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Back The Library
Chapters (57)
  1. Cover
  2. THE LIBRARY
  3. Copyright
  4. Dedication
  5. Contents
  6. 1
  7. 2
  8. 3
  9. 4
  10. 5
  11. 6
  12. 7
  13. 8
  14. 9
  15. 10
  16. 11
  17. 12
  18. 13
  19. 14
  20. 15
  21. 16
  22. 17
  23. 18
  24. 19
  25. 20
  26. 21
  27. 22
  28. 23
  29. 24
  30. 25
  31. 26
  32. 27
  33. 28
  34. 29
  35. 30
  36. 31
  37. 32
  38. 33
  39. 34
  40. 35
  41. 36
  42. 37
  43. 38
  44. 39
  45. 40
  46. 41
  47. 42
  48. 43
  49. 44
  50. 45
  51. 46
  52. 47
  53. EPILOGUE
  54. Questions for your Book Club
  55. Acknowledgements
  56. About the Author
  57. Become an Aria Addict

Rusty came through to see what the commotion was about and Tom sank to his knees to hug her. Maggie didn’t need to see his tears to know they were there. It ripped at her heart to know she was breaking his. It was the most painful thing to witness. And worse still to know she’d caused it. Rusty rested her muzzle on his shoulder as if sensing his distress and trying to comfort him.

‘Tom. Sit down. I’ll put the kettle on.’

‘No!’ He lurched to his feet, his resentment almost palpable as he roughly wiped his sleeve across his tear-stained face. ‘Tea won’t solve this.’ He slammed down the crumpled letter. ‘I’m leaving.’

‘Tom. Don’t be hasty. Please.’

‘I can’t stay here.’ He took the stairs two at a time. There was banging in the room above as he opened and closed drawers, each slam fuelled by his anger. Anger he was entitled to. She regretted not putting him straight when he’d assumed River was dead but she had somehow hoped there would be a right time to tell him what had happened. Now more than ever she realised he was just a boy. A lost child in a harsh world of continual change.

He thundered down the stairs and began his assault on the hallway. Maggie wandered through but kept her distance.

‘Tom. Please can we talk? Find a way to fix things?’

‘Nothing can fix this. You’re not who I thought you were. I don’t know you at all.’ He lugged his schoolbag onto his shoulder while juggling two other bags and a box. ‘You can bin the other stuff. It’s only what you bought anyway.’ With a slam of the front door he was gone.

37

TOM

By the time I’d got to the driveway I was a mess. Tears and snot everywhere. I slumped against the old gate and sobbed like a baby. I couldn’t stop it and I didn’t want to. It felt like it had to come out or I’d explode. I was grateful that Furrow’s Cross was pretty deserted most of the time so there was nobody about to see me have a meltdown. Eventually the tears stopped and I rested my pounding head against the gate behind me.

How the hell could Maggie have deceived me like that? The one person I thought I could trust and rely on had massively let me down just like everyone else. All this time I’d admired her so much but she’d been lying to me all along. Maybe not the blatant sort of lies made to deceive but the effect had been the same – she wasn’t who I thought she was. Maggie wasn’t the rational caring old lady I’d believed her to be; she was an ex-alcoholic who’d given up her son.