Chapter 29 #2
Ellie frowned. Had she said something to Laura and Jackson?
Even though almost everything she could have done up to this point was planned, the i’s were dotted and the t’s were crossed, but that didn’t mean Kathy hadn’t mentioned something.
Heck, what if she’d been speaking to Melissa and discussing what had led to Ellie walking out of the company – or being booted out, more to the point.
Melissa had already told her mum she’d made a mistake, what if Kathy had contacted her again to ask for more details?
But Ellie had spoken to Laura and Jackson a few minutes ago, surely they would have said then and there if they didn’t want her services any longer? ‘What do you mean?’
‘Murray, I didn’t mean…’
At the mere mention of his name, Ellie felt the blood draining from her face.
She knew exactly what her mum was about to tell her.
She knew exactly why her mum had wanted to have this conversation up here in her room rather than downstairs in the communal area of Pennycress.
And she knew why Murray had left. ‘You told him to leave, didn’t you? ’
‘What? No, no, I did no such thing.’ Kathy leaned forward, her hands flat against her knees. ‘We got talking, that’s all.’
Clasping her hands together in her lap, Ellie dug her nails into her palm. ‘You got talking? How? Why? I thought you didn’t like him?’
‘I popped out to take a look at the garden and realised he was out there. He asked me how I was. I asked the same, and, well…’ Kathy tucked the tissue back up her sleeve.
‘Well, what? Mum, tell me.’ She didn’t have to. Ellie didn’t need to hear the words, she didn’t need to hear what Kathy had to say. She already knew. ‘You told him how him leaving me affected me, didn’t you? You warned him off.’
‘I didn’t warn him off you. I didn’t realise you were seeing each other, or had begun to, not until Laura popped outside and asked Murray if you and he wanted to visit the pub tomorrow for some games night or something. I don’t know.’ Kathy shrugged.
Placing her hands on the arms of the chair, Ellie pushed herself to standing and walked slowly towards the door.
‘Where are you going, love?’
Turning, she shrugged. Where was she going?
She could go back to the cottage, she could go for a walk, anywhere, but there was nowhere she wanted to go.
She wanted to go and find Murray, but it appeared he’d been run out of the village.
So much for the villagers chasing poor Claudette away, her mum had seemingly done a better job of running Murray out.
She slumped down onto the bed. ‘What did you say? What did you say to make him leave?’
‘Oh, love, he has left then? I was rather hoping he wouldn’t…’ Kathy trailed off.
‘You knew he’d left. Why else would you ask me to come around here to speak to you? And so urgently too?’
‘I wanted you to know what was said, I wanted to tell you I’d spoken to him. I didn’t mean—’
‘Well, whatever you said has worked. He’s gone.
His workshop has been emptied out, and Laura and Jackson now don’t have a carpenter to finish the repairs on their decking before their wedding.
’ Ellie covered her face with her hands, she hadn’t meant to snap.
She really hadn’t, but couldn’t her mum see what her meddling had achieved?
Not only had it broken Ellie’s heart again, but her ‘little talk’ with Murray had had repercussions for Laura and Jackson too.
‘Eleanor, I didn’t tell him to finish with you. I merely mentioned what he’d put you through last time. I thought he needed to know how much his actions had affected you, so he wouldn’t repeat past mistakes.’
Ellie heard her mum’s footsteps crossing the room before she felt her hand on her shoulder. Lowering her hands from her face, she shook her head slowly. ‘I wish you hadn’t.’
‘I didn’t think he’d leave.’
Ellie dragged the back of her hand across her face as she felt tears begin to fall. ‘But you’re not surprised he’s gone. You knew he likely would.’
‘Eleanor, I didn’t. I wondered. But I didn’t know. He didn’t announce the fact that he was leaving to me, I simply got the impression he might be…’
Standing up, Ellie turned to her mum. She wasn’t helping her make any sort of sense of this evening’s mess, not in the slightest. ‘Mum, tell me what happened. Again. Please?’
‘Okay, I will, but I’ve already pretty much said everything I know.
’ Perching on the edge of the bed, Kathy smoothed the duvet cover with the palm of her hand.
‘When Laura mentioned the pub thing, Murray gave me a strange look as though he knew he’d been caught out. As though you’d both been caught out.’
Ellie nodded. That made sense. Although she hadn’t explicitly told him not to mention anything to her mum, she’d got the impression he wouldn’t, he’d want her to in her own time.
She’d also assumed Kathy would keep out of Murray’s way after the way she spoke about him, she’d assumed her mum would avoid him. ‘And then?’
‘And then I mentioned how things had been when he left…’ Kathy’s voice grew quieter. ‘He didn’t say anything else. He just kind of looked shocked, taken aback.’
‘Well, your plan to get him out of my life worked. It’s clear you’d much rather I spend my life with someone who cheats and steals all my belongings.’ She could hear her voice rising but she couldn’t help it, she was past caring. ‘You’ve got what you wanted.’
‘Eleanor, love, what do you mean?’ Reaching up, Kathy tried to take her daughter’s hand but Ellie shook her touch away.
‘Rick. I mean Rick. You thought he was wonderful, that he could do no wrong, and yet he cheated on me and took all my stuff when he left. He emptied out the cottage so he could set up home with his mistress, leaving me with nothing. He took the bed, the TV, the damn crockery!’ Ellie took a gulp of air.
‘Stole your things?’ Sympathy and anger flashed across Kathy’s features. ‘I didn’t know about him taking your things. You never said.’
‘It doesn’t matter.’ She sat down heavily next to her mum. ‘And as for Murray, in a way, I guess, at least this time I wasn’t too involved with him. At least I know how easy it was to get him to back off, and that means he didn’t care in the first place.’
‘Oh, I’m sure he cares.’
Sniffing back the tears, Ellie looked at her mum. ‘He obviously doesn’t, or he wouldn’t have got scared off so easily.’
‘Eleanor, I—’
Taking a shuddering breath, Ellie pushed herself back to standing. She needed to get out of here, she needed some fresh air, she needed to be alone. ‘It’s okay. I’m glad I found out how little I mean to him now rather than in a few months’ or years’ time. I’m going to get home now.’
‘I’ll come with you.’ Standing up, Kathy pulled a thin cardigan hung from a hook on the back of the door and shrugged into it.
‘No. Thanks, but I need to be alone.’ Taking the few short steps to the door, Ellie pulled it open.
‘You shouldn’t be alone. Not now, not after—’
‘Please, Mum.’
Kathy nodded before walking towards her and pulling her into her arms. ‘I’m sorry, I didn’t mean for this to happen. I don’t like seeing you upset.’
‘I know you didn’t.’ Wiping her hands across her cheeks, Ellie dried her tears. ‘I’ll be okay. I just need a bit of space.’
‘Okay, love. Ring me if you need me.’ Lowering her arms, Kathy stepped back.
‘I will.’ Nodding, Ellie pulled the door open and hurried out onto the landing.