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Back Reluctantly Home Save as PDF
Chapters (55)
  1. TITLE PAGE
  2. COPYRIGHT PAGE
  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. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  55. ABOUT THE AUTHOR

And perhaps people thought the same about Rory MacMillan. He was personable and fun. She had enjoyed talking to him at the New Year’s Eve party, had been flattered he had chosen to shine his attention down on her rather than anyone else. Even after the incident, she still couldn’t bring herself to use the words that Pip had used; she hadn’t blamed him, not entirely.

But how things had changed. She could hardly believe that what women of her generation had just accepted as a fact of life was now so vilified. Women had stepped forward, drawing strength and courage from one another and then from the sheer number of them. She was astonished at the men who had been brought down, men she knew about but had never been able to discuss, other than with other women and behind closed doors. It was incredible.

Evelyn sat back and stared at the computer screen until the images flicked away and the screen went black. How had she allowed herself to become so cut off from the world that she hadn’t even been aware this was happening? One article said that almost five million people had put their hands up to similar abuses in just twenty-four hours. Women the length and breadth of the planet had been complaining of exactly what had happened to her. It was astounding. And yet she had known nothing about it.

Thank God, she thought, that the young women of today were protected, that society not only knew what went on but had decided it was no longer prepared to stand for it. Evelyn would never know whether she had won the part of DC Karen Walker because of her talent or because she had spread her legs for Rory MacMillan, but at least that wasn’t something an actress need go through again. The thought brought hot tears to her eyes. The justice had been so long in coming but now, it seemed, it was there if you looked for it.

Evelyn lifted her hands and hovered them over the keyboard. Should she search for Rory MacMillan, to see if there was anything in the press about him? She decided not. What would be the point? That was in her past. Now she needed to look forward towards her future.

46

46

Pip was still reeling from Evelyn’s revelations when she got back to the farm. It seemed impossible that Evelyn could think as she did, and yet it was clear she didn’t seem to blame the man entirely for what had happened to her in that hotel room. She had said it didn’t seem fair to prosecute men now, when what had happened had been in different times with different standards. But surely an abuse of power was an abuse of power, no matter when it occurred? Pip couldn’t get Evelyn’s point of view to lie straight in her head.