Free The Paradise Trees by Linda Huber

Margaret about St. Joe’s being better equipped to deal with incontinent geriatrics,
but then her aunt would only say that if he hadn’t taken the sleeping pills in the first place they wouldn’t have that particular problem, which of course was entirely correct. There
was no point in arguing.
    To her relief, Margaret took her tea upstairs to see to her bags. Alicia rubbed her face, aware that Jenny was staring at her.
    ‘Mummy, you look funny.’ Jenny’s brow creased in a worried little frown.
    ‘Thank you, darling, but I don’t feel in the least funny. Oh, I’m sorry, Jen, I’m tired because Grandpa wakes up in the night and needs me, that’s all. It’s
nothing for you to worry about.’
    Jenny nodded, pushing her chair back and tossing her last bite of toast in the air for Conker to catch. Alicia glanced at her watch. Eva would be here in twenty minutes. No-one else knew about
her visit to St. Joe’s. Alicia meant to make her own mind up, then talk to Frank and Margaret. She had phoned David the previous day and he’d promised to try to persuade his mother that
the hospital wasn’t some kind of medieval torture chamber. But with or without Margaret’s approval, Alicia knew she would have to make other arrangements for her father before the end
of the summer. Things couldn’t go on like this.
    ‘Mummy, I’ve got a secret,’ said Jenny, turning from the kitchen window where she’d been staring up to the woods.
    ‘Have you, darling? Is it a nice one?’ Alicia smiled as she carried the plates over to the sink.
    Jenny smiled back, her face dreamy, then hesitated. ‘Um yes, I think so,’ she said vaguely, and Alicia looked at her. At that moment the phone rang, and Jenny ran to answer it.
    ‘Daddy!’
    Alicia strode out to the hallway and took the receiver from Jenny. Her ex certainly had timing, she thought dismally.
    ‘What is it, Paul?’
    ‘Dear me, Alicia, how very abrupt you are, someone get out of the wrong side of the bed? I wanted a chat with Jen, to tell her about her new mum and about her visit to Singapore in the
autumn.’
    ‘Jenny is not going to Singapore, Paul,’ said Alicia, hot fury rising in her gut. ‘Not for a visit and definitely not to stay.’
    ‘We’ll see. I’m putting my lawyer onto it,’ said Paul, and she could hear the sneer in his voice. ‘See you in court, Alicia.’
    Alicia banged the phone down, and turned to see Jenny staring up at her with huge, frightened eyes.
    ‘Oh, Jen darling,’ she began, and Jenny ran into her arms.
    ‘I don’t want to go to Singapore without you,’ she whispered, and Alicia hugged her, determination flooding through her as Jenny held on tightly. Of course Paul wouldn’t
get custody. Most likely he didn’t even want it, he was just being mean, trying to make her life miserable, and he was probably enjoying it, too. But she was stronger than that, wasn’t
she? Of course she was.
    With a great effort she jollied her daughter back into something resembling good humour, then accompanied the travellers to the bus stop and stood waving as the bus jerked towards the village
shop. Right. So far, so good. Sort of.
    Eva Campbell joined her at the garden gate, knitting in hand.
    ‘On you go, dear, Bob’ll be fine with me for an hour or two,’ she said, accompanying Alicia inside where the old man was standing at the living room window, hugging his cloth
cap to his chest very much as a child might hug a teddy bear.
    ‘Thanks, Eva. I won’t be long. Make yourself a coffee, you know where everything is, and my, um, Bob would probably enjoy a digestive too.’
    Alicia ran upstairs and pulled on black linen trousers and a pale green blouse. No point going to St. Joe’s looking like someone’s poor relation, she thought, applying blusher to her
cheekbones. A squirt of perfume and she was almost a new woman.
    Alicia stared into the mirror, remembering the touch of Douglas Patton’s hand on her own, and the compassion in his