'So when she put her arms around my neck and started coming on to me, I can't say I was altogether surprised.'

Lucy gasped, slapped a hand over her mouth and looked at Jennifer, her eyes wide with horror. Jennifer uttered a startled, muted cry. 'No,' she whispered.

Oren gave Jennifer a sly little glance, licked his lips and went on. 'I wasn't going to say anything. I was prepared to overlook it, pretend it hadn't happened, for your sake, Lucy.' He turned his cruel gaze on Jennifer. 'And then your mother makes up this ludicrous accusation. I can only a.s.sume she made it up out of revenge. h.e.l.l hath no fury like a woman scorned.'

'Lucy,' said Jennifer, so shocked by what she'd just heard that she found it hard to get the words out. 'He's lying. You must believe me.'

Oren bent his head down so his lips were close to Lucy's ear. 'I've never lied to you, my darling. Not ever.'

'And neither have I!' cried Jennifer, her voice rising to a high-pitched shriek. He was cleverer than she'd thought. And so believable, with that steady blue gaze of his and his oaths and quotations. Lucy stared at her strangely and said, 'You're jealous of me, aren't you? You never expected big, gangly Lucy to find a man, let alone one as handsome and good as Oren, did you?'

'Lucy, stop '

'You've been against our engagement from the start. You tried to talk me out of marrying Oren and when that didn't work, you resort to these despicable tactics.'

'No, Lucy, that's not true. Everything Oren's told you is a lie.'

Lucy regarded her coldly. 'Can't you bear to see me happy?'

'Lucy,' said Oren sharply and then he softened his tone. 'Don't be too hard on her. I think your mother needs our help more than she needs condemnation.'

'Oh, Oren,' said Lucy and she put her hand out and touched his jaw. 'I wish I could be more like you.'

'He's lying,' shouted Jennifer, tugging now at the sleeve of Lucy's coat. 'I swear. He made a pa.s.s at me and now he's trying to cover it up by making out I was the one that acted inappropriately.'

'Ahem,' said Oren, pulling out a chair, and glancing meaningfully at Lucy, 'Jennifer, why don't you sit down and Lucy'll make us all a nice cup of tea?'

Lucy moved towards the kettle and Jennifer screamed, 'I don't want a b.l.o.o.d.y cup of tea!' She let go of Lucy's sleeve and balled her fists by her sides in impotent anger. 'I want you and your G.o.dd.a.m.ned lies out of my house now. And I never want you here again.'

'Okay,' said Oren slowly, with a fearful glance at Lucy. He put his hands up in surrender and backed away as if she was a wild and dangerous animal. And through her tears, Jennifer could see he'd won. He succeeded in portraying her as an irrational, hysterical woman and himself as the sane and injured party. She had played right into his hands.

'Oren,' said Lucy, suddenly taking charge of the situation. 'Can you go and get our bags and meet me at the car please?'

Jennifer recoiled as he brushed past her. She listened to his heavy tread on the stairs, then said calmly, all life drained out of her, 'It's my word against his, isn't it?'

'I guess so,' said Lucy, her face a porcelain mask.

'And you believe him?'

A little frown creased Lucy's brow like wind on the surface of Ballyfergus Lough and her reply when it came was not at all what Jennifer expected. 'Don't you see? I have to.'

Chapter 20.

Leaning heavily on one knee, Donna put a match to the scrunched-up paper in the fireplace in Jennifer's lounge and immediately it burst into flames, igniting the kindling sticks she'd arranged round the paper in the shape of a tepee. 'There, that's better.'

Outside, the burnt caramel February sun was disappearing rapidly below the hazy horizon. The snow was gone and delicate snowdrops pushed their way determinedly through the moist earth, but Jennifer took no delight in this harbinger of spring. Her daughter was lost to her perhaps forever. A sob caught in her throat but she fought it back. She had cried all night and now she must think clearly, she must find a way out of this mess and get her daughter back. Breathing audibly, Donna took her place on the sofa opposite Jennifer, folded her arms and said, 'I still think you should report Oren to the police.'

'And what would they do?' sighed Jennifer, nursing a gla.s.s of vintage port left over from Christmas. In the fireplace, the kindling sticks crackled into flame. 'Apart from throwing a few choice insults my way, he didn't actually harm me.'

'He intimidated you in your own home. Held you against your will, if only for a few minutes.'

m.u.f.fin ambled into the room and flopped down with a sigh in front of the fire. Jennifer sighed again. 'There's nothing I'd like more than to see him punished. But there's no evidence. No witnesses. Didn't Ken say as much?'

'I guess you're right,' said Donna resignedly, but she added, 'Doesn't mean a crime hasn't been committed, though.'

They sat in silence pondering this until Donna said, shaking her head, 'Tell you what though, I can't believe Lucy believed him.'

Jennifer sniffed. 'You haven't met Oren. He's very plausible.' She paused and added, 'You know, I get the feeling from something Lucy said yesterday that she feels as if she's thrown her lot in with Oren and now she has to stand by him.'

