The Perfect Happiness(116)

“Really? Today?”

“No, while you were away. She came to see Daddy.”

Angelica’s stomach cramped. “Did she?”

“Yes.”

“Did you say hello?”

“No, we were meant to be in bed. But Joe and I watched from the top of the stairs.”

“You spy!” she tried to sound lighthearted, but her instincts were screaming at her. “What were they talking about?”

“I don’t know. They were having a glass of wine.”

Angelica felt sick. Why hadn’t Olivier told her? Or Kate, for that matter? She thought Olivier loathed Kate. She hurried from her daughter’s bedroom to seek refuge in the bathroom. Leaning against the marble, she stared at her stricken face in the mirror. Little by little, comments that Kate had made, that had meant nothing at the time, now added up to something far more sinister. The fact that she knew his birthday, the time she had said how much she’d love to wake up to him every morning—and countless more. Was Olivier having an affair with Kate? Was Olivier the father of Kate’s child? Was that why Kate was unable to name her lover? She sank onto the loo seat and put her face in her hands. It suddenly made an awful lot of sense. And she had been so smug in assuming that her husband was the last person in the world to whom Kate would turn for comfort.

Tormented by these thoughts, she muddled through the children’s homework until the doorbell rang to relieve her. She opened it cautiously. On seeing Angie standing there wringing her hands, she fell into her mother’s arms with a sob. Angie immediately grew in stature, responding to her daughter’s need with efficiency and self-importance. She helped her into the kitchen, sent the children upstairs to watch television, and put the kettle on, taking down two cups and a teapot from the cupboard. It had been years since she had set foot in Angelica’s house. She had forgotten how pretty it was.

“My life is unraveling,” Angelica sniffed, slumping in her chair.

“I’m here now, love. Everything is going to be all right.” Angie opened the fridge and took out a bottle of milk. “I want you to tell me exactly what happened. Get it all out. Cry as much as you need to. You’ll feel so much better. A problem shared is a problem halved.”

Angelica didn’t have the heart to tell her that she’d already shared it with Candace, which must mean that it would now be quartered. She watched her mother bustle about and felt a surge of gratitude.

“Thank you for coming.”

Angie placed the cups on the table. “I needed to make sure that you were all right.” She narrowed her eyes and scrutinized her daughter’s face as only a mother can. “Which, you clearly aren’t. But you’re going to be fine. We’re going to discuss this until you feel strong again.” She filled the teapot and placed it on the table, then sat down. “Nothing like a cup of tea to revive the spirits.”

“You’re so English, Mother.”

“What do you expect?” She chuckled throatily. “So tell me, what happened?”

Angelica took a sip of tea, revived indeed by the hot liquid. Then she told her mother about the robbery. To her surprise, her mother listened without saying a word. Her face showed her horror, but she didn’t interrupt, not once. Angelica felt the full force of her mother’s attention and blossomed beneath it. Riding a wave of confidence, she confessed her adultery. Before she knew it, she was confiding everything, knowing that no one would understand like Angie. After all, Angie had just about done it all.

“I’m so sorry your heart has been broken, love,” she said, her orange skin crinkling with compassion. She placed her pudgy hand on top of Angelica’s and gave it a squeeze. “You think when you marry that broken hearts are a thing of the past, gone with your misguided youth. But the truth is, you’re never too old to have your heart broken. I assume Olivier doesn’t know?” Angelica nodded, blinking through tears. “Good. Don’t tell him. Honesty is not always the best policy.”

“Should I forgive Jack for betraying me?”

“He didn’t betray you, love. He lost his heart to you and did all he could to protect it. There’s nothing wrong with that. Don’t feel aggrieved. Forgive him for being fallible, but don’t blame him for being dishonest. You’ve lived a wonderful love affair, such as most people never experience in an entire lifetime. What a privilege to have loved like that. Denny and I had to sleep with other people to feel a sense of adventure.”

Angelica wiped her face with her sleeve. “Don’t you love each other enough?”