O, Fortuna

Chapter 30

Liam cast his sister a sideways glance, a momentary observation of her profile before returning his attention to driving and the road home before them. Deanna had not said a great deal all day, not since Will's departure back to Amberley. The understanding that his brother-in-law was returning not back to duty but his lover and their child made Liam grip the steering wheel tightly; what he failed to comprehend was why Deanna was determined to maintain any semblance of civility with Will when the man was so conceited to presume he could get away with anything.

Over both Christmas and Boxing Days, Liam had bitten his tongue so many times trying not pass a verbal judgement on their situation, it was actually swollen and a pack of salt and vinegar crisps at the pub in Hervey Bay on the second evening had been so very painful and ill-advised, Liam found himself drinking nothing but water and sucking ice for the remainder of their stay.

Today while Liam had been packing the four-wheel drive up for the journey home, he had seen his sister summon affection enough to kiss her husband farewell and then, five minutes later when they were on the road, angrily stab her finger against the power button of the radio when her favourite band came on the airwaves with one of their more-popular love songs. She had remained silent since then, offering only nods of acknowledgement to the several observations Liam made about the traffic and the weather and he found there was nothing he could say that would make her feel any better. For the first time in his life, Liam felt obligated to do so. In the absence of smashing Will's face in, saying something, anything, that would bring his sister comfort or bring a genuine smile to her face, seemed entirely necessary but what?

Liam could only hope that once they reached Faridah that he could find something to return Deanna to good humour, though he knew good sense would ultimately be more useful to her. Why did Deanna allow herself to carry on being the ‘other woman’ in Will's life if the bonds of matrimony were not enough secure Will's attention, never mind affection, surely Deanna had to see she had lost him? Liam's grip on the steering wheel tightened again and he swallowed down hard on the rising need to speak his mind on the subject. What sort of fool let themselves be dragged down into a never-ending cycle of despair by unreciprocated love? He sighed inwardly, flexing his fingers. In a purely logical world, no one would do that to themselves but what the fuck did logic have to do with love?

He wanted nothing more to be home again, not merely for Deanna's state of mind but his. Liam had, after acquiring her number from his sister's phone, then during a solitary walk on the beach the previous day, attempted to call Grace, only for the call to go through to her voice mail and his father to suddenly be walking beside him, wanting to voice his concern about Deanna. It had been the first time Thomas had ever acknowledged, aloud at least, there was any problem between husband and wife and Liam supposed, that as someone who had been through the disintegration of his own marriage, the old man could see all too clearly there was something wrong and asked Liam what was going on.

Try as he might to suggest that he knew nothing, Liam found his father glaring across to him all too-knowingly, telling his son he was neither deaf nor stupid, something had been amiss between Deanna and Will for some time and if Deanna was likely to talk to anyone, it would be her brother. They had been in one another's confidence since they were children, a bond that had only become stronger as the years progressed and had been particularly evident during Christmas Day afternoon, Thomas had observed, when Liam had done everything he could to be attentive to his sister and everything that was possible to ignore her husband. Normally, Liam casually sprayed verbal ammunition in his brother-in-law's direction, this time he barely raised an eyebrow to anything Will said, even when it had been blatant provocation.

As ever, Liam remained taciturn on the particulars of private affairs and suggested that, upon their return home, his father ask Deanna what the circumstances were. Thomas had grunted in response and the two Phelps men had gone on to continue their beach walk in an uneasy silence. What Liam had really wished he could discuss with his father was his decision to take on Faridah, ask why he wanted it but, of course, Liam had promised Grace he would say nothing on the subject. Privately lamenting the many secrets his family seemed to keep from one another, Liam reminded himself not to get too judgemental; he was keeping several himself, including his relationship with Grace.