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Back The Lie Save as PDF
Chapters (69)
  1. Cover
  2. About the Author
  3. Dedication
  4. Epigraph
  5. 1
  6. 2
  7. 3
  8. 4
  9. 5
  10. 6
  11. 7
  12. 8
  13. 9
  14. 10
  15. 11
  16. 12
  17. 13
  18. 14
  19. 15
  20. 16
  21. 17
  22. 18
  23. 19
  24. 20
  25. 21
  26. 22
  27. 23
  28. 24
  29. 25
  30. 26
  31. 27
  32. 28
  33. 29
  34. 30
  35. 31
  36. 32
  37. 33
  38. 34
  39. 35
  40. 36
  41. 37
  42. 38
  43. 39
  44. 40
  45. 41
  46. 42
  47. 43
  48. 44
  49. 45
  50. 46
  51. 47
  52. 48
  53. 49
  54. 50
  55. 51
  56. 52
  57. 53
  58. 54
  59. 55
  60. 56
  61. 57
  62. 58
  63. 59
  64. 60
  65. Acknowledgements
  66. Reading Group Questions
  67. Read More
  68. I
  69. THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING

‘Stop right there,’ Finch said, flicking his palm out to block her words, then sprang up from the sofa. ‘I’m not going to sit here listening to you blame Gracie, just to save your miserable husband’s miserable skin.’

Romy was shocked by the hostility in his voice. She had never seen this side to Finch. He’d always been so under control, so kind to everyone, not just to her. Although she understood why he was angry.

She watched him stalk towards the front door without another word. She wanted to call out to him, to pull him back, to find some common ground on which they might agree. But he was gone before she recovered her voice, and wouldn’t have heard the pleading ‘Finch!’ that she croaked in his wake.

As she sat shaking on the sofa, no longer in the firing line of Finch’s wrath, she tried to think clearly about what he had told her. And she was forced, unwillingly, to concede that Michael must have done something to that girl – she could not yet think of her as a real person, as Grace. But to what extent her account could be believed, Romy had no idea. Whatever the truth, her relationship with Finch looked to be well and truly over.

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31

Finch strode through the village at top speed, his feet carrying him unconsciously towards his house, his brain spinning. He was devastated. He didn’t know what to think, his mind a jumble of accusation and doubt. But what shocked him the most was Romy’s intransigence in defence of Michael.

True, he hadn’t known Grace back then – as Romy had been so keen to point out – but he’d known her for most of the sixteen years since and he thought he had a pretty good take on who his stepdaughter was and of what she was capable.

And, yes, she could be highly strung, but she was searingly honest, like her mother. And a very straightforward person. If she really had been flirting with Michael, as Romy suggested, and things had got out of hand, wouldn’t she just have admitted it at the time? To her mother, at least – although Finch did remember Nell saying there was a lot of friction between her and Grace when she was in her teens, which Grace had alluded to last night.

He reached home and closed the front door behind him with a thud, relieved to be alone, relieved that Grace and Sam had gone, so he didn’t have to face them in the state he was in.