That thought stuck. She paused, went into her bathroom. First, she carefully washed her face and made up: pinks, to go with her Chloé dress for dinner.

Then she went to the medicine cabinet, that beautiful ornamental thing, an age-spotted mirrored door surrounded by ivory; she took out her contraceptive pills and methodically flushed every last one of them down the lavatory.

Judy smiled to herself. As a tactic, it was as old as the hills.

But then so was love. And so was revenge.

The French had some marvellous inheritance laws, she now recalled; it was illegal to shut a child out of the will.

Marriage or no marriage, Judy could control this family forever. And she was determined to do it.

Chapter 41

Chapter 41

Sophie had never had so much fun.

That first evening, she wrote a letter to Tom.

My darling boy,

I’m staying with Hugh Montfort, at his place in Ireland, for the time being. He had no personal enmity with your father, and I hope one day you’ll give him a chance.

I want you to understand that I feel no anger toward you. I believe Granny and you have made a mistake, but you must sort that out for yourselves. I will always love you. One day you’ll understand that loving a child doesn’t always mean conforming to his wishes.

You can call me on my mobile anytime. I hope to see you soon. And don’t trust Judy. I know for a fact that she doesn’t love you.

Love,
Maman

She posted it herself the next day, in the village. And then, with some difficulty, she made herself forget about Tom.

After the first day or two, it wasn’t hard. Ireland was gorgeous, and Hugh showed her the time of her life. They rode out over his fields; they hiked through the woods; he insisted that she try to fish, and even though it was wet and cold, and she felt stupid wearing one of his old cricket jumpers, Sophie managed to catch a tiny trout—it gave her the thrill of a lifetime when she unhooked it and let it slip back into the stream. They went to fairs and bought local food and crafts; she became a jumble sale expert, and enjoyed the harvest festival. While Hugh worked out in his gym, two hours every day, Sophie took some time and just enjoyed a book.

Every sunrise, she felt a little more life flood back into her limbs.