Page 56 of The Midnight Bakery
Frankie nodded. ‘But this kind of has to do with William as well, so…’ She frowned. ‘I’m not going to make you late, am I?’
Beth shook her head but held up her hand to stall her slightly. ‘Let me look at your wrist while you talk.’ She began to undo the knot on Frankie’s sling with deft fingers.
‘When I slipped over last night, it was because my feet wouldn’t move me fast enough. I was running away from the bakery because I was terrified that someone from my past had caught up with me.’ She cleared her throat. ‘That someone was my husband. I think I mentioned him before, only in the past tense, as an ex-husband. I don’t use his name any more – Nightingale is my maiden name – but technically we’re still married…’ She winced slightly as Beth lowered her arm. ‘He’d shoved a letter through the door of the shop and, when I found it, the only thing I could think of was getting away. I’ve been running for a long time, Beth, and yet, when I was really scared, I ran to William…and I’m kind of having a hard time dealing with that.’ She grimaced. ‘My head’s all over the place.’
Beth drew her brows together. ‘Hold on a minute, that’s a lot of information.’ She stilled her probing fingers on Frankie’s wrist. ‘You’re saying you’restillmarried? And to a not very nice man, by the sounds of it. Why were you so scared? What has he done?’ She thought quickly. ‘Maybe this is something you should be telling the police.’
But Frankie shook her head. ‘No. I’ve been down that road before…And Robert hasn’t done anything, not recently anyhow.’
‘But he’s been abusive in the past?’ And suddenly, threads of their previous conversations came back to her. How Frankie had once said her life was complicated, how she was revelling in being able to make her own decisions now that she was on her own, but most of all how she loved the calming darkness, away from people and their judgements of her. A time when she could reclaim the person she was, instead of the one she had pretended to be.
‘It’s why you work the night shift, isn’t it?’ she said. ‘You’ve been hiding from him. Hiding from everyone. Oh, Frankie…’ She moved her fingers away from Frankie’s wrist so that she could gently squeeze her hand. ‘You tried to tell me before, didn’t you?And I just waffled on about my own problems, how I was feeling about Jack, my job…I’m so sorry.’
‘Don’t be,’ replied Frankie. ‘My problems are no more important than anyone else’s. And you needed to express how you’d been feeling, too. The simple fact of saying the words aloud has probably helped you get to the point you’re at now.’
Beth returned her attention to Frankie’s wrist, partly out of necessity, but partly because she needed time to process what Frankie had said. To acknowledge the truth of it and recall how easy it had been to confide in her. To tell her things which she had kept hidden, even from herself. She’d been right to trust her instincts – Frankiehadcome into her life for a reason. Which meant that the reverse was also true.
‘You said that Robert put a note through the door of the bakery, but do you think he knows about your flat too?’
Frankie shook her head. ‘The letter implied that he did, but I don’t know for sure. I haven’t seen him here. Although, to be fair, I didn’tseehim at the bakery either, his letter just spooked me. I think I was seeing shadows at that point.’
‘Understandable.’ Beth gritted her teeth, furious that a man she hadn’t even met was causing Frankie such anguish. ‘So, what does he want? Because whatever it is, he isn’t going to get it.’
‘He claims he wants to meet up – just so that we can attend to the practical arrangements for moving forward with our lives. And by that, I assume he means a divorce. But that won’t be what he wants, Beth, it’s just the civilised face he’s putting on things. That was always the problem. He’s incredibly good at appearing to be the model husband – kind, loving, extremely caring, and ever so reasonable. It tookmeyears to figure out what was really going on. Most of my friends never took the time to work it out though, or listen when I told them. My family were the same. They still see the break-up of our marriage as my fault. We hardly speak now.’
Beth looked up, stunned. ‘What? How long ago did this happen?’
‘Eighteen months. But we were married for nigh on thirty years, so they had a long time to listen to Robert’s lies about me, his insinuations about my mental health, his control disguised as love. If I were in their shoes, I’d probably think the same.’
Beth doubted that very much. Frankie was far too astute, and far too kind and understanding. ‘Is that what he did? Made out you were going cuckoo?’
‘Kind of,’ replied Frankie, smiling sadly at the memory. ‘It was more that I had my little “difficulties” – things they should be considerate of – and it doesn’t take long for suggestions like those to be taken at face value. Trouble was, by the end, he had eroded all my self-confidence, all my ability to make decisions for myself. I’d practically become the person he’d convinced everyone I was. And yet, there he was doing his utmost to look after his wife. It’s easy to see why everyone sided with him, how they felt sorry for him.’
‘But surely that was his plan all along? Wasn’t that the point?’
‘It was, of course it was. But it meant that I had very little to fight with. Even now, I’m not sure how I managed to get away.’
The almost unbearable pain in Frankie’s eyes was hard to look at, but it also struck something deep within Beth. Something deep and determined. ‘Have you decided to meet him? Because if you have, there’s no way you’re doing it alone. I’ll come with you…Or I’ll sit somewhere close by ready to charge in and batter him if he puts a foot out of line.’
Frankie smiled. ‘You know William offered to do much the same, but…would you really do that for me? Are you sure you don’t mind? Itistime I stopped running and faced up to him, and if you were there, I don’t think I’d be so fearful. It’s the fear that gets in the way of everything.’
Beth was resolute. ‘Nothing would give me greater pleasure,’ she said. ‘In fact, if William has offered to do the same, perhaps he should be there as well? I don’t know what Robert looks like, but William’s a big bloke – he could scare the pants off him.’
‘I know. I was very tempted to take him up on his offer, but I don’t think it would give quite the right message. It would make it look like William and I were…you know, a thing.’
‘A thing?’ Beth returned a teasing smile. ‘And what exactly would that be?’
A rosy bloom welled up Frankie’s neck. ‘Don’t. I’m giving myself a hard time over him as it is.’
Beth pointed a finger at her chest in amusement, as if to saywho, me?‘Just tell me what’s so horrific about being in a thing with William?’
‘I don’t know, that’s what’s so stupid. But I don’t want to give him the wrong idea. I’ve already turned up at his flat, thrown myself into his arms and cried all over him. Twice, actually.’
‘But you were scared, hurt and upset. What’s wrong with that? Would you be worried if you’d done that to me? Because I doubt it. Why does him being a bloke make it different? He’s still your friend.’
‘It’s not him being a bloke that I’m worried about per se. I mean, it is, but only because…’ She paused, looking sheepish. ‘Because I wanted him to kiss me. There, I’ve said it.’ She dropped her head. ‘I mean, I really,reallywanted him to kiss me. And believe me, that’s not something I’ve thought about in a very long time.’ She shook her head. ‘I think there must be something wrong with me.’
‘On the contrary,’ said Beth. ‘I think, given all that we’ve said here tonight, there’s something very right with you. I think it’s proof of how ready you are to consign Robert and everything he did to the past. The future is what’s important now. Perhaps it’s time for the nightingale to fly again.’
