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Sunshine after the Storm (finished 24th July p22)

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The CBB -> St Mildred's House

#1: Sunshine after the Storm (finished 24th July p22) Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar

Posted: Tue Jun 27, 2006 6:50 pm
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I'm not really sure about this, although it's something I've been thinking about for a while. Any feedback is welcome, but via PM would be nice if you think it might make me cry!

Flavia sat by the window, gazing out into the pouring rain, the weather a symbolic reflection of her feelings. At the moment her life was as grey and dull as the day, and there seemed to be little hope of it improving any time soon. Sighing, she rested her chin on her fists and stared at the reflection of herself, a very white face, surrounded by rather lank red hair and the most sorrowful green eyes that she had seen for some time, with a dreadful bruise around the left. The raindrops rolling down the windowpane seemed to be rolling down the reflection of her face, making it seem as though she was crying. When had everything gone so wrong, she wondered. She had been so happy for so long that she had rather taken it for granted, first with her family and then when she had gone to school. Her university years had also been full of good times, and she had enjoyed working in the large department store, too. She had had plenty of friends, school friends and friends at work, boyfriends, there had always been plenty of people calling round and inviting her to dinner parties or the theatre, all sorts of places really. She had lived life to the full and had always been busy.
Maybe it had begun with the death of the man she thought of as her father. Inspector Letton had willingly cared for her on the death of her mother, his wife, and she had always adored him. He had been shot and killed while on duty and his death had been a real shock to Flavia. She had been devastated that she had not had a chance to say goodbye to him, and it had taken her a long time to come to terms with this. She knew that he was well aware of her feelings for him, and she knew that he had loved her dearly, but she would have given almost anything to have had just a moment with him before he died. After his funeral she had sunk into depression and taken up drinking. Looking back, she could remember very little of those days.
And then she had met Will Sanders. Will was tall and handsome and amusing and for the first time in many months, Flavia had found herself with a smile on her face. She had been introduced to him at a party held by Jack Lambert, an old friend from school, and had met him again at another party a week or so later. He worked with Jack at the large engineering firm where she was amazing everyone with her skills, and Jack assured Flavia that he was a really nice guy. He had asked her out the second time they met and Flavia had found the sunshine creeping back into her life once more.

Last edited by Fatima on Mon Jul 24, 2006 7:31 am; edited 69 times in total

#2: Author: Liane, Location: Manchester

Posted: Tue Jun 27, 2006 6:57 pm
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Poor Copper! This looks like a good begining Fatima, thank you.

#3: Author: KathrynW, Location: London

Posted: Tue Jun 27, 2006 7:02 pm
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Thanks Becky, this looks really interesting!

#4: Author: Eilidh, Location: North Lanarkshire

Posted: Tue Jun 27, 2006 7:29 pm
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Thanks Becky - very interesting. Poor Flavia.

#5: Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester

Posted: Tue Jun 27, 2006 8:13 pm
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Poor Inspector Letton Crying or Very sad

#6: Author: Lottie, Location: Humphrey's Corner

Posted: Tue Jun 27, 2006 10:45 pm
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Eeeek!! Has he been beating her up - I'm worried by the tears and that bruise. Poor Copper. Please go on, and make her be all right. I always liked Copper.

#7: Author: Ruth B, Location: Oxford, UK

Posted: Tue Jun 27, 2006 11:53 pm
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Poor copper! I think it probably went wrong when she was sent away for her own safety and then had to rescue her headmistress from a raving gunman who was after her.

Really wibbling about Will. Something about

Quote:

"Jack assured her he was a really nice guy"

makes me very nervous.

#8: Author: francesn, Location: away with the faeries

Posted: Wed Jun 28, 2006 2:21 am
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Poor poor Copper.

Thanks for beginning this Becky

#9: Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar

Posted: Wed Jun 28, 2006 4:51 am
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Thanks for your encouragement!

Flavia thought back to those wonderful summer months, when she and Will had done everything together. They had partied and danced, visited the theatre and museums and art galleries, they had laughed and been serious and she had fallen head over heels in love with him. He had been attentive and thoughtful, buying her chocolates and flowers and phoning her almost every day. All of her friends liked him, which was unusual, as whenever one of them found a new boyfriend, there was generally someone who did not take to him.
When Will took Flavia for a picnic in the park during the Indian summer of early October, he asked her to marry him. They had been together for several months, and Flavia breathlessly said yes. There was no one for him to talk to about her – she was twenty-five and alone in the world. He gave her a solitaire diamond engagement ring and they got married at Easter, when they had known one another for almost a year. It had been the most romantic day of Flavia’s life. She had worn a beautiful gown, and Jane Carew and Samantha van der Byl had been bridesmaids. All of her friends had turned up and wished her well and she had left for her honeymoon feeling as though she had finally got her life back on track again.
That had not lasted for long, though. Towards the end of the first week of their stay in Brighton, Will had taken Flavia to dinner and she had accidentally knocked over her wine glass. She had thought nothing of it at the time, but when they got back to their hotel room, Will had clouted her around the head and pointed out the tiny splash of red wine that had marked his immaculate white shirt. Freely cursing her clumsiness, he had slammed the door and disappeared for the rest of the evening, leaving Flavia sitting in a deep armchair, white-faced with shock.
When he finally came back it was dawn. Flavia had fallen into an uneasy sleep just an hour or two earlier, and he had woken her gently, apologizing profusely and begging her forgiveness. He had filled her arms with flowers, procured from goodness only knew where, and promised that he would never do such a thing again. With a self-depreciating snort, Flavia realized that she had actually believed him. That time, anyhow.

#10: Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester

Posted: Wed Jun 28, 2006 7:42 am
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Oh no - poor Flavia.

#11: Author: KathrynW, Location: London

Posted: Wed Jun 28, 2006 8:54 am
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Poor, poor Flavia.

Thanks Becky

#12: Author: Lottie, Location: Humphrey's Corner

Posted: Wed Jun 28, 2006 9:27 am
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((((((Flavia))))))

#13: Author: LizB, Location: Oxon, England

Posted: Wed Jun 28, 2006 10:51 am
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How awful! Poor Flavia Crying or Very sad

#14: Author: Ruth B, Location: Oxford, UK

Posted: Wed Jun 28, 2006 1:10 pm
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poor Flavia! And as early as the honeymoon too!

#15: Author: Pat, Location: Doncaster

Posted: Wed Jun 28, 2006 2:09 pm
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I was expecting that I'm afraid, after reading about her black eye inthe first post. Poor Flavia.

#16: Author: Chair, Location: Rochester, Kent

Posted: Wed Jun 28, 2006 3:37 pm
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Thanks, Becky. I'm sorry that Will is hurting her when she hasn't done anything wrong.

#17: Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar

Posted: Wed Jun 28, 2006 5:55 pm
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Happily I have had no experience of domestic violence, so I'm not sure if I'm on track or not. The bunnies are insistent, though, so here's the next part. I'm sorry if it is upsetting.

They had returned to London where they had lived together in the flat that Will owned. Flavia had moved her things in just before the wedding and they had done some redecoration to make the place less ‘his’ and more ‘theirs’. She had done her best to put the incident from the honeymoon out of her mind and concentrated instead on planning a housewarming party for their friends. They had had a wonderful evening. Everyone they had asked turned up, bringing wine and plants and boxes of biscuits, and showering them with good wishes for their new life together.
Tired at the end of the evening, Flavia had decided to leave the clearing up until the next morning. Jane and Jack had helped her put all the glasses, plates, bowls and dishes in the kitchen, but the place still looked as though a bomb had dropped on it. Will had gone off to bed, so Flavia went to join him. He suggested that it had not taken her long to clear up, but when she explained that she planned to do it in the morning, he got really angry. Flavia could tell that he had made an enormous effort not to hit her, but he had given her such a lashing with his tongue that she had been reduced to tears.
She had spent several hours cleaning and tidying up while Will slumbered peacefully in the next room.
Over the next weeks and months, Flavia went from the heights of ecstasy to the depths of despair on a regular basis. Even the slightest thing could upset Will and make him scream and shout at her or, worse still, hit her. He liked the house to be neat and tidy so that he could ask his friends around at any time without worrying about them thinking he lived in squalor. He liked Flavia to provide him with excellent dinners, which had to be waiting on the table when he got home from work, and he liked her to ask for his advice on every little matter, whether it was regarding the next day’s menu or new shoes she wanted to buy, and he was constantly trying to persuade her to give up working. He earned enough to keep them both in some degree of style, and saw no reason why she should tire herself out all day at work. For a couple of months Flavia managed to keep her job, but in the end Will made it so uncomfortable for her that she handed in her resignation. He was thrilled when she told him that she would be finishing at the end of the month and treated her with all his old kindness and respect, showering her with gifts and taking her out and being as sweet as he had been when they first met.
They entertained their friends, at first a mixture of his and hers, but gradually it became more his than hers. Flavia’s friends still called, but had begun to feel that Will did not like seeing them in his home. He made snide remarks when he thought Flavia was not listening and constantly put her down, criticising her cooking and her clothes and her intellect. Sensitive Jane Carew could not bear hearing her friend spoken of in such a disparaging way and although she called Flavia when she knew Will would be out, she stopped visiting them. The others gradually followed suit, until Jack Lambert was one of the only people Flavia saw. Jack was dating Will’s friend, Ollie, and was as much in love with him as anyone had ever seen her. She was a good friend of Will’s herself, and appeared to be unaware of any problems with his attitude towards his wife.

#18: Author: Róisín, Location: Gaillimh

Posted: Wed Jun 28, 2006 6:02 pm
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Just caught up on all this. Oh Fatima, please resolve the situation soon! Poor Copper *hugs her*

#19: Author: KathrynW, Location: London

Posted: Wed Jun 28, 2006 6:05 pm
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Thanks Becky, poor Copper. It's such a worryingly easy situation to get into. I just hope that there is some way out for her.

#20: Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester

Posted: Wed Jun 28, 2006 7:07 pm
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Oh dear - what a nightmare.

#21: Author: LizB, Location: Oxon, England

Posted: Wed Jun 28, 2006 7:43 pm
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Crying or Very sad

This is so sad. I am clinging to the title and hoping it will get better soon.

#22: Author: Ruth B, Location: Oxford, UK

Posted: Wed Jun 28, 2006 8:59 pm
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I'm clinging to the title too...

Thankfully, I've had no experience of domestic violence either, however I did have one relationship with someone at the insaner end of the sanity spectrum and can really empathise with how Flavia is responding to Will - feeling that she has to do anything just to keep the peace and avoid another outburst.

Please Becky let there be good news soon! Crying or Very sad

#23: Author: francesn, Location: away with the faeries

Posted: Wed Jun 28, 2006 11:37 pm
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Poor poor Copper - she must feel so trapped and isolated. I hope she gets her happy ending.

Thanks Becky

#24: Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar

Posted: Thu Jun 29, 2006 4:48 am
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I'm afraid there won't be happiness any time soon. Thanks for your comments.

Eager not to abandon Flavia completely, Jane and Jose Helston organized a girls’ night out, planning to have dinner and drinks and to go onto a nightclub afterwards. Flavia told Will of their plans and promised to give him his dinner before she went out. Will suggested that she might prefer to stay at home with him, but she quietly explained that she hadn’t seen the girls for a long time and was eager to spend some time with them. Will had said nothing more then, but after dinner on the night Flavia was due to go out, he found her changing in the bedroom and before she knew what was happening, he had started hitting her.
“I told you that you would not go out with them!” he yelled, knocking her to the floor. “Your place is here, with me.”
“I won’t be out for long,” she protested, getting to her feet and blinking back tears. “I only want to spend some time with my friends.”
“No.” He gave her the most almighty shove and she fell into the corner of the heavy wardrobe, banging her arm painfully. “Change out of that dress and go and finish cleaning up in the kitchen.” Without waiting to see if she obeyed him, he left the bedroom, slamming the door behind him.
Flavia got to her feet, cradling her arm with her other hand. It hurt so badly that she wondered if she might have broken it, and her head was buzzing from the blows he had given her. In the six months that they had been married, that was the worst beating he had given her, and she felt terrified of seeing him again. But if she didn’t change and go into the kitchen, maybe he would come and look for her and hit her again. With every movement of her arm sending agonizing pain through her, Flavia changed out of the dress she had planned to go out in, and somehow got herself into her jeans and jumper again. Tears of pain were rolling down her cheeks by the time she had finished and she wondered if she would be able to make a sling for herself from one of her scarves. Perhaps she would feel better if the arm was held still.
As she had finished pinning the scarf in place, Will had come back to find her. Calling her a variety of unprintable names, he took her arm and would have dragged her to the door, but the pain was so bad that Flavia fainted.
Flavia still remembered coming round to find herself in Will’s arms, being borne out to the car. Tenderly he settled her in the passenger’s seat and then leaped into the driver’s seat and sped away. “I’ve explained to Jane that you can’t come out tonight,” he told her as he pulled up at the red traffic light. “She said to tell you that she’s sorry you fell and that she’ll call another day. You really are so clumsy, Flavia.”
“Where are we going?” she asked, wondering if she was going to be sick. Her arm was hurting so badly that she did not know how she would survive travelling over another bump in the road.
“To the hospital,” he answered, giving her a sympathetic smile. “We have to get that arm looked at, in case it’s broken.”
“I didn’t fall,” Flavia said in a small voice.
“Yes, you did.” He looked at her again, the smile gone now. “You tripped over the rug in the bedroom. Make sure that’s what you tell the doctor, or you’ll be sorry.”
They sat in silence for the rest of the journey, except for the odd groan that Flavia just could not suppress as they bumped over uneven road surfaces. When they reached the hospital, Will solicitously helped Flavia from the car and took her into the accident and emergency department. Fortunately, it was quiet in the hospital and they were seen straight away. Will explained that Flavia had fallen and the doctor had soon diagnosed a broken arm and set it in plaster. She longed to tell him that she had not fallen, but with Will standing beside her and holding her hand like a model husband, she just did not dare. Besides which, the doctor certainly would not have believed her.

#25: Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester

Posted: Thu Jun 29, 2006 7:37 am
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She really does need to tell someone - maybe Jane or José.

#26: Author: KathrynW, Location: London

Posted: Thu Jun 29, 2006 9:02 am
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Thanks Becky. I feel so sorry for Flavia but she must feel like there is nothing she can do at all.

#27: Author: Lottie, Location: Humphrey's Corner

Posted: Thu Jun 29, 2006 9:31 am
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Poor, poor, poor Copper!

Thankfully, I have never experienced domestic violence, but it must be terrible to fell so frightened, alone and helpless. There really wouldn't be any place to hide, even if she dared to try, with Jack and Will working together. I really hope Will gets his just deserts soon, but I have this horrible feeling it isn't going to happen yet. I hope, if Copper becomes pregnant, he doesn't hurt any children too.

Do keep writing, please, Fatima.

#28: Author: Eilidh, Location: North Lanarkshire

Posted: Thu Jun 29, 2006 10:07 am
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(((Copper))) Crying or Very sad

#29: Author: LizB, Location: Oxon, England

Posted: Thu Jun 29, 2006 10:41 am
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*sets up a torture chamber specially for Will*

Poor Copper Crying or Very sad

#30: Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire

Posted: Thu Jun 29, 2006 10:54 am
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Poor Copper, I hope she leaves him soon.

#31: Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar

Posted: Thu Jun 29, 2006 12:46 pm
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The bunnies very busy at the moment, so here's some more sadness.

Over the next few months, Will had made more of an effort to hit Flavia in such a way that he would not need to take her to the hospital again. He bruised her and battered her, but did not break any of her bones, for which she was grateful. He also stepped up the verbal abuse, constantly putting her down and criticising her and all but making her a prisoner in her own home. He took her shopping each week – and heaven help her if she did not remember to buy everything they needed – and often took her out to dinner or to the cinema, but always found some reason why she could not go out with her friends. And after several refusals by Flavia, they stopped asking her to do things with them.
As she watched the rain rolling down the window, Flavia wondered how she had managed to survive five years of marriage. Will was so abusive and at times she actually hated him, but she just could not make herself leave him. Perhaps it was because she had no one left to turn to for support, she had no family and her friends had long since abandoned her. Flavia did not blame them; she had been obliged to stop seeing them and why would they keep on calling and asking her to join them when she always said no? Jack and Ollie had moved up north, so although they sent Christmas cards, there was not even the likelihood of seeing her again soon. Will invited his friends around still, and Flavia always produced lovely meals for them and acted like the perfect hostess, despite Will’s constant snide remarks, but there were evenings when she longed to stand up at the table and scream out the truth about the man who was the life and soul of the party – that he was an evil wife beater and that she hated him.
The ringing of the telephone interrupted Flavia’s sad reminisces. She found Will at the other end, asking if she was ready for that evening’s dinner party and whether she thought they could squeeze in one more guest. Flavia knew that he was not really asking, he was telling her that she would need to cater for one more, so she agreed that there would be no problem. Once he had rung off, Flavia sighed and abandoned her contemplation of the weather, heading for the kitchen to see how the lamb was doing. Fortunately they had bought a large piece of lamb and it would be easy enough to do a few extra roast potatoes and some more vegetables. There were plenty of prawns for the prawn cocktail, and with a choice of desert it should not be too difficult to make sure there was enough food for one more person.
Once she was sure that everything in the kitchen was going according to plan, Flavia went to set the table, then she went upstairs to lie in the bath for a while before Will came home. As she lay in the warm, scented water, she looked at herself, bruised as usual, and wondered whether it might be better to take Will’s razor and cut her wrists. It was warm and comfortable in the bath and she could easily imagine how very simple it would be to lie back and watch her life spilling out into the water. It would serve Will right if he returned home with his guests and found his hostess dead.

#32: Author: Eilidh, Location: North Lanarkshire

Posted: Thu Jun 29, 2006 12:50 pm
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Crying or Very sad

(((Copper))) and (((Becky-Fatima))) because this can't be a nice thing to write.

#33: Author: KathrynW, Location: London

Posted: Thu Jun 29, 2006 3:50 pm
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Gosh I was hoping this was all retospective...but obviously not Sad

Poor Copper, I just hope she can manage to find a way out of the situation.

Thanks Becky.

#34: Author: Helen P, Location: Crewe, Cheshire

Posted: Thu Jun 29, 2006 4:16 pm
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Just found this. What a horrible situation, but as someone else said further up, easy enough to get into and very very difficult to escape from.

I am hoping for sunshine for Copper in the end!

Thank you Becky.

#35: Author: LizB, Location: Oxon, England

Posted: Thu Jun 29, 2006 4:18 pm
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Five years of it! How awful.

I hope she can get out soon, and not in the way she is thinking of.

#36: Author: Mia, Location: London

Posted: Thu Jun 29, 2006 4:24 pm
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Just found this - poor Flavia! How awful for her.

Thanks Becky *hugs*

#37: Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar

Posted: Thu Jun 29, 2006 5:16 pm
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Knowing the outcome makes this rather easier to write than I suspect it might otherwise be. I'm also not comfortable writing bad language, so I do apologise if Will comes across as a bit too polite! It's not always easy to leave his words to the imagination; my excuse is that he moderated himself because he has company!

