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Back The Cliff House Save as PDF
Chapters (64)
  1. Cover
  2. Booklist
  3. Title Page
  4. Praise
  5. Dedication
  6. Prologue
  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. CHAPTER TEN
  17. CHAPTER ELEVEN
  18. CHAPTER TWELVE
  19. CHAPTER THIRTEEN
  20. CHAPTER FOURTEEN
  21. CHAPTER FIFTEEN
  22. CHAPTER SIXTEEN
  23. CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
  24. CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
  25. CHAPTER NINETEEN
  26. CHAPTER TWENTY
  27. CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
  28. CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
  29. CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
  30. CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
  31. CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
  32. CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
  33. CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
  34. CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
  35. CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
  36. CHAPTER THIRTY
  37. CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
  38. CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
  39. CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
  40. CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
  41. CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
  42. CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
  43. CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
  44. CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
  45. CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
  46. CHAPTER FORTY
  47. CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
  48. CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
  49. CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
  50. CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
  51. CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
  52. CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
  53. CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
  54. CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
  55. CHAPTER FORTY-NINE
  56. CHAPTER FIFTY
  57. CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE
  58. CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO
  59. CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE
  60. CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR
  61. CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE
  62. Epilogue
  63. Acknowledgements
  64. About the Publisher

‘Tonight? I don’t have to be at the shop tomorrow, so it doesn’t matter what time I get up. I could even stay for lunch.’

‘Yeah, okay. But I should probably check with Eleanor. Make sure we’re not going out for supper or anything.’

Edie pushed herself up and went into the house to ask her mother about Tamsyn staying over before she got too drunk to care. She went up the stairs, pushed open the door into her room then stopped dead.

‘Fuck,’ she whispered under her breath. ‘Fuck.’

She ran down the stairs, taking them two at a time and back out to the garden.

‘Sorry. You have to leave.’

Tamsyn’s face fell. ‘But I don’t—’

‘I’m sorry. I forgot I have to do something. You need to leave.’

‘But—’

‘You have to fucking leave!’

Edie noticed Tamsyn’s lip trembling and her eyes welling with tears.

‘I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to swear. Please,’ Edie said, trying to control her voice. ‘I just need you to go. We’ll do the film and stay-over another time, okay?’

When Tamsyn tried again to protest, she almost lost the plot, but using every ounce of control, she repeated her request as calmly as possible. ‘Look, why don’t you come back tomorrow? We can go back to the beach. Or listen to music. But, please, right now, I just need you to leave.’

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Jago

July 1986

When he sees her rushing out of the house he can tell immediately she’s upset. Her arms are tightly crossed and wrapped around her body as if she’s trying to keep warm. He pretends to sand the railings but watches her with Tamsyn. Sees his sister’s face fall. Edie doesn’t look her in the eye. She’s twitchy. Then her voice raises in volumes and he hears her tell Tamsyn to go home.

Of course, Tamsyn doesn’t want to leave. She’s glued herself to this place and these people. He knows it’s because of their father. She told him once, a few years after the storm, that the two of them had been at the house the day he died. They’d walked out to the point. Eaten a picnic. Broken in. Swum without permission. That kind of thing was typical of their father, rebellious and brave, scaling fences, sticking two fingers up to the rules.

Tamsyn nods then turns. She walks down the garden to the gate and he notices she is crying. He wonders if he should go after her, but then he sees Edie’s face, tight with anxiety. As soon as the gate bangs shut Edie spins around and runs back inside.

Something’s wrong.

He hesitates, lays the sandpaper down on the grass, then hesitates again before following her into the house.

At the door he pauses. Listens.

‘Hello?’ he calls.