to the door. ‘If you think I’m just going to roll over while you screw me for every penny I’ve got, you’ve got another thing coming.’

‘Goodbye, Connor,’ Nicole said as she opened the door.

Connor’s face twisted into an ugly grimace. ‘You’re going to regret this,’ he said as he stormed out of the house, almost knocking her over in the process.

When he was gone, Nicole went back into the kitchen and lifted Tilly from her high chair. ‘It’s just you and me now,’ she whispered as she hugged her daughter tightly. ‘Just you and me.’

By the time Yasmin arrived at Nicole’s cottage, dusk was falling. There was still light in the sky but it was the grey, dispirited kind that was worse than darkness.

‘Sorry I’m late, Nic,’ Yasmin said, following her friend into the living room. ‘The picture editor pounced just as I was putting my coat on. He insisted on showing me some
pap shots of a guy that used to be in a two-bob boy band, like, a hundred years ago. Then when I finally managed to get away the traffic on the bypass was terrible.’

‘There’s no need to apologize,’ Nicole replied as she sank onto the sofa and reached for the bottle of chilled Chablis that she’d been looking forward to all day. ‘I’m just glad you could come at all. I didn’t fancy being on my own this evening.’

‘I don’t blame you,’ Yasmin said as she accepted a glass of wine. ‘I can’t believe you’ve thrown Connor out. What happened, exactly? Your text didn’t give much away.’

Nicole picked up the latest edition of the
Loxwood Weekly Chronicle
that was lying on the floor, open to page ten. ‘Check this out,’ she said, handing it to Yasmin. ‘
Fur better or worse
.’

Yasmin’s eyes grew big as dinner plates as she read the story. ‘Shit, this is Connor, isn’t it?’

‘Yep,’ said Nicole. ‘My first foray into the world of journalism – and I must say, I’m feeling rather pleased with myself.’

Yasmin did a double take. ‘You mean,
you
tipped the
Chron
off?’

Nicole nodded. ‘I wondered about coming to you with it, but I didn’t think a big paper like the
Sunday Post
would be interested in the antics of a small-town GP.’

Yasmin’s stunned gaze returned to the paper. ‘So all this is true?’

‘Yes,’ Nicole said sadly. ‘Unfortunately it is.’

‘Oh my God,’ Yasmin said, clapping a horrified hand to her mouth. ‘How on earth did you find out?’

‘It wasn’t very difficult,’ Nicole said. Taking a deep breath,
she described the incriminating photos she’d found on Connor’s mobile phone. ‘They more or less proved he was being unfaithful,’ she went on. ‘So I decided to dig a bit deeper. When Connor came back from Cardiff, I went through his jacket pockets and found a whole bunch of receipts – stuff that proved he wasn’t staying in that hotel alone. Then I dug out his old mobile-phone bills. When I looked through them, one number kept coming up time and time again. He was calling it every day, several times a day sometimes. When I dialled the number, I got an answerphone. I recognized the voice – it was the same woman who’d picked up the phone that time I tried to call Connor’s hotel room.’

‘Christ,’ Yasmin muttered. ‘Connor, a furvert … who would’ve guessed?’ Suddenly, she sat bolt upright. ‘Hang on a minute … That night you went badger watching with Bear and you saw those people shagging in the woods. You don’t think …’

‘Yes,’ said Nicole. ‘It was Connor; I’m sure of it.’

Yasmin took a gulp of wine. ‘Did he only realize he’d been rumbled when he read the story in the paper?’

‘Yep.’ Nicole gave a triumphant smile. ‘And once word gets around he’ll be a laughing stock.’

Yasmin frowned. ‘Listen, Nic, I don’t blame you for giving Connor his marching orders, but why did you go public? Wouldn’t it have been easier just to confront him with the evidence?’

Nicole’s jaw tensed. ‘I wanted to hurt him the way he’s hurt me. If those phone bills are anything to go by, this affair’s being going on for months. Meanwhile, I’ve been stuck at home, raising our daughter and trying to be the
perfect supportive wife.’ She gave a bitter laugh. ‘No wonder he’d gone off sex with me when he had that little slut on speed dial.’

‘Do you know who she is?’

‘Her name’s Zoe Tripp.’ Nicole gave a hard sniff. ‘She’s married too.’

Yasmin touched her friend’s arm. ‘I’m so sorry, Nic, I really am. You must be devastated.’

‘Well, you know, that’s the funny thing … I’m not really.’ Nicole gave a great sigh. ‘I’ve been deluding myself for quite a long time. The truth is Connor and I were having problems even before Tilly was born.’

‘You always seemed happy enough to me.’

‘I suppose I just became adept at ignoring the signs, but now that I look back they were there all along.’

‘All those late nights at the surgery and weekend working, eh?’

Nicole nodded. ‘He was always going out on random errands too: nipping to the shops for chocolate and then not bothering to eat it, driving to the garage to check his tyre pressure, always with his mobile of course. And then, when he came back, he’d have a spring in his step and his eyes would be shining. I know now he was calling
her
.’