Will arrived with three of his friends from work and found Flavia busy in the kitchen. She was already dressed in a plain black cocktail dress, long sleeved to hide the bruises on her arms, her hair loose around her thin face, and plenty of makeup to disguise her bruised eye. She greeted Tom and Brian, old friends of Will’s who were often invited to dinner parties, and was introduced to the third man, who had just started to work with Will and who was called Jed. Flavia shook hands with them all and offered them a drink, while Will went off to change. The other guests arrived and Flavia did her best to chat naturally with the wives that they brought with them. She firmly declined all help offered, for Will did not like to see his guests lending a hand in the kitchen. After all, Flavia did not work, so why would she need people to do things for her. She had all day to make sure that everything was perfect and all the guests had to do was enjoy themselves.
Once they were sitting at the table, Flavia watched as Will adopted his usual guise of genial host. He plied the guests with wine and told amusing jokes. Flavia remembered the days when she had thought him so wonderfully amusing, but now it just made her feel sick, thinking what he was really like and how well he fooled everyone. She cleared away the prawn cocktail and brought in the main course, placing the meat before Will so that he could carve it and distribute the plates, and then putting big bowls of steaming vegetables down the middle of the table. She finally added the gravy boat, catching Jed’s wine glass with her sleeve as she did so, and upsetting it across the table.
“I’m…I’m sorry,” she stammered, only too aware of the consequences of her actions.
“You clumsy cow!” said Will angrily. “Quick, woman, get a cloth.”
“Oh, that was my fault,” said Jed smoothly, setting the glass upright again. “I knocked the glass over. I’m so sorry to have spoilt the cloth, Mrs. Sanders.”
Flavia mopped up the wine and gave Jed a grateful look. Maybe she would escape punishment this time. Knowing how much Will hated any sort of mess, she always tried to be careful, but accidents just seemed to happen, however hard she tried to avoid them.
“Give the man some more wine!” ordered Will, still sounding annoyed. “She’s a dreadful hostess,” he added, rolling his eyes with a longsuffering air.
Her cheeks scarlet, Flavia refilled Jed’s glass and sat down, looking at her empty place. Finally, once he had served all the guests, Will passed a plate of meat down to her.
“Can’t give her too much,” he said, “Or she’ll be getting even fatter.”
Flavia felt tears coming into her eyes; she definitely could not be described as fat, for she ate very little on account of always feeling scared and anxious. Most of Will’s friends were now used to his comments about his wife and while they might tell one another how unfair he was to speak like that about a sweet girl like Flavia, none would say it to his face. Instead they passed the vegetables around and talk turned away from Will’s perceptions of Flavia’s shortcomings. Flavia’s cheeks regained their normal pallor and she finally managed to look up from her plate and join in a little with the conversation at her end of the table.

#38: Author: KathrynW, Location: London

Posted: Thu Jun 29, 2006 5:41 pm
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How horrible he's being. I can't believe his friends just ignore it but I guess they just don't want to admit the truth.

Thanks Becky.

#39: Author: Liane, Location: Manchester

Posted: Thu Jun 29, 2006 6:45 pm
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Wat an awful man. Thank you for writing this Becky, it can't be easy.

#40: Author: Pat, Location: Doncaster

Posted: Thu Jun 29, 2006 8:26 pm
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I should think that they are pretty embarrassed and so try to ignore it.

#41: Author: Alice, Location: London, England

Posted: Thu Jun 29, 2006 9:00 pm
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I've just found this Becky. I'm glad you've started another drabble, even though it's on such a distressing topic. Poor Flavia.

#42: Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester

Posted: Thu Jun 29, 2006 9:25 pm
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It's awkward to make comments about other people's relationships, but I hope someone speaks to Flavia about it.

#43: Author: LizB, Location: Oxon, England

Posted: Thu Jun 29, 2006 11:34 pm
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That was kind of Jed - I hope it works and Flavia does not get into trouble for it later.

Thanks, Becky

#44: Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar

Posted: Fri Jun 30, 2006 4:31 am
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This may be upsetting...

Once everyone had gone home, Flavia went into the dining room to finish clearing the table. She carried everything through to the kitchen and was just about to begin with the washing up when Will came in. He had waved the guests off and changed into something more comfortable and then had gone to look for Flavia. He was outraged by her behaviour and had resolved to teach her a lesson that she would not forget in a hurry.
Hearing footsteps behind her, Flavia turned from the sink just in time to see Will raise his hand to hit her. She tried to duck, but his hand caught her shoulder and almost knocked her off of her feet. He punched her again and again, swearing foully at her between blows, but not yet elaborating on his reasons for beating her. Finally, when she lay on the floor at his feet he told her what she had done wrong.
“I can’t believe the way you carried on tonight!” he roared. “Flirting with Jed like that. He must be feeling so embarrassed. How could you be such a tart?”
“I didn’t flirt with him,” she protested, wondering if she dared get to her feet. She had spoken to him at the table and thought he was pleasant, and he had sat next to her when they were in the living room, having after dinner coffee, but she had only exchanged a few words with him.
“I was disgusted,” Will went on, standing over her and glaring down at her.
Suddenly overwhelmed by the unfairness of his accusations, Flavia sat up. “If I’m so awful,” she said, trying to sound calm, “Why don’t you leave me?”
“My dear,” said Will with greatly exaggerated patience, “Who else would want you? I promised to stay with you until death parts us, and I didn’t make that vow lightly.” He reached down and pulled her to her feet, before taking her by the shoulders and shaking her vigorously. “Never say things like that again,” he advised, his voice dangerously low. “You are my wife for better and for worse, forever.”
As he spoke, Flavia realized that she had hoped that he would see how much better off he would be without her and would leap at her suggestion that he should leave her. It was a bit of a shock to hear that he had no intention of doing so, and that she really was chained to him for the rest of her life. And she had to acknowledge that he was right, wedding vows should be taken seriously and perhaps it was wrong of her to think that she should leave him. She had gone into the marriage of her own free will, and perhaps it was her own fault that he hit her. She was clumsy and she did make mistakes, because she was only human. How could Will be expected to put up with someone like her?
Before she could think any further, another realization struck Will and he started screaming at her again. “You want to go off with him!” he yelled. “You surely don’t think that he’d want to have anything to do with you, do you?”
Once again the blows rained down and Flavia was knocked to the floor. This time, obviously completely wild with anger, he aimed a kick at her ribs and then a second, harder one. Taking a deep breath to regain control, Will turned and left the kitchen, and Flavia heard him heading off to bed.
Flavia slowly pulled herself to her feet, clutching her side where he had kicked her. She sat down at the kitchen table and rested her head on her arms, giving way to tears until she realized how much her gasping breaths were hurting her. She sat up slowly and tried to take stock of her injuries, wondering just how many more times she could go through this. As usual she felt battered, and knew that by the morning she would have more bruises to add to those already decorating her pale skin. Her lip was bleeding, so she put a cold cloth on it and gently prodded a particularly painful place on her ribs. It hurt tremendously, both to the touch and when she breathed, and Flavia knew that she would have to go very carefully over the next few days, so that Will would not hit her there until she had had a chance to recover.
Taking care to breath very shallowly, Flavia finished clearing up in the kitchen and walked stiffly along to the bedroom. They had two bedrooms, and she remembered how angry Will had been when she had moved her things into the second one. That time she had suffered two broken ribs and her eye had been so swollen that she had not been able to see out of it the next day. Thinking back to the broken ribs, Flavia wondered if she had broken them again, her side was so painful. If so, it would mean another visit to the hospital to get them strapped up, and Flavia was beginning to think that the doctors must be getting suspicious of her numerous visits to them. Changing was painful, but eventually Flavia was in her pyjamas and was able to go to the bathroom and clean her teeth. One thing she was grateful for was that Will had never knocked out any of her teeth.
Flavia coughed, and, to her horror, found her mouth full of blood. She was not sickened by the sight of blood, goodness knew she had seen enough of it, but she was concerned that Will had hurt her badly if she was coughing up blood. Wondering whether it would be better to wake Will and let him take her to the hospital, or wait until the next morning when he would notice that she was injured and then be genuinely concerned about her and let him suggest that they go. Flavia leaned weakly on the side of the basin, pondering the way Will could be so gentle and caring when she was obviously in pain or ill, and yet how he could be so brutal with her, too. When he cradled her in his arms, his expression one of worry, Flavia actually remembered how much she loved him, and always offered up a silent prayer that he would remain the sweet and loving man that she had married and not turn back into a monster again.

#45: Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester

Posted: Fri Jun 30, 2006 7:41 am
—
Oh no - how much more is she going to take?

#46: Author: Lottie, Location: Humphrey's Corner

Posted: Fri Jun 30, 2006 9:13 am
—
It's terrible the way the that these abusers can make their victim feel that it is all their own fault! Of course the whole concept was much less widely publicised then, and I imagine Flavia truly believes that she is the only one suffering in this way, and that she just needs to be a better person to make Will back into the man she thought she married. If only she hadn't lost touch with her friends, she really needs to tell someone, but there isn't anybody left. I should think that, if Jed tried to help, it would only make things a whole lot worse.

((((((Flavia))))))

*pokes* Will with a very sharp and nasty stick!

#47: Author: Mia, Location: London

Posted: Fri Jun 30, 2006 10:08 am
—
This is awfully sad... Sad

Poor poor Flavia. You just want to climb into the drabble and help her, don't you?

#48: Author: ElKel, Location: Cork, Ireland

Posted: Fri Jun 30, 2006 11:29 am
—

Mia wrote:

This is awfully sad... Sad

Poor poor Flavia. You just want to climb into the drabble and help her, don't you?

Mia, you've just expressed what I was feeling! This is a wonderful story, but I can appreciate that it must be quite difficult to write. Thanks Fatima, it's absolutely gripping.

Elaine

#49: Author: LizB, Location: Oxon, England

Posted: Fri Jun 30, 2006 12:47 pm
—

Mia wrote:

This is awfully sad... Sad

Poor poor Flavia. You just want to climb into the drabble and help her, don't you?

Yes

Thanks, Becky - this must be so difficult to write *hugs*

#50: Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar

Posted: Fri Jun 30, 2006 1:18 pm
—
Flavia scarcely slept a wink all night. She was in so much pain that she could not lie comfortably, so in the end she got up and went to sit quietly in the sitting room, where she would not disturb Will. When he put in an appearance just after seven o’clock, she was white faced and close to tears and he knew at once that she was not well.
“I’m coughing blood,” she told him, relieved as he tenderly stroked her hair.
“Why didn’t you wake me?” he asked.
Not liking to say that she preferred to be on the receiving end of his compassion instead of his anger, Flavia said, “I know you need your sleep.”
“But if you are feeling ill, darling, you should wake me,” he chided gently. “Let’s go and get dressed and then I’ll take you to see a doctor.” He helped her to her feet and walked her back to the bedroom, where he dressed her and brushed her hair and then got himself ready. Without even asking for breakfast, he helped her out to the car and soon they were back in the familiar waiting room of the accident and emergency department of the hospital.
A new young doctor took them into a small cubical and conducted a gentle examination, finally proclaiming that Flavia had three broken ribs, and that her lung had been punctured, hence the pain and the blood she was coughing up. He called the ward and arranged for her to be hospitalized for a few days, and then he turned to the young couple once more.
“Injuries like this can be caused by the victim being hit,” he said, looking squarely at Will.
Flavia felt a sudden flare of hope, wondering if the doctor had guessed their secret. Maybe he could do something to dissuade Will from hitting her any more, and they could enjoy the sort of marriage most people had.
“Flavia was changing a light bulb and she fell off the ladder and onto the bedpost,” said Will, giving the doctor an equally square look. “My wife is very impatient, she likes to get things done even though she really ought to wait for help with some of them.” He affectionately touched Flavia’s cheek. “You see, darling, you really ought to slow down.”
“She can go up to the ward now,” the doctor continued, looking relieved to see how much Mr. Sanders obviously cared about his wife.
“I’ll pop home and get your nightclothes,” said Will, every inch the supportive husband. “Is there anything else you’d like?”
“No, that’s fine, thank you,” she said.
Having ascertained the location of the ward, Will set off home, and Flavia was put to bed with something to help take the edge off the pain, so that she would be able to get some sleep.

#51: Author: Lottie, Location: Humphrey's Corner

Posted: Fri Jun 30, 2006 1:41 pm
—
Ggrrr!!! *pokes* Will again.
He's always so ready with a reasonable explanation, and it always involves putting Flavia down again. But he can't stay with her in hospital all the time. Will he let her stay, and give her the chance to tell someone, or will he insist on taking her home again. Poor, poor Flavia.

#52: Author: LizB, Location: Oxon, England

Posted: Fri Jun 30, 2006 2:46 pm
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I hope Will falls off a ladder onto something more painful than a bedpost!

#53: Author: Mia, Location: London

Posted: Fri Jun 30, 2006 2:54 pm
—

LizB wrote:

I hope Will falls off a ladder onto something more painful than a bedpost!

Me too. He's so manipulative and totally evil!

#54: Author: KathrynW, Location: London

Posted: Fri Jun 30, 2006 3:31 pm
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Thanks Becky, I'm trying to think of suitable punishments for Will but can't quite think of anything bad enough for what he's inflicted on Flavia.

#55: Author: Eilidh, Location: North Lanarkshire

Posted: Fri Jun 30, 2006 3:32 pm
—

KathrynW wrote:

Thanks Becky, I'm trying to think of suitable punishments for Will but can't quite think of anything bad enough for what he's inflicted on Flavia.

Neither can I. Poor Flavia. I hope he lets her stay at the hospital, and someone realises what's going on.

#56: Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar

Posted: Fri Jun 30, 2006 4:46 pm
—
Thanks for your comments. The bunnies are loving this story at the moment, so here's another installment.

Flavia lay in bed, sleeping on and off throughout the day, and in between reflecting on how lovely it was to be somewhere safe. She was in no danger from Will at all, for he could hardly beat her in front of the other patients and the nurses. She enjoyed his visit, made on his way home from work, for he was in a good mood and he was genial and pleasant to her. He had brought her some fruit and a couple of magazines and Flavia found herself feeling happier than she had done for some time. If only Will could remain so lovely, she felt she could ask for nothing more. She would gladly cook and clean for him, and abandon her friends and her dreams of returning to work, if only he would love her and cherish her as she had once thought he would.
Once Will left, Flavia ate a banana and opened one of the magazines, settling down to enjoy a quiet evening. She would not be obliged to tread on eggshells in a quest to avoid upsetting Will, she could just sit and read and think without fear. With a contented sigh, she began to read the recipe section of the magazine, imagining herself cooking some of the lovely dishes shown for a dinner party so that Will would praise her cooking skills to his friends instead of merely complaining that she had put too little salt in the meal, or had over cooked it.
Flavia suddenly became aware of someone standing near her bed and she looked up from her magazine straight into the dark eyes of Jed Carter, Will’s new colleague.
“Hello, Mrs. Sanders,” he said, coming nearer. “Will said you were here, and I thought I’d just pop in and see how you were.”
Recalling the dreadful things Will had said to her about Jed, Flavia felt all the old feelings of terror return. Just imagine if Will suddenly returned to the hospital. He was enjoying his role as doting husband and it might suit him to declare how he had cancelled his evening’s plans just so that he could spend some more time with his beloved wife. If he found Jed there, he would probably lose his temper and lay into her even though they were in the hospital. Or, worse still, she would know that he would just be biding his time until he got her home, and instead of being able to enjoy her brief time away from home, she would spend it all in an agony of suspense, waiting for the axe to fall.
“Thank you,” she finally managed to say.
Jed sat down beside the bed and passed Flavia a box of chocolates. “Are you all right?” he asked with concern, seeing how white she had become. “Shall I call a doctor?”
“No, I’m fine,” she assured him. “Please don’t tell Will that you came, will you.” Flavia hoped she was doing the right thing, but she did not want Jed to casually mention to Will that he had seen her in the hospital. The fat would be in the fire with a vengeance then.
“If you prefer me not to, of course I won’t,” said Jed easily. “I’m meeting friends later, quite near here actually, and there seemed no point in going home first. I’m only filling in time seeing you.” Although his words sounded dismissive, he gave her a big smile and she knew that he was actually a really nice man. “I had a great time yesterday,” he went on cheerfully. “Thank you for a lovely meal.”
“Oh, it wasn’t that good,” she said, knowing that Will would have said something similarly disparaging.
“It was as good as my mum’s cooking,” he said, sounding sincere.
Flavia opened the chocolates he had given her and offered the box to him. She knew she would need to have finished them before Will discovered them. “Go on,” she urged him when he reminded her that he had brought them for her, not to eat himself. “We need to finish them up.”
Jed gave her a strange look. “Do you want to tell me about it?” he suggested kindly.
“No.” Flavia bent her head over the box, selecting a chocolate.
“You have lovely hair,” said Jed, so quietly she thought she must be imagining it. She looked up quickly and found him smiling at her. “Like copper,” he added, his voice back to normal.
“They called me Copper at school,” she told him, thinking wistfully of the good old days. She held the box out towards him again and he took another chocolate. All of a sudden she wished that she could tell him about Will; he seemed a nice man, he must be nice if he had come to visit her in hospital having only met her once before. But if Will ever found out, he would probably kill her. He was so good at pretending to be a loving husband and would certainly be furious if he thought she had told anyone that it was all an act. After all, she was Will’s wife, and what he did in the privacy of his own home was no one’s business but his own. “Would you do something for me, please?” she asked suddenly.
Jed nodded. “Of course.”
“I would like to see my friend, Jane Carew. She lives in London - her number should be in the telephone directory. Would you call her and ask her to come and visit me, please?”
Feeling very sorry for the young lady in the bed, Jed agreed at once. “Yes, I’ll try and call her tonight.”
“Thank you,” said Flavia, hoping that he would not forget, for she was filled with longing to see Jane again and to pour out all her troubles to her friend, knowing that while she might not be able to help her, Jane would certainly listen and offer a shoulder to cry on.

#57: Author: Lottie, Location: Humphrey's Corner

Posted: Fri Jun 30, 2006 5:03 pm
—
Well, at least she's had some pleasant time to herself. It is so unfair, that, what should be a pleasant visit from her husband's colleague, could be so fraught with danger. I do hope he manages to call Jane, and that Flavia can tell her. Although I am sure Jed suspects something himself - I hope he doesn't actually say anything to Will, because it will only rebound onto Flavia.

Please, Flavia, TELL SOMEONE, before Will does anything worse to you.

#58: Author: KathrynW, Location: London

Posted: Fri Jun 30, 2006 5:58 pm
—
He does seem very nice and he obviously knows that something's wrong. Hopefully Flavia will be able to open up to Jane. Thanks Becky

#59: Author: francesn, Location: away with the faeries

Posted: Fri Jun 30, 2006 11:57 pm
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Oh Flavia Flavia Flavia

Will's such a b*****d.

