Page 68 of The Runaway Wives

As they walked, they talked. Dee told Kenny all about Nigel’s latest trick and he was outraged on her behalf, saying it was a terrible stunt to pull. ‘I hope you get a fair divorce settlement from him, it doesn’t seem like you can trust him. He’ll probably pull every stunt in the book.’

‘He won’t, because I know a bit too much about his dodgy business practices, he won’t want his business partner knowing about them or his latest stunt. All I want is half the house and my possessions. The rest he can keep.’

‘You’re entitled to more than that, surely? What about a share of his pension, and he must have a bit of money in the bank.’

Dee gazed across the Towans down to the sea below. ‘My solicitor said the same, and if he can do that without too much hassle, then good. But I don’t want to fight for anything. Half the money from the sale of the house so that I can buy myself a new home will do me. I’ve got some savings myself and working at the café will tide me over for a bit.’ She turned to him. ‘I just want to be free to start my own life and leave Nigel to live his.’

Kenny nodded. ‘I understand.’

For a moment his gaze held hers, then he turned away to call Toffee to heel. The dog came immediately and Kenny stooped to attach his lead on his collar.

Dee watched him. ‘I’ll have to bring Betsy along next time and introduce her to Toffee.’

‘That’s a great idea.’ Kenny stood up and turned back to her, holding the lead carefully in his hand. ‘Time to get back, I think.’

They walked back in companionable silence, both deep in their thoughts. It was on the tip of Dee’s tongue to ask Kenny if anything was bothering him, but she held back. It seemed intrusive, he’d tell her if he wanted to share. Besides, she’d agreed to drop in and pick up Snowy from Andi.

Andi was about to close up as Dee walked in. Snowy was curled up on a chair.

‘Hello, Snowy.’ Dee sat down by the cat and he purred contentedly. ‘How’s he been?’ she asked.

‘Perfectly happy. I think he’s adopted this as his second home,’ Andi said. ‘The customers are all taken with him.’

‘The little traitor,’ Dee said with a smile. ‘Honestly, Snowy will miss all this attention when Edna comes home.’ She resolved to check on Edna’s progress as soon as she could.

Andi came over with two cups of coffee and a plate of biscuits, putting them down on the table where Dee was now sitting. ‘I thought you might need this,’ she said, sitting in the chair next to her.

‘Thank you, I do,’ Dee replied.

‘How did things go with Nigel?’ Andi asked.

‘It was a set up,’ Dee told her. Andi had become a good friend in the short time she’d known her and Dee felt very comfortable telling her what had happened with Nigel.

‘The toerag!’ Andi retorted. ‘How low can you get? I’m glad you saw through him.’

Dee rubbed her forehead with her fingers. She couldn’t believe how easily she’d been taken in, but also how devious Nigel had been. ‘Me too. I didn’t want to go back but I was so worried by what Annabel said I thought I should. And Nigel looked really awful when I turned up at the house so I could see why Annabel was taken in. I almost was.’

‘It’s an old trick, not shaving and wearing bigger clothes, I saw a programme about coercive control and apparently a lot of men do it, try to make their partners feel guilty so that they go back to them.’ Andi bit into a biscuit and chewed it before adding. ‘It’s a good job you took him that cup of coffee upstairs and overheard him.’ She leaned forward. ‘If I was you, I’d take him for every penny you can get. He doesn’t deserve to get away with how he’s treated you.’

‘Enough money to get myself a little cottage will do me,’ Dee said. ‘I can provide for myself.’ At least, she hoped she could. She had a good few years yet before she got her pension. Thank goodness Nigel had run her through the books as his secretary until he joined this new company a few years ago, so she had a pension coming. It had been a tax saving device for him and she’d never drawn a wage but to be fair she’d always had a card to their joint bank account and had been free to draw out what she wanted, until he recently stopped her card, that was.

‘I’ve meant to ask, have you heard how Edna’s getting on?’ Dee asked.

‘I have, and actually she wants you to phone her.’ There was glint of something in Andi’s eyes. ‘Phone her now if you like, I don’t mind.’

Something in her manner made Dee dial Edna’s number. Edna answered after a couple of rings, she sounded very sprightly. ‘Hello, dear, how’s Snowy being?’ she asked.

Dee filled her in. ‘And how are you? You sound much better.’

‘Oh, I am. It’s done me the world of good to stay with Mabel. We’re both rattling around alone in our houses and it’s been good for us both to have company. In fact—’ she paused. ‘I wanted to talk to you, dear, because we’ve decided that we’re going to live together permanently. I’m selling my cottage and going to move in with Mabel.’

‘You’re moving away from Port Telwyn?’ Dee asked in surprise. She knew that Edna had lived there most of her life.

‘I am. It’s a pretty village, dear, but that hill is a killer, and it’s a lonely life now. Martin rarely comes to see me, he’s so busy working. Mabel has a modern apartment overlooking the sea here in Brean, it’s so much easier to keep clean and there’s so much to do. I’m going to give her half the proceeds from the cottage so that it’s both our apartment, and some of the money to Martin, which will help him get on the housing ladder. That will keep him happy. Mabel is giving some of the money I pay for my share of the apartment to her children to make life easier for them now. It makes perfect sense to help our children when we’re alive, and they need it, rather than to make them wait for us to peg it. Although, we’re keeping a contingency fund for our old age, of course.’

Dee was really taken aback but she could see why Edna had made this decision. She must have been lonely, and was probably scared that she might fall or be taken ill again and not be discovered so quickly. ‘What about Snowy?’ she asked.

There was a pause. ‘I was wondering if you might be able to find a home for him? He’s a lovely cat, but I don’t think he will settle in Brean. I’m worried that he might run off.’

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