CHAPTER 56
Titch awoke to the sound of somebody knocking on the upstairs balcony door. Disorientated and whimpering with pain from her damaged knee, she put her hand to her face and felt the blood that had dried on to her now very sore cheek.
With half-open eyes, she managed to crawl off the sofa, nearly tripping over a barking Hot, who had come scampering in to see what was going on, and unlocked the French windows. She was nearly bowled over by a tall girl, dressed in smart jeans, a red V-neck jumper and a black puffa jacket. Blonde curls flowed down her back, as if she’d just stepped out of a Mayfair salon.
‘Hi, I’m Lucy,’ the stranger said. ‘Can’t you shut that dog up? Happy Birthday for yesterday - and oh shit, what have you done to your face? And where’s Josh got to?’
Before Titch could open her mouth to speak, Lucy had already made her way through the flat, inspecting the empty spare bedroom, the kitchen and finally walking unannounced into Rosa’s bedroom. On discovery of the sleeping pair, she stood for a moment taking in the scene then pulled the cover off them and threw a glass of water from the bedside table all over Josh’s face.
‘What the fuck?’ Josh sat straight up. Then on seeing Lucy, he groaned and tried to explain. ‘Oh my God, Lucy, this is so not what it looks like, I promise you.’
Rosa, too hungover to actually care about another woman’s jealousy attack, offered her hand. ‘Hi Lucy, and Josh is right, we literally just crashed out in here because,’ she gestured out to the lounge, ‘Titch, my friend, needed to stay over. Josh would have been on the sofa, otherwise.’
‘So, you are Rosa. I knew it all along.’
Josh, pulling his jeans on quickly, went to hug Lucy.
‘Get off me!’
‘Knew what all along, Lucy? Don’t be ridiculous. Rosa and I are friends. Yes, this doesn’t look good, I agree, but you can see that we both have underwear on. She’s like my sister. And what are you doing here anyway?’
‘I came down last night, I had a feeling I couldn’t trust you.’
At this point, Titch came limping into the bedroom. ‘Lucy, they are not shagging,’ she said wearily, ‘so can we please all have a nice cup of tea, then I need to get home.’
‘Josh, we are leaving now.’ Lucy flicked her hair back over her shoulders in dramatic fashion. ‘And if you dare to say otherwise, then . . .’
Rosa dragged on her dressing gown and went to put the kettle on.
‘Then what, Lucy?’ she said. ‘You really are overreacting here.’
‘Maybe you won’t think I’m overreacting, when I tell you . . . I tell you . . . that I’m pregnant!’
‘Snap,’ Titch said under her breath as a saucer slipped through Rosa’s fingers and smashed into a million pieces all over the kitchen floor.
CHAPTER 57
‘What’s happening?’ Rosa clasped her cup of tea in both hands and sat on the sofa. ‘Ooh, I feel so rough.’
Titch had rallied round, swept up the glass and put some bacon under the grill. ‘They’ve both gone.’
‘I can’t believe she’s pregnant,’ Rosa sighed. ‘I also can’t see Josh with her. But I know what he’s like, he will have to marry her now.’
‘Oh, Rose. You can still be mates.’
‘It won’t be the same. I think I love him, Titch. But then, it doesn’t feel the way love is supposed to feel like.’ Rosa took a slurp of tea. ‘Oh, I can’t explain.’
‘My mum says that sometimes the heart sees what’s invisible to the eye.’
‘Your mum and her observations.’
‘I know - great, aren’t they? But going back to me for a minute, after last night, I’m glad I’m still pregnant. Well, I think I’m glad I am, anyway.’ Titch put her hand over her little bump. ‘Let me sort these bacon sarnies and I will tell you all about it.’
Rosa munched her toasted sandwich hungrily. Between mouthfuls she said to Titch: ‘To be honest, I can’t really remember much about last night. Just that we heard voices arguing and then Josh galloped off to your rescue.’
‘It’s big, Rose.’ Titch looked solemn. ‘What I’m going to tell you is really big.’
‘Be gentle with me, Titch. I am so hungover.’
‘I don’t care, I want you to know this. You know somebody accused you of running down the hill, the night of the hit and run?’
‘Yes.’
‘Well, it was me.’ Titch lowered her eyes and looked ashamed.
‘Shit! Oh, OK.’
‘I can’t believe that I’m telling you this. I know I can trust you, it’s just that it’s so awful - disgusting. I’m ashamed.’
Seeing tears welling in the girl’s eyes, Rosa moved to sit next to her and too her hand.
Titch went on shakily: ‘So, Lucas comes out of your place, he’s a bit drunk after your Prosecco, I’m wearing a little skirt, he’s in the mood and likes what he sees, I’ve always fancied him, so we jump in his van and shag. All pretty straightforward, all pretty slut-like, but . . . it gets worse.’
‘It’s fine, go on.’ Rosa squeezed her hand.
