Chapter 54
The Truscott family lived in a three-storey terraced townhouse just outside the town centre.
John Truscott opened the door and stepped aside for them to enter, then held out his hand and shook theirs politely.
Sarah couldn’t help feeling her stomach twist as she noticed the pained but resolute look on his face.
He pulled the door closed and led them up the stairs, past a small kitchen and into a living room, where his wife was waiting in an armchair.
Sitting awkwardly on the sofa in the middle of the room was a young man in a blue football shirt and grey joggers.
Next to him was an equally young girl with long brown hair.
Elaine Truscott leaped up quickly when they entered. ‘Come in, come in,’ she said, waving them through, then she nodded at the young man on the sofa and said, ‘This is Harley.’ She nodded at the young girl next to him. ‘And this is his girlfriend, Grace.’
The pair on the sofa stood up and looked nervously at Robyn and Sarah, who moved further into the room at Elaine’s request. ‘Please have a seat,’ she said. ‘I’ll put the kettle on.’
Everyone sat down, and Sarah smiled at Harley and Grace and looked around the room.
There was some nice art on the walls, a pine dining table in the corner, a floor-to-ceiling window with a Juliet balcony visible outside.
But her eyes soon fell back onto Harley.
She could see Phillipa in him: the long dark lashes, the curly dark hair, the wide brown eyes and olive skin.
‘OK,’ Elaine said brightly, coming in with a tray of drinks.
She placed it on the coffee table, nudging away a pile of magazines.
She began to hand mugs to Harley, who got up and passed them around.
Then she looked across the room at her husband, who nodded.
She turned to her son. ‘Over to you, love,’ she said gently.
Harley sank back down onto the sofa, his knuckles white as he clutched his girlfriend’s hand. Sarah steeled herself for what was coming next.
‘I don’t want to do the test to find out if he’s my dad,’ he said, after a moment or two.
‘I don’t want to know him. Not if he did what you’re saying.
And if he didn’t do it, then … well, I’m still not sure I want to know him, because he doesn’t sound like a very nice person.
But me and Grace …’ He paused and looked at his girlfriend, who gave him a gentle smile.
‘We think that if it helps other people, then I should do it. So, I’ve decided to take the test.’
He sounded decisive and the room fell still. Sarah felt for John and Elaine. This must be so hard for them. For almost all of his life, they had been Harley’s parents – his only parents.
She waited for a moment, then leaned forward. ‘Are you sure?’ she asked, looking Harley in the eye.
Harley nodded and Sarah saw the look Grace gave him, one of pure love and adoration.
It was a very sweet sight, and Sarah swallowed hard as it struck her, in one small moment of sadness, that as Ben’s mother she was undoubtedly the only woman who would ever look at Ben that way.
But she was very glad that this lovely girl was there on the sofa next to Harley, and that he had someone special to be there for him.
‘Thank you,’ she said to them both, as Robyn took the test kit out of her bag and began to take off the cellophane wrapper.
Harley turned to Sarah. ‘I’d like to meet Phillipa, though,’ he said.
‘If she wants to meet me, that is.’ He glanced at Elaine and shot her a warm smile.
‘Not to replace my mum or anything, because that could never happen, but … just to know who she is. And because she doesn’t deserve any of this.
And just to help her. If it does. Help her, that is. ’
Sarah inhaled deeply and thought to herself that she had no idea how Phillipa was going to react, but she knew that if Harley was her son, she would want to meet him. She said, ‘I think it will help. And I think it’s a great idea.’