Terry went on: ‘Charlie knew how much you wanted another kid. That you were gutted by the fact that you couldn’t do it. And Charlie?’ Terry gave a smile that was almost sad. ‘Charlie’s an empire builder at heart. He wanted a son. Someone to pass it all on to. And there was Harlan. Charlie saw the kid as a gift, a solution to a big problem. But he knew you wouldn’t go for the true story. That you’d hate the very idea of it. So he . . .’

‘So he lied,’ finished Nula, her mouth dry, her mind in a spin. She’d been right. All this time, all the times Charlie had said to her, You’re crazy, what’s the matter with you? All the time, she’d been right.

‘He was shielding you from the truth,’ corrected Terry. ‘He got one of our girls to pretend to be from the adoption agency. That’s why when you contacted them they’d never heard of her. She’d never been there. It was all a lie.’ Terry turned and looked her straight in the eye. ‘So now you know.’

Nula’s face was twisted in anguish. To think that Charlie had brought that thing into their home. Harlan had tormented her, tried to kill her. Nearly caused her to lose her mind. And Jake. Oh Christ – Jake!

‘The woman. The mother. What was her name?’

‘I’ve no idea. I never felt comfortable with any of this, Nula. I’m fucking sorry.’

Nula didn’t say another word. She turned and walked away, back up to the house.

83

Milly was restless out in the sticks. She’d made up with Belle over that Nipper business, but Belle was off somewhere at the moment so she went into London, alone. She had spare keys to a flat Dad kept there, the lush place on the river with views up to Tower Bridge, so she moved in. She’d given Nula no explanation for the move other than: ‘I’m so fucking bored out here. I’m going into town. Staying on there for a while.’

Dad had blown his top spectacularly over her giving Javier the cold shoulder again.

‘Why not have dinner with the man?’ he’d raged. ‘Would it bother you so much to at least be polite?’

Milly had no answer. She upped and fled to the city, to get away from the whole rotten lot of them. Mum didn’t even seem interested that she’d left. Nula was in one of her downtimes again, barely speaking, not engaging with anyone, just scribbling in her notebooks. Well, fuck it.