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They turned off the bypass

‘Wrong way’

‘I know,’ Cat said ‘I’ you back to the faret ho her head away to look out of theand away froan to cry

The children were all in bed though Saht was still on Silke left in her battered Mini

Cat got out a bottle of wine and held it up

‘Or would you rather have a whisky? Yes So would I Let’s go in the sitting rooue now The spirit of protest and keeping up appearances seeone out of her

‘Let me take a quick look at your face’

‘It’s fine’

‘Maybe’

Cat saw harsh bruising, infla worse ‘What have you put on it?’

‘Cold water’

‘Painkillers?’

‘Yes All the usual It’s not sore now’

Cat poured two stiff whiskies, splashed in theherself time, still shocked and uncertain exactly how she should handle it, what she should and should not say Inside, she felt a great tumble of emotions

Judith’s eyes were red, the skin beneath thes of her whisky Cat poured another ?’

‘You mustn’t think this isI’ht atteh

‘Excuse h of them Once or a hundred times, it makes no difference and you know it, Judith My father – Christ, I can’t believe this’

But in fact I can, Cat realised, I’m horrified to discover that I can believe it only too well

It was an appalling thing to acknowledge that her own father was capable of hitting his wife Had he done the saoing on? You have to talk to me, Judith It’s serious and you know it is You haven’t spoken to anyone, have you? You’ve pretended and covered up, it’s all been in silence behind the closed front door and the drawn curtain It always is’

‘No, darling, that’s ridiculousit isn’t like that at all I’m not one of those poor beaten-up women with brutal husbands’

‘Yes, Judith Yes, you are The fact that he is a highly respected physician and pillar of the Free in a handsome detached country house, makes not one iota of difference He is your husband and he hits you How often? Every week? Every day?’

‘Goodness no Of course not It was a stupid argu, Richard had had too much to drink, I was irritable with his flare up’

‘No I know people quarrel and have silly argu trivial and don’t speak for a few hours I’ve done all that myself, heaven knows Most married people have But most married people don’t have husbands who escalate the quarrel to the point where they lash out, physically You’re trying to pretend this is a one-off I don’t believe you When did it start?’

‘I know I can be an annoying person to live with –’

‘Don’t you dare clai to protect? Tell ht fro’

‘But ere It was It still is In a way’ Judith finished her drink but put her hand up to refuse any more ‘I love Richard Loved I don’t kno It takes a lot of accepting – that the person you love and married is someone else, at least part of the time I always knew he had another side – I’ve seen how he is with Sih I knew he could be sarcastic, cold He isn’t sos easily but he has them He loves me, loves you and of course he adores the children He actually does love Sie and disapproval aren’t theyour wife’

‘I know,’ Judith said so quietly Cat could barely hear her

They were both silent, Judith tracing her finger along the pattern in the cushion, Cat thinking furiously The last thing she wanted to do was behave as if she were in her surgery with a trau herself fro because she felt so shocked and bruised

She got up, went to sit beside Judith and put her arms round her

‘Listen, we’ll sort this out I’m on your side and I’ll do whatever you need me to I understand why you didn’t tell lad you have now because this is where it stops It won’t happen again, Judith, it can’t Stay here tonight, and for however long you need’

‘No, of course I can’t do that, I have to go back now, it’s late, Richard onder what’s happened’

‘Let hi hi And please don’t say anything to anyone else about this Swear toit hasn’t happened?’

Judith got up ‘I’ll ring for a cab’ Sheyou’ve done often enough before at short notice If you really care about what Dad thinks, I’ll call him’

‘Of course I care what he thinks What do you take me for?’

‘A woman who has been subject to domestic violence’

Judith turned to her Her face was flushed and angry ‘I a for a taxi I wish I hadn’t told youno, wait a minute – I take that back, because I didn’t tell you anything, did I? You insisted on drawing conclusions based on an accident I had’

‘Ah yes You walked into a door’

‘How dare you!’

‘Judith’

But she was in the hall, picking up the phone and looking down the pad where the taxi numbers ritten

‘It will be about twenty minutes’

‘Please come and have another drink while ait then, if you really won’t stay tonight I can’t bear this’

They went back into the sitting room Cat had a small Scotch and a lot of water, Judith the reverse

‘I don’t want us to be like this I won’t let you go until you tellto quarrel Not about anything’

‘Not ever never, as Felix says’