‘Seb comes by me in his van and pulls over. He must have seen us jumping out of Lucas’s van, I reckon, I don’t know. Anyway, I can tell he’s stoned, maybe a bit pissed - it was Christmas, after all, and everyone drinks and drives around here. He tells me that Sheila Hannafore has paid him a tenner to go and get Lucas’s girlfriend.’
‘Go and get, as in pick up, or run her over?’ Rosa was only half-serious, but she knew Sheila disliked Jasmine.
‘Shit, Rosa, don’t say that! I didn’t even think of that. So, he offers me a lift up the hill back to Mum’s. But he drives right past Mum’s road and starts to put his hand up my skirt. I struggle and push him off, but he carries on, calling me names and saying that I’m always after it. We reach the top of the hill by the garage, and I don’t know if you know it, but there’s a car park there when you can go off and walk through the woods.’
‘Fuck. I think I know what’s coming.’
‘He raped me, Rosa.’ Titch now had tears flowing down her face. ‘He hurt me so badly. Afterwards, he insisted on dropping me home, even though I just wanted to run away from him – couldn’t bear the sight of him. But then, as we were driving down the hill, in the headlights I suddenly saw this girl’s face.’ Titch shuddered, and for a moment she couldn’t speak. ‘I heard a massive clonk - and then Seb told me to get out and run. I should have stayed and helped, but I was scared and in a state. And he’d gone screeching off downhill at top speed.’
‘Fuck. So I’m guessing Sheila Hannafore doesn’t know he’s guilty?’
‘My mate Gully, who works in a car-sales place in Ulchester, he said she paid for the new red van that Seb’s driving these days, as the other was crushed soon after white paint was found on a bumper. So, make of that what you will, but she must know.’
‘Fuck.’
‘Rosa, can you please try and say something other than fuck?’
‘So, what happened last night then?’
‘I was going to let it lie about the rape, especially when I found out I was pregnant – by Seb presumably, since I’d used a condom with Lucas. The last thing I would want my child to know is that he or she was a product of something so violent and awful. Can you just imagine?’
‘At least they’d know where they came from, I guess… unlike me.’
‘Sorry, Rose, I didn’t think…’
‘It’s fine. Ignore me being such a self-pitying bitch, I’m just upset this has happened to you, Titch.’
‘I can deal with it, but it’s been eating me up lately as I thought, what if Seb went and did it to somebody else? Somebody even younger, more vulnerable? I would never forgive myself. So, in my head I decided, if I can’t go through with reporting him for the rape as it’s probably too late now, at least I can get him put away for the hit-and-run.’
Titch’s voice wobbled. ‘I left an anonymous message on the Gazette answerphone and somebody there must have told Seb! I know that because he phoned me last night, accusing me. I denied it, of course, but he kept saying he wanted to speak to me in person. He was kicking off so badly and I didn’t want him coming into Mum’s and causing a fuss, so I arranged to meet him at the back of the shop. I figured I’d be safe and could come to you if he started on me - which he did.’ She rubbed her hurt knee and looked tearful.
‘Blimey. Titch, you should have told me before. I really can’t believe you are having his baby. Would he have done this to you if he’d known you were pregnant?’
He doesn’t know I’m pregnant – and he will never know it’s his,’ the girl said fiercely. ‘even if he or she turns out to have ginger hair.’ She smiled through her tears. Then: ‘I can’t get rid of this little soul, not now, it’s too late. And I love him or her already.’ She sniffed. ‘We all need someone to love, Rosa.’
Rosa wanted to cry. She hugged Titch tightly. ‘Yes, you’re right, we do.’
The younger girl exhaled loudly. ‘I think all of this just has to be put to rest now, just like the suicides of Dotty Myers and my brother. What was it that Joe said on the radio? Closed cases, wasn’t it?’
‘Did you know about Dotty killing herself then?’ Rosa asked. ‘Surely that was many years ago.’
‘You know what this town is like. We’re all the cast in its very own soap opera.’
‘So, would Mary have known that – about Dotty’s suicide?’
‘She’d certainly have heard the rumours. After all, her gran was Dotty’s best friend. Why do you ask?’
‘It doesn’t matter.’
‘Right, I’m going to take myself home and have a long bath. If the Gazette or the police contact me, I’ll just say that it wasn’t me who called. I rang from a phone box anyway, so they won’t be able to trace my mobile.’
‘But that means he’s getting away with everything – with running Jasmine over, with rape, which has a hefty penalty by law, and with beating you up last night too! He should be locked up!’ Rosa’s blood boiled.
‘It’s fine, Rose,’ Titch said, and this time she was comforting Rosa. ‘A boomerang always returns to the person who throws it. Karma will get him in the end.’
‘Did your mum say that too?’
‘Yes, she did.’
They both laughed, and it was a release.
‘Take care, Titch, and I’m here if you need me,’ Rosa told her. ‘Any time.’
‘Likewise. Don’t stress too much about Josh, either. He’s a big boy. He’ll do the right thing.’
Rosa bit her lip. The knowledge of just that was what was troubling her.