BooksBarbecue
Back Goodnight Lady
Chapters (60)
  1. Title Page
  2. Copyright Page
  3. Praise
  4. Dedication
  5. BOOK ONE
  6. Prologue 1989
  7. Chapter One
  8. Chapter Two
  9. Chapter Three
  10. Chapter Four
  11. Chapter Five
  12. Chapter Six
  13. Chapter Seven
  14. Chapter Eight
  15. Chapter Nine
  16. BOOK TWO - 1925
  17. Chapter Ten - 1925
  18. Chapter Eleven
  19. Chapter Twelve
  20. Chapter Thirteen
  21. Chapter Fourteen
  22. Chapter Fifteen
  23. Chapter Sixteen
  24. Chapter Seventeen
  25. Chapter Eighteen
  26. Chapter Nineteen
  27. Chapter Twenty
  28. Chapter Twenty-one
  29. Chapter Twenty-two
  30. Chapter Twenty-three
  31. Chapter Twenty-four
  32. Chapter Twenty-five
  33. Chapter Twenty-six
  34. Chapter Twenty-seven
  35. Chapter Twenty-eight
  36. Chapter Twenty-nine
  37. Chapter Thirty
  38. Chapter Thirty-one
  39. Chapter Thirty-two
  40. BOOK THREE - 1947
  41. Chapter Thirty-three
  42. Chapter Thirty-four
  43. Chapter Thirty-five
  44. Chapter Thirty-six
  45. Chapter Thirty-seven
  46. Chapter Thirty-eight
  47. Chapter Thirty-nine
  48. Chapter Forty
  49. BOOK FOUR - 1968
  50. Chapter Forty-one - 1968
  51. Chapter Forty-two
  52. Chapter Forty-three
  53. Chapter Forty-four
  54. Chapter Forty-five
  55. Chapter Forty-six
  56. Chapter Forty-seven
  57. Chapter Forty-eight
  58. Chapter Forty-nine
  59. Chapter Fifty - 1970
  60. EPILOGUE

‘But, Briony, they’re going at the end of the month anyway. What difference does a few weeks make?’ Bernie was amazed at her own argument for Kerry and Evander, but now the cat was out of the bag she genuinely felt sorry for them.

Briony shook her head in amazement.

‘Can’t you see? She’s been tumbled. Someone came and saw the old woman. It’s common knowledge, Bernie. We have to get shot now, as soon as we can. He has to leave with the knowledge that, if he ever comes back looking for her, there’ll be big trouble.’

Bernie looked at her hands clasped in her lap. ‘This will break her heart, Bri, she’s mad about him. Honest, she really loves him.’

As sorry for her sister as Briony felt, she had to be hard, and when she answered Bernadette, she meant every word she said. ‘Then that’s more fool her, ain’t it? But one day she’ll thank me for this. One day she’ll see the folly of what she’s been doing. Can you imagine what the upshot would be? Can you? If this was public knowledge Kerry would be an outcast. No. Her voice is the biggest thing she’s ever likely to have, and if it rests with me, she’ll use it to its fullest potential. I’ll see she don’t fuck up. I’ll see to that much personally.’

Bernadette stared at her sister for a long while before she said: ‘Do you know something, Briony? It must be great being you. You just barrel through life organising everything and everyone. You play God, and we all play your disciples. Well this last lot stinks. I admit, I wanted to see Kerry get her comeuppance. Talented, marvellous Kerry, the girl with the golden voice. But now I’m not so sure. Because I’ll tell you something for nothing - she loves the bones of that man, and you can send him off on his bike, do what you like, but you can’t change people’s feelings. I’d have thought you’d have appreciated that fact better than anyone? Look at how you feel about Benedict, and look who fathered him. You can’t help where your feelings lie, Bri. Not you, not me, not Kerry. Not even poor old Eileen.’

Briony leant across the desk, knocking her glass of whisky flying.