She smiled self-consciously.
“I thought it was wonderful.”
“He was very fond of you.” It was a statement, not a question.
“I made him feel young again.” Tears squeezed from between the bald lids.
“We really didn’t harm anyone, just conducted a quiet little affair now and then on Sundays which gave us both something to look forward to.”
The tears flowed down her cheeks.
“I wish I hadn’t done it now but it was nice to feel special. I never had before and I was so jealous of Amber. She had a lot of boyfriends.
She used to take them upstairs. Mum was too frightened of her to say anything.” She sobbed loudly.
“They always laughed at me. I hate being laughed at.”
What a dreadful household it must have been, thought Roz, with each one desperately seeking love but never finding it.
Would they have recognised it, anyway, if they had? She waited until Olive had composed herself a little.
“Did your mother know it was Edward?”
“No. I told her it was someone at work. We were very careful. Edward was my father’s best friend. It would have devastated everyone if they’d known what we were doing.” She fell silent.
“Well, of course, it did devastate them in the end.”
“They found out.”
The sad head nodded.
“Amber guessed the minute she found the bracelet. I should have known she would. Silver chair, Narnia. The bracelet had to be from Puddleglum.” She sucked in a lungful of smoke.
Roz watched her for a moment.
“What did she do?” she asked when Olive didn’t go on.
“What she always did when she was angry. Started a fight.
She kept pulling my hair, I remember that. And screaming. Mum and Dad had to tear us apart. I ended up in a tug of war with my father gripping my wrists and tugging one way while Amber tugged my hair the other. All hell broke loose then. She kept yelling that I was having an affair with Mr. Clarke.” She stared wretchedly at the table.
“My mother looked as’ if she was going to be sick nobody likes the idea of old men getting excited about young girls I used to see it in the eyes of the woman at the Belvedere.” She turned the cigarette in her fingers.
“But now, you know, I think it was because Mum knew that Edward and my father were doing it as well. That’s what really made her sick. Makes me sick now.”
“Why didn’t you deny it?”
Olive puffed unhappily on her cigarette.
“There was no point.
She knew Amber was telling the truth. I suppose it’s a kind of instinctive thing. You learn a fact and lots of other little bits and pieces, which didn’t make sense at the time, suddenly slot into place.
Anyway, all three of them started screeching at me then, my mother in shock, my father in fury.” She shrugged.
“I’d never seen Dad so angry. Mum let out about the abortion and he kept slapping my face and calling me a slut. And Amber kept screaming that he was jealous because he loved Edward, too, and it was so awful’ her eyes welled ‘that I left.” There was a rather comical expression on her face.
“And when I came back the next day there was blood everywhere and Mum and Amber were dead.”
“You stayed out all night?”
Olive nodded.
“And most of the morning.”
“But that’s good,” said Roz leaning forward.
“We can prove that. Where did you go?”
“I walked to the beach.” She stared at her hands.
“I was going to kill myself. I wish I had now. I just sat there all night and thought about it instead.”
“Did anyone see you?”
“No. I didn’t want to be seen. When it got light I hid behind a dinghy every time I heard someone coming.”
“What time did you get back?”
“About noon. I hadn’t had anything to eat and I was hungry.”
“Did you speak to anyone?”
Olive sighed wearily.
