Prey to All Read Online Free PDF Page B

lasts.’
    ‘Me too. How are the children?’
    ‘Terrific. Kate’s been playing football with the boys already this morning to give me time to read the paper in peace. She’s a sweetie, you know. She does you credit, darling.’
    ‘Oh, Adam.’ Deb sighed, but this time in pure pleasure. ‘And Millie?’
    ‘Slept right through last night. Dry as a bone. She’s the easiest of the lot.’
    ‘Wonderful. I’ll see you tonight, if I can. Must go now.’
    Even talking to him cheered Deb up and she went about the rest of the lunch preparations singing her favourite childhood songs. Her mother even joined in with ‘Sweet Polly Oliver’ as they peeled the carrots.
    ‘Will you two stop that caterwauling?’ came the inevitable yell from the drawing room.
    Deb watched the rare pleasure freezing out of her mother’s eyes. She closed her own and prayed that the complaint was a one-off.
    But it wasn’t. He got more and more unreasonable all through the rest of the day. Deb wasn’t sure whether it was natural brutality, extra pain, or an attempt to make sure she didn’t leave them alone with each other again. Her mother was in floods of real tears when Deb went to make the tea, so
she had to telephone Adam and say she wouldn’t be back that night after all.
    ‘Can you manage the school run again?’ she asked sadly. ‘I hate putting it on you, but …’
    ‘You don’t have any option, darling. Come back when you can. I’ll see if Anne can take Millie again. I expect she will. She said on Friday that it’s good for her Paula to have another baby in the house. Don’t worry about us, we’ll manage.’
    But she did worry about them. Millie was only just past her first birthday and the twins were five: noisy and boisterous. Kate did her best to help, but she was only a child, and Adam had his work.
    By the time Deb came to put her father to bed, she was ready to hit him and knew she wouldn’t have the patience to coax him through the whole pill routine. He could take them or not as he pleased. And if his rash got worse, he’d just have to put up with it. But of course it wasn’t that simple, and she knew she’d have to persuade him to take his medicine if she was to have any hope of getting away tomorrow.
    ‘You’ve already given me the white ones,’ he shouted, as she held them out.
    ‘Don’t be stupid!’ The edge in her voice shocked her, but it seemed to have no effect on him. ‘You know I sorted out all the doses when I first got here,’ she reminded him more temperately. ‘That’s what this box is for. I bought it so that we wouldn’t have to go through this every single time. This is Sunday evening’s compartment. I’m taking the pills from here, one by one, as you like them. I’m not bloody well doing this for my own amusement, you know.’
    ‘You and your mother stuff me with these pills that do me no good at all. You have no idea what it’s like. I—’
    ‘Oh, for Christ’s sake, get on with it!’ she shouted and turned away, so angry that she couldn’t bear to look at him for another moment.
    Through the open curtains she saw old Major and Mrs Blakemore, goggling up at her. Their shockingly ill-trained golden retriever was leaping around them, but they paid no attention.
    Deb forced a smile, waved at them, drew the curtains and turned back. More patiently, she refilled the juice glass and handed over the next pill.
    The whole process reminded her of feeding Millie when she wouldn’t eat. But at least Millie was only a baby. This was a grown man, who should have known how hellish he made life for everyone around him, and yet who still resented every attempt to make him more comfortable. She couldn’t understand why he went out of his way to make people hate him. Especially the people he needed and who tried so hard to look after him.
    They got the pills done in the end; then it was time to take out his teeth. Deb picked up the tumbler of water she had ready for him and held it out. He