Free The Other Child by Charlotte Link

He’s frightened that he’s only got one last chance to settle down to a normal life with a secure and regular income. I’d go further: I’d say he’s pretty desperate. Even if he acts cool.’
    â€˜Do you know what you’re saying, Fiona?’
    â€˜Yes. And really Gwen should be told too.’
    Leslie bit her lips. ‘You can’t, Fiona. She’d be … it’s just not possible!’
    â€˜But do you see what’s awaiting her?’ exclaimed Fiona. ‘The guy will make himself at home on the farm and calmly wait until Chad departs this earthly life. Nor will he have to wait an eternity for that. I don’t doubt that he’ll bring all sorts of good ideas about how to make the farm into a really attractive place for people to spend their holidays. I expect he will have the drive to put his plans into action and really make something of the property. It’s pathetic, how Chad and Gwen have run the B & B until now, and of course he could pep things up. But a marriage is about more than that, surely? I bet he would cheat on her right and left. He’d take advantage of the students on the Scarborough campus and at some point Gwen would find out, and her world would collapse! Should we let it get to that?’
    â€˜She decided to let it get to that.’
    â€˜Because she thinks she doesn’t have a choice. She’s been waiting for years for Prince Charming to come galloping along on his white horse and whisk her away. Now he’s come, even if not on a white horse but in just about the most dilapidated old rust-bucket I’ve ever seen. But no matter. He’s the only man near or far. So he’s important to Gwen. So important that she silences all alarm bells – and I’m sure that they are ringing inside her.’
    â€˜She sounded different on the phone. More at ease. More cheery. I felt really happy for her.’
    â€˜She’s certainly blossoming, no question. God, Leslie,’ Fiona stubbed out her cigarette aggressively. ‘Do you think I’m keen to tell Gwen the truth? Of course not! No one is. It’s a difficult situation.’
    â€˜Maybe it’s not our job to tell her, Fiona. We’re not even related to her.’
    â€˜But we’re the only people she has. Her father isn’t happy about Tanner, but he isn’t going to get involved. He was always too weak with Gwen. Never in his life would he manage to say no to her, especially not now. But I … she always saw me as a kind of mother to her. She’s always relied on me. I wish—’ She broke off abruptly and did not say what she wished, perhaps because the impossibility of it was all too apparent to her. Instead she looked penetratingly at her granddaughter. ‘And how are you? How do you feel – freshly divorced?’
    Leslie shrugged. ‘I’ve got used to living on my own already. The divorce was just a formality.’
    â€˜You’re not exactly beaming.’
    â€˜What do you expect? I wanted to spend the rest of my life with Stephen. We wanted to have children … I hadn’t foreseen that at thirty-nine I’d be moving into a little flat, perfectly laid out for a working single person, and be starting from scratch again.’
    â€˜I never understood why you separated! You two were so good together. God, because he drank too much once and jumped into bed with some young thing whose name he could barely remember the next day? You threw it all away for that?’
    â€˜The trust was gone. Until it happened, I wouldn’t have thought it could be that serious. But that loss of trust affects everything else. Everything had changed. I couldn’t … I couldn’t bear him any more.’
    â€˜Everyone has to know for themselves,’ said Fiona.
    â€˜Exactly,’ said Leslie. ‘Gwen too. Fiona, it’s her life. She’s grown up. Dave Tanner is the man she’s chosen. We