character—but none to be feared.’
Freddie wandered away, shaking his head. He’d completely forgotten about the white sauce. I caught it just as it was rising up the saucepan. He was back in the doorway, calling her.
‘Scarlet! Please come down. Sca-ar-letta!’
‘Freddie,’ I hissed. ‘Should we tell her about this?’ I jerked my head at the court papers, jammed haphazardly into their envelope.
‘No.’ He hid them away in a drawer. ‘Scare her half to death.’
‘I agree, but if we don’t warn them, it might come as a ghastly shock.’
He stood with his hands straight down by his sides, swaying a little like a tired soldier. Freddie seemed to need more time to gather his thoughts as he’d grown older, but his words were worth waiting for. They were never empty.
‘I think it would be best to wait until after we’ve discussed it with Jane,’ he decided. ‘Taken some legal advice. There’s no point in upsetting the children unnecessarily. Scott may give up.
He may move away.’
‘He may get run over by a bus,’ I suggested hopefully.
‘Or perhaps we could pay someone to send him for a swim in the Ouse.’
‘Hannah!’ Tut-tutting gently, Freddie dropped his arm around my shoulder. ‘We have to play this absolutely straight.’
‘Play what absolutely straight?’ asked Scarlet. She was standing in the doorway, green eyes burning in a bloodless face, glaring at us.
•
Scarlet
The pair of them jumped like I’d caught them snogging. Hannah ducked out from under Gramps’ arm. She was looking pretty shifty.
‘How was violin?’ she asked, pretending to be jolly.
‘Cancelled.’
‘Did you get your homework done?’
‘I’ve still got more to do.’
‘How about a cuddle for your old ancestor?’ pleaded Gramps. ‘I haven’t seen you all this livelong day.’
He enveloped me in a bear hug, but I wasn’t going to be distracted so easily. ‘Play what absolutely straight? I’ll keep asking until you spill the beans.’
They looked at one another.
‘I’ll keep asking,’ I warned them.
‘Biscuit?’ suggested Hannah. There was a burst of activity as they fussed around, force-feeding me lemon squash and Hobnobs. When they shut the kitchen door and both stood awkwardly by the table, I knew for sure that something was going on.
Hannah spoke first. ‘Your father is out of prison.’
I know , I thought. I’ve just seen him. I didn’t tell them, though. I knew they’d be absolutely terrified. Anyway, my dad was never mentioned in our family. I’d sooner say a really bad swear word in front of my grandparents—even the ‘f’ word, even the ‘c’ word—than my dad’s name.
‘He wants to see you,’ said Hannah. She pulled something out of a drawer. ‘He’s made this application to the court.’
I stared. ‘No! No way .’
‘We thought so too. And that’s exactly what we’re going to tell Jane Whistler.’
Gramps was standing behind my chair. I could feel his fingers spiking up my hair. ‘But it’s your choice, Scarletta. If you choose to see him, we’ll respect your wish.’
Hannah looked as though he’d stuck a fork into her backside. I mean, my father is just like the devil in our house. Gramps might as well have said, ‘Go on, smoke a cigarette,’ or, ‘Hey, why don’t you nip out and shoot up heroin and maybe sleep with some random guy in the street?’
I didn’t stop to think. I didn’t want to think. I ran around the table and grabbed that envelope out of Hannah’s hand. I ripped it in half, then quarters—which wasn’t easy, because there were a few sheets in there. ‘Here’s what I think of his application,’ I yelled, tossing the bits all over the floor. Then I stamped on them. ‘And here’s what I think of him!’
‘Shh,’ said Gramps, looking upset. ‘Calm down. You’ll make yourself ill, flying into such a rage.’
That just made me even wilder. I wanted to shake him, but even thinking such a horrible thought made me feel
Freddie wandered away, shaking his head. He’d completely forgotten about the white sauce. I caught it just as it was rising up the saucepan. He was back in the doorway, calling her.
‘Scarlet! Please come down. Sca-ar-letta!’
‘Freddie,’ I hissed. ‘Should we tell her about this?’ I jerked my head at the court papers, jammed haphazardly into their envelope.
‘No.’ He hid them away in a drawer. ‘Scare her half to death.’
‘I agree, but if we don’t warn them, it might come as a ghastly shock.’
He stood with his hands straight down by his sides, swaying a little like a tired soldier. Freddie seemed to need more time to gather his thoughts as he’d grown older, but his words were worth waiting for. They were never empty.
‘I think it would be best to wait until after we’ve discussed it with Jane,’ he decided. ‘Taken some legal advice. There’s no point in upsetting the children unnecessarily. Scott may give up.
He may move away.’
‘He may get run over by a bus,’ I suggested hopefully.
‘Or perhaps we could pay someone to send him for a swim in the Ouse.’
‘Hannah!’ Tut-tutting gently, Freddie dropped his arm around my shoulder. ‘We have to play this absolutely straight.’
‘Play what absolutely straight?’ asked Scarlet. She was standing in the doorway, green eyes burning in a bloodless face, glaring at us.
•
Scarlet
The pair of them jumped like I’d caught them snogging. Hannah ducked out from under Gramps’ arm. She was looking pretty shifty.
‘How was violin?’ she asked, pretending to be jolly.
‘Cancelled.’
‘Did you get your homework done?’
‘I’ve still got more to do.’
‘How about a cuddle for your old ancestor?’ pleaded Gramps. ‘I haven’t seen you all this livelong day.’
He enveloped me in a bear hug, but I wasn’t going to be distracted so easily. ‘Play what absolutely straight? I’ll keep asking until you spill the beans.’
They looked at one another.
‘I’ll keep asking,’ I warned them.
‘Biscuit?’ suggested Hannah. There was a burst of activity as they fussed around, force-feeding me lemon squash and Hobnobs. When they shut the kitchen door and both stood awkwardly by the table, I knew for sure that something was going on.
Hannah spoke first. ‘Your father is out of prison.’
I know , I thought. I’ve just seen him. I didn’t tell them, though. I knew they’d be absolutely terrified. Anyway, my dad was never mentioned in our family. I’d sooner say a really bad swear word in front of my grandparents—even the ‘f’ word, even the ‘c’ word—than my dad’s name.
‘He wants to see you,’ said Hannah. She pulled something out of a drawer. ‘He’s made this application to the court.’
I stared. ‘No! No way .’
‘We thought so too. And that’s exactly what we’re going to tell Jane Whistler.’
Gramps was standing behind my chair. I could feel his fingers spiking up my hair. ‘But it’s your choice, Scarletta. If you choose to see him, we’ll respect your wish.’
Hannah looked as though he’d stuck a fork into her backside. I mean, my father is just like the devil in our house. Gramps might as well have said, ‘Go on, smoke a cigarette,’ or, ‘Hey, why don’t you nip out and shoot up heroin and maybe sleep with some random guy in the street?’
I didn’t stop to think. I didn’t want to think. I ran around the table and grabbed that envelope out of Hannah’s hand. I ripped it in half, then quarters—which wasn’t easy, because there were a few sheets in there. ‘Here’s what I think of his application,’ I yelled, tossing the bits all over the floor. Then I stamped on them. ‘And here’s what I think of him!’
‘Shh,’ said Gramps, looking upset. ‘Calm down. You’ll make yourself ill, flying into such a rage.’
That just made me even wilder. I wanted to shake him, but even thinking such a horrible thought made me feel
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