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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

Chloe nods. ‘Of course, like when we were in that room, with all of Angie’s things, I recognized so many of them, and not just because they would have been around when I was little, but because . . . I don’t know, it’s hard to put my finger on it. But there are other things, too. Just being with you and Patrick, it feels right somehow, like we’ve always been like this, like we were, I don’t know . . .’

Maureen listens to every word. Chloe can see that her mind has let go of the newspaper story; that for now, it’s just the three of them. Chloe continues:

‘But tonight, it’s been quite a shock, and I think . . . I think I need time to get used to the idea myself before we talk to anyone else. I want it to be just the three of us, for a bit longer, just so . . . well, then it’s just like us against the world, isn’t it?’

Maureen smiles. ‘So you don’t think we’re crazy?’ she asks.

Chloe shakes her head. ‘No, not at all, but other people might.’

They laugh and Chloe continues:

‘And so we have to be sure. We’ve got to be so sure.’

Patrick gets up and walks over to them. He puts his arms around Maureen and she leans back into his chest.

‘Chloe’s right,’ he says. ‘There’s plenty of time for all that. Let’s just allow it to sink in out here in Low Drove for now.’

Chloe looks out at the darkness that envelops them, the moon peering through the tops of the trees. Out here they could live any kind of life they liked. Maureen nods, reticently at first, but then more convincingly. And with that, Chloe notices, Patrick’s shoulders relax.

‘OK,’ Maureen says, taking Chloe’s hands in hers. ‘OK, it’s just between the three of us for now.’

And in all that had happened, everybody forgets about Angie watching from the shelf.

THIRTY-NINE

It is quiet in the car the following morning, the only noise the rumble of the tyres on the tarmac of the A47. Fields whizz past, tractors chugging across them, and the last of winter’s frost clings to the leather seats inside Patrick’s blue car.

A few times, Chloe has tried to think of something to say to break the silence, but nothing has come to her. She’s tired – it had been hard to sleep last night. She’d spent hours going over and over the events of that evening, how perfectly it had all happened. She had to admit it felt strange going to sleep in Elm House knowing that across the landing, Maureen slept safe in the knowledge that after twenty-five years her baby was home.