Thanks Becky

#60: Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar

Posted: Sat Jul 01, 2006 4:43 am
—
Once Jed had gone, Flavia passed her chocolates to the occupants of the neighbouring beds and then hid the empty box at the back of the bedside cabinet. Now Will need never know that Jed had come to visit. She lay back against her pillows and thought about the day ahead, wondering if Jed would be able to get in touch with Jane and if he did, whether Jane would agree to come to the hospital to see her.
She slept early, for she was still tired despite resting for most of the day, and the next morning she awoke early, her ribs still painful, but feeling a lot better than she had done for several years. She was actually looking forward to the day ahead, for she could relax without worrying about Will coming in and finding that the housework was not up to standard, or that the dinner was not quite ready. And maybe, if she was very lucky, Jane would come in to visit her.
Flavia ate her breakfast and submitted to the nurse checking on her ribs, and then she looked up to see a slim, elegant lady walking down the ward, dressed in a smart linen suit, her fair hair beautifully styled, even though it was only just nine o’clock in the morning. She turned and, catching sight of Flavia, cried, “Copper! Darling, how wonderful to see you!” She hurried over to the bed and Flavia found herself warmly kissed and very gently hugged. “I couldn’t believe it when that young man called me!” Jane Carew went on. “He said you looked pale, but otherwise well enough, and that you wanted to see me. And after all these years, too!” Jane hastily pulled out a lace-edged handkerchief and thrust it into Flavia’s hands, seeing that her friend was crying. “Don’t cry, darling!” she said, stroking Flavia’s hair. “I came as soon as they would let me in. What’s happened?”
“I’ve broken some ribs,” sobbed Flavia as Jane got up and drew the curtains around the bed.
She sat down on the edge of the bed and took both of Flavia’s hands in her own. “And I’m quite prepared to guess that you didn’t have an accident,” said Jane.
“No,” admitted Flavia. “It was Will. He hurts me, Jane, and I don’t know how to make him stop.”
“I should never have stopped seeing you,” said Jane, suddenly realizing how alone Flavia must have been feeling and wishing that she had persisted in calling her and trying to see her. Maybe if she had not just given up on her friend, she would have been able to stop Will from hurting Flavia.
“It’s not your fault,” said Flavia, guessing that Jane was feeling guilty. “He wouldn’t let me see you. He doesn’t like me to see anyone or go anywhere, unless it’s with him.” And then the whole dreadful story came spilling out. Flavia talked and talked, explaining all the things she did that Will didn’t like, and how he reacted to the slightest thing by hitting her and pushing her around. Hearing the dreadful details made Jane want to cry, too, for she could not imagine how anyone could go through so much and she knew that she would never forgive herself for abandoning Flavia when her friend needed her most. Once Flavia had finished talking, she felt a lot better. At last someone knew her dreadful secret and even though it would make no difference to Will’s treatment of her, she might now receive a little moral support when things got very bad.
“So now we need to decide how I can help you,” said Jane thoughtfully. “You must leave him, of course, and come and stay with me.”
“I can’t leave him!” exclaimed Flavia, shocked. “He’ll never let me go. He’s already told me that.”
“You can’t stay with him,” said Jane logically. “You have already said you don’t love him any more.”
“I don’t love him when he hits me,” Flavia amended. “I think I do still love him when he’s being nice though. You should have seen him yesterday, Jane. He was so sweet.”
“Yes, because it’s really sweet to bring you to the hospital after giving you a punctured lung,” said Jane sarcastically. “Darling, I have seen his type before and they never change. You have to leave him before he does permanent damage to you.”
Flavia shook her head. “He would do permanent damage to me if I did leave him,” she said with certainty.
Jane sighed. “I’m going to have to go in a moment,” she said sadly. “I have a rehearsal at ten. I’ll come in later, if you like, and we can talk some more.”
“I’d like that very much,” said Flavia fervently. “Thank you so much, Jane, you’ve helped more than you know.”
Jane stood up. “If he does anything really bad, call me,” she said. “Some of the stage hands are really tough and they’ll come over and give him a beating he’ll never forget.”
Flavia managed a laugh at that idea. “I don’t think it’ll come to that,” she assured her friend. “Thank you so much for coming, Jane. You can’t imagine how much I appreciate it.”
Jane leaned down and kissed Flavia. “Thank you for telling me,” she said gravely. “I’m honoured that you trust me enough to talk to me. Have a good rest and I’ll see you soon. I promise,” she added, as Flavia looked skeptical. “I won’t let him keep me away this time.”
“Thanks, Jane,” said Flavia, and then her friend was going, and just in time, for only a couple of minutes later, Will was arriving to show the world what a considerate and loving husband he was.

#61: Author: Lottie, Location: Humphrey's Corner

Posted: Sat Jul 01, 2006 9:55 am
—
Thank goodness Flavia's finally told someone. She really does need to leave Will, although I can see why she's so reluctant. I like the idea of Jane sending the stage hands round - it would do him good to be on the receiving end for a change, and to see what it's like!

Thanks, Fatima.

#62: Author: KathrynW, Location: London

Posted: Sat Jul 01, 2006 10:07 am
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Thank you Becky, I'm so glad Flavia was able to open up to Jane. Now if only she can take Jane's advice...

#63: Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester

Posted: Sat Jul 01, 2006 11:54 am
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Glad she's told someone - and seeing as Jane didn't doubt her for a minute hope she'll realise that other people would believe her too.

#64: Author: LizB, Location: Oxon, England

Posted: Sat Jul 01, 2006 12:20 pm
—
So glad that she opened up to Jane. It's a step in the right direction.

Thanks, Becky

#65: Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar

Posted: Sat Jul 01, 2006 1:56 pm
—
Will spent an hour with Flavia, discussing her condition with the doctor and nurses and being assured that he could take her home the next day. Although she had known she would not be in the hospital for long, Flavia was bitterly disappointed to think that she would soon be leaving. It had been so lovely to view the day ahead with pleasure and not fear, safe in the knowledge that while she was in hospital she was not going to have to suffer any more at the hands of her husband. Now, though, she knew that her worries would begin again the next day, when she returned home. Usually Will managed to keep his hands off her for a few days after she had been particularly bad, but he would more than make up for it with his comments. Until he got going, Flavia had never really believed that she could be so badly wounded by words alone. She had always staunchly believed that she could survive any sort of verbal attack far more easily than a physical one, but living with Will had given her a different opinion. He could be so hurtful when he ranted and raved at her and she would hear his words over and over again in her mind for ages afterwards.
Will left then, heading back to work for the rest of the day and promising to return that evening for a longer visit. As he had been particularly nice to her, Flavia was glad to think that he would be coming back. Perhaps he would realize how much nicer it was when they were getting along well together and would be inspired to try to change his ways. If he could only treat her with a little more respect, Flavia felt that they would be able to live together happily and maybe fall in love with one another again.
“You are looking better today!”
Flavia looked up from her daydreams of happiness with Will and found Jed standing at the end of the bed. “Hello,” she said, surprised to see him.
“I just popped in to tell you that I spoke to your friend,” he told her, sitting down in the chair so recently vacated by Will. “She told me that she’d try to come in today.”
“She’s already been in,” Flavia told him. “She was here at just after nine. Thank you so much for doing that.”
“Oh, any time,” said Jed easily. “I’m afraid I didn’t bring you chocolates or anything today.”
“Good,” she said with a smile.
“Mrs. Sanders, I just want to tell you that if there’s anything worrying you, or if you ever need anyone to talk to, please remember me.”
“My name is Flavia,” she told him, carefully ignoring the invitation to confide in him.
“And I’m Jed,” he answered, offering her his hand.
“That’s a rather unusual name,” she said thoughtfully.
“It’s short for Jedediah,” he told her, looking rather amused. “My mother is a woman with a rotten sense of humour. At least I got better treatment than my brother. He’s called Malachi.”
“Then I can see why you make it Jed,” she said with a smile.
“And how are you feeling today?” he asked her. “You look lots better, if you don’t mind me saying so.”
“I feel lots better,” she answered. “I’m determined to leave all the odd jobs to Will from now on. Maybe then I won’t have so many accidents.”
“That sounds like a good plan,” he said neutrally, and just for a moment Flavia wondered if he doubted what she was saying. “Well, Flavia, I’d better be getting back to work. I told them I had a doctor’s appointment and so I can’t be gone for long.”
“Thank you so much for calling Jane,” she said again. “It was lovely to see her.”
“Any news about when they will let you out?” he asked, standing up.
“Tomorrow,” she said, and he could not help but notice how she did not seem particularly thrilled at the prospect of leaving the hospital.
“Then I’ll see you again sometime,” he told her and he was gone, striding down the ward towards the big door at the end. At the door he turned and waved, then he disappeared out of sight.

#66: Author: KathrynW, Location: London

Posted: Sat Jul 01, 2006 2:21 pm
—
Jed seems lovely and very interested in Flavia...hmmm.

Thank you Becky, it's good to see so much of this and I think you are handling a difficult subject really well.

#67: Author: LizB, Location: Oxon, England

Posted: Sat Jul 01, 2006 2:24 pm
—
Jed does seem really nice, but it won't take much for Will to get suspicious (and therefore violent) so I hope he is careful.

Thanks, Becky.

#68: Author: francesn, Location: away with the faeries

Posted: Sat Jul 01, 2006 10:48 pm
—
Thanks Becky - this is so realistic and chilling.

#69: Author: Cathy, Location: Sydney, Australia

Posted: Sat Jul 01, 2006 11:40 pm
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I am sort of enjoying this, but please get Flavia out of the situation soon, because even though it's only a story it's making me feel quite anxious. I was never hit but I copped plenty of emotional abuse. I hope Jane and Jed can help and very quickly too.

#70: Author: Ally, Location: The land of the fording oxes

Posted: Sun Jul 02, 2006 12:09 am
—
Ooh poor Flavia. I'm so glad she was able to speak to Jane, I just hope she can listen to her advice. I'm so cross with people abandoning her or others not speaking out. Grr at Will. Jed definately suspects I think too.

Thank you becky, this must be hard to write.

#71: Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar

Posted: Sun Jul 02, 2006 5:29 am
—
Thanks for your comments. I'm trying to concentrate more on the sunshine than the storm, because she will get to the sunshine in the end.

Flavia tried to concentrate on the magazines Will had brought her, but she found that her thoughts wandered back to her morning visitors, sometimes to Jane, but most often to Jed. She finally abandoned all pretence of reading and lay back against the pillows, closing her eyes and calling his face to her mind. He was good looking, she acknowledged, although without Will’s perfectly sculpted features, and his hair was longish and a very ordinary shade of brown. Flavia knew that she had not flirted with him at all, in fact she never flirted with anyone. She had married Will and on some levels she loved him still. If only he would give up hurting her, she would be more than happy to be his wife for the rest of her life. But there was something appealing about Jed. He had a lovely manner, and Flavia instinctively knew that she would be safe with him. Shying away from such improper thoughts, Flavia sighed and turned her mind to Jane again. She was so glad that she had told Jane what Will was really like, and even though she knew that it would make no difference, she felt comforted to know that she was not quite alone any more.
During the day Flavia rested as much as she could, and tried to steel herself for going home. Will popped in again in the evening, just before heading off for a night out with his friends, and said how pleased he was that Flavia would be returning home in the morning. He promised to collect her just before lunchtime and duly arrived the next day at eleven o’clock. He was in a very good mood, having spent a pleasurable evening with his friends and happy in the knowledge that he would no longer be coming home from work to an empty flat. Will dropped Flavia off at home, giving instructions about what he expected to find on the dinner table when he got back from work, and once he had gone, Flavia sighed heavily and headed for the kitchen. She found a big pile of washing waiting for her, for Will would not dream of doing such menial tasks, and everything was in a mess. Will liked to live in a spotlessly clean and immaculately tidy home just as long as he was not the one expected to keep it clean and tidy.
By the time that she had everything put to rights, Flavia’s side was aching badly and she felt as though she had never rested in the hospital at all. She found herself half wishing that Will would come home from work in a foul mood, hit her viciously and let her go back to the hospital. Instead she was back to watching carefully every single thing she said and did, and waiting for him to turn on her again.
When Will finally returned, he was still in a good mood. He ate his dinner with enjoyment, obviously still remembering that he was better off having Flavia at home where she could do everything for him rather than in hospital when he had to fend for himself. He found a film to watch on television and once she had cleared away the dinner things and done the ironing, he called her to watch it with him. He put his arm around her shoulders and drew her against him, and she felt the happiness of the early days of their relationship returning. Afterwards, he took her off to bed, and Flavia was grateful that Will had taken them both for tests a year earlier and that she knew she was unable to have children. When Will was at his best she adored him, but she would never want to inflict him upon a defenseless child, even though she had always wanted children and had been devastated when he told her that it was because of her that they would never have any.

#72: Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester

Posted: Sun Jul 02, 2006 9:03 am
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Oh poor Flavia - she really has been through the mill.

#73: Author: LizB, Location: Oxon, England

Posted: Sun Jul 02, 2006 10:01 am
—

Fatima wrote:

even though she had always wanted children and had been devastated when he told her that it was because of her that they would never have any.

If I had a large sum of money, I would place it all on a bet that he lied to her and it's not because of her at all!

Thanks, Becky

#74: Author: KathrynW, Location: London

Posted: Sun Jul 02, 2006 10:06 am
—
*agrees with Liz*

Thank you Becky

#75: Author: Lottie, Location: Humphrey's Corner

Posted: Sun Jul 02, 2006 10:41 am
—

LizB wrote:

Fatima wrote:

even though she had always wanted children and had been devastated when he told her that it was because of her that they would never have any.

If I had a large sum of money, I would place it all on a bet that he lied to her and it's not because of her at all!

That was my immediate reaction, too. I begin to feel that there might be some hope for her - possibly with Jed?

Thanks, Fatima.

#76: Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar

Posted: Sun Jul 02, 2006 11:07 am
—
Oh, there's definitely hope for her, but she's got to realize that first, because I don't think she's ready to leave Will yet.

Over the next few weeks, Will seemed to be a lot better. He slapped Flavia a couple of times, but otherwise was surprisingly mellow. Her ribs healed and her bruises faded and when Jane phoned she told her that Will had obviously been shocked by her recent hospitalization and had made a big effort to treat her well since then. Although Jane expressed relief at the news, she did not believe that Flavia’s husband would have changed and she guessed that it would just be a matter of time before he reverted to al his old ways again. However, it was good to hear Flavia sounding so much happier and Jane promised that she would see her friend soon before ringing off.
Although Jane often phoned her when she was sure Will would be at work, Flavia had not seen her friend since she left the hospital. She knew that Jane was busy with her new play, though, and had little time during the day to call around. Hopefully, once the play was running smoothly, Jane would be able to come over and visit her, and Flavia was eager to see her and show her how much better things were.
Will had arranged to have some friends come over for dinner again, and he gloatingly informed her that Jed had asked if he could bring a partner with him. He was obviously pleased to think that there was no way that his new colleague could be at all interested in his wife, and was looking forward to the opportunity of flaunting Jed’s new woman under Flavia’s nose. Flavia greeted the news with disinterest. How could she be interested in anyone else when she had Will being nice to her again?
She wrote out a detailed shopping list and bought all the ingredients for the dinner she was to make, and finally prepared a rather delicious smelling duck in orange sauce for her visitors. Pleased with her efforts in the kitchen for once, Flavia went off to change before the guests arrived, delighted to be able to slip on a gorgeous deep green dress that she could not usually wear, as it had short sleeves and a low neck and was far too revealing when she was badly bruised. Currently, the only bruise she had was on her leg, where Will had aimed a kick at her when he had come home from work a little early to find her reading the paper instead of getting on with the big pile of ironing that was waiting for her.
Feeling positively lighthearted, Flavia greeted Will rapturously when he got in from work, and was thrilled when he told her how nice she looked. She reached up and kissed his cheek, urging him to go and change, and he kissed her lingeringly before heading off to the bedroom. Flavia went into the kitchen to check on the food and found herself singing as she turned the roast potatoes, shaking some herbs over them to make them taste extra good. She heard the doorbell ring and Will answer it, and then she heard voices in the sitting room. Knowing that he liked his guests to be supplied with a drink as soon as possible, Flavia went into the sitting room to greet the visitors and offer them an aperitif. Doug and Shirley were old friends of Will’s, for Doug had been at school with him. Shirley was a singularly empty-headed woman, who always found Will’s jokes hilariously funny and Flavia found her high pitched laugh grated on her nerves. However, she was in such a good mood that she greeted them both warmly and actually felt glad to see them.
When the doorbell rang again, Will went to answer it and soon returned with the other guests. Martin and Anne both worked with Will, and Flavia liked sensible, down to earth Anne very much. Not that she ever got to see her unless she was invited to dinner with Martin, for Will even discouraged her from being friendly with his own friends. Following behind them was Jed, and clinging to his arm was the new girlfriend that Will had told her about.
“Darling!” exclaimed the new girlfriend, who was none other than Jane Carew. “How wonderful you look tonight! Do you remember Jed?”
Flavia knew that Will would be listening attentively to her response, so she kept her voice very neutral. “Yes,” she said carefully. “Hello Jed. Jane it’s lovely to see you, too.”
“Offer them drinks,” said Will, coming up and putting his arm around Flavia, guiding her away from her friend and over to the drinks cabinet once again.
There was something in his voice, though, that made the blood run cold in Flavia’s veins. She guessed that he was very suspicious of Jane’s arrival with Jed, as indeed she was herself, and that once the guests had left, she would bear the brunt of his suspicions. With all her joy evaporating faster than a puddle in the sunshine, Flavia poured drinks for the guests and handed them out, her smile false once more. Jane, always sensitive to atmosphere, realized that her sudden appearance might actually make things worse for Flavia instead of showing solidarity with her as she had hoped.
“I’m sorry, darling,” she whispered as Flavia handed her a glass of sherry.
“That’s ok,” said Flavia, handing a glass to Jed. As his fingers brushed hers, it was as if she had got an electric shock and somehow the glass of sherry that she was handing him ended up on the carpet at their feet.

#77: Author: Lottie, Location: Humphrey's Corner

Posted: Sun Jul 02, 2006 11:33 am
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Oh no!!! How awful! Whatever will that dreadful man do to her this time?

Thanks (I think)!

#78: Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire

Posted: Sun Jul 02, 2006 3:21 pm
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Fatima, please dispose of this awful man ASAP.

#79: Author: KathrynW, Location: London

Posted: Sun Jul 02, 2006 6:16 pm
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I know Jane thought she was trying to help but I'm really worried about what will happen when the guests leave, especially because of that spilled drink. But maybe Jane and Jed can work together to try and make Flavia see sense.

Thanks Becky.

#80: Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar

Posted: Sun Jul 02, 2006 6:28 pm
—
Flavia knew that Will would roar out some comment at her usual maladroit effort to do things, but before he could say anything, Jane was chastising Jed. “You clumsy oaf!” she said, a mixture of annoyance and restraint in her tones. “Flavia, darling, I am so sorry. I have never met anyone as clumsy as Jed. At home I make him eat and drink in the kitchen, as he just cannot be trusted.”
Flavia fled to the kitchen to get a cloth and clean up the mess before it stained the carpet, and found Jane just behind her. “Let me do it,” she said, trying to take the cloth from Flavia’s hand.
“You’ll only make things worse if you do,” Flavia told her, her voice low. “I’ll do it, Jane.”
“I’m really sorry,” said Jane remorsefully. “I had no idea it would be like this. This was such a bad idea.”
Flavia made no comment, returning to the sitting room and scrubbing at the carpet until it looked reasonably clean. She knew that she would have to clean it properly the next day, so that not even the slightest mark was visible by the time Will came in from work. All her delight at seeing Jane had gone, for obviously after her friend’s efforts at visiting would result in a really unpleasant evening for Flavia and the happiness of the last few weeks would be gone, probably forever.
Leaving Will chatting easily to Jed and Doug, Flavia went into the kitchen to get the food to the table ready to serve. All the pleasure she had taken from her cooking had gone, and she knew that there would be something wrong with some part of the meal. All she could do was hope that Will would not insult her too much and that she would be able to get through the rest of the evening without upsetting him any further. She was relieved to think that she had put Jed and Jane near Will, making it impossible for her to have a cosy chat with Jane, as that would be something that would anger Will more.
She called the guests into the dining room and soon everyone was tucking into the delicious food. Even Will admitted that the duck was good, and Flavia gave him a grateful smile. Maybe she had not ruined everything between them yet. As she finished her meal and looked around the table, Flavia found her eyes drawn to Jane and Jed, sitting one on each side of Will. The three of them seemed to be deep in conversation, and she hoped that Jane was steering clear of any topics that might anger Will. As she watched Jed laughing at something Will had said, he reached out for his wine glass and knocked it over, spilling his wine across the table.
“What’s the matter with you?” Will demanded, sounding cross. “You are worse than Flavia.”
“I’m sorry,” said Jed humbly. “I know I’m clumsy. However hard I try, I just seem to knock things over.”
Flavia hurried back with the cloth she had fetched from the kitchen and mopped up the wine before refilling Jed’s glass. She cleared away the dinner plates and brought in the beautiful chocolate gateau she had made for dessert. Shirley gasped, for she had a sweet tooth and loved cakes, and Flavia’s chocolate cakes were usually divine. With a smile, Flavia set the cake down in front of Will, starting to feel happier as he smiled back.
“This looks good,” he told her, his tone surprisingly warm.
Flavia brought in the cheese plate, just in case anyone did not want gateau, and took her seat at the foot of the table once again. She was pleased to see her guests doing justice to the cake and as she nibbled on a cream cracker, she began to feel happy once more. Will was obviously enjoying the cake and he seemed to have relaxed again, so perhaps a catastrophe had been averted.
Once they had all finished eating, Flavia made coffee and carried it into the sitting room. She poured carefully and handed around the cups, managing not to spill a single drop. She perched on the settee next to Will, feeling a tingle of pleasure run up her spine as he put his hand to the back of her neck and gently rubbed it. She listened to the wide-ranging conversation, occasionally putting in an odd word or two, and savoured the feeling of enjoyment that she had managed to recapture. It was one of the nicest evenings that she had spent with Will’s friends since before she married him.
She watched as Jane and Jed drank their coffee and chatted easily, glad that her friend had found someone pleasant to be with. Poor Jane had had a succession of boyfriends, mainly attracted by her amazing success as an actress, and it would be wonderful to think that she had found a nice guy like Jed to be with. As she watched them, Jed glanced over at her and their eyes met. She found that she could not look away and was suddenly reminded of the feeling that had gone through her when they had spilt the sherry, right at the beginning of the evening. As he looked at her now, Flavia found something compelling in his gaze and the voices of the other visitors seemed to be fading. For a moment she wondered if she was going to faint, so she hurriedly replaced her empty cup on the tray. Making an almost physical effort, she looked away from Jed and took a deep breath to steady herself. Later, when she was doing the mountain of washing up that would be awaiting once the visitors had left, she would consider the subject further, but for now she would do her best to concentrate on the dull conversation that Will, Doug and Martin were having about the weekend’s season-opening football fixtures.
Once they had agreed to go to the football match on Saturday afternoon, Doug and Martin stood up and everyone else followed suit. They thanked Will for a pleasant evening, and Anne and Shirley both gave Flavia very artificial kisses before they followed their husbands from the room.
“Thank you, darling,” Jane gushed, kissing Flavia warmly. “The cake was amazing! So bad for my figure, but so utterly delicious!”
“Thank you,” said Flavia, returning the kiss. “It’s been lovely to see you, Jane.”
Jed held out his hand. “Thank you,” he said, squeezing her hand firmly and holding it a little longer than he needed to. His brown eyes looked deep into Flavia’s, as if trying to read her mind, and then he smiled. “Take care,” he said, and although he spoke lightly, Flavia was conscious that he meant her to read more into his remark than he had said.
Jane had turned to Will and was shaking his hand. “Thank you so much,” she said, giving him her most charming smile. “I do hope you’ll come and see the play. Shall I send over some tickets? It’s the most frightfully exciting one, with murder and all sorts. Which evening would suit you best, Will?”
Will glanced at Flavia, who was wondering what he would say in response to Jane’s question. “How about Tuesday?” he asked her.
Flavia nodded, and Jane immediately agreed to reserve good tickets for them. After that, she quickly said goodbye, slipped her hand through Jed’s arm and the two of them disappeared downstairs.

