He Saved Her Child, Abandoned Ours novel · Chapter 3 of 24

Chapter 3: The Gate

On Bridie's doorstep Rafe denies cancelling the nanny and Tilly asks if he is busy today. Rhiannon gives him Saturdays only, with no Cressida, and a silver car pulls up with Cressida and a child.

I went out to him before Bridie could stop me.

Dawn was grey over the harbour wall, and a man two doors down was already out walking a spaniel.

He slowed to watch.

Rafe stood in my grandmother's front garden in the suit he had worn the night before, with his tie pulled loose.

His eyes were red.

I had never seen him unshaven in seven years.

"Rhiannon." He took a step forward. "Please. Let me see her."

"No."

"I drove for two hours. I haven't slept. I only want to look at her."

"You had two days to look at her."

The man with the spaniel had stopped altogether now, pretending to read his phone.

Rafe saw him and lowered his voice.

"Can we do this inside?"

"We can do it here," I said. "You've been very good at doing things where nobody can see."

His jaw moved.

"I didn't cancel the agency," he said.

I hadn't told him about the agency.

"Who said I thought you did?"

"The nanny rang my office on Wednesday. They told her it came from my login." He rubbed his face. "I didn't touch it. I was in Zurich on Monday. I was in a meeting at four."

"And on Tuesday?"

He said nothing.

"Where were you on Tuesday, Rafe?"

"Hallam Court," he said, very quietly.

"With Cressida."

"With people who needed me."

Behind me the front door creaked.

I did not turn round.

I knew by the way his face changed.

Tilly stood in the doorway in my old cardigan, with the sleeves rolled over her bandage and the rabbit under her chin.

"Tilly-bean," Rafe said, and his whole voice came apart on it. "Oh, sweetheart."

He came up the path with his arms open.

She stepped back into Bridie's skirt.

It was only half a step.

Rafe stopped on the path.

"Daddy," Tilly said, very politely, "are you busy today?"

He opened his mouth.

Nothing came out of it.

"Because Mummy says you're always busy," my daughter said. "That's okay. I can wait."

Bridie put one hand on the back of Tilly's head.

"Inside, pet," she said. "Porridge."

They went in.

Rafe stood on the path with his arms still half out.

I wished, for one second, that I could feel nothing at all about his face.

I could not.

"Here are the rules," I said.

My voice shook once on the first word and then held.

"You can see her on Saturdays. Two hours. Here, at this house, with Gran in the room."

"Rhiannon..."

"Not at Hallam Court. Not in London. And not once, not for one minute, with Cressida or her daughter anywhere near."

"That is not a rule I can..."

"It is the only one you've got."

He looked at the closed front door where his daughter had gone.

The spaniel man had given up pretending and was standing frankly at the gate.

"Fine," Rafe said.

"Say it properly."

"Saturdays. Two hours. Your gran in the room. Not near Cressida, not near Posy."

He said the name Posy and his voice dropped to almost nothing.

I noticed that.

I did not know yet what to do with it.

"I never wanted to leave her alone," he said. "You have to believe that, whatever else you think."

"I believed you when you said Zurich."

"Rhiannon..."

"I believed you when you said you'd stopped seeing her three years ago."

He flinched.

It was the smallest movement, one shoulder.

"I did stop," he said. "I mean..."

He didn't finish.

A silver car turned into the lane.

It came slowly down the lane and stopped at the kerb behind his.

There was a child in the back seat.

She had her face pressed to the window and a dark fringe that stuck straight up on one side.

The driver's door opened.

A woman got out in a camel coat, with honey-coloured waves and a paper bag held carefully in both hands.

Tuberose came up the path ahead of her.

"Oh, Rhiannon," Cressida said, and her eyes were already full of tears. "I'm so, so sorry. I didn't know where else to come."

← Chapter 2 · All chapters · Chapter 4 →

Want to keep talking to characters like these? Chat with AI romance characters: AI Boyfriend · AI Girlfriend · Dark Romance · Fantasy Romance · BL (Boys’ Love) · Billionaire Boyfriend · Mafia Boyfriend · Possessive Boyfriend · Hockey Boyfriend · Older Boyfriend · K-Drama Boyfriend · Anime Boyfriend · Vampire Boyfriend · Werewolf Boyfriend · Demon Boyfriend · Fae Romance · GL (Girls’ Love) · Anime Girlfriend · Goth & Alt Girlfriend · Gamer Girlfriend · Tsundere Girlfriend · Fantasy Girlfriend