53
A week later, Madeleine was standing in her kitchen, loading the dishwasher, and reflecting on her life—and her family’s life—over the course of the past year and a half.
Everything felt so...odd.
The case had been so abruptly dismissed that she was still trying to process what had happened. It had only been days since that meeting in the judge’s chambers, yet it felt like an eternity.
However, at least life seemed to be returning to normal.
The press coverage had subsided, thank goodness, or finally they had decided that Kate and Madeleine’s feud was yesterday’s news. Yes, a few journalists were still calling, looking for a comment, but the majority now seemed to be focusing on just how “at risk” the general public was for transmitting highly communicable diseases, and just how dangerous places like the RDS, the various museums or other so-called “child friendly” places happened to be.
In the wake of the dismissal, Matt had broached the possibility with Tom about potentially issuing counter proceedings against Kate or indeed the university authorities, but Madeleine had very quickly shut that idea right down. She’d had enough legalities and so had their family; their lives had been upended in the worst way and they needed to get back to normal. Thankfully, Tom had agreed with her, joking that maybe now would be an ideal time to buy stock in a company that produced highly effective hand sanitizers. Madeleine had appreciated his attempt at humor—it was a step toward returning to normality.
Yes, they had bills to pay and challenges to face and definitely fences to mend as they tried to get family life back on track, but she was confident that they had withstood the storm. She and her Tom had faced without doubt the most challenging time of their married life together, but they would prevail.
However, she also knew that in order for that to become a reality, she needed to reassess some priorities. So she decided that from now on, she wanted to remain focused on being a mum privately and forget all about the public side.
There was no point in worrying about her public image if her private life was a disaster. Madeleine was just going to focus on her family and be happy. She was well aware of how close she had come to losing everything.
Pressing Start on the dishwasher, her ears perked up at the sound of a car pulling into the driveway outside. Leaning forward to peer out the window, she thought it interesting that she didn’t feel in the least bit surprised when she saw Kate O’Hara getting out of a battered-looking car.
Wiping her hands on a dish towel, Madeleine headed to the front door, not waiting for the other woman to ring the doorbell. She stepped out into the cool autumn air.
Kate, who had been walking up the front path, stopped in her tracks and eyed her warily, like an animal who had just been spotted by a predator.
But Madeleine offered a small smile. “It’s OK,” she said, easily plopping down on the leaf-covered front steps. Regardless of how she felt, she knew Tom wasn’t quite at the stage where he’d want Kate O’Hara comfortably ensconced in their front room. This would have to do for now. “I won’t bite.”
Kate approached the steps and sat down next to her. Neither of them spoke for a beat, but then Madeleine did. “I was wondering when you would come.”
“How did you know I would?” Kate asked, glancing at her out of the corner of her eye.
“I just did.”
Another beat of silence passed.
“Is your husband here?” asked Kate.
Madeleine shook her head. “No, he’s back at work. It’s weird how quickly life picks up where it left off, isn’t it?” Then she winced, suddenly realizing that Kate’s and Rosie’s lives were still far from being back to normal. “Sorry about that,” she said quietly.
“No worries,” said Kate. “We’re managing. We will manage.”
Turning to Madeleine, she ran her hands through her hair. “I knew I needed to come over here. I knew I needed to tell you again I’m truly sorry—for all of this. I was so, so wrong. And I was too embarrassed to face you until now.”
But Madeleine was already shaking her head. “But you didn’t know that you were wrong. No one could have predicted how this would turn out. I certainly couldn’t have.” She offered a small laugh. “You know, I was thinking I really have Gemma Moore to thank, in light of everything. If it hadn’t been for her issue with me, she might never have stuck that microphone in your face, and Scott would never have made the connection or had anything to do with us. Life is weird sometimes.”
Kate nodded, looking downcast. “It’s a bit overwhelming to think about, actually. And when I think that I was blaming you for something that wasn’t even your fault, and dragging your family over the coals...” She stopped, her voice choking. “Madeleine, I can’t even begin to tell you how sorry I am for what I put you and your family through. There are...no words.”
Placing a comforting hand on her arm, Madeleine leaned in to her. “I know it wasn’t all you, either. And yes, I was angry about it, especially when I really didn’t believe I’d done anything wrong. But I’m pretty certain that you had other people in your ear.” She didn’t say Christine’s name, but she didn’t need to. “I also know that many people in Knockroe have very strong opinions about me and my family, and our parenting decisions over the years. You’ve been through the wringer over the last while yourself, and I can’t even begin to put myself in your place. But, you and I, we’ve only done the things we did because we both love our kids, and it’s our job to keep them safe. How is Rosie now?”
Kate smiled. “She’s still Rosie, and yes, she still has a lot of work ahead of her, we both do. She’s showing great progress, though. We have a brilliant caregiver who helps out, but, well, we probably are going to make some changes with that now. I need to find a way to get back to work, and I also have to consider moving.”
Madeleine nodded sympathetically. “Will you stay in Knockroe?”
Shrugging, Kate admitted, “I don’t honestly know. There are a lot of uncertainties at the moment.”
“And your solicitor?” she inquired with raised eyebrows. It was clear what she was implying, but Kate only shrugged, deferring the question.
Accepting this, Madeleine said, “If there is anything I can do to help, I hope you would let me know.”
Shaking her head incredulously, Kate said, “Actually, I think that’s my job to say that and offer the same to you.”
“What on earth are you talking about?”
Kate continued on, “Well, it’s all because of me that you and your husband ran up what I am sure is a sizable legal bill. And I wanted to tell you that maybe I can’t pay everything all at once, but I plan to take full responsibility for that.”
Madeleine looked at Kate with an open mouth. “You must be joking. Please, while I appreciate your attempt to make amends, I have to say that we certainly don’t expect this of you. You have other things to worry about.”
“But you can’t be expected to pay out all that money for...” Kate insisted, but Madeleine shook her head.
“It’ll be fine, honestly. Believe it or not, I’ve had offers to write a book about all this.” She smiled at the irony. Her Mad Mum tome might have been put on the back burner, but since the trial ended, there’d been a slew of newspapers and publishers lining up for Madeleine’s take on her treatment by the media and the public, in the wake of what turned out to be false allegations. “You don’t mind, do you? Obviously I’ll consult with you on all aspects concerning Rosie and—”
“Lucy was right.” Kate laughed through her tears. “You are a good person. And I’m so sorry I didn’t believe her or take the time to call you back all those times you tried to talk to me before...everything. I wish I hadn’t been so stubborn.”
At this, Madeleine could only nod sadly. “Me, too.”