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Back The Imposter Save as PDF
Chapters (55)
  1. Cover
  2. ANNA WHARTON
  3. Dedication page
  4. ONE
  5. TWO
  6. THREE
  7. FOUR
  8. FIVE
  9. SIX
  10. SEVEN
  11. EIGHT
  12. NINE
  13. TEN
  14. ELEVEN
  15. TWELVE
  16. THIRTEEN
  17. FOURTEEN
  18. FIFTEEN
  19. SIXTEEN
  20. SEVENTEEN
  21. EIGHTEEN
  22. NINETEEN
  23. TWENTY
  24. TWENTY-ONE
  25. TWENTY-TWO
  26. TWENTY-THREE
  27. TWENTY-FOUR
  28. TWENTY-FIVE
  29. TWENTY-SIX
  30. TWENTY-SEVEN
  31. TWENTY-EIGHT
  32. TWENTY-NINE
  33. THIRTY
  34. THIRTY-ONE
  35. THIRTY-TWO
  36. THIRTY-THREE
  37. THIRTY-FOUR
  38. THIRTY-FIVE
  39. THIRTY-SIX
  40. THIRTY-SEVEN
  41. THIRTY-EIGHT
  42. THIRTY-NINE
  43. FORTY
  44. FORTY-ONE
  45. FORTY-TWO
  46. FORTY-THREE
  47. FORTY-FOUR
  48. FORTY-FIVE
  49. FORTY-SIX
  50. FORTY-SEVEN
  51. FORTY-EIGHT
  52. FORTY-NINE
  53. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
  54. Praise
  55. THE IMPOSTER

‘Banana loaf is my favourite too,’ Chloe says.

Maureen glows beside her dim bedside light. Chloe takes another bite and this time the cake tastes even sweeter.

‘Really? Is it really?’

Chloe nods. ‘It’s been years since I’ve had it,’ she says between mouthfuls. ‘In fact, I think the last time was when I was a little girl.’

‘Really?’ Maureen says. She goes to speak again, but seems unsure about how her words are going to sound. She rearranges her legs, crossing them over, and leaning one hand on the bed as she does. ‘Chloe, I . . . well, I hope you don’t mind me asking but . . . do you remember anything about your mum. Your real mum, I mean?’

Chloe stops chewing.

‘My mum?’

‘You said you were adopted and . . . I just wondered whether you have any memories of life before, you know, before . . . I mean you said you weren’t curious about your background, but why?’

Chloe remembers and swallows a chunk of cake too quickly. She coughs and Maureen leans towards her. Chloe’s eyes are watery again when she looks up. She has to think fast, distract her. She’s not prepared for this.

‘Like I said, they offered to tell me, but maybe I’m afraid, afraid of finding out that my real parents were bad people,’ Chloe says.

‘But why would they be? They might be good people, they might be . . .’ Maureen stops and looks down at the sheet.

‘I guess after Mum and Nan . . . it would have felt like a betrayal, as if they weren’t good enough. It’s hard to explain.’

Maureen nods her head, but Chloe can see that she doesn’t understand. Why would she? This woman who hasn’t stopped searching for her own lost family for decades. Maureen stands up from the bed then, straightening the legs of her trousers as she does and then her hair. She takes two steps towards the door, then pauses as if there’s something she wants to say.

‘I’ll leave you in peace.’

Her footsteps down the stairs are filled with more purpose.

Chloe finishes the cake slowly and leans back on her pillow. She hears Maureen’s voice floating up through the floorboards, not the words, just the tone – a persuasive, urgent quality to it. There’s no reply from Patrick, just the sound of the TV turned up a notch or two.

THIRTY-FOUR