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Back A Place to Call Home Save as PDF
Chapters (62)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. 1
  4. 2
  5. 3
  6. 4
  7. 5
  8. 6
  9. 7
  10. 8
  11. 9
  12. 10
  13. 11
  14. 12
  15. 13
  16. 14
  17. 15
  18. 16
  19. 17
  20. 18
  21. 19
  22. 20
  23. 21
  24. 22
  25. 23
  26. 24
  27. 25
  28. 26
  29. 27
  30. 28
  31. 29
  32. 30
  33. 31
  34. 32
  35. 33
  36. 34
  37. 35
  38. 36
  39. 37
  40. 38
  41. 39
  42. 40
  43. 41
  44. 42
  45. 43
  46. 44
  47. 45
  48. 46
  49. 47
  50. 48
  51. 49
  52. 50
  53. 51
  54. 52
  55. 53
  56. 54
  57. Epilogue
  58. Author’s Note
  59. Acknowledgments
  60. More from Fay Keenan
  61. About the Author
  62. About Boldwood Books

Charlie’s face, stricken in the harsh light of Holly’s halogen kitchen bulb, pleaded with her to understand, but how could she? After everything they’d been through, this was the situation he’d feared the most. He’d chosen his politics over his heart. He could dress it up to her any way he liked, but that, it seemed, was the bottom line. There was nothing more to say.

‘I’m sorry, Holly,’ he said one last time.

‘Goodbye, Charlie,’ Holly replied. He’d expected her to drop her gaze, but she looked him straight in the eye as she said it. He could feel his heart breaking.

As he walked out of the living room, down the stairs and out of her life, Charlie had never been more shattered.

40

‘Right, sis, we’re on our own again.’ After a night of staring at the ceiling in her bedroom, forcing herself not to think about the fact that Charlie was probably doing the same a couple of streets away, Holly got back to business.

Rachel, who’d come in to help Holly do the Saturday lunchtime shift at ComIncense while Harry, back out of hospital and on the mend, had lunch with his grandparents, stopped floating the till and looked at her sister inquisitively. ‘What do you mean?’

‘Charlie’s out. He’s no longer going to be acting for Harry. So, it’s back to the campaigning and the direct action if we want to get him the meds he needs.’

‘What? How do you know? Are you sure?’ Rachel sat down on the stool behind the shop counter with a thump.

‘Absolutely sure,’ Holly replied. ‘He came to see me last night, straight from a meeting at the Department of Health and Social Care. He’s been told to drop it.’

‘And he’s going to, just like that?’

Holly’s eyes brimmed with tears at the note of anguish in her sister’s voice, but she blinked them away impatiently. Now was not the time to give in to her own emotions; she had to be there for Rachel and Harry; she had to try to work out their next move. It was clear now that no one else was going to do that. She’d put her faith in Charlie, against her first judgement, and look where that had got her.

‘He told me some bollocks about not being able to be influential on the back benches, that he needs to bide his time and push the issue from inside the department, but it sounds like he’s chosen fast advancement over us. So, we’re back to where we started.’

‘I don’t believe it,’ Rachel whispered. ‘After everything he said… he’s going to leave us out in the cold again?’