The Yuletide Child

Slowly she made her way downstairs and began work in the kitchen, washing up the breakfast things Ross had used, tidying the room before getting out the vacuum cleaner.

At midday, flushed and breathless, with swollen ankles, cramped calves, she sat down in the kitchen to eat some soup. Had she had breakfast? She couldn’t remember. Her brain was going too, now!

Once she had been so sure of herself and the future she wanted. She couldn’t be certain about anything any more; she didn’t recognise herself or Ross. Lifting her feet on to a foot stool, she bent to massage her left calf and at that moment the mobile phone began to ring.

He was ringing to say he

was sorry! Eagerly Dylan grabbed for the phone, which she had left on the table. She was so breathless she couldn’t say anything for a second, and before she could the caller spoke.

‘Hello? It’s me, darling—Suzy! I can’t hear you very well, Ross, the line keeps breaking up—can you hear me!’

Dylan opened her mouth to explain that it wasn’t Ross listening, but the other woman didn’t pause long enough to give her a chance.

‘Darling, I’m sorry. I’m going to be late. Alan hasn’t gone yet and I can’t get away without arousing his suspicions! ’

Dylan sat there, frozen in shock, holding the phone so tightly that her knuckles went white.

The other woman laughed. Laughed! Dylan’s teeth met.

‘Can’t wait to get to York. It’s going to be a wonderful night. Oh ... can’t talk any more, he’s coming back. See you soon, Ross.’

There was the sound of a kiss being blown, then the call ended abruptly.

Dylan didn’t move for a long, long time. She couldn’t believe what she had just heard; the words swirled around in her head. ‘Darling’ Suzy had called Ross, in that sultry, intimate voice, and talked about seeing him tonight in York. Hadn’t Ross said that Alan wouldn’t be at this conference? He was staying on duty so that there was someone covering this area of the forest.

That day, last autumn, when she’d seen Suzy and Ross together in the forest, she had told herself there could be a perfectly innocent reason for their being together, that she was crazy to jump to conclusions. But this time there couldn’t be any mistake. She wasn’t imagining that phone call or the way Suzy had talked, or what she had said. Suzy hadn’t wanted Alan to hear her; she couldn’t leave yet in case he guessed what was going on!

Slowly Dylan switched off the mobile phone and laid it down. When did they meet? Where did they meet? Obviously somewhere nearby—Ross hadn’t been away since their honeymoon. But he was often out all day and long into the night.

There was only one place where he could have a secret rendezvous—hidden deep among the trees where Ross spent a great deal of his working hours. Her teeth grating, Dylan thought of the small wooden hut where Ross kept many of his tools and instruments; she herself had met Ross there many times in the warmer months, taken him sandwiches and a flask of fresh coffee and stayed to talk for half an hour. Once or twice they had made love there on a low cot bed Ross used on the rare occasions when he had to work all night out in the forest on research projects.

That must be where he met Suzy. How long had it been going on? And how serious was it? Dylan dropped her head into her hands, pressed her palms to her hot, aching eyes. No wonder Ross hadn’t touched her for weeks. No wonder he had refused to take her with him. He’d said wives couldn’t go. The truth was, he was taking Suzy.

But how could he do that without it getting back to Alan? Was Suzy going to sneak into the hotel and keep out of sight? Would they have room service in their room instead of going down to dinner, and then make love all night? In the morning Ross would rejoin his colleagues and while they were in their final session of discussions Suzy would creep out and drive home to an unsuspecting Alan.

Dylan put a hand to her mouth, bit down on her fingers in a spasm of jealousy, to stop herself screaming. The thought of Ross with another woman was agony. She couldn’t bear it.

How could he do this to her? He had left her alone here, frightened and miserable, while he was with that blonde harpy. Poor Alan. He didn’t deserve what Suzy was doing to him. He adored his wife, thought she was wonderful. And all the time...

Rage flared inside her. Well, she wasn’t putting up with it! She was going, leaving Ross. And she wouldn’t be back.

Not giving herself time to calm down, she picked up the mobile phone and dialled her sister’s number. Jenny was out, no doubt doing last-minute Christmas shopping with her two little boys, but her answer-machine was switched on, so Dylan left a message on it.

‘Jen, I’m coming to stay for Christmas—leaving right away.’ she looked at her watch. Amazingly, only half an hour had passed since she’d sunk down here for a rest and a light snack lunch. It seemed an eternity.

Her voice husky, she went on, ‘It’s one o‘clock. I should get to the Lake District by about four. See you then. I’ll be alone. Ross isn’t coming with me. I’ll explain when I get there.’

Jenny had invited them to spend Christmas with her, but Dylan had wanted to spend those special days alone with Ross. The irony struck her forcibly as she slowly plodded back upstairs.

It didn’t take her long to pack. She left a note for Ross.

Suzy rang you on your mobile. I know all about it now, Ross. I’m going to Jenny. Don’t bother to come after me. We’re finished.

She dropped her wedding ring on top of the note. Her marriage was over. Barely a year—and it was over!

She refused to cry. She wasn’t breaking down again; he wasn’t worth it.

Her car was in the garage; the sight of it both saddened and comforted her. Michael had covered it with such enormous, exquisite flowers in metallic, vivid colours, pink and blue and yellow, with huge green leaves.