Page 84 of Watch For Me By Candlelight

Then he realised he didn’t care. ‘Look — don’t even answer that. I’m coming in now.’

Lori went to slam the door, but he was too quick for her. She yelled out in anger as he barged through and ran straight upstairs. He flung the door to Poppy’s room open and stopped in his tracks. The room was untouched. The biscuit wrappers, and the mug with its residue of curdled milk were still on the floor from when he’d last been there. The room smelled stale and there was no sign of the little girl.

He spun around and saw Lori staggering up the stairs, hanging onto the handrail as if she had the world’s worst case of room-spin. ‘She’s in my room. That’s where she is. And you can’t go in there — Theo!’

Theo pushed past her and flung that door open. A man lay in the bed, looking as spaced out as Lori. There were bottles and cigarette stubs piled on the floor and the man blinked at him, then smiled as if he was welcoming him to the party: ‘Hey — how’re you doing?’

Theo thought he’d fallen into a nightmare. It was so different from this last weekend in Suffolk. He wished with all his heart he was still there.

‘I’m doing great, thanks,’ he said to the man. ‘Can you tell me where my daughter is?’

‘Daughter?’ The man looked vague for a second, then shook his head. ‘Haven’t seen any kids around here. Sorry mate. Try next door.’ He waved in the direction of the wall.

‘Sorry to bother you, then,’ Theo said and backed out, shutting the door behind him.

Lori was standing on the landing swaying, her arms wrapped around herself. ‘A girl needs company,’ she said in a whiny, childish voice. She jabbed her forefinger at him and he ducked out of the way as it came a bit too close to his eye. ‘And you’re never around. So I have to take it where I can.’

‘I’m never around because you never seemed to know who Poppy’s father was!’ He was trying hard to control his temper.

‘Well then, there you go, it’s you. We know now!’ Lori smiled again. The mood swings were terrifying. ‘So you can come back and live here with us!’

‘No.’ Theo just stared at her and shook his head. ‘No. I’m going to fight for custody. You can’t even look after yourself, never mind her.’

‘Theo! It’s because I’m sad. And I’m lonely.’ Here were the tears again. ‘I miss you. Poppy misses you.’

Theo stood his ground. ‘No. D’you know what? I’m delighted Poppy’s not here. I really am. Because she’s not seeing you like this. You’re on a downward spiral, and you have to get yourself sorted out. You owe it to yourself and, if you can’t do it for you, do it for her.’ He looked at her for a moment more, relieved beyond belief that Poppy wasn’t with her. She could do what she liked with her friends and her body, so long as Poppy wasn’t there to witness it all. ‘Lori. I’m sorry, but I’ll see you in court. And I’ll damn well win.’

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Kate sat at the reception desk the next day, her heart and mind not on work at all. It would be tough for a few weeks, without an assistant, at least until the Board appointed someone new; but then Cassie turned up, a smile splitting her pretty face.

‘I’m going to help out, don’t you worry,’ she told Kate. ‘It’s the least I can do! Your ice-cream bicycle was the best. I just need the Board to sign off on a couple of things. Honestly, it’ll be a pleasure!’

‘Cassie!’ She had come around to the front of the desk and hugged her. ‘I hope they hurry up with the paperwork. Thank you!’

‘You’re more than welcome,’ Cassie replied, returning the hug warmly. ‘Oh, and Elodie said to give you these. She says you needn’t ask how she found them, but just to tell you she had a little help because they were well hidden away.’ She handed over a lumpy tissue-wrapped package. ‘She told me a little about Cat and how you’ve got her things. She thought these would go nicely with them.’

Kate suspected what was in the package before she’d even begun to unwrap it; and she wasn’t disappointed. Another pair of beautiful Victorian ice-skates, identical to the ones she already had — except these ones were intact, as far as the blades and the boots went. Barely used, for the most tragic of reasons.

Inside the boots, written very neatly on the soft leather, were the letters AVA. Amelia Violet Aldrich.

Elodie was right — Kate didn’t need to ask who had helped her find them.

‘They’ll go straight in the cabinet, next to Cat’s skates and the photographs Elodie already gave me.’ There was no need to tell Cassie she had taken the photographs out to look at as she sat behind the desk this morning. She had needed to remember how happy and carefree those two girls had been, on that particular day, captured forever, laughing together.

Cassie looked at the skates. ‘AVA?’

Kate nodded. ‘Yes. They’re Millie’s initials. She was Cat’s best friend, you know. It’s right they should be able to prepare for some fun together again.’ She smiled at the skates and then transferred her smile to Cassie. ‘Thanks for letting me know where Millie’s picture was. Elodie found her scrapbook for me too.’

‘No problem. Alex has loads of family history notes, you know. Things Dad left which he’s just started looking at again. Well — he was looking at them, before the babies arrived.’ She smiled again. ‘How can things so small take up so much time?’

‘Easily, I suppose.’ Her mind went unwillingly to Theo’s little girl. How come every single topic of conversation led her mind back to him? ‘I might ask to have a look at the notes someday, if he’d let me. Cat and Millie fascinate me.’

‘I’m not surprised. I’ve got a million and one fascinating relatives if you want to know about any more of them.’

‘Cat and Millie are enough for now, thank you.’

‘No problem. Look, I need to get back and sort the fall-out from the weekend. But I’ll be working with you just as soon as humanly possible, I promise.’ Cassie blew her a kiss and hurried away.