'What do you mean?'

'Well, I get the feeling that she thinks if Oren doesn't marry her, no one will. It's as if she can't walk away, even if she wanted to.'

Donna nodded thoughtfully and they were both silent for some time. Then Donna said, 'I've been thinking. Don't you think that you and Ben should have a proper talk?'

Jennifer gulped down some port and shook her head. 'Not after what he said about me. He said I wasn't the woman he thought I was.' She paused. 'It's over, Donna. I did the right thing. It would never have worked out. Even you know that.'

'No, I don't know that. Your relationship had as much chance of succeeding, or failing, as everyone else's.' Donna's face clouded a little. 'Don't you know that love conquers all?'

'Well, not in this case,' said Jennifer, drily. In this case there were just too many problems to overcome, too much doubt and too much fear. Her eyes filled up with tears. 'I just wish things had been different. That I'd fallen in love with someone more ... more suitable. But I didn't and I can't change that. It just wasn't meant to be. And now I've lost Lucy too.'

'Oh, Jennifer,' said Donna and she brushed the corner of her eye with her fingertip.

'I really don't think I can talk about it any more,' said Jennifer. She hiccuped and added, 'It just makes me too sad.'

Donna eyed her appraisingly. 'When did you last eat?'

'Dunno. Breakfast? But I'm not hungry.' After recent events, her appet.i.te had entirely disappeared.

Donna heaved herself out of the sofa once more and headed for the door, the sleeves of her acid lime batwing sweater flapping like wings. She moved gracefully, like a heavy-laden, majestic ship. 'I brought a few things over with me. You can nibble on whatever takes your fancy.'

The doorbell went. Donna stopped in her tracks and the women tensed and looked at each other.

'That'll be Dad,' said Jennifer and they both relaxed a little.

'I'll get it,' said Donna.

'If it's anyone else, tell them I'm not in.'

Donna went out of the room and Jennifer held her breath, relaxing only when she heard the rea.s.suring sound of her father's voice. He came straight into the lounge followed by Donna, dumped a plastic supermarket bag on the floor and came over and kissed Jennifer on the head. The act of simple affection brought a lump to her throat.

'How are you today?' he said, shrugging off his coat and tossing it over a chair in the corner of the room. His face was the same grey colour as his hair and Jennifer worried that this family dispute was putting too much of a strain on him.

'I'm fine.'

Sounding like she was in charge of a war council, Donna asked, 'What's the latest, Brian?'

'Lucy and Oren stayed the weekend at David's. I went over to David's yesterday but I couldn't get to speak to Lucy alone. Oren wouldn't leave the room even though I made it perfectly clear that I wanted nothing to do with him. They left for uni this morning and I went to see David and Maggie.'

'And?' said Jennifer.

Brian looked at the floor. 'I've tried to talk sense to him, Jennifer. But Oren's sticking to his story and David believes him.'

'So that's the family split in two, more or less,' said Jennifer dully. 'You and Matt on my side, Lucy and David on Oren's.'

'That pretty much sums it up, yes.'

'And the wedding's going ahead?'

Brian looked at Donna and bit his lip. 'Looks like it.'

'I'd better get you a drink, Brian,' said Donna with a glum expression.

'No need. I brought my own,' said Brian, glancing over his shoulder at the plastic bag.

'Food then,' said Donna and she marched purposefully out of the room.

'She's a gem, that Donna,' observed Brian, helping himself to a can of lager. He detached the ringpull with a loud pop, sat down in the winged armchair and took a sip. Jennifer, who'd normally give off to him for drinking straight out of the can, couldn't summon up the energy to object. 'And in a situation like this, you need all the friends you can get.'

Jennifer set her gla.s.s down on the coffee table and put her head in her hands. 'Oh, this is absolutely awful, Dad. How can she go ahead and marry him? How can David let her? Can't he see Oren for what he is?'

'He had me fooled too, Jennifer. I thought he was a genuinely good guy.'

She looked up at him. 'She's going to ruin her life.'

Brain went over and put a hand on her shoulder. 'There, there, pet. It's going to be okay,' he said, without much conviction. 'Things will turn out all right, you'll see.'

'Will they?' said Jennifer. 'He'll cheat on her, Dad. I know it. They're only just engaged and he's making pa.s.ses at me, for crying out loud! She's convinced that he loves her, and maybe he does in his own twisted way, but that doesn't mean he'll be loyal and true.'

Brian sighed heavily. 'Lucy's an adult, Jennifer, and free to make her own decisions and mistakes. I know you want the best for her, we all do, but your job as a mother is more or less done. If she's determined to marry Oren, there's nothing you, or I, can do to stop her.'

Jennifer opened her mouth to speak but Brian went on, stroking the arm of the chair thoughtfully with his thumb. 'She's quite stubborn when she puts her mind to it. A bit like you.' He took a drink of beer.

