Monika climbed into the passenger seat.
‘How did you know?’ Monika asked.
‘Tony called me.’
‘Oh.’
‘You need somewhere to stay?’
‘Thanks, Alex.’
They drove to the house in virtual silence. Alex didn’t ask intrusive questions and Monika didn’t offer explanations.
‘Let’s go in the pool house. The kids and Jeremy are fast asleep.’
‘I’ll be quiet, I promise.’
The treble-glazed sliding doors shut out the night, and the heat, and Alex fixed Monika a drink from the fridge.
‘I’m not sure that’s a good idea, I’ve had enough.’
She was unsteady on her feet, Alex had already noticed walking from the car, but she gave her the drink anyway.
‘I’m leaving him.’
‘Why don’t you cool off and sober up.’
‘Don’t do that, Alex.’
‘Do what?’
‘Be so superior, and judgemental. Your own husband is an alcoholic right under your nose, I wouldn’t be too quick to assume I’m the only one who needs to cool off. Everybody needs a release.’
‘Don’t pretend to know Jeremy, Monika. He’s got no excuse. He’s lazy, self-indulgent and has been depressed for a decade.’
‘No wonder, really.’
‘What?’
‘You sit in judgement, all high and mighty, but never look at your own family falling apart under your nose.’
‘Stop it.’
‘You know what?’ Monika stood up shakily. ‘I’ll get myself home. The last thing I need is to take charity from you so you can play mediator for Tony again.’
She staggered and Alex caught her.
‘I know how perfect you really are. Does Jeremy?’
‘Shut up, Monika.’
‘Ouch, you’re hurting me. Get off. I’m sure Jeremy doesn’t know that his perfect wife got pregnant by his perfect friend. Does Ewan know who his real dad is?’
‘Shut up, Monika.’
Alex pushed her with full force and she clattered into the baroque coat stand, which snapped underneath her weight. In slow motion, Alex tried to reach out and catch her, but the stand toppled over and Monika with it.
The sound was like gravel under foot, and Monika struggled to move.
‘My back,’ Monika whispered.
Alex rushed to her and examined Monika’s back, trying to see in the dim light.
‘I can’t breathe,’ Monika gasped.
Alex saw the blood on her hand and broken shards of the coat stand, and realised that Monika’s lung had in all probability been punctured. She was struggling to breathe and blood spread over her blouse underneath her. Alex ran around the side of the house, grabbing towels, opening the gate and checking for signs anyone was awake inside.
She sprinted back to the pool house and moved Monika, who was terribly pale, and was unable to move on her own. She managed to get her to her feet and wrapped towels around her torso tightly to stop the blood loss. Her weight wasn’t onerous to support and Alex managed to get her to her car, but when she tried to bend over, Monika cried out.
‘Get in the boot. I need to get you to hospital.’
Alex helped her and laid her out on a blanket. It wasn’t a long drive to the university hospital. She slammed the boot down and ran back to the pool house, looking back over her shoulder at the car.
It was deathly quiet.
It didn’t take long to clean up the mess and throw bags into the back seat of Jeremy’s car. She could deal with the coat stand tomorrow. She shut off the pool lights, locked the doors and put together a bag of cleaning products, gloves, cloths and then, thinking at the last minute, rushed back to the house and grabbed Jeremy’s coat and trilby.
She’d already made up her mind that she wasn’t taking Monika to the hospital.
‘Tony, calm down, she’ll come back,’ she soothed over the phone as she drove to Grantchester.
Monika had stopped moving by the time she got there.