#81: Author: KathrynW, Location: London

Posted: Sun Jul 02, 2006 6:31 pm
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I really hope Flavia and Jane have done enough to avert another beating but somehow I doubt it...thanks Becky

#82: Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester

Posted: Sun Jul 02, 2006 7:37 pm
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Can't quite work out what's going on between Jane and Jed Rolling Eyes

#83: Author: Rosy-Jess, Location: Gloucestershire-London-Aberystwyth

Posted: Sun Jul 02, 2006 8:54 pm
—

Alison H wrote:

Can't quite work out what's going on between Jane and Jed Rolling Eyes

Nor I. *wibbles generally*

#84: Author: Grembles, Location: Norwich

Posted: Sun Jul 02, 2006 10:33 pm
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My heart is in my mouth reading this. It is a wonderfully compelling story although heart rending to read.

#85: Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar

Posted: Mon Jul 03, 2006 4:04 am
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Thank you for your comments and I'm sorry this has been difficult to read. The next bit may also be upsetting. Crying or Very sad

As Will closed the front door, Flavia disappeared into the dining room to finish clearing the table. She heard Will put the television on, and longed to go and sit with him, to feel his arms around her and to know that he loved her however useless she might be. She had to finish clearing up first, though, so she concentrated on piling all the plates and dishes beside the sink and filling the washing up bowl with water. She began on the washing up, and soon had the draining rack filled with wine glasses and plates. She lifted one of the delicate china coffee cups from the bubbly water and it slipped out of her grasp, landing with a crash on the floor. At once she bent to clear up the broken china, carefully collecting the larger pieces together.
“What was that?”
Will’s voice from the doorway made her jump, slicing her thumb painfully on a particularly sharp piece of china. “I dropped a cup,” she said, knowing that she could dispense with her dreams of a romantic evening in front of the television.
“Those cups were our wedding present!” Will cried, advancing on her threateningly. “Why can’t you be careful with things, Flavia?” He hit her on the side of her head with his fist and she saw stars, but she somehow remained on her feet. “My mother gave us that coffee set.”
“I’m sorry,” she said, her eyes filling with tears. Why did it always have to end this way, she wondered, after such a promising evening? Why did she always have to do something foolish and spoil everything?
“Sorry is no good!” he yelled, punching her in the stomach and as she doubled up with pain, he pushed her onto the floor. Just for a moment she thought he would kick her, too, but he merely turned on his heel and left, turning up the television just in case he needed to drown out the noise of her crying.
Flavia got to her feet and looked at her hands. She had cut the palms on the china she held and there were some shards sticking into her knees, too, where she had fallen on them. She ran the cold tap over her hands until most of the bleeding had stopped and then bent to pull some of the pieces from her knees. One especially long piece hurt dreadfully as she pulled it out, and she could not bite back a cry of pain. Weeping now, she patted her wounds with a cool flannel and stuck plasters over the worst ones on her knees. She still had a pile of washing up to do, all the pots and pans and the dinner plates and cutlery, and the biggest cut on her thumb was still oozing blood. Wincing as she put her hands into the hot water, she carried on with her work, tears rolling down her cheeks as she began to realize that Will would never change. Any respite she had from being hit was just that – a respite. He would carry on abusing her for the length of their marriage and however many times she thought that he had changed, he never would. All that lay ahead of her was a lifetime of fear and pain at the hands of the man she had married, and there was nothing she or anyone else could do to alleviate this suffering.

#86: Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester

Posted: Mon Jul 03, 2006 7:45 am
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If only she could feel able to leave him Crying or Very sad

#87: Author: KathrynW, Location: London

Posted: Mon Jul 03, 2006 8:56 am
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Thanks Becky, whilst it's so terrible that she feels that she can't do anything about her situation, at least (and it's a very small at least) she is starting to realise that things will never change.

#88: Author: Lottie, Location: Humphrey's Corner

Posted: Mon Jul 03, 2006 10:11 am
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Maybe that's the first step on the road to improvement in her life for Flavia - she has at last realised that Will (evil man!) will never change. But I'm worried about what damage he has done this time.

#89: Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar

Posted: Mon Jul 03, 2006 11:52 am
—
At the weekend Doug and Martin arrived and Will went off to the football with them. Flavia was relieved to see him go, for he had been particularly unpleasant to her since the evening of the dinner party. Only that morning he had smacked the coffee cup from her hand for no other reason than she had already had one cup and he did not think that she needed another. It did not matter that he broke the mug and that she could not get the stain out of the carpet; he could live with the mistakes he made, it was just hers that he had trouble with. He seemed to have got out the wrong side of the bed, for he had slapped her face hard, too, because he didn’t like the way she was looking at him, and then threw his shoes at her as he was telling her they needed polishing, catching her right in the face with the first one, as she had not been expecting such a thing. All in all, she was very glad when he left, for it meant that she would be able to sit quietly and have a cup of tea and maybe choose what to watch on television, something she could seldom do when he was home.
Flavia had just made a pot of tea and taken it into the sitting room when the doorbell rang. Her first thought was that it would be Will, returning to fetch something he had forgotten, but when she opened the door, she found Jane and Jed outside. Knowing how dreadful she looked, her face bruised and her hands and knees cut, Flavia felt embarrassed that they should see her.
“We saw him go,” said Jane, “And waited a few minutes just to be sure he wouldn’t come back. May we come in, please?”
Flavia nodded and stood aside to let them in. They went into the sitting room and she followed them, bursting into tears and falling into Jane’s waiting arms. Jane held her friend closely, stroking Flavia’s hair and promising that she was no longer alone, for they had come to help her. Jed poured her a cup of tea and Jane sat Flavia down in an armchair, passing her a handkerchief so she could dry her eyes. Finally, after sipping the tea, Flavia managed to give them a very watery smile. “I’m sorry,” she said.
“You have no need to apologise,” Jane assured her. “I should apologise to you for leaving you here with him.” She took Flavia’s hand in hers and turned it over, looking with horror at the marks on the palm of it.
“I broke a cup,” Flavia explained. “And I cut myself when I was cleaning up the broken bits.”
“No!” Jane exclaimed. “You don’t get cuts like this clearing up broken china.” Jane gently pushed Flavia’s hair out of her face and saw how battered her friend looked. “And how did you get these?” she asked gently, feeling bad for pressing Flavia when she was so upset, but wanting her friend to face reality.
Jed crouched down beside Flavia’s chair. “You don’t have to stay and put up with this,” he told her gently. “You can pack your things and we’ll take you with us now.”
“No, I can’t leave him,” said Flavia, a note of panic creeping into her voice. “I don’t want to leave him.”
“Look at yourself, darling,” said Jane, realizing that it would not be nearly as easy as she had thought to persuade Flavia to leave Will. “He’s making your life a misery, Flavia. You can’t stay here any longer.”
“But he’s not always like this,” Flavia told them, remembering how sweet Will could be. She sipped her tea, starting to feel better. “I’m all right really,” she went on, making her voice light. “It all looks much worse than it is. Can I get you a cup of tea? Let’s sit down properly.”
Jane straightened, her hand lightly caressing Flavia’s hair once more. “I’ll make the tea,” she said firmly. “I’ll be very careful not to make anything untidy.”
Before Flavia could agree, Jane had gone into the kitchen to make the tea. Jed got up from the floor and took Flavia’s empty cup from her hands. Flavia watched with her heart in her mouth as he lifted up the tray and took it off to the kitchen, worried that he would manage to drop something else. He came back again quickly, and Flavia heard no suspicious crashes, so she gave a little sigh of relief.
“Oh, I’m not really that clumsy,” he told her with a smile.
“What do you mean?” she asked suspiciously.
“I sometimes just pretend to be clumsy,” he said, giving her a knowing wink.
“Oh,” she said, not sure whether to laugh at him or be cross with him. “How did you know?” she asked suddenly. “You had only met us once.”
Jed’s face clouded. “My sister was married to an abusive man,” he said briefly.
“What happened?” Flavia asked, half scared to hear the answer.
“He killed her two years ago,” said Jed quietly. “He’s in prison now.”
“Will loves me, I know he does,” she said, biting her bottom lip to stop herself from crying.
“That’s what Carmelita said,” he told her. “I know it’s difficult, Flavia, but you have to leave him.”
Flavia buried her face in Jane’s hanky, unable to stop herself from crying, but unsure if she was crying for Jed’s sister or for herself. Jed perched awkwardly on the arm of the chair and put his arm around her shoulders and Flavia found herself bawling, her body shaking with great sobs. She was suddenly more scared than she had been before, realising that perhaps it could happen to her. Would Will kill her, she wondered. Was he really that bad? She remembered how horrible he had been only that day, when she had done nothing wrong. What would have happened if she had burnt the toast, or spilt the coffee? He would have been furious and she would have born the brunt of his anger.
“We’ll look after you,” Jed went on, holding her close. “We’ll find a lawyer and get something sorted out so that he can’t come near you again. You’ll be safe, Flavia.”
Jane put another tray down on the coffee table and poured out three cups of tea. “You can come and stay with me for as long as you like – forever if that’s what you want,” she said. “Please don’t stay here, though. You deserve so much better than what he gives you.”
Flavia finally managed to sit up. Slowly she shook her head. “I can’t leave him,” she said quietly. “When we got married we promised to stay together for better or for worse. How can I break that vow?”
Jed patted her shoulder. “I know it’s difficult,” he said kindly. “But we’re here to help you. You won’t be alone, Flavia.”
Flavia accepted the tea that Jane offered her. “I’ll think about it,” she said at last. “I can’t just pack up and leave now, but I’ll give it some thought.”
Realizing that she would not be swayed from this standpoint, Jed gave her shoulder a final pat and stood up. He took a cup of tea and sat down in another armchair, a look of infinite sadness on his face. Jane sat on the settee, watching her friend with a worried expression, but she said no more, knowing that it was something that Flavia would have to come to in her own time. They could not rush her or pressure her, they just had to be on hand to support her in any decision that she made. And if that decision involved staying with Will, then they had to accept it and continue to show Flavia that they cared for her and would be around if she ever needed them.

#90: Author: Eilidh, Location: North Lanarkshire

Posted: Mon Jul 03, 2006 11:56 am
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Please listen to them Flavia!

#91: Author: Lottie, Location: Humphrey's Corner

Posted: Mon Jul 03, 2006 12:34 pm
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Eilidh wrote:

Please listen to them Flavia!

My sentiments exactly!

#92: Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire

Posted: Mon Jul 03, 2006 12:48 pm
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Flavia, get out of there now, listen to your friends, they care more about you than Will does.

#93: Author: Ruth B, Location: Oxford, UK

Posted: Mon Jul 03, 2006 1:01 pm
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Becky I've just caught up on all of this, it's so gutwrenching to read, but you've portrayed the situation so well.

Really hope Jane and Jed can persuade her to leave soon, before something awful happens.

#94: Author: KathrynW, Location: London

Posted: Mon Jul 03, 2006 2:45 pm
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She really does need to get out of there now. Of course she can just pack up and leave!

Thanks Becky.

#95: Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar

Posted: Mon Jul 03, 2006 3:08 pm
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A little bit more; she's not going to be leaving him just yet. Thanks for all your comments.

Jane and Jed left, but Flavia saw them again when she and Will visited the theatre to watch Jane’s new play. Afterwards, the four of them went out for dinner and Jane was impressed by Will’s treatment of her friend. If she had not seen for herself the dreadful things he did to Flavia, she would never have believed how awful he was. He behaved politely and made pleasant conversation and the four of them had a very agreeable evening together. Afterwards, when they were at home, Will admitted that he had liked the play and that he had enjoyed having dinner with Jed and Jane and that perhaps they would do the same another evening.
Later that night, lying in Will’s arms, Flavia found herself crying quietly, wishing that she could have children. Perhaps Will would be more approving of her if she had a baby; it must be very difficult to be married to someone who could not have children. He must look at her and feel so many regrets, knowing that he might have had children if he had not married her. No wonder he sometimes got angry with her. Flavia sighed and looked across the pillow at him. The curtains were drawn and the moonlight was illuminating his handsome face, and she smiled, knowing that she could never leave him, whatever Jed and Jane might tell her. He was good to her, keeping her in a lovely flat, with everything she could possibly need or want, buying her new clothes if she asked for them, getting books and magazines for her to read, buying without question all the ingredients she needed for anything she wanted to cook or bake. And how did she repay him? She told her friends that he was evil and abusive. How could that possibly be either true or fair? Yes, he did hit her, but only when she deserved it. It was done in much the same way that a parent might hit their child, for reasons of discipline. And didn’t it say ‘spare the rod and spoil the child’ in the Bible?

#96: Author: KathrynW, Location: London

Posted: Mon Jul 03, 2006 3:12 pm
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Fatima wrote:

He was good to her, keeping her in a lovely flat, with everything she could possibly need or want

Really?!

Thanks Becky. I wish she had been able to find the strength to leave him before Sad

#97: Author: Eilidh, Location: North Lanarkshire

Posted: Mon Jul 03, 2006 3:12 pm
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(((Flavia)))

Thanks for the updates, Fatima.

#98: Author: LizB, Location: Oxon, England

Posted: Mon Jul 03, 2006 3:23 pm
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No, Flavia you've got it all wrong!

This is so real and so heartwrenching!

Thanks, Becky

#99: Author: Lottie, Location: Humphrey's Corner

Posted: Mon Jul 03, 2006 3:34 pm
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Oh, Flavia, but you are not a child any more! And while you may have promised to obey him, I'm sure he promised to love, honour and cherish (or something like that) you. Nowhere in those vows is there any excuse for the abuse you have been suffering. You worry about breaking your wedding vows, but I think Will broke his a long time ago! Remember what Jed told you about his sister, get out before it is too late.

Thanks, Fatima.

#100: Author: Karry, Location: Stoke on Trent

Posted: Mon Jul 03, 2006 3:36 pm
—

Quote:

Yes, he did hit her, but only when she deserved it. It was done in much the same way that a parent might hit their child, for reasons of discipline. And didn’t it say ‘spare the rod and spoil the child’ in the Bible?

This is so realistic, that reasoning was what my sister used, and ended up in hospital a second time, before seeking help!

Thanks Becky

#101: Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar

Posted: Mon Jul 03, 2006 7:16 pm
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This story is virtually writing itself at the moment, so here's another bit.

Flavia saw more of Jane and Jed over the next couple of months. For some reason, Will had really taken to them and he invited them to dinner and also took Flavia to dinner in Jane’s flat a couple of times. It was nice to have friends again, Flavia discovered, especially as Jane often called her, phoning when she was sure that Will would be out so that Flavia could speak honestly to her. Jane knew that Will still hit Flavia, sometimes quite savagely, but Flavia was no closer to leaving him than she had been when they first broached the subject with her.
Christmas approached, and Jane planned a huge party, so that her friends from the theatre could celebrate in style, and she invited Flavia and Will. Will agreed that they should go, and in the week leading up to the party, Flavia made sure that she was the perfect wife so that Will would have no need to lay a finger on her. She had scarcely a mark on her pale skin on the evening of the party, so she put on a short black dress and high heels and knotted her hair up with careless elegance. Will whistled approvingly when he saw her and as she slipped her hand through his arm and went down to the car with him, Flavia wondered if she had ever been so happy. Will was looking debonair in a dark suit and crisp white shirt and she knew that he was in a good mood, for he was whistling tunelessly.
They arrived at Jane’s flat and found the party already in full swing. Will rang the doorbell and Jane answered it, looking absolutely gorgeous in a long, dark red dress, and greeted them effervescently. They went inside and found the flat had been decorated with paper chains and sprigs of red-berried holly and mistletoe, and a huge tree stood in one corner of the spacious living room. Flavia recognized a group of old school friends, Jack Lambert and Jose Helston, Samantha van der Byl and Samaris Davies, all little changed from the days when she had seen them regularly. As if warned by Jane, they did not rush over and greet her, although their smiles were warm when the saw her arrive.
Will put his arm possessively around Flavia and took her over to talk to Jed and some of their other work friends. Flavia stood contentedly beside her husband, listening with half an ear to the conversation and just enjoying being with Will and yet not feeling too scared of what he would do to her. Jane supplied them with drinks and finally Will smiled benevolently down at Flavia. “Go off and talk to your friends,” he said magnanimously. “I know you are eager to see them. You don’t have to stand by me all evening.” As that was exactly what he had told her to do, Flavia was nervous about leaving his side, but he leaned down and kissed her and then gave her a gentle push in the direction of her friends. “Go on, enjoy yourself,” he said, so she slipped over to sit on the settee between Samantha and Samaris before he changed his mind.
It was wonderful to catch up with her friends. Jack had got engaged to Ollie and Samantha was very serious about her boyfriend, too. Samaris was more than happy with her music, but she had heard that Erica Standish was also due to get married soon, and Val Pertwee, another of their little coterie, had just had her second child. Flavia felt the increasingly familiar pang of envy as she heard that last piece of news, but she carefully quashed it and hoped that no one had noticed.
Jane called everyone through for the buffet, and Flavia slipped her hand into Will’s and they went together to get some food. He assured her that he was having a lovely evening and he seemed so mellow that Flavia guessed he had had quite a lot to drink. She sat quietly at his side, hoping that he did not get so drunk that he would beat her just for the fun of it when they got home, for that was something that did happen from time to time, and she wondered if she ought to quietly ask Jane if she could make him some coffee.
Will, feeling goodwill towards everyone, was loudly retelling some of his favourite jokes, and all of his friends were laughing uproariously. He enjoyed being the centre of attention and liked nothing better than making everyone laugh, reinforcing his belief that he was both clever and amusing. Flavia slipped quietly away, taking her plate back to the kitchen, which she discovered was a haven of peace and tranquility. She rinsed her plate and washed up some of the other things that were in the sink, for her years with Will had conditioned her to keep everything tidy.
“You don’t have to do that!” said Jed, coming into the kitchen with his own empty plate.
Flavia turned and smiled at him. “No, I don’t have to,” she agreed, “But I like to.”
Jed put his plate into the washing up bowl and took a tea towel. “Then I’d better help you,” he said, and he dried the crockery that she had washed and put it on the worktop. “I have no idea where these go,” he said, adding some forks to the pile.
Flavia finished the last of the glasses and dried her hands. Jed put down the tea towel and gestured upwards. She looked up and saw that they were standing beneath a large sprig of mistletoe and when she looked back at Jed he was standing very close to her. He looked at her wordlessly for what felt like an eternity, and then he leaned closer still and kissed her very gently. His mouth was warm and soft on hers and he kissed her tenderly, stroking her hair with one hand and holding her against him with his other until she pulled away, her cheeks scarlet.
“I’m sorry,” he breathed, even though he knew that he was not at all sorry.
“How could you?” she asked him, her voice low. “How could you do that to Jane?”
Jed laughed and reached out to touch her face. “I’m not with Jane,” he told her. “We are just friends, united in a common cause.”
“What do you mean?” she asked, puzzled.
“If Will thinks that Jane and I are together, he invites us both for dinner with you,” Jed explained. “And then we both get to see you.”
Flavia stepped away from him again, remembering the way he often looked at her, and how she felt something akin to an electric shock when she shook his hand, or his fingers accidentally brushed hers. She put a hand to her cheek where he had touched her and the colour flooded her face again. “Jed…” she began, but she had no idea what she wanted to say to him.
“It’s all right,” he told her. “Let’s go and get some dessert.” Without waiting for her to say anything else, he took her arm and led her back to the laden table, where Jane had grouped the dessert dishes at one end. He passed her a plate and helped himself to a piece of cheesecake, watching as she put some fruit salad onto her own plate and then walked away without another word.

