Part 33 (1/2)

'That's a lie.'

'I beg your pardon?'

'It's okay. I understand, but it's a lie and we both know it's a lie, so can we move on?'

Elaine's face twisted, and Gwen caught a glimpse of the anger and pain contained within Elaine's pastel twin-set. It wasn't pretty. 'Iris was a witch,' Elaine said. 'She was an embarra.s.sment to the community, a liability to the firm.'

'So you've decided that I can't live in End House. Because I'm related to her.'

'You can live wherever you choose.' Elaine's eyes darted left as she spoke. 'I just thought you might be more comfortable in a less quiet town. Somewhere more bohemian.'

'But you want me out of my aunt's house?' The flicker of guilt behind Elaine's eyes made Gwen realise something: Elaine had stolen the t.i.tle deeds to End House. Right from the beginning, she'd wanted to get rid of her. She'd taken out insurance in case she couldn't simply order her away like last time. Gwen hadn't even been given a chance. 'I know you took the t.i.tle deeds,' she said, letting the anger show in her voice.

Elaine froze, her tea cup suspended halfway to her mouth.

'They weren't in the file when I picked up the keys, but I didn't really think about it until now.'

Elaine replaced the cup onto the saucer. The gentle chime of china on china rang in the sudden silence. 'That is a very serious allegation.'

Elaine had gone very pale, and a part of Gwen almost felt sorry for her. Almost. 'I understand that you don't want me around and I understand that you're desperate to protect Cam.' Gwen took a deep breath. 'I want to clear the air between us and, to be honest, I've got enough problems without worrying about you and whatever you're planning.'

Elaine licked her lips. 'I'm sure that we can come to some kind of arrangement. There must be something you want.'

'I'm not leaving this time. I love it here and I love your son.' Gwen swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat. 'I'm not running away and I'm not Iris. I don't know why you hated her so much, but I'm not my great-aunt. I'm not your enemy.'

Elaine looked at the floor. She was silent for so long that Gwen was beginning to wonder if this was Elaine's way of dismissing her from the room.

Finally, she looked up. 'It was her fault.' Elaine was squeezing words out from behind clenched teeth. Her face was a horror mask. 'It was her fault he died.'

'Who? Mr Laing?'

'Cameron's father,' Elaine said. 'It was Iris Harper's fault.' She reached into the pocket of her cardigan and produced a handkerchief.

'What happened?' Gwen said. 'I know he was very ill.'

'Stomach cancer.' Elaine dabbed at her eyes.

'And Iris visited him, didn't she?'

'She said she could help. He trusted her.'

'Did she say she could cure him?'

Elaine's face twisted again. 'No.'

'And what did your husband say?' Gwen felt it was important, suddenly, to make Elaine understand; Iris hadn't done anything wrong. She'd done her best to help.

'He was desperate. He was in so much pain. Even the morphine didn't take it away.'

'But what did he say?'

Elaine was far away now; she was looking in Gwen's direction, but seeing something else entirely. 'He said that she comforted him.'

Gwen flinched at the raw pain in her voice and, feeling like the worst kind of bully, she said: 'You're angry because he turned to someone else.'

'I was his wife,' Elaine said. She sounded like a lost child and Gwen felt awful. Then she added, 'Imagine how it looked,' and Gwen felt a little better.

'This is not the same, and I'm not Iris,' Gwen said. 'You can't push me out of town. Not this time. And I won't let you steal my house.'

'I haven't the faintest idea what you are talking about.' Elaine was trying to claw back her composure, but her face was flushed and her voice shook.

'I don't think Cam would be very pleased to hear that you stole doc.u.ments from the firm, but I'm willing to keep quiet about that if you stop trying to break us up.'

Elaine's eyes flashed. 'He won't believe you.'

'Maybe not,' Gwen said. 'You want to risk it?'

After a moment of seething thought, Elaine said, 'Fine.'

'You have to stop pressuring Cam to break things off. And let Lily know that she has to drop this legal case against me. If the t.i.tle deeds to the house appear back in the folder a which I will leave on my kitchen table for the next few days a then I will simply a.s.sume they got there by magic.'

'I agree to your terms.' Elaine spoke as if every word was an effort.

Gwen thought about Felicity and the Christmas Eve parties. She imagined Elaine pus.h.i.+ng suitable young women at Cam, like a linen-wearing pimp. 'You have to invite me to the house and make me welcome.'

Elaine opened her mouth to argue, but Gwen pressed on. 'If you don't, I will not only tell Cam everything, but I will also give Ryan a juicy story for the paper. Insider theft within Laing and Sons; it won't look good.'

Elaine closed her mouth with a snap. Her eyes looked murderous. 'You wouldn't do that. It would hurt Cameron, too.'

'You hurt him all the time by trying to control him.'

'I only do what's best for him.'

'You're lucky his teenage rebellion involved sleeping with an unsuitable girlfriend. It could've been spectacular. Do we have a deal?'

Elaine inclined her head.

'Excellent.' Gwen stood up. 'I brought you something.' She unzipped her bag and pulled out the notebook. 'Iris kept a journal. This one has a few entries about Mr Laing. She wasn't very nice about you, I'm afraid, but I thought you might've been wondering about what they talked about.'

'I didn't enquire about my husband's private business,' Elaine said stiffly.

'Well, you should have.' Gwen put the book down on a side table. 'I'll see myself out.'

Elaine didn't say anything and Gwen made her way through the echoing hall to the front door. She didn't know if she had just left a comfort blanket or a bomb, but it seemed as if that journal belonged more to the Laings than it did to her. And you didn't get to choose your inheritance.

Within minutes of leaving Elaine's house, Gwen's bravado fled. Her hands shook and she felt p.r.i.c.kles of sweat on her neck. In her anxiety, she felt as if every second person was looking at her sideways. As if they distrusted her. Disliked her. Elaine's att.i.tude hit her all over again and her eyes p.r.i.c.kled. Freak. Not good enough. Weirdo. Odd one out.

A woman tightened her grip on her toddler's hand as she pa.s.sed Gwen. Perhaps she was simply preparing to cross the road, but Gwen felt it as another slap in the face. She decided to go to the pub. At least she could be sure of a welcome there.

Bob was out from behind the bar, wiping down tables and laying out cruet sets for the lunch crowd. Gwen threw her bag down on the table nearest the fire and herself into a comfy chair.