‘So what’s next?’

‘I’ve already consulted a lawyer. She’s started divorce proceedings.’

Yasmin sighed. ‘Oh, Nic, are you sure this is what you want?’

‘Quite sure. Connor was making me unhappy and I’m convinced the feeling was mutual. He may be pissed off with me now, but he’ll thank me in the long run.’

‘
Well, I think you’ve made a very brave decision,’ said Yasmin. ‘And you do know that, whatever happens, I’m always here for you.’

Nicole blinked hard as tears sprang to her eyes. ‘I know, but it’s good to hear you say it anyway.’

‘Have you told Juliet?’

‘Not yet. I feel a bit awkward about telling her; you know how big she is on the sanctity of marriage.’

‘She can afford to be,’ Yasmin said. ‘She found a wonderful husband in Gus, and now she’s been lucky enough to fall in love again. I really hope she and Dante make a go of things – he seems like such a lovely man.’

‘I’m sure they will.’ Nicole picked up the Chablis and refilled Yasmin’s glass. ‘Now all we need to do is find a nice boyfriend for you. I know you keep saying you don’t need a man, but one day you’re going to fall in love when you least expect it, I just know it.’

‘Hmm,’ Yasmin mumbled. ‘I think it might be a bit late for that.’

‘Oh, don’t be ridiculous. You’re barely thirty; you’ve got all the time in the world.’

‘Yeah, but I don’t think anybody’s going to be interested in me now … not in my condition.’

Nicole helped herself to more wine. ‘You just need to cut back your working hours and get out a bit more. Have you thought about joining one of those internet dating sites?’

Yasmin raised an eyebrow. ‘Did you hear what I just said?’

‘Yes, you said no one’s going to be interested in you in your cond–’ Suddenly, Nicole’s expression froze. ‘You’re not …’

Yasmin nodded. ‘I did a test last night. It was positive.’

‘You’re pregnant?’ Nicole said in a shocked tone.

‘Yep.’

‘But … but I thought you were on the Pill,’ Nicole stuttered.

‘I stopped taking it last month. It was making me put on weight.’

‘And you didn’t think to use a condom?’

‘It was one of those stupid spur-of-the-moment things; neither of us had a condom. I’d only come off the Pill a couple of days earlier; I thought I’d be okay.’

‘Oh, Yasmin, you of all people should know better than that.’

Yasmin sighed. ‘You’d think so, wouldn’t you?’

‘So whose is it? I didn’t even know you were seeing anyone.’

‘I’m not. It’s Rob … that guy at work. We had a one-night stand a few weeks back.’

Nicole frowned. ‘But I thought you couldn’t stand the sight of each other.’

Yasmin smiled sadly. ‘You know what they say about there being a thin line between love and hate.’

‘And it’s definitely his?’

Yasmin nodded. ‘I’ve done the maths.’

‘Does he know?’

‘Uh-uh, and I’m not planning on telling him. I don’t want him trying to talk me out of it.’

‘Out of having an abortion?’

Yasmin didn’t answer. Instead, her hand went to her belly. At this early stage in the pregnancy, her stomach was still flat, but now, as she stroked it, she could visualize the clump of cells that was growing and dividing inside of her.

Nicole gasped. ‘You’re keeping it?’

‘Yes,’ Yasmin replied. ‘I think I am.’

For a moment Nicole was so taken aback that all she could do was stare. Then she reached out and snatched Yasmin’s wine glass out of her hand. ‘In that case, you shouldn’t be drinking.’ She shook her head, still struggling to digest the news. ‘I didn’t think you wanted kids.’

‘I didn’t think I did either, but now that I’m actually pregnant …’ Yasmin frowned. ‘I just can’t imagine getting rid of it.’

‘But how will you manage? What about your career?’

Yasmin shrugged. ‘The two things aren’t mutually exclusive; plenty of women manage to juggle work and motherhood.’ She lay back against the sofa cushions and sighed contentedly. It was as if something tight and clenched had unfurled within her, like the petals of a flower stretching out into the light. ‘You know what, Nic. I think this might turn out to be the best thing that’s ever happened to me.’

21

‘Honestly, darling,’ Juliet said, as she drizzled garlic-infused olive oil on her rocket salad. ‘Thanks for the offer, but I’ll be fine on my own.’

‘I know you will,’ Dante replied. ‘I just thought you could use some moral support.’

Juliet regarded him from under her eyelashes. ‘The meeting’s going to be very dull,’ she said. ‘And actually I think I’d prefer to face the bank alone. If you were there, I’d probably get all flustered and tongue-tied.’

Dante’s nostrils flared, not so much in anger as in exasperation. ‘Suit yourself.’

It was Friday afternoon and the Fishers were having lunch at Gaston’s. In just over half an hour, Juliet was meeting with her bank manager to discuss the possibility of getting a new loan to cover the cost of repairs to the roof, as well as an overhaul of Ashwicke’s ancient plumbing. Dante had assumed he would be accompanying his wife. Evidently he was wrong.