#102: Author: Helen P, Location: Crewe, Cheshire

Posted: Mon Jul 03, 2006 7:26 pm
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Aha! I guessed that might be the situation with Jane and Jed!

Now, how soon will Flavia get up the courage - or the desperation - to leave Will? I feel so sorry for her. Crying or Very sad

#103: Author: Eilidh, Location: North Lanarkshire

Posted: Mon Jul 03, 2006 7:27 pm
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Keep writing Fatima - I think really enjoying is the wrong expression for a drabble like this, but I want to keep reading until it all comes ok. Which it will, I'm sure.

*has faith in Becky-Fatima to give Flavia and Jed a happy ending*

#104: Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester

Posted: Mon Jul 03, 2006 8:51 pm
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Right - I understand about Jed and Jane now!

#105: Author: Lottie, Location: Humphrey's Corner

Posted: Mon Jul 03, 2006 10:12 pm
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I thought that was the connection between Jane and Jed, but I'm not sure how much it will help Flavia at the moment. I was wibbling with the mistletoe, terrified that Will would come in, but I don't suppose I need have worried - they were in the kitchen and somehow I don't think Will would go into a kitchen!

If this were a book, it would be un-put-down-able!

#106: Author: KathrynW, Location: London

Posted: Mon Jul 03, 2006 10:50 pm
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Thanks Becky, I thought that was what Jane and Jed were up to but I just hope that Will doesn't find out.

#107: Author: Ruth B, Location: Oxford, UK

Posted: Tue Jul 04, 2006 1:34 am
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Thanks Becky, I was pretty sure that was what was going on. I am however dreading what will happen when they get home. Crying or Very sad

#108: Author: francesn, Location: away with the faeries

Posted: Tue Jul 04, 2006 1:49 am
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Definitely wibbling about what will happen when Will and Flavia get home tonight. I hope Will doesn't get meaner when he's drunk

Thanks Becky

#109: Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar

Posted: Tue Jul 04, 2006 6:06 am
—
Thanks for all your comments. Smile

Flavia returned to her seat beside Will and half-heartedly picked at her fruit salad. She hoped Will would not notice that she was looking rather shaky, because she knew that she would not be able to give any good enough reason for her flushed cheeks. All she could think about was the way that Jed had looked at her in the kitchen, the way he had kissed her and that she had enjoyed being kissed by him, and the way that he had told her he was not with Jane, indeed had never been with her.
“Go and get me some dessert,” said Will, handing Flavia his empty plate.
Flavia stood up and returned to the buffet, selecting a slice of a rather nice coffee cake for Will. Jed was still near the buffet, following her with his eyes, and Flavia knew that she would have to speak to him again. She was a married woman, and she did not want people to think that they could just kiss her whenever they wanted to. She returned to Will, relieved when he accepted the dessert with a smile, and then insisted on sharing it with her.
“You are getting far too thin,” he told her genially. “Come on, eat up, darling.”
Aware that Jed was watching as Will popped a piece of his cake into her mouth, Flavia blushed again. “I’ll get a piece of my own,” she suggested. “It is really delicious.”
Will had a large swig of his beer and as Flavia stood up again, he reached out and pinched her bottom playfully. Highly embarrassed now, she fled to the bathroom to regain her equilibrium. She washed her hands and face in cold water and leaned against the sink, looking at her reflection in the mirror. To her surprise, she looked just as usual, slightly pale, quiet grey eyes in a serious face, her hair starting to come down. She was shocked to see that she looked nothing like a married woman who had kissed another man. There was nothing in her face that betrayed her secret, not even the merest shadow that might tell Will that she no longer loved him because she was in love with Jed.
As that thought flew into her mind, Flavia gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. She let the thought go through her mind again, trying to understand when and how it had happened. He had been her friend for many months now, visiting her when he could, always with Jane, or coming to dinner when Will invited him, being kind and considerate to Flavia, always impeccably polite and correct and yet sometimes Flavia knew that she had seen something else in his eyes. He was usually careful to hide his feelings, and yet every now and again she had seen something more than friendship in the way that he looked at her. She had chosen to pretend ignorance of the signs, but they were there nonetheless.
Flavia sighed, wondering why she had been so unlucky as to meet Will before meeting Jed. How different her life might have been if she had met Jed first. If she had married him, she would have been treated well and would never have known the fear and anguish that was part and parcel of her relationship with Will.
Flavia slowly dried herself, hung up the towel and left the bathroom. She did not want to go back to Will, who was obviously well on the way to being drunk, but she knew she could not follow her instincts and go straight to Jed. In the hall she found Jane, beneath a huge bunch of mistletoe, kissing one of the other actors from the play, and Flavia realized how Jed had spoken the truth when he said that he and Jane were not seeing one another. She slipped quietly past Jane and back into the noisy sitting room, wishing that midnight would come and the party would finish. She felt as though she had a headache coming, and just wanted to go home and lie quietly in the darkness.
Will and his friends were still laughing and most of Flavia’s friends had cleared some of the furniture out of the way and were dancing. Just for a moment, Flavia imagined Jed asking her to dance, and spending the rest of the evening in his arms, her head resting on his shoulder, feeling safe and loved and wanted. Sighing, she perched on a pouffe in a quiet corner of the room and watched everyone else having fun.
Jane came in from the hall and found Flavia sitting alone. She drew a footstool across and sat beside her friend, draping an arm across Flavia’s shoulders. “What’s happened?” she asked. “You look so wistful.”
“Nothing, I’m fine,” Flavia assured her, giving her a bright smile. “It’s a great party, Jane.”
“I’m thinking of having another one on New Year’s Eve,” said Jane, glancing around at all of her friends, happy to see them enjoying themselves. “If you were feeling poorly, what would Will do? Would he ask you to come anyhow, or would he come by himself?”
“Probably,” Flavia agreed to the second option.
Jane gave Flavia a quick hug and stood up. “I’m going to dance,” she declared, looking a little unsteady on her feet.
Flavia watched in amusement as Jane teetered over to Will and his friends and began laughing merrily with them. She then put her arm through Will’s and led him into the middle of the room, where lots of people were already dancing in time to the music. As Jane draped herself all over Will, Jed slipped onto the footstool at Flavia’s side.

#110: Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester

Posted: Tue Jul 04, 2006 7:43 am
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Jed seems very nice, but getting involved with him whilst she's still living with Will could just make everything a lot worse.

#111: Author: KathrynW, Location: London

Posted: Tue Jul 04, 2006 9:02 am
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I'm so glad Flavia has a friend like Jane - I get the feeling she has a definite plan!

Thanks Becky, I just hope it all doesn't come too late

#112: Author: Lottie, Location: Humphrey's Corner

Posted: Tue Jul 04, 2006 9:18 am
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Definitely one law for Will and another for Flavia - it is all right for him to dance with Jane, but I imagine there would be hell to pay if Flavia were to dance with anybody other than himself. I just hope that Will doesn't read too much into Jed talking to Flavia while he, himslef, is dancing with Jane.

And what is Jane plotting with her questions, and party plans for New Year?

#113: Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar

Posted: Tue Jul 04, 2006 1:01 pm
—
“Hi,” he said nonchalantly.
“Hello,” she replied, aware of the way her heart seemed to be beating a little more quickly than usual.
“Can we still be friends?” he asked.
“Don’t you mean ‘may we’?” she suggested, recalling a very important grammatical point she had learnt at school.
Jed looked at her quickly and realized that she was smiling. “May we?” he obligingly asked.
Flavia nodded. “Yes, I hope we can,” she said. “But I have to tell you that I am married, Jed.”
“I know,” he said, sounding regretful. “”But there’s something I have to tell you, too. I love you, Flavia. I have done since the first time I met you.”
“If Will knows, he’ll beat me senseless,” she reminded him.
“Don’t worry,” he reassured her, “I’m not going to let him know. I just wanted you to know.” Flavia sighed so heavily that he had to apologise for giving her more to worry about. “I’m sorry to lay this on you,” he said. “Forget about it, Flavia. I won’t trouble you any more. It’ll be just as it was before, we’ll just be friends. Is that all right?”
“Yes,” she told him, and she would have reached out to touch his hand but the dancers moved a little and she saw Will, dancing with Jane but watching her. She got up without a word and went across to Will. He released Jane and pulled Flavia into his arms, leering down at her in a way that suggested that he might not be planning to hit her when they got home again.
“It’s a great party,” he told her, his voice slurred now. “Jane says we must come again on New Year’s Eve.”
“That will be nice,” she said, trying not to sound too eager. Maybe she would actually get the chance to talk with Jed again, or at least to look at him and think about him.
“She’s a great girl, Jane,” Will went on. “Shame you aren’t more like her.”
Flavia’s heart sank at his words and she wondered how much longer she would be able to put up with the constant swing of emotions, the rapid change from pleasure to fear and back again, never knowing whether he would hit her or embrace her. Will fell silent, having enough to concentrate on staying upright after all he had drunk, and Flavia was content to dance quietly with him, trying to reflect on the strange evening rather than worrying about what lay in store for her when they got home.
Gradually the guests began to leave and Will staggered over to Jane to thank her for her hospitality. He kissed her just a little too familiarly before leaving and almost fell over the doorstep. Suddenly Jed appeared. “Shall I drive you home, Will?” he asked. “You could come back and collect the car tomorrow.”
As Flavia shot him a grateful look, Will agreed, almost falling down the steps to the street. “Thanks, Jed,” he said warmly, throwing an arm around his friend. “You are a good guy.”
Jed took them to his car and Will climbed into the front seat, now singing happily. Flavia got into the back and they drove the short distance to Will and Flavia’s building. Jed helped Will out of the car, grimacing as he vomited on the pavement; Flavia was delighted, though, for it meant he would go straight to bed and sleep like a top, and she would be immune from both a beating and his amorous advances, and now that she had discovered how she felt about Jed, Flavia knew that it would be very difficult to enjoy Will’s attentions as she had once done.
Jed helped her get Will up to the flat and into bed. He would probably scream at her the next day for not getting him out of his clothes and into his pyjamas, but Flavia found it difficult to change him by herself and was not about to ask Jed to help her. They crept out of the bedroom and Jed headed for the front door.
“Thanks, Jed,” said Flavia gratefully.
“Any time,” he answered, turning to face her. “See you soon.”
Flavia looked up at him, wishing that she could ask him not to leave. “Would you like some coffee?” she asked hesitantly. “Will will sleep like the dead now.”
“No, I’d better not,” said Jed, although he would have liked to stay longer. “Just in case.” He put a hand to her face and gently stroked her cheek. “Be safe,” he said softly, and then he was gone, hurrying down the hall without looking back.

#114: Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire

Posted: Tue Jul 04, 2006 1:08 pm
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When will Flavia have some sense and leave Will? BTW: her nickname at school was Copper. Why doesn't she seekout someof her father's old colleagues?

#115: Author: Eilidh, Location: North Lanarkshire

Posted: Tue Jul 04, 2006 1:20 pm
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Poor Flavia. Maybe now she knows how she feels about Jed and he about her she'll have the courage to leave Will? (if that made even a tiny bit of sense)

#116: Author: KathrynW, Location: London

Posted: Tue Jul 04, 2006 2:34 pm
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Where do you find these lovely men Becky? Obviously, I'm talking about Jed. Like Eilidh, I hope that her feelings for Jed will give her the strength to leave Will. He is an absolute pig.

Thank you.

#117: Author: Lottie, Location: Humphrey's Corner

Posted: Tue Jul 04, 2006 5:25 pm
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Jed is lovely, I really hope he and Flavia can sort things soon.

I don't suppose Flavia wants to admit what's been happening to her father's former colleagues - she was very reluctant even to tell Jane and Jed.

#118: Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar

Posted: Tue Jul 04, 2006 5:58 pm
—
I don’t know that she would be in touch with Inspector Letton’s colleagues, as it has been so long since he died. And she’s not ready to leave Will yet, she has very definite views on the nature of her marriage vows and will need persuading otherwise. Thanks for all your comments. Yes, Jed is rather lovely, isn't he?

Christmas was a season of mixed feelings for Flavia. Will showered her with gifts, new shoes, a lovely new dress to wear to the party on New Year’s Eve, some books and perfume and a big box of chocolates. He never wrapped her presents, letting her have them in the bags he bought them in, but he expected her gifts to him to be beautifully wrapped and put under the tree on Christmas Eve. He invited his parents to dinner on Christmas Day, and Flavia spent the morning making sure that the meal would be perfect. She had her suspicions that Will’s father hit his mother, for Mrs. Sanders senior was a very quiet, colourless woman, and sometimes Flavia felt that she was becoming rather like her mother in law. Will always treated his mother with kindness and consideration, as if to make up for the dreadful things he knew his father did to her, yet it made little difference to his treatment of his own wife.
Will usually drank heavily at Christmas, and once his parents had gone home, found some excuse to hit Flavia around. He would then drink more still and finally would find Flavia and beg her forgiveness, just about the only time of the year he ever apologised for the way he treated her. After that, he would take her to bed, and be loving and tender for as long as he could stay awake, which was not usually very long. He generally took all of the week between Christmas and New Year off of work and would take Flavia to the cinema or for long walks in the countryside, and in between he would lie around the flat berating her for being unable to have the children that would brighten his Christmas holidays.
By New Year’s Eve, Flavia had a badly swollen finger, from where he had bent it so far back she wondered if it was broken or dislocated, the usual black eye and a multitude of bruises. She had given a lot of thought to Jane’s question about Will attending the New Year’s Eve party with or without her, and wondered exactly what her friend had been getting at. She was certainly in no state to go to a party, and when she was sick after Will punched her in the stomach, she decided that she would not go out that evening.
“Good,” was Will’s response. “I’ll have more fun without you, anyhow.”
Flavia watched in surprise as he put on his best suit and sprayed himself liberally with perfume. He had a handkerchief spilling elegantly out of his top pocket and evidently considered that he looked dapper and debonair. He ignored her completely as he found the car keys and took the last little gift from beneath the Christmas tree. Flavia had noticed it there just after Christmas, but had not dared mention it to Will; he would remember it at the appropriate time, and it appeared that the time had come. He slipped it into his jacket pocket and headed out the door, whistling cheerfully.
Flavia half wished that she was going with him, because she would have liked to see Jed, but there was no way she wanted him to see her looking like this. She would also like to see who Will was interested in; she did not doubt that he was preparing to throw himself at some other woman, for the only other time he had gone off looking like that he had been having an affair with one of the women at work. She had not minded, for it meant that he was often at work later in the evenings and when he came home he was more often in a good mood, so she got hit less frequently. If Will was planning to embark on another affair, Flavia was definitely not going to stand in his way.
Deciding that she might as well enjoy her evening of freedom, Flavia went off and ran a bath, pouring in a generous amount of bubble bath. She put up her hair and climbed into the warm water, feeling her aches and pains slowly fading away. Just as she was feeling completely relaxed, the doorbell rang, and Flavia groaned. Surely there could not be carol singers so long after Christmas? She decided that she would ignore the bell, and concentrated instead on planning a pleasant evening at home. She thought she might put on some soft music and lose herself in her new book, which was a delightfully romantic story and quite a contrast to her own life. The doorbell rang again, spoiling her consideration of the evening ahead, and she regretfully decided she ought to answer it. She pulled on her dressing gown and padded softly down the passage to the hall. Opening the door a fraction, she peeped out and found Jed peeping in.

#119: Author: Eilidh, Location: North Lanarkshire

Posted: Tue Jul 04, 2006 6:04 pm
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I thought that might be Jane's plan! Thanks Fatima!

(btw, I'm going to have to stealth on on friends computers over my holiday to see if this gets resolved - I can't wait until next Tuesday!)

#120: Author: Ally, Location: The land of the fording oxes

Posted: Tue Jul 04, 2006 6:34 pm
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I think Jane is going for the pincer attack! Good for her, I just hope she doesn't get hurt too...

Thanks Becky, this is entralling in waiting to see how Flavia's mind changes.

#121: Author: KathrynW, Location: London

Posted: Tue Jul 04, 2006 7:12 pm
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I'm starting to wibble a tad about Jane...I hope she hasn't put herself in a dangerous position.

Thanks Becky

#122: Author: Lottie, Location: Humphrey's Corner

Posted: Tue Jul 04, 2006 10:48 pm
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I was expecting that to be Jed, too. I'm wondering about Jane's plan - I hope that it works.

Thanks, Fatima.

#123: Author: Alice, Location: London, England

Posted: Wed Jul 05, 2006 12:23 am
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Thanks Becky - justr caught up with this.

#124: Author: francesn, Location: away with the faeries

Posted: Wed Jul 05, 2006 1:03 am
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Thank you Becky

I hope that Jane will be safe, and that Jed and Flavia don't get caught by Will.

