63. Flashpoint

Proserpina

Matters came to a head when a truck rolled up the drive one evening. I had been inside, resting in the coolness of my room, my feet on a stool. This pregnancy was draining me and the environment I was in only made me feel worse.

The truth was that I felt threatened, insecure.

Would I be forced to leave?

Without my children?

The sight and smell of food made me sick, and I ate sparsely. I opted to eat separately after my children had had dinner with Gaston. Although he must have noticed, he never asked about it. He had probably put it down to my reluctance to share the same room with him, even if it was for a meal.

***

Now, leaning back in the huge armchair that I had got the men to shift into my room, I watched in mild consternation as a large truck rolled down the driveway purposefully. Soon, the driver leaped down and a couple of husky young men began to unload something onto the lawn. A few of the ever-present security men were standing by, watching closely.

I sat up, puz