'What do you mean?' she said, surprised. She'd always thought of herself as accommodating, readily altering her plans to please others or keep the peace. Hadn't she proven that over the years with David and Maggie?

He smacked his lips. 'Do you remember how your mother and I tried to talk you out of marrying David?'

Jennifer nodded, remembering her fear at the prospect of single motherhood, of coping alone. She'd chosen the safety net of marriage and respectability, only for the net to turn into a cage. Like Lucy, she'd been young and foolish, too headstrong to listen to those around her.

'But what's going to happen, Dad? Lucy won't speak to me. I tried phoning her.'

'If she marries him, we'll all have to bear it.'

Jennifer shook her head. How had this disaster befallen her family? How had Lucy got involved with someone as malicious and manipulative and downright scary as Oren Wilson? Jennifer thought back to the things Lucy had told her about the gambling and her miserable life at uni. It was hard to acknowledge, but she and David had failed in their parenting of Lucy. Her low self-confidence and lack of self-worth had made her easy prey for Oren.

'All you can do is bide your time, Jennifer,' said Brian, wiping his upper lip with the back of his hand, 'and be there for her when things between her and Oren go horribly wrong.'

When the phone rang the next morning, Jennifer sat up in bed and immediately regretted it. Her head was pounding with a hangover the like of which she had not experienced since Donna's hen night a few years ago. What the h.e.l.l had she been drinking? Ah, yes, vintage port. That was why she'd slept like the dead last night, her slumber deep and dreamless for the first time in a week.

Tring, tring, tring went the phone downstairs in the hall, sending a sharp pain shooting through her skull. She staggered out of bed and fumbled on top of the chest of drawers for the handset. She found the base unit but there was nothing in it. She must've left it downstairs. d.a.m.n.

She sat down on the edge of the bed and waited. After six rings the phone tripped to the answer machine. Falling wearily back into bed, she pulled the covers over her head and thought miserably of Ben. Where was he? Her eyes stung with bitter tears and she blinked them away, determined not to slide into self-pity.

She poked her head out of the covers and peered at the clock. Nine-thirty! She was supposed to be working today her first day back after the holidays and poor m.u.f.fin was still locked inside downstairs. His bladder control wasn't what it used to be he'd just recovered from yet another bladder infection. If she didn't let him outside now, she'd have a nasty mess to clean up.

With a groan she stumbled downstairs. m.u.f.fin was lying in his basket asleep and there was no sign of an accident, thank G.o.d. She opened the cupboard, found the yellow box of Anadin Extra and tossed two tablets down her throat. Outside, the sky was grey and heavy and the snow had started to melt, exposing dirty-looking patches of dark green, flattened gra.s.s. The dishes from last night had been washed and left to dry in the draining rack. Donna must've stayed and cleaned up, bless her.

The phone rang again, startling her and sending another pain shooting through the left side of her skull. She pressed the heel of her hand against her head, picked up the phone and croaked, 'Yeah?'

'Jennifer, is that you?' said David's voice.

Jennifer cleared her throat. 'Who'd you expect? The Pope?' she said facetiously. She could not forgive David the fact that he had chosen to side with an almost-stranger against her. After all the years of marriage, and the years since, she thought David knew her better. This single act of betrayal revealed more about his true character than anything that had gone before.

'I think we need to talk,' he said. 'I haven't got long. I'm at work.'

'Well talk, then. I'm listening.'

'I think it would be a good idea if we all got together and cleared up this, er, misunderstanding.'

'What do you mean, "misunderstanding"?' she said, defensively, a little wrong-footed by his unexpected, conciliatory tone.

m.u.f.fin got out of his basket and padded over to the back door. He circled once, twice, then scratched at the floor, sure signs that he needed to relieve himself.

'Hang on a minute,' said Jennifer, distractedly, 'I just need to ...' She walked over, turned the key in the lock and let m.u.f.fin into the back garden.

'Are you still there?' said David.

'Yes, I'm here.' She stood on the doorstep with the phone pressed to her ear, the bitter wind cutting through her pyjamas, the cold nipping her bare toes. m.u.f.fin disappeared round the corner of the house and the cold drove her back inside. m.u.f.fin wouldn't stay out long; he'd let her know with a bark and a scratch at the door when he wanted back in.

'I think,' went on David, 'that a simple apology from you would suffice. And then we can all forget it happened and say no more about it.'

Jennifer sank down on a chair and held the phone to her ear with both hands. 'You're asking me to apologise to Oren Wilson?'

'Well, yes,' said David, sounding slightly baffled. 'Oren's prepared to overlook what happened. And after the accusations that you made against him, I think he's being very gracious about it.'

Jennifer paused before speaking, disbelief and indignation competing with the pounding in her head. 'Why have you chosen to believe Oren's story over mine?'

David hesitated. 'Because he swore on the Bible that it was true.'

'And that makes me a liar?'