#125: Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar

Posted: Wed Jul 05, 2006 5:17 am
—
“Will’s gone to the party,” said Flavia, keeping the door almost shut.
“Yes, I know,” said Jed. “Jane called me to tell me he’d arrived. May I come in?”
“I don’t know,” she said hesitantly.
“I’ve brought you some supper,” he said persuasively, holding up a carrier bag. “Smoked salmon salad, some home made bread and a bottle of champagne.”
Smiling, Flavia held the door open a little further. “That sounds too good to refuse,” she said, resolutely squashing the little voice in her head that told her she ought to have refused.
Jed stepped inside, keeping his face expressionless as he took in her black eye and a yellowing bruise on her chin. “Maybe you should get some clothes on,” he said lightly, eying her short dressing gown with interest.
Flavia fled to the bedroom, where she put on an old pair of jeans and a jumper, as Jed was dressed casually himself. She let her hair down, hoping to hide her black eye a little, although she was aware that he would already have noticed it, and then she returned to the sitting room. Jed was not there, having taken himself through to the kitchen and Flavia found him busily setting out the salad on the paper plates he had brought with him, and buttering thick slices of delicious smelling bread.
“Merry Christmas,” he said, passing her a paper cup of champagne.
Flavia smiled, touched by his thoughtfulness. “Merry Christmas,” she repeated, tapping her cup against his and then having a sip. It was well chilled and the bubbles went up her nose, making her splutter.
Jed laughed at her, pulling out a chair at the kitchen table for her to sit on. “Come on, eat up,” he said. “I’m starving.”
“Why didn’t you go to the party?” Flavia asked, once she had tasted the bread. “Oh, this is lovely bread. Who made it?”
“I did,” said Jed complacently. “I love home-baked bread. And Jane will tell everyone at the party that I always spend New Year with my brother.”
“You made it?” she asked, surprised.
“Yes,” he repeated, grinning at her. “Aren’t all the great chefs men?”
“Well, yes,” she agreed. “I just expected you to say that your mother made it, or Jane or someone.”
“Jane can’t cook an egg,” Jed informed her with a laugh. “How was Christmas, Flavia?”
“Lovely, thank you,” she answered. “What about yours?”
Jed looked shrewdly at her. “It doesn’t look as if you had a lovely Christmas,” he said quietly. He reached across the table and took her hand, turning it over so that he could see how badly bruised her finger was. “Oh, Flavia,” he said, his voice so tender that she felt her eyes filling with tears. “Did you get a doctor to look at this?”
“No, it’s fine now,” she lied, for it still hurt a lot whenever she tried to use it.
He raised her hand to his mouth and gently kissed it. “If it doesn’t feel better in a day or two, you really ought to see a doctor,” he advised.
He released her hand and she laid it in her lap, concentrating instead on eating the salad. She wondered if he had also prepared that, for it was very simple and yet delicious.
“Tell me about yourself,” he said suddenly, having finished his supper and poured another cup of champagne. “Even after all these months, I know hardly anything about you.”
“There isn’t very much to tell,” she said, realizing how that was sad, but true. “Once, I would have been able to tell you about my job and my friends, but now there’s just me and Will and that’s not a nice story.”
“What about your family?” he asked.
“My parents died when I was very small,” she said in a matter of fact voice, for she barely remembered them at all. “I lived with my step-father. He was in the police force. He was shot, oh, seven years ago now, trying to arrest some bank robbers. Perhaps it’s better to talk about your family.”
“My parents live on the south coast,” he told her. “They are retired now, and they love the sea. My father has a small boat and they go out sailing whenever the weather is suitable. My brother Mal lives on the other side of town. He’s married with two lovely daughters, and Carmelita’s son lives with them, too.”
Flavia found herself with a big lump in her throat as she thought of Jed’s nephew. How awful to have grown up in such a terrible way and to effectively lose both parents so young. As she did more and more often, Flavia began to feel relieved that she would not see any child of hers put through such trauma and tragedy.
“I have a small flat not far from Jane’s place,” Jed went on. “It’s got an amazing view of the park. I wish you could come and see it. In the evening, as the sun sets, it’s absolutely glorious.” Aware that she was crying quietly now, he went around the table and put his arms around her, wishing that he felt something other than completely hopeless as she put her arms around his waist, buried her face in the front of his shirt and cried passionately. He held her for a long time, knowing that she needed to find some release for her emotions, but when it seemed likely that she would be unable to stop, he gently put her away from him and went to find a cold flannel. Once he had tenderly wiped her tear-stained face, he drew her to her feet and took her into the sitting room. “I’ll just clear up in the kitchen,” he told her, “and then we can decide how we want to welcome in the New Year.”
“Thank you,” she said gratefully, realizing just how nice it was to be cared for by someone kind and considerate.

#126: Author: Cathy, Location: Sydney, Australia

Posted: Wed Jul 05, 2006 5:40 am
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Please Flavia, just go with him. (Although it wouldn't be good for her to become too dependent on Jed either -- she needs to learn to stand on her own two feet again.)

#127: Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester

Posted: Wed Jul 05, 2006 7:39 am
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Not sure this is a good idea - Will will hit the roof if he finds out she spent the evening with another man Rolling Eyes

- she'd do better to leave Will before getting involved with someone else.

#128: Author: Eilidh, Location: North Lanarkshire

Posted: Wed Jul 05, 2006 8:43 am
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Given his current record, Will will hit more than the roof - seriously worried about Flavia, Jed, and Jane now.

#129: Author: Lottie, Location: Humphrey's Corner

Posted: Wed Jul 05, 2006 9:48 am
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I don't think Jed would let Flavia become too dependant on him. I presume he has brought paper plates for the supper because he is intending to remove every trace of what he has brought with him. Jane will let them know if Will leaves the party early, so he shouldn't catch them. But what he will do to Flavia when he gets home again is another matter. I hope Flavia can bring herself to get out of there soon, please, Fatima.

#130: Author: KathrynW, Location: London

Posted: Wed Jul 05, 2006 9:56 am
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As much as I do like Jed, I can't help feeling he's being a bit silly. It won't take much - just one small thing overlooked - to set Will off Sad

Thanks Becky

#131: Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar

Posted: Wed Jul 05, 2006 9:56 am
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I think Flavia needs a reason to leave Will; she’s not going to do it for herself, so maybe she’ll do it for someone else. And Lottie, I’m very impressed by your guesswork – spot on!

By the time that Jed carefully packed all the remains of their meal into his bag once more, Flavia had put on some music and was curled up in an armchair looking more like herself again. He smiled as he came in and held out his hands to her. “I think it would be nice to dance,” he said pulling her to her feet and into his arms. He could not believe how natural it felt to be holding her close, and how well she moved in time with him, and he suddenly wondered if he had done the wrong thing, allowing himself to get close to her. If Will knew what he was doing, he would be furious with Flavia and would give her a dreadful battering and then Jed would feel dreadful. And besides that, he was seeing a married woman with the intention of breaking up her marriage and he knew that was also very wrong. But he just could not stop himself. He had not been able to get her out of his mind since the party at Jane’s house, and even before that he had spent a considerable proportion of his spare time worrying about her and wondering how she was and what she was doing. It seemed so wrong that someone as sweet and gentle as Flavia should be married to such a brute of a husband and Jed knew that he would spend the rest of his life, if necessary, trying to persuade her that she should leave Will and begin a new life with him.
“I love you, too, you know,” Flavia remarked conversationally, after they had been dancing for a long while.
“You do?” he asked, surprised.
Flavia smiled up at him. “Yes,” she said happily. “I know it’s wrong, but I can’t help it. I guess I knew that day when we dropped the sherry.”
“Oh, yes, the sherry,” he remembered with a laugh. “Jane was wonderful that evening, wasn’t she?”
“Yes,” agreed Flavia. “Will wasn’t annoyed with me at all. He just thought it was your fault.”
“Will you leave him for me, Flavia?” Even though he knew he should not pressure her, Jed could not stop himself from asking. “We could leave London and go anywhere you wanted. He’d never find you.”
“I would like to,” she answered slowly, “But I don’t know if I’ll be able to. It might just feel too wrong.” Suddenly aware that they had stopped dancing and that Jed was holding her even closer than before, Flavia looked into his eyes. “I’m sorry,” she whispered, knowing that she had given him an answer he did not want to hear.
“You don’t have to be sorry,” he said, his voice like a caress. He leaned down and kissed her then, as he had wanted to do all evening, gently at first and then with increasing desire and passion. Her response was everything that he could have hoped, for she clung to him and kissed him back ardently. He ran his fingers through her hair as he had often dreamed of doing, and then he swept her up in his arms and carried her over to the settee, where he carefully laid her down, kneeling on the floor beside her so that he could gently touch her face and smooth her tousled hair. She pulled him back down to her and he kissed her some more, until the loud ringing of the telephone made them leap apart in astonishment.
Flavia jumped to her feet and rushed over to the phone. “Hello?” she said, hoping that she did not sound too breathless.
“Hello, darling,” said Jane warmly. “Happy New Year!”
“Happy New Year,” Flavia responded. “How’s the party going?”
“Wonderfully,” said Jane. “And your party?”
Flavia could feel herself blushing. “It’s lovely,” she admitted.
“I called to tell you that Will’s just left here,” said Jane. “He might not be in the best of moods, Copper, and I’m really sorry. I’ll call and explain it all to you as soon as I can. Take care tonight.”
“I will,” said Flavia, worried now. “Thanks for calling.” She hung up and turned to Jed, who was sitting on the floor next to the settee. “Will’s just left the party,” she told him, “And Jane says he’s in a bad mood.”
“I’d better go,” said Jed, already scrambling to his feet. He collected his bag from the kitchen and made sure that he had left nothing behind so that Will would never suspect that his wife had not been sitting alone all evening. At the front door he took Flavia in his arms again and kissed her once more. “If it’s too bad, call me,” he said urgently. “I’ll come and take you away any time of the day or night. Here’s my number.” He pulled a scrap of paper from his pocket and pressed it into her hand.
“Thank you,” she said, reaching up to kiss his cheek.
She opened the door and he stepped out into the hall, hating the thought of leaving her at the mercy of Will, but knowing that there was nothing else he could do. “Goodbye,” he said, his eyes sad as he saw the fear on her face.
“Goodbye,” she answered, and as she closed the door he wondered if he would ever see her again.

#132: Author: KathrynW, Location: London

Posted: Wed Jul 05, 2006 10:03 am
—
Oh dear...

Thanks Becky

#133: Author: Lottie, Location: Humphrey's Corner

Posted: Wed Jul 05, 2006 10:09 am
—

KathrynW wrote:

Oh dear...

Thanks Becky

Echoes Kathryn's thoughts.

#134: Author: Ruth B, Location: Oxford, UK

Posted: Wed Jul 05, 2006 10:53 am
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Poor Jed. He must, inevitably, be thinking of what happened to his sister.

Crying or Very sad

#135: Author: Eilidh, Location: North Lanarkshire

Posted: Wed Jul 05, 2006 11:40 am
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Kathryn summed it up there. Oh dear indeed.

Thanks Fatima.

#136: Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar

Posted: Wed Jul 05, 2006 12:22 pm
—
As the bunnies are incredibly prolific at the moment, I thought I'd let you have the next part, just to stop you from worrying!

Will was in a very bad mood when he got home. He slammed the front door so loudly that some of the neighbours looked out to see what was happening, and he screamed for Flavia to come and make him coffee as soon as he got in the door. She had changed into her pyjamas and was reading quietly in the sitting room, just as she would have done if Jed had not called around, and she did her best to pretend she had no idea that he was in such a black mood.
“Was it a good party?” she asked as she boiled the kettle.
“No, it was lousy,” he told her and she heard his shoes fly across the room. Once he had thrown his suit and other clothes across the floor, he pulled on his pyjamas and stormed into the kitchen. “Where’s the coffee?” he roared.
“Here.” Flavia put a mug of coffee on the table in front of him and he sat down at the table. She slipped past him and into the bedroom, knowing that he would expect his clothes to be dealt with by the time he wanted to go to bed, so she hung them up and made sure that the covers on his side of the bed were turned down ready for him to get into bed. Once the room was up to Will’s standards, Flavia went back to the kitchen to see if there was anything else he wanted.
Will was sitting at the table staring moodily into his coffee cup. He barely even looked up as Flavia wiped the already pristine work surfaces in the kitchen and she wondered what could have made Will feel so bad. He had gone off in such high spirits and now he seemed not so much angry as down in the dumps. Taking her courage in both hands and making sure she was at the opposite end of the table from Will, she said, “What happened, Will? Is everything all right?”
Will looked up as if seeing her for the first time. “Come here,” he instructed, and Flavia went warily around the table, unsure what he planned on doing. He pushed his chair out a little and drew her onto his lap, wrapping his arms around her and she had to quell a shudder of revulsion as he kissed her. She knew from experience that resistance was futile, so she allowed him to take her into the bedroom and did her best to pretend that she was as enamoured of him as she had always been.
Afterwards, Will fell asleep and was soon snoring deeply. Flavia lay beside him, wishing that she dared phone Jed and tell him that Will had not laid a finger on her, but she knew that Will would notice the time of the phone call and immediately demand to know why she had called his friend in the middle of the night. As she lay sleepless, she wondered if she ought to suggest a signal to Jed; perhaps if the curtains were open she was all right, and if they were closed he ought to worry. Smiling at such clandestine plans, Flavia realized that Will might decide on a whim to have the curtains closed and that would make Jed worry unnecessarily. Flavia sighed and rolled over onto her other side, letting her mind drift back over the evening. How sweet Jed had been, bringing her supper and letting her have a wonderful evening instead of her usual dull or frightening ones. He was so tender and loving with her, and she felt tears pricking at the back of her eyes as she contemplated spending the rest of her life with Will when she ought to be with Jed. Slowly Flavia slipped into sleep, thoughts of Jed the last things on her mind, and she slept dreamlessly until Will poked her awake the next morning and reminded her that she ought to be getting up and preparing his breakfast.

#137: Author: KathrynW, Location: London

Posted: Wed Jul 05, 2006 12:31 pm
—
I suppose it's good that he didn't hit her but using sex to assert his power over her isn't that much better. Poor Flavia, she needs to just get out of there.

Thanks Becky

#138: Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester

Posted: Wed Jul 05, 2006 12:45 pm
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Ugh, poor Flavia. Is there no-one she could go and stay with whom he doesn't know?

#139: Author: Eilidh, Location: North Lanarkshire

Posted: Wed Jul 05, 2006 1:04 pm
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(((Flavia)))

#140: Author: Lottie, Location: Humphrey's Corner

Posted: Wed Jul 05, 2006 1:52 pm
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Flavia thought that Will was going to see another woman that evening, didn't she? Perhaps the other girl told Will where he could get off - it's certainly time that someone did. Jed is so kind and patient, I do hope that Flavia will let him take her away from there soon.

#141: Author: delilah_siren, Location: Sydney, Australia

Posted: Wed Jul 05, 2006 2:04 pm
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hmmm....

i wonder if the other woman is Jane?? Shocked

#142: Author: Eilidh, Location: North Lanarkshire

Posted: Wed Jul 05, 2006 2:39 pm
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I wondered that too - though if it is she's playing a dangerous game.

#143: Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar

Posted: Wed Jul 05, 2006 4:06 pm
—
Thanks for all your comments.
Will was really nice to Flavia before they married, so I think he'd be ok with any woman he was having an affair with. He'd probably get annoyed with them and then go home and take it out on Flavia instead.

Will returned to work on January 2nd and not long after he had left the house, the telephone rang. When she answered it, Flavia found Jed on the other end, sounding almost frantic with worry.
“Are you all right?” he demanded anxiously. “What happened, Flavia?”
“I’m fine,” she assured him.
“I’ve been so worried, “ he said unnecessarily. “And I’ve missed you so much,” he added, his tone lightening rapidly. “What did he do, darling?”
“Nothing, he’s been fine,” she said, liking the way he was so concerned about her. “He seems really down, Jed, do you know what happened at Jane’s?”
“Jane said she’d call you later,” said Jed. “I have to go, but hopefully we’ll see you this week. Be careful, sweetheart.”
“You too,” she said, aware of a warm glow inside as she bade him farewell and hung up. Now all she had to do was get through the housework and wait impatiently to hear from Jane. She could not imagine what had happened at the party to upset Will, but she was glad that he had not been as cross as Jane had thought he might be. True he had hit her a couple of times, but it was nothing that she was unused to and a couple of bruises more or less made little difference to her any more.
Flavia vacuumed and dusted and made sure that the flat was as clean as Will expected and she had just made herself a cup of tea for her elevenses when the phone rang again. Eagerly she lifted the receiver and found Jane at the other end, just as she had promised. Flavia settled herself comfortably in the armchair and waited with baited breath to hear what Jane had to say.
“Copper, I don’t know how to tell you this,” Jane said, once they had dealt with the pleasantries.
“Just tell me,” Flavia suggested. “I’m sure it can’t be that bad, Jane.”
“It can,” said Jane, sounding upset. “I’m really sorry, Copper.”
“Jane,” said Flavia warningly. “Tell me.”
“Will arrived last night and kissed me and gave me a gift,” said Jane, launching into the tale and speaking quickly so that Flavia would not interrupt. “He gave me a necklace, a really lovely gold one, and he said that I was the most beautiful woman he knew and that he really liked me. He danced with me and I put up with him for as long as I could, but finally I felt so bad for encouraging him that I had to tell him I didn’t feel the same way and that I felt bad carrying on with him because he’s married to you. He wanted to have an affair with me, and he was rather cross when I said no…”
“He didn’t hit you?” Flavia broke in, upset to think of what Jane had had to go through just so that she could have a few happy hours with Jed.
“Not with everyone there,” Jane assured her. “I’m really sorry, Flavia. If it’s going to cause problems for you, I’ll split up with Jed and get one of the other girls to take him on. Samantha would be brilliant – you know how tough she is, she’d be able to cope all right.”
Forgetting that Jane could not see her, Flavia shook her head. “I honestly don’t know,” she said. “Will’s been all right since then.”
“I’m so glad to hear that, darling,” said Jane, sounding more cheerful now that she had confessed to Flavia. “I have to go now,” she continued, and Flavia could hear a man’s voice in the background.
“Thank you so much,” said Flavia, relieved to know what had happened and hoping that the matter would blow over quickly. She did not know whether to be glad that Will had been attracted to Jane, because it had given her some precious time with Jed, or sad, because it obviously meant that he did not care enough about her to remain faithful to her. Sighing, she finished her tea and went to begin on the cooking, so that Will would find a delicious meal awaiting him on his return from work.

#144: Author: Lottie, Location: Humphrey's Corner

Posted: Wed Jul 05, 2006 4:25 pm
—
Well, Flavia, it's further proof, if it were needed, that Will doesn't care about his marriage vows, so you shouldn't feel bad about leaving him. I'm worried about who's there in the background with Jane - I hope she's all right.

Thanks, again, Fatima.

#145: Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar

Posted: Wed Jul 05, 2006 4:47 pm
—

Lottie wrote:

I'm worried about who's there in the background with Jane - I hope she's all right.

Yes, she's fine. It's her boyfriend, but he doesn't really come into it.

#146: Author: KathrynW, Location: London

Posted: Wed Jul 05, 2006 4:58 pm
—
I rather suspected that Will was keen on Jane and if he's prepared to make such open overtures to Flavia's best friend, who knows how many other women there are that he's come on to!

Thanks Becky

#147: Author: Lottie, Location: Humphrey's Corner

Posted: Wed Jul 05, 2006 5:09 pm
—

Fatima wrote:

Lottie wrote:

I'm worried about who's there in the background with Jane - I hope she's all right.

Yes, she's fine. It's her boyfriend, but he doesn't really come into it.

Thanks for reassuring me, Fatima.

#148: Author: Chair, Location: Rochester, Kent

Posted: Thu Jul 06, 2006 12:04 am
—
Thanks, Becky. I've just caught up on loads of this and this is so compelling to read. I feel so sorry for Flavia and I hope that she will one day find the strength to leave Will.

#149: Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar

Posted: Thu Jul 06, 2006 5:11 am
—
Thanks for reading this, and here's the next part...

