38
Madeleine could barely contain her frustration, hurt and, most of all, embarrassment.
Michael McGuinness hadn’t been able to rescue much in his short cross-examination of Frank Barrett, and if the judge hadn’t adjourned for the day when he did, she was pretty sure that she would have walked out of the room in mortification. As it was, as soon as he announced that today’s session had ended, she grabbed both of her children’s hands and, with as much decorum as she could muster given how she was feeling just then, ushered them outside to the hallway, leaving her husband and legal team following in her wake.
She couldn’t even hazard a glance in Kate’s direction. She just couldn’t. Nor could she allow herself to look at any of the journalists or even members of the public present. She was almost certain Gemma Moore was among them but even if her nemesis wasn’t, Madeleine knew that all she would get was more judgment, scorn and ridicule. It was a lot to bear—and while she’d tried her utmost to prepare herself for the fresh onslaught the trial would bring, and had already had lots of practice in trying to save face, she still couldn’t help but let it get to her.
However, if Madeleine thought that she would find any amount of solace outside the building, she was wrong. The moment she exited out onto the street, she and the kids were bombarded on all sides. The sheer number of media and people clamoring to get a piece of them was beyond overwhelming, and she felt Jake and Clara both move closer to her, clinging frightened to her hand or the skirt of her conservative navy blue suit.
Feeling a growing sense of panic, Madeleine turned to look for Tom. Thankfully, her husband was right behind them ready to help, and he put an arm around her shoulders and tried to lead his family through the throng of humanity to the car Townsend had arranged for them out front. From behind, she heard their solicitor shouting into the waiting microphones.
“No comment. We have nothing to say. No comment.”
But then Madeleine was taken even further by surprise as the veritable mob around them began to shout hostilities.
“Not only irresponsible but callous and selfish, too!” screamed a woman with wild blue eyes. She held up a sign that said Coopers = Criminals. Lock them up now and throw away the key.
Another man yelled, “Mad Mum really is mental. Hey, Tom, take your head out of your ass, idiot!”
The taunts and the jeers went on—getting louder and louder with each passing step.
Clara started to whimper. “Mama, what’s going on? Why do they all hate us?”
Madeleine pulled her daughter close and at once felt relief when she finally spotted the car pull up to the curb. “It’s OK, honey. Just cover your ears. No one hates you. Your dad and I won’t let anything happen to you. Just ignore them.”
Finally, the group burst free from the crowd and Tom hustled his family into the car. Seconds later, Matt Townsend crawled in after them. The moment the door was closed and the car pulled away, Madeleine brushed back her sweaty hair and exploded. She hated to have such an outburst in front of the kids, but what she had to say couldn’t wait another second.
“That’s it, Clara and Jake are not going back in there,” she stormed to Matt. “No child should be exposed to that.”
Beside her, Clara sat openly crying into her mother’s sleeve and Jake appeared stricken. His face was pale as a sheet and his jaw slack, his shock and distress palpable.
“It’s OK, guys,” Madeleine cooed, trying to lower her voice, pulling both children closer to her and kissing the tops of their heads. Then she returned a laser focus onto their solicitor. “I mean it. I’m not using them as pawns. And there is no way I’m going to expose them to that kind of insanity every day. Did you hear what some of those people were saying? And do you also think it’s right that they hear the character assassinations that will be going on in that courtroom? This is only day one—and already it’s nasty.”
She thought back to the picture that had been painted of them—of her—thus far by a family friend, no less. Regardless of how embarrassed she had felt, in hindsight, she was also sick about the things she had said to Frank Barrett. Had she really been that worried about not being able to take a holiday last year? How could she have been so vapid and shallow? And while it felt like a betrayal on the GP’s behalf, Madeleine understood that he had been required to answer the questions posed to him.
Then there was Kate. Madeleine hadn’t been brave enough to look in her direction or face her. But still she could feel Kate’s gaze on her at the end of Barrett’s testimony, one of blatant loathing and distaste. Yet, hadn’t she deserved it?
“Mama, why were all of those people yelling at us?” Clara asked, her voice thick with tears.
She stroked her daughter’s head. “They are just angry, sweetheart. That’s all. None of that stuff they were saying is true. And you don’t have to hear it ever again.”
“Madeleine,” Matt soothed, “if you would just calm down for a second...”
Her eyes growing wide, she shot daggers in her solicitor’s direction. “Don’t even say it. I mean it, Jake and Clara are not going back there. So you better try and find a way to fight this without parading my kids around in front of an angry mob. I can take it, Tom can take it and we’ll do what we have to do. But my kids are off-limits, OK?” Suddenly, Madeleine realized that the one person who should also be speaking up and agreeing with her remained completely silent. “Tom, have you nothing to say? Last time I checked these are your kids, too. Or are you going to say this is yet another of my bad decisions?”
Tom, who had been looking out the window, apparently deep in thought, turned to face his wife. He took in the appearance of both of his children and seemed to be weighing the pros and cons of both sides of the argument. Finally, sitting forward and running a hand through his hair, he looked pleadingly at Madeleine.
“I do think they’re tougher than you think,” he said quietly. But then, as his wife’s eyes filled with anger and she opened her mouth to unleash her thoughts once again, he put his hands up. “But, Matt, she’s right. We shouldn’t have the kids there.” He put a comforting hand on Madeleine’s leg. “I suppose I just didn’t realize it would all be so...toxic.”