Chapters (58)
- Cover
- Dedication
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty-one
- Twenty-two
- Twenty-three
- Twenty-four
- Twenty-five
- Twenty-six
- Twenty-seven
- Twenty-eight
- Twenty-nine
- Thirty
- Thirty-one
- Thirty-two
- Thirty-three
- Thirty-four
- Thirty-five
- Thirty-six
- Thirty-seven
- Thirty-eight
- Thirty-nine
- Forty
- Forty-one
- Forty-two
- Forty-three
- Forty-four
- Forty-five
- Forty-six
- Forty-seven
- Forty-eight
- Forty-nine
- Fifty
- Fifty-one
- Acknowledgements
- An Eastbourne Murder Mystery
- Canelo Crime
- About the Author
- Also by Sheila Bugler
‘People get what they deserve in this life,’ Ursula said. ‘You haven’t seen Robert’s business suffer, have you? That’s because he’s good at what he does and he works hard. It hasn’t been easy, but he’s weathered the storm, and maybe more people would have done the same if they hadn’t given in so easily. Too many people go into business not understanding what it takes to make a success of something.’
‘You think the economic crash was because people had poor business sense?’
‘I didn’t say that, Emer. As well you know. I meant that, for some people, it was a handy excuse, that’s all.’
‘I don’t think that’s very fair,’ Robert said.
‘No?’ Ursula said. ‘Well why weren’t you and others like you affected the same way as all those fools whose businesses went bust? You managed to keep things together during the worst of it.’
‘Ah, but not everyone’s been as lucky as me,’ Robert said. ‘They haven’t got you by their side, have they? You know yourself how important you’ve been to my success, darling. All the support you’ve given me over the years. That goes a long way, you know.’
‘I support you because I’m your wife,’ Ursula said. ‘It’s what wives do. But your success isn’t simply down to me. You were doing well before I ever agreed to become your wife. No. The simple truth is some people work hard and others don’t. Look at Maeve. She’s doing so well she’s thinking of expanding. Her parents would be proud of her. It’s such a shame they haven’t lived to see how well she’s done.’
‘Would you consider a career in the hospitality industry?’ Robert asked Emer. ‘I’m sure if this new hotel goes ahead we could find a role for you. I think you’d be good at it.’
‘It’s not something I’ve really thought about,’ Emer said. The truth was, she would rather stick pins in her eyes than work for her stepfather. It wasn’t that she had anything against Robert, far from it, but she knew working with him would mean working with her mother as well. As long as there was breath left in Emer’s body, she would never let that happen.
‘Well maybe you should think about it,’ Ursula said. ‘You can’t drift along the way you have been forever. You need a plan, something to focus on.’
‘Actually,’ Emer said, ‘I was thinking of trying London again.’