In the dull days of January, Flavia’s life went on much as usual. There were good days, when Will was as loving and kind as he had been in the days before they married, and there were bad days, when Will hit her and hurt her either with his fists or his tongue. Flavia saw Jane and Jed sometimes, but not as often as before, for Will had gone right off Jane since she had rebuffed his advances. They both phoned her as often as they dared, not wishing to get her into extra trouble with Will, but eager to reassure her that they had not forgotten her and had no intention of abandoning her. Flavia thought a lot about leaving Will, but could not reach a decision. She longed to just walk out the door and let Jed look after her, as he had promised that he would, but she was scared of Will’s reaction when he discovered that she had gone. She could just imagine him finding out where she had gone and going after her and it was all too easy to think of him beating Jed and then Flavia herself, before dragging her back home and making sure she never had the chance to leave him again.
February came and went and gradually the weather started to improve. Flavia did not get out very often, and she found it depressing to sit at home and look outside to see endlessly grey and rainy days. It was far nicer to pull back the curtains and see sunshine and blue skies; even if her life was grey and miserable, she could pretend it was happy much more easily when it was sunny outside. Towards the end of March, Flavia had finished the endless round of cleaning and washing and ironing and tidying up that was her life and was sitting by the window, watching as a slow succession of people walked up and down the street, mothers pushing prams, well dressed young ladies looking both cheerful and purposeful, men in suits and men dressed casually, small children on bikes. Flavia envied them all because they had the freedom to come and go as they liked. She knew that she could not leave the house, for Will often called her during the day and if she did not answer she would have a lot of explaining to do. On the one occasion that she had taken herself for a walk in the nearby park, Will had discovered that she was out and had come home and thrown her so hard into the door that she had lost consciousness. Since then, she had never dared leave the house without him, it just was not worth the pain and the misery.
The phone rang as Flavia watched a mother walking along the road, holding a big bag of shopping in one hand and the hand of a small girl in the other. She felt a sharp pang of envy on seeing the woman, who looked about the same age as Flavia herself, for it made her realize all that she was missing out on. She would have loved to have been a mother, with a pretty little daughter to dress and care for, and shopping to do each day in the local shops, maybe friends to gossip with or to visit for morning coffee, while their children played together. Sighing regretfully, Flavia answered the telephone.
“Hello? Mrs. Sanders?”
“Yes,” she answered, not recognizing the voice at the other end of the line.
“I’m Richard Watson,” he said, and Flavia remembered that he was Will’s boss.
Wondering why Richard Watson would be calling her, Flavia said, “Hello Mr. Watson.”
“There’s been a fire here,” he told her, his voice grave.
Just for a moment Flavia found herself praying that he would tell her that Will had been killed in the fire and that she would be free of him forever, but she berated herself for such unChristian sentiments and waited to hear exactly what had happened.
“Will and a couple of other men from his department tried to put out the fire and rescue another colleague who was trapped in a small storeroom,” went on Richard Watson, “And he’s been burned. The ambulance has just taken him off to hospital.”
“Is he all right?” Flavia asked with concern, wondering about the other men and hoping that Jed was not in any way involved.
“I think he will be fine,” said Richard Watson. He gave Flavia the name and address of the hospital that Will was being taken to and once he had ascertained that she was all right and could make her own way to the hospital, he rang off, presumably to talk to the relatives of the other men involved.
Her mind in a whirl, Flavia put on her shoes and grabbed her coat and handbag and left the flat. It was true that she had hoped for some freedom to go out on her own, but not at the expense of Will’s life or health. All she wanted was for Will to let her go out sometimes, to walk or shop, on her own, instead of insisting that she remained a virtual prisoner in her own home. She hurried out into the street and along to the bus stop. She did not have long to wait for the bus, and soon she was moving slowly through the busy traffic, feeling impatient as they stopped at yet another set of traffic lights.
Finally she alighted near the hospital and dashed across the street and into the large building. She spoke to the pretty young receptionist and eventually ascertained where Will was and how to get there and very soon she was standing outside the burns unit, trying to get together enough courage to go in and see Will. Finally, she pushed open the door and resolutely stepped into the large room. Inside the burns unit she was met by a distinguished looking doctor, who happened to be in charge of Will’s case. He explained that Will had suffered burns to his hands and arms, but that there was no need for Flavia to be overly concerned about him. The injuries had been dressed and they were confident that they would heal in time and that no serious damage had been done. He was currently sedated, for he had been in a lot of pain, and if she wanted to go and sit with him for a while, she was welcome to do so.

#150: Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester

Posted: Thu Jul 06, 2006 7:42 am
—
Thanks Becky.

#151: Author: Lottie, Location: Humphrey's Corner

Posted: Thu Jul 06, 2006 9:19 am
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I know that Flavia dare not ask, but we both can and may.

IS JED ALL RIGHT?

#152: Author: KathrynW, Location: London

Posted: Thu Jul 06, 2006 9:57 am
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*echoes Lottie*

I feel a wibble coming on...

Thanks Becky

#153: Author: Nell, Location: exiled from the big smoke

Posted: Thu Jul 06, 2006 10:27 am
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What about Jed? Please Becky...thank you for all those lovely updates though!

#154: Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire

Posted: Thu Jul 06, 2006 10:50 am
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Waht we really want is for someone to put a pillow over Will's face and keep it there, but we need to know more about whether Jed is all right.

#155: Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar

Posted: Thu Jul 06, 2006 11:05 am
—
I really ought to put you out of your misery...

Flavia spent a while sitting with Will, but he was unlikely to stir for some time, so she decided that it would be better to go home and return to the hospital later, when he was supposed to rouse. She saw the wives of his colleagues arrive to visit their husbands and discovered that everyone had been talking about the bravery of the three men. Obviously Will would go up even further in everyone’s estimation now, and the idea that he regularly abused his wife would be even more difficult for them to swallow. Once she had spoken with the other women, Flavia left the hospital and went off to catch the bus home. As she waited for the bus to arrive, she wondered why she did not seize the opportunity to go off for a walk by herself, and maybe to have a look at the shops. Will would never know what she had done, and she might as well take the chance of seeing the outside world while she had it; once he got home, he might be off work for a long time and she would return to captivity again. Maybe it would be easier to bear if she had enjoyed herself a little, and had some memories to help her through the long, dark days.
Flavia left the bus stop, feeling a delightful sense of freedom. She walked along the road, looking just like all the other young ladies hurrying along, intent on going somewhere or doing something. She looked in the shop windows as she passed and imagined going in and spending a lot of money on pretty summer dresses or a gorgeous new perfume, perhaps some dainty earrings and a bracelet. Her heart lighter than it had been for years, Flavia relished her day out, getting as much enjoyment from having a sandwich and a cup of coffee in a busy little café as she had done as a schoolgirl going off on an exciting half-term adventure. Feeling braver once she had fortified herself with her lunch, Flavia started to go into the shops that took her fancy, buying a glossy magazine that she had never read before and a big bar of chocolate, which she munched as she walked along the street. She finally went into a big department store and had a lot of fun trying on some of their latest lines, parading happily before the changing room mirror until she felt she ought to leave before the shop assistants had her thrown out for behaving like a lunatic.
With more colour in her cheeks than she had had for some time, and feeling tired but happy, Flavia made her way back to the hospital, feeling guilty that she had been so intent on having fun that afternoon that she had not thought of Will at all. She hastily bought a bunch of flowers for him and dashed up to the burns unit, eager now to see him and find out if he was all right.
Will was just waking when she arrived and he was feeling groggy from the medicine and in a lot of pain from the burns, so Flavia was not able to spend much time with him. He seemed glad to see her and pleased when she praised him for his bravery, but when the nurse told him it was time to have the dressings on his hands changed, he told Flavia she should go home and he would see her the next day. He did not want her to see the damage to his hands, nor the pain he experienced as they changed his bandages, and once everything was done, he would be sedated again so that he could have a peaceful night and there was little point in Flavia being there. Secretly glad that he did not want to see her, Flavia kissed him tenderly and left the ward, heading for the bus stop and home.

#156: Author: Nell, Location: exiled from the big smoke

Posted: Thu Jul 06, 2006 11:17 am
—
But we still don't know about Jed..thank you though!

#157: Author: Ruth B, Location: Oxford, UK

Posted: Thu Jul 06, 2006 11:42 am
—

Fatima wrote:

I really ought to put you out of your misery...

Yes you should! How, and where, is Jed?

Glad Flavia had such a lovely afternoon.

#158: Author: Cazx, Location: London

Posted: Thu Jul 06, 2006 1:27 pm
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I've just read all of this. It's so sad but so true to real life, I really hope that Flavia can pluck up the courage to leave Will before it's too late and that Jed is alive... Confused

#159: Author: Chair, Location: Rochester, Kent

Posted: Thu Jul 06, 2006 3:21 pm
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Thanks, Becky. I am really hoping that Jed is ok.

#160: Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar

Posted: Thu Jul 06, 2006 3:42 pm
—
Oh, yes, about Jed...

Flavia made scrambled egg on toast for her tea, glad not to have to cook a full meal and appreciating how her workload would be reduced while Will was in the hospital. She felt mean being glad that he was out of the way for a couple of days, but just could not help it. It was a welcome break from her normal routine of drudgery and she planned to take every advantage of it. She ate in the sitting room, with the plate balanced on her lap and the television on, watching the local news and feeling proud as they mentioned the heroism of some of the workers, who had rescued a colleague from the fire and were now in the hospital. Once the news had finished, she dumped her plate in the sink and took the last few pieces of her chocolate bar from the bottom of her handbag and poured herself a glass of sherry. She flicked the television over to another channel, delighted to see that there was a film on, and, feeling deliciously decadent, settled down to enjoy her evening.
The telephone rang a little later and Flavia wondered why she was invariably disturbed when she wanted to have a quiet evening. She let it ring for a while and then lifted the receiver, wondering if it would be the hospital calling to give her a progress report on Will, but to her delight it was Jed.
“I heard about Will,” he said. “How’s he doing?”
“He’ll be all right,” she said, happy to hear his voice. “They’ve kept him in hospital tonight.”
“May I come over and see you?” he asked hopefully.
“Yes, that would be lovely!” she exclaimed.
“I’ll be there soon.”
Smiling, Flavia replaced the receiver and turned her attention back to the film, but she could not concentrate on the story at all. She had not seen Jed for several weeks, even though he often phoned her, and she could hardly wait to see him.
Less than thirty minutes passed before Flavia heard the doorbell and ran to open the front door. Jed stepped inside and she fell into his arms, pushing the door closed with her foot as he kissed her. She couldn’t believe how wonderful it was to see him again, and when he finally released her, she laughed happily.
“You look so beautiful tonight,” he told her, delighted to see how radiant she looked.
“I know it’s awful of me,” she confided as they walked into the living room, their arms entwined around one another, “But I have had such a wonderful day!”
“Why?” he asked in surprise.
“Oh, I caught the bus and went for a walk around the shops and ate my tea in front of the television. Simple pleasures, I know, but I feel positively euphoric. And now you’re here.”
Jed felt sad to think that she was feeling so pleased just because she had done a few things that most people took for granted. He pulled her onto the settee with him and she snuggled deeper into his arms, turning her face up so he could kiss her some more. This time when they drew apart, they were flushed and breathing heavily and Flavia felt a little scared when she saw the look in Jed’s dark eyes.
“Would you like some tea?” she asked him, more to try to break the tension that was almost tangible now than because she wanted tea herself.
“No,” he said taking both her hands in his and stroking them gently. “I love you,” he told her, looking from her slender hands up to her eyes.
She looked back at him steadily, her grey eyes serious. “I love you, too,” she assured him. “Is it wrong of me to be glad that Will’s in hospital? I’ve had a wonderful day because of it.”
“After all he’s done to you, it’s hardly surprising,” said Jed. “And to be honest, I’m quite pleased myself. It’s so lovely to be able to spend some time with you. It’s been so difficult just talking to you on the phone. I’ve missed you, Flavia.”
Flavia threw herself back into his arms again, thrilled as much by the looks he was giving her as by what he was saying. He crushed her against him, kissing her endlessly, sliding his hands under her jumper and across the soft, smooth skin of her back. Finally, knowing that one of them had to be strong, he pulled away and stood up.
“I think it’s time I was going home,” he said, his voice husky.
“Please don’t go,” she said, standing beside him and taking his hand, lacing her fingers with his.
“I ought to,” he said, gently smoothing her rather dishevelled hair.
“Please stay,” she said softly. “It’s fate, Jed, pushing us together tonight.”
Jed abandoned his efforts to resist her. He swung her up into his arms and carried her from the sitting room and through the door that she pointed out to him. He put her gently on the bed, overbalancing on top of her as she kept her arms around his neck when he tried to straighten up again. Laughing, he tickled her unmercifully until she begged him to stop and when she finally stopped giggling and lay looking trustingly into his eyes he kissed her very tenderly.
“Are you sure?” he asked softly.
“Yes,” she said with complete conviction.

#161: Author: KathrynW, Location: London

Posted: Thu Jul 06, 2006 6:40 pm
—
That was such a lovely scene between them and made so sad because of the shadow of Will hanging over.

Thansk Becky

#162: Author: Sandra, Location: Oxfordshire

Posted: Thu Jul 06, 2006 6:55 pm
—
Am I being overly dramatic in hoping that this leads to Flavia becoming pregnant (with Will being the one that couldn't have kids but lying to her) and this leading to her having the strength to leave so that Will couldn't hurt her unborn child? After all, if he discovered that she had cheated on him he would obviously hit the roof.

#163: Author: Chair, Location: Rochester, Kent

Posted: Thu Jul 06, 2006 7:13 pm
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Thanks, Becky. That was a really lovely scene.

#164: Author: ali, Location: medway, kent

Posted: Thu Jul 06, 2006 7:20 pm
—

Quote:

hoping that this leads to Flavia becoming pregnant (with Will being the one that couldn't have kids but lying to her) and this leading to her having the strength to leave so that Will couldn't hurt her unborn child? After all, if he discovered that she had cheated on him he would obviously hit the roof.

Just what I was thinking Sandra.

#165: Author: Pat, Location: Doncaster

Posted: Thu Jul 06, 2006 9:31 pm
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So was I! Poor Flavia.

#166: Author: Dawn, Location: Leeds, West Yorks

Posted: Thu Jul 06, 2006 9:50 pm
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I read all of this earlier today and was overwhelmed

Thankyou so much Becky for listening to the bunny

#167: Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar

Posted: Fri Jul 07, 2006 5:39 am
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Thanks for all your comments. It's nice to have a little happiness for her, isn't it?

Dawn was breaking as Jed finally dragged himself out of bed and went to wash and dress. Flavia lay indolently against the pillows, satiated and content. He leaned over the bed once he was ready to leave and kissed her once more. “See you later,” he said, gently unwrapping her arms from around his neck. “I’ll pick you up about five thirty,” he added, referring to their plan to visit Will and then go out for dinner together.
“I can hardly wait,” she said, her voice so warm and soft that he almost changed his mind about leaving.
“I have to go to work,” he said, more to remind himself than her. “With those four in hospital, I can’t take the day off.”
“Shame,” she said, grinning at him.
He kissed her once more and left quickly before she persuaded him to change his mind. Once he had gone, Flavia pulled the covers more closely around her and closed her eyes, for it was a chilly morning. She let her thoughts wander back to the hours they had spent together and even though she knew she was living in a dream, she could not help but feel completely happy. She spent a few hours dozing lazily and only got up when she realized that she really ought to make the effort to go to the hospital and visit Will. She made some toast for breakfast and left the plate in the sink along with the previous day’s washing up and set off to catch the bus without even making the bed.
Will was awake when she arrived at the hospital, and looking as if he was in a lot of pain. He seemed happy to see Flavia, but he had very little to say to her, lying morosely against his pillows and gritting his teeth. She could hardly think of anything to say to him, for he seemed to come from such a different world from the one she was currently inhabiting with Jed, and she was very relieved when the nurse came in and said that visiting time was over. Doing her best to seem like a doting wife, Flavia kissed Will and bade him farewell, promising to come back in the evening to visit him again. She felt guilty as she left him, remembering how nice he had been to her when she had been in hospital, bringing her fruit and flowers and magazines and spending hours at her bedside, but she could not wait to go back to the bookstore she had briefly visited the day before and get a book of some sort for Jed. They had talked long into the night about things they liked, and he had admitted to a fondness for books of all sorts; she hoped to find a nice volume of poetry for him, or perhaps a new bestseller, and she was excited at the thought of buying him a gift.
Once she had a rather lovely cookbook safely in a plastic bag, Flavia left the bookshop and caught the bus home. She had lost interest in exploring the city, for she hoped that Jed would call her and that she could spend some time lying on the settee and listening to his voice and then she wanted to get all dressed up ready to go out for dinner with him. Back at home she cleaned and tidied and finally Jed called. He sounded as happy as she felt, and even though he could not talk for long, because he was at work, it was enough to hear his voice and to know that he loved her.

Last edited by Fatima on Sat Mar 17, 2007 7:18 pm; edited 1 time in total

#168: Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester

Posted: Fri Jul 07, 2006 7:45 am
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Jed's lovely, but she's playing a dangerous game seeing him whilst she's still living with Will Rolling Eyes

#169: Author: Eilidh, Location: North Lanarkshire

Posted: Fri Jul 07, 2006 8:23 am
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Thanks Fatima - just caught up on a few days. Glad I missed the cliff.

#170: Author: KathrynW, Location: London

Posted: Fri Jul 07, 2006 8:56 am
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Thanks Becky, I'm also a little concerned that there's going to be trouble soon if she's not really careful...

#171: Author: Lottie, Location: Humphrey's Corner

Posted: Fri Jul 07, 2006 10:12 am
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It's good to see Flavia enjoying life for a little while with Jed, but I have this awful feeling that things will go horribly wrong. She could get pregnant (I don't believe Will about that!) and Will could very easily find out about them, and then the fat will be in the fire!

Please keep writing, Fatima.

#172: Author: Liane, Location: Manchester

Posted: Fri Jul 07, 2006 10:16 am
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I'm glad they had a good time. I must admit though, my first thought was that she may get pregnant.

#173: Author: Ruth B, Location: Oxford, UK

Posted: Fri Jul 07, 2006 10:42 am
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While I want Flavia to be happy, this is really dangerous. Do be careful girl!

#174: Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar

Posted: Fri Jul 07, 2006 11:13 am
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But Will's in no position to catch them out, and if none of his friends know, they'll be all right. Says she optimistically!

It was difficult to decide what to wear, for Flavia wanted to look nice when she went out for dinner with Jed, but she did not want to make Will suspicious by dressing up too much for a visit to the hospital. In the end she settled for a pair of black trousers and a dressy blouse, which she hid under a plain jumper. She was ready well before five thirty, for she could scarcely wait to see Jed again, and she spent half an hour prowling round the flat, constantly going over to the window and gazing out into the street and back into the kitchen to check the time and then back to the window once more until her vigilance was rewarded and she was able to watch as Jed parked just outside the building. He got out of his car and locked the door and Flavia waited until she had seen him jog up the steps to the building and then she rushed to the front door so that she could yank it open as soon as he rang the bell.
Looking rather surprised as the door flew open so soon after he had reached it, Jed stepped into the little flat. “Hello,” he said, taking Flavia in his arms and kissing her briefly.
“Hello,” she answered happily. “It’s so lovely to see you,” she added. “I’ve thought about you all day.”
“Me too,” he agreed, amazed by her transformation from frightened victim of abuse to vibrant and beautiful woman. Seeing how she evidently thrived when away from Will made him more determined than ever to persuade her to leave her husband and start a new life for herself. He hoped she would wish to start that new life with him, but if she preferred to try and get her own life sorted out before embarking on another relationship, he would be happy to help her.
Flavia took Jed’s hand and pulled him through into the sitting room. “I bought this for you,” she said, putting the bag into his hands.
“What is it?” he asked, surprised.
“Open it and see,” she suggested practically.
Jed opened the bag and drew out the cookery book. “Thank you,” he said, touched by her thoughtfulness. “This looks lovely. I shall think of you every time I use it.”
Flavia reached up and kissed him, happy to have pleased him.
“Are you ready to go?” he asked.
“Yes, I’ll just get my bag.” Flavia went through to the bedroom to find her handbag. Very soon she was sitting beside Jed in his car and they were heading to the hospital. He dropped her off at the main entrance and went to find somewhere to park, while Flavia went off to see Will. They had decided that they would both visit Will, but make it look as though they had not arrived together. And when he had finished, Jed would go and wait outside until Flavia could get away. She was not really sure she liked such deception, but it was better than letting Will get suspicious; even with burnt hands she was sure he would find some way of hurting her.
Flavia found Will sitting up in bed, a bored expression on his face as he watched the ward television. She went to sit with him and found him wallowing in self-pity. He complained about the food they had given him and the lack of painkillers that actually killed the pain, and how everyone’s visitors talked so loudly that he could not even hear the television properly. He demanded that she feed him some of the fruit that his parents had brought in for him, as his hands were so heavily bandaged that he could do very little for himself, and when Jed arrived, he greeted him most ungraciously. Jed gave Will a box of chocolates and Will immediately ordered Flavia to feed some to him and Flavia felt very embarrassed as Will sucked her fingers very suggestively. She could scarcely wait to leave, and she could see Jed felt the same, as he was looking very uncomfortable.
Jed visited his other colleagues on the ward, but he found his eyes constantly drawn back to Flavia and Will. He hated to think of that man touching Flavia; Will was aggressive and brutal while Flavia was so sweet and gentle and it seemed dreadful to think that he believed he could do as he liked with her. He strung out his visits for as long as he could, but when the nurse went to give Will his medication and Will began to flirt outrageously with her, he gave Flavia an imperceptible nod and slipped out of the ward. Flavia did her best to wait until Jed had been gone for a respectable length of time, but when Will made a very improper suggestion to the young nurse, she explained that she needed to go. She kissed him quickly and promised to come back the next morning and the all but ran from the ward, glad to be away from him at last.

