Free The House on the Cliff by Charlotte Williams

Mari was in full flow now and I knew better than to interrupt.
    “And then, when she got older, and lost her looks, that was it. She dropped out of sight completely. Stopped socializing, everything. She’s pretty much of a recluse these days, I believe. But she and Evan are still together. And he’s still putting it about, so I hear.” She frowned. “Shit relationship, but somehow it’s lasted.”
    “Any children?” I shouldn’t have asked, but my curiosity as to what she’d say got the better of me.
    “Just one son, Gwydion. Absolutely gorgeous, like his dad used to be. Sex on a stick. Jesus, I wouldn’t mind . . .” Mari checked herself. “He’s a good actor, too. Could do a lot better for himself, if he used his father’s contacts, but he won’t. Apparently he absolutely hates Evan, because of the way he treats Arianrhod. You can’t blame him, really.”
    I didn’t ask any more questions. Gwydion was my client, and listening to Mari’s gossip about his family setup made me feel curiously disloyal.
    Sensing my reluctance to pursue the conversation, Mari shrugged, then picked up her cigarettes and her lighter. “Listen, I’m going outside for a fag. Back in a mo. I’ll get you a drink on the way back, if you like. What are you having?”
    “I’m fine, thanks. I’m driving.”
    She rolled her eyes. “Well, take a cab home. Leave the car here. It’s Friday night, isn’t it.”
    Leaving her car somewhere and coming back to get it next day was the sort of thing Mari did regularly. Now in her late forties, she was still drinking, smoking, staying out late, getting up late, pleasing herself. She was divorced and her children had left home, but she didn’t seem to be lonely. She was immensely sociable and continued to have various romantic liaisons on the go. In some ways I envied her, but I knew I wasn’t in the least like her. I like socializing, up to a point, but I also need peace and quiet, and time to think. And if I didn’t have a family to go home to at night, I’d definitely be lonely. Very lonely.
    “I think I’ll get back actually,” I replied. “I’ll come out with you.”
    I said my good-byes, apologizing to Polly that we hadn’t had time for a proper chat, but she didn’t seem to mind. She and Catrin were deep in conversation with Sharon and hardly looked up as we left.
    Outside, it was raining. We stood under the eaves of the building, and Mari lit up, inhaling deeply. She held the smoke in her lungs for a moment and then exhaled slowly, with a sigh of pleasure. I watched, envious of her ability to savor the sensation.
    “Can I have one?”
    Mari looked surprised. “But you don’t smoke.”
    “I know. But I’ll have one anyway.”
    She offered me the pack and I took a cigarette. She held out the lighter and I bent forward, shielding the flame with my hand.
    “Anything wrong?” she said as I straightened up.
    “Yes,” I said. I sucked on the cigarette, then blew out the smoke, coughing a little as I did. “Bob’s been unfaithful to me. He’s slept with another woman.”
    “Bloody hell. What happened?”
    I hesitated. As I’ve said, Mari’s not the soul of discretion. But she’s not malicious, not in the least, and I needed to talk to someone. What’s more, I was still so angry with Bob that, to be honest, I didn’t care who knew what he’d done.
    I took another drag on the cigarette, even though my head was starting to spin.
    “Well, he went off to this conference a few weeks ago. In Munich. When he came back he was in a weird mood, and then, after a few days, he confessed that he’d had a one-night stand.”
    “The bastard.” Mari was outraged. “Who was she?”
    “One of the translators at the conference. German, I think. Younger than me, a lot younger. About thirty. ‘Someone of no significance,’ he called her.”
    “Has he ever done this before?”
    “No.” I paused. “At least, he says he hasn’t. Though I’m beginning to wonder