#175: Author: Chair, Location: Rochester, Kent

Posted: Fri Jul 07, 2006 11:27 am
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Thanks, Becky. I'm sorry that Will was making Flavia feel uncomfortable in front of Jed.

#176: Author: Lottie, Location: Humphrey's Corner

Posted: Fri Jul 07, 2006 12:48 pm
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Despite his complaints, I think Will must be feeling a bit better Crying or Very sad

, since he's able to start being so horrid to Flavia again. I hope that Jed and Flavia have a nice evening together. I'm very much afraid that she won't bring herself to walk out of her marriage while Will is still in hospital, and I dread to think what he will do to her when he gets home again.

#177: Author: LizB, Location: Oxon, England

Posted: Fri Jul 07, 2006 1:13 pm
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Am so glad Flavia is realising what it is like to love and be loved.

*desparately hoping Will won't find out*

Thanks, Becky

#178: Author: Cazx, Location: London

Posted: Fri Jul 07, 2006 4:30 pm
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Please leave Will, Flavia! Just think of the happy life you could live with Jed!

#179: Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar

Posted: Fri Jul 07, 2006 5:30 pm
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Thanks for reading Very Happy

Jed was waiting in the foyer of the hospital and he smiled as Flavia almost ran across the hall to his side, before slipping her hand into his and crying, ”He’s dreadful, Jed. I feel so humiliated. Did you see him with that nurse?”
“He’s in a lot of pain,” said Jed, knowing that really there was no excuse for Will’s behaviour. “Come on, darling, let’s go and have some dinner. What do you like to eat? How about Italian?”
“I’m happy with anything,” she told him as they walked along the street. “It’s just so lovely to feel…well, normal, I suppose. To feel the way I did before I got married.”
Jed squeezed her fingers. “It’s lovely to see you so much happier,” he told her. “Here’s the car.” He unlocked the door and held it open for her to get into the front then he went around to the driver’s side and climbed in himself. He pulled out into the traffic and drove to an Italian restaurant that was near his home. They were lucky enough to find a parking space close by and were soon walking into the restaurant.
They were shown to a little table in the window and given menus, but Flavia scarcely bothered to look at hers. She was so happy to be sitting with Jed that she could hardly take her eyes off him. He read the menu with concentration and decided upon his favourite pasta carbonara. “What will you have?” he asked, finally looking across at her.
“Same as you,” she said dreamily.
Seeing that she had not even opened the menu, Jed said, “Wake up!” and he waved his hand in front of her face, shocked as she flinched and a look of fear came into her eyes. He guessed that any sudden movement usually meant that Will was about to hit her and she automatically tried to get out of the way. “It’s all right,” he reassured her softly. “I won’t hurt you. Come on, read the menu and tell me what you would like.”
“I know you won’t,” she said, reaching out and taking his hand. “I didn’t mean to do that. I don’t mind what I eat,” she went on. “I can’t be bothered to read the menu. I just like to look at you.”
Jed suggested a couple of the dishes that he liked himself and she agreed that the spaghetti with marinara sauce sounded nice, so he ordered their food and then they chose a bottle of wine to go with the meal. Flavia took his hand again once the waiter had poured their drinks and he smiled at her. “Flavia, I know I promised not to pressure you,” he said, looking seriously at her, “But I have to ask you this. Will you leave him and marry me instead? I love you and I can’t bear the thought of him coming out of hospital and me not seeing you again for months. I want to take you away from him and show you what life can be like when you aren’t always frightened. I want you to meet my parents and Mal and I want to spend every moment that I can with you. I hate the thought of him hitting you and hurting you and not being able to do anything about it. Please leave him, Flavia, I know I can make you happy if you just give me the chance.”
“I know you can,” she told him, holding his hand to her cheek. “I would so much rather be with you than with him. But if he comes out of hospital and can’t care for himself, how can I leave him? It just wouldn’t be fair.”
“Has he ever been fair to you?” asked Jed. “When he comes home, even if he can’t care for himself, do you think he will find he can’t hurt you?”
“Oh, I’m quite sure he will hurt me,” she said, sounding accepting of her fate. “He always finds a way to hurt me.”
“Pack up your things and move out before he comes out of hospital,” Jed urged her. “Jane says you can stay with her, or you can move in with me. Please think about it, darling.”
“I’ll think about it,” she agreed, more to keep him happy than because she thought she might leave Will. He was, after all, the man she had married and she was currently cheating on him while he was lying ill in hospital. She knew she was wronging him and perhaps he really should hit her to punish her for her sins. Then the waiter brought their food and Flavia reluctantly released Jed’s hand. Hearing him talk about Will had brought it home to her that they really were just living in a dream world. However much she might like to be with Jed, the reality of the situation was that it was Will to whom she was married and with whom she belonged. It would be lovely to run away from him while he was in hospital, but there was no way that she could. She had vowed before God to remain with Will and there was not really any way she could break such a solemn vow.

#180: Author: KathrynW, Location: London

Posted: Fri Jul 07, 2006 6:03 pm
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Poor Flavia, she must feel like she has no way out.

Thanks Becky

#181: Author: Ruth B, Location: Oxford, UK

Posted: Fri Jul 07, 2006 6:07 pm
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Flavia dear, I hate to break it to you, but you've already broken your vows! (Not that I'm critiscising)

#182: Author: Lottie, Location: Humphrey's Corner

Posted: Fri Jul 07, 2006 6:13 pm
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Oh, Flavia! Will has broken his vows many times over the years - I'm sure even the minister who married you would say that you should get out of there before it's too late!

Thanks, Fatima.

#183: Author: Pat, Location: Doncaster

Posted: Fri Jul 07, 2006 8:00 pm
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She'll have to change her mind when she misses her period, & then she'll know that Will lied to her over that too. Trouble is that it'll be harder for her to leave once he comes out of hospital.
(I'm assuming that she becomes busy you notice!!) Very Happy

#184: Author: Chair, Location: Rochester, Kent

Posted: Fri Jul 07, 2006 8:12 pm
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Thanks, Becky. I hope that Jed does persuade Flavia to change her mind.

#185: Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester

Posted: Fri Jul 07, 2006 8:43 pm
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What a mess Crying or Very sad

#186: Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar

Posted: Sat Jul 08, 2006 6:45 am
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Thanks for your comments.

They lingered over their meal and spent a couple of hours talking about almost every subject under the sun, agreeing and disagreeing over favourite books and films and all sorts of other things. When they discovered that they were amongst the only people left in the restaurant, Jed paid the bill and they headed out to the car. Jed drove back to Flavia’s home and stopped the car as close to her house as he could find a space, then he turned and looked across at her.
“Do you want me to come in?” he asked her.
“Yes, of course I do,” she said, flinging the car door open and getting out. She waited until he had locked the car and then she slipped her arm through his and they went into the building together. Making sure they were quiet, they went up to Flavia’s flat and she let them in. Kicking off her shoes just inside the door, Flavia said, “Shall I make coffee?”
“Not for me, thanks,” he said, following her through into the sitting room and stifling a yawn.
Flavia threw her handbag and jumper down on a chair, enjoying the liberating feeling of doing as she pleased without worrying about being shouted at or hit. “Let’s go to bed, then,” she said, surprised at her own forwardness. “You sound exhausted.”
“Oh, I’m not that tired,” he said with a smile.
With their arms entwined around one another, they went into the spare room, and spent another wonderful night together.
The next few days followed the same routine. Jed went to work and Flavia did the housework and went to visit Will and then they would spend the evening and the night together. For a while it seemed likely that Will would be allowed out of hospital for the weekend, but in the end he was kept in, because his hands were not responding to treatment quite as well as they hoped and he was still in a lot of pain. Even though they knew they should feel sorry for him, Flavia and Jed were thrilled to think that they had the whole weekend together and after a shopping trip to the supermarket they closed the door of Flavia’s flat and did not emerge until Monday morning, except for two very brief visits to the hospital, which they only undertook because they did not want to give Will any reason for suspicion.
On Monday morning, as he packed up the few possessions he had brought with him, Jed had one last attempt to persuade Flavia to pack her own things and leave with him, but she was still adamant that her place was with Will, whether she liked it or not, and that she could not leave him. She knew that Jed was upset to hear her say that, and she felt pretty miserable herself as she watched him lace his shoes ready to go. She waited until he straightened and then she slid her arms around him and hugged him fiercely.
“You don’t have to wait for me,” she told him seriously, for she had done a lot of thinking overnight while he had been asleep. “It’s not fair if you keep on hoping that I’ll leave him.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” he scolded her, placing a finger across her lips to stop her from continuing. “I will wait forever for you, Flavia.”
“You might be throwing your life away,” she warned him.
“And you won’t be?” he answered, leaning down to kiss her. When he drew away he looked very seriously at her. “I don’t know when I’ll see you again,” he said solemnly. “I’ll call you once Will is back at work. You have my number, don’t you?” Flavia rattled off his number, which she had learnt by heart, and he nodded approvingly. “Any time you need me, call,” he said. “Just say the word and I’ll come and take you away from him. If he’s really violent I’ll bring some friends and we’ll get you out of here. Understand?”
“Yes,” she answered, equally solemnly.
“I have to go now,” he reminded her. He pulled her tightly against him and buried his face in her hair. “I love you,” he said softly.
“And I love you,” she said, determined not to cry until he had left. “Thank you for the best few days of my entire life, Jed.”
“Come with me now and let the rest of your life be this wonderful,” he suggested, but she kissed him into silence. Eventually he released her and picked up his bag. “Take care,” he told her and he headed for the front door.
“Goodbye,” she said, watching as he walked away across the hall and disappeared downstairs. She locked the door and ran back through the flat to the window and watched as he left the building and got into his car and drove away.

#187: Author: KathrynW, Location: London

Posted: Sat Jul 08, 2006 9:29 am
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Crying or Very sad

Thanks Becky, as compelling as ever.

#188: Author: Lottie, Location: Humphrey's Corner

Posted: Sat Jul 08, 2006 11:49 am
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KathrynW wrote:

Thanks Becky, as compelling as ever.

Echoes Kathryn.

#189: Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar

Posted: Sat Jul 08, 2006 1:40 pm
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Crying or Very sad

And now things start to get a whole lot worse...

Will came home on Monday afternoon, driven by Richard Watson himself. His hands were still bandaged and he could do little that needed fine motor skills, so he was constantly on to Flavia to fetch this or open that or do a multitude of other things for him. He was still in pain and his temper was starting to fray very quickly. He could not hit Flavia, for that hurt him too much, but he did insult her endlessly and whenever he got the chance he gave her a good kick. She did find it easier to avoid him, though, for it was more difficult to kick her than to hit out at her with a fist, but by the time he had been home a week her legs were covered with bruises and she had started to feel intensely miserable. She missed Jed, for he had been a very easy person to live with, singularly undemanding and considerate. He had made her feel loved and valued and Will did exactly the opposite. He made her feel useless and worthless and the more time she spent with him the more she realized that she actually hated him. But that still did not change anything. He was the man she had married and she could not abandon him, especially when he was so low himself.
The days passed with agonizing slowness and eventually Will was pronounced well enough to return to work. Flavia was greatly relieved to have him out of the house all day, because it had been very stressful and exhausting trying to keep everything together and not upset him. At least she had some respite from his demands when he was working and she had some chance to sit quietly and think about Jed. She would very much have liked to go to church and pray about her illicit relationship with Jed, for it troubled her to think that she had broken her marriage vows so badly; telling herself that Will had done the same when he had had his affair made little difference. After all, two wrongs did not make a right. Will was dead set against church, though, and refused to allow her to go alone or to accompany her there.
Jed phoned her as soon as he could and she spent almost an hour talking to him and reassuring him that she was well. She felt even more miserable when she had finished speaking to him, for it made her realize what a void she had in her life now that she knew how wonderful it was with Jed and yet had elected to remain with Will. It might be wrong to want to be with him, but knowing that it was wrong did not make it any easier to be without him.
As Will regained the use of his hands he took his frustrations out on Flavia with evident enjoyment. He had found it difficult to spend so long without giving her the hiding he felt she deserved and he celebrated his return to health by giving her such a beating that she felt weak and ill for days afterwards. It was all she could do to keep up with the cooking and the cleaning and she felt awful all the time. Her time with Jed had faded from her memory, as if it were a dream, and although she did speak to him on the telephone, by the time June came she had not seen him since he had walked out of her flat all those weeks earlier.
In the end, worried that a particularly nasty blow to her kidneys had done some damage to her, Flavia told Will that she was feeling unwell and asked if he could take her to the doctor. She had waited until he was in a relatively good mood, so he agreed and that evening at the beginning of July they went to the clinic so that she could be checked over. Once the doctor had done a complete examination, mentioning her numerous bruises in his notes, he sat back at his desk and looked at Will. Will did not like the way the doctor was staring at him, and he called impatiently for Flavia to hurry and dress and come and find out what was wrong with her. She quickly emerged from behind the curtain and sat down beside Will, slipping her feet into her shoes as she did so.
“Well?” demanded Will, eager to be out of the doctor’s office. “What is wrong with her?”
“Nothing’s wrong with Mrs. Sanders,” the doctor said, allowing himself a smile. “In fact,” he went on, looking at Flavia, “You are now about fifteen weeks pregnant.”
Puzzled, Flavia looked from Will to the doctor. “I can’t be pregnant,” she said. “Don’t you have my test results there? We took a test a couple of years ago…”
“Shut your mouth!” Will bellowed, leaping to his feet. “There’s obviously a mistake. We’ll get a second opinion.” He took Flavia’s arm and dragged her out of the chair and from the surgery as fast as he could.
Seeing that Will was enraged, Flavia went with him without complaint. Presumably he was upset to think that the doctor would be so insensitive as to suggest that she could be pregnant when they both knew that there was no way she could have children, and it had brought it home to Will once more that he would never be a father.
“Just you wait until I get you home,” said Will, his voice low and threatening. He all but threw her into the car and sped off from the clinic, leaving Flavia sitting beside him almost shaking with fear. It was hardly her fault that the doctor misdiagnosed her condition, and yet she would be paying heavily for the doctor’s mistake and the thought of what Will would do to her terrified her. As they drove through the streets, getting closer and closer to home, all Flavia could think about was Jed’s sister and how her husband had killed her. Maybe she was about to meet the same end as Carmelita and Jed would lose another of the women in his life to an abusive husband.

#190: Author: Lottie, Location: Humphrey's Corner

Posted: Sat Jul 08, 2006 2:05 pm
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Eeeekk!!!

Will's quite capable of hitting and/or kicking Flavia until she miscarries, even if he doesn't kill her as she fears. At least she is only frightened for herself, if she believed the doctor, and realised that she was pregnant, I am sure her fears would be a whole lot worse. I am surprised (in one way) that she is pregnant, because I had been thinking about it, and had expected Jed to take better care of her than that. If Flavia had told him what Will had said about her ability to bear children, I think he would have been as sceptical as we are. I don't suppose that there is any chance that she could get out of the car and run away safely when Will stops it somewhere. I don't like to think what will happen to her if she ends up back in the flat behind closed doors with Will - his punishment for her adultery would be terrible.

((((((Flavia))))))

*pokes* Will with the nastiest, dirtiest stick I can find. I hope it gives him an injury which goes septic, gangrenous and proves fatal! Me - vindictive? - Never!

Please don't leave us in suspense too long, Fatima!

#191: Author: Alice, Location: London, England

Posted: Sat Jul 08, 2006 2:16 pm
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Oh dear, poor Flavia. Couldn't the doctor have tried to speak to her alone...

#192: Author: leahbelle, Location: Kilmarnock

Posted: Sat Jul 08, 2006 3:06 pm
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I have just discovered this drabble. It's amazing. Very disturbing and upsetting, but really well written and so compelling! Thanks, Becky, you've done such a good job with this and I'l be keeping up to date with it from now on! I do hope things start to get better for Flavia soon.

#193: Author: KathrynW, Location: London

Posted: Sat Jul 08, 2006 3:52 pm
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Another 'oh dear' coming on...we were right not to trust the bunnies Sad

I really hope Flavia and the baby manage to stay safe.

Thank you Becky

#194: Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar

Posted: Sat Jul 08, 2006 5:37 pm
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Just a short bit, because I really did not want to go into details.

Back at home, Will took Flavia’s arm and hurried her upstairs and into the flat as if he was worried that she would run away from him. He slammed the door closed and began hurling abuse at her as he dragged her into the bedroom and threw her onto the floor. Flavia was shocked by the obscenities coming from his mouth, a regular torrent of abuse and hate and insinuations about her morals or lack of them, and all accompanied by savage blows to her head and stomach. She knew that she deserved some of the comments, although when and how he had discovered about Jed she could not imagine. He hit her again, a stunning blow to her head and she passed out then, and did not hear Will leave the bedroom and lock the door behind him.

#195: Author: Lottie, Location: Humphrey's Corner

Posted: Sat Jul 08, 2006 5:57 pm
—
Well, I hope that post wasn't meant to leave us feeling reassured about the situation, because it has definitely done the opposite. I'm wibbling even more about Flavia now, than I was earlier! I really, really hope that both she and the baby will be all right. Please, Fatima, don't let anything too bad happen!

#196: Author: KathrynW, Location: London

Posted: Sat Jul 08, 2006 6:35 pm
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That may have been short but it was incredibly effecting Crying or Very sad

God only knows what he's going to do now. The worst part is that Flavia thinks she deserves some of his comments. I just hope there is a handy window somewhere in her jail cell...

#197: Author: Chair, Location: Rochester, Kent

Posted: Sat Jul 08, 2006 9:31 pm
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Thanks, Becky. I am also wibbling for Flavia.

#198: Author: leahbelle, Location: Kilmarnock

Posted: Sat Jul 08, 2006 10:07 pm
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Poor Flavia. I can;t begin to imagine what it must be like for her. Hugs for Flavia and Becky, because this can't be easy to write.

#199: Author: francesn, Location: away with the faeries

Posted: Sun Jul 09, 2006 2:36 am
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I don't think you needed to go into details, Becky.

*wibbling*

Thank you for writing this, it must be difficult.

#200: Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar

Posted: Sun Jul 09, 2006 5:40 am