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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

‘Nell must have talked to her daughter, though, if you suggested there’d been some impropriety.’ It was unthinkable she wouldn’t. Yet Grace had told Finch her mother didn’t know. Maybe Nell sounded her out and Grace denied it.

James shrugged. ‘We stopped seeing each other soon after that, so I’ve really no idea. The whole thing put the wind up me, to be honest, Romy. My wife …’ He didn’t finish, just stood there in the doorway, looking – even at his age – like a guilty schoolboy.

Finch was so angry with me for protecting Michael, Romy thought bitterly. But it seems everyone – Grace, Nell, James, even me – we were all bending over backwards to keep his nasty secret for him.

‘Long time ago,’ James repeated. ‘What brought it up?’

She could see his question wasn’t as casual as he was trying to make it seem.

‘Michael and I were just talking. Life-threatening illness can sometimes change a person’s perspective.’ She also spoke lightly, leaving James to assume she’d always known and wasn’t fazed by it. But he appeared alarmed, crossing the kitchen to lean in to Romy, his voice lowered.

‘Best he doesn’t spread it about, my dear. Don’t you think? Any mea culpa stuff, even in his condition, even after all this time, in the current climate, it wouldn’t go down too well.’ James checked her face to see if she understood. ‘I’ll maybe have a word with him.’

‘Can I help in here?’ Wendy’s voice trilled in the doorway. She put the empty sandwich plate on the table. ‘Oh, doesn’t that look gorgeous!’ she exclaimed, clapping her hands together as she peered at the cake. ‘You’re so clever, Romy.’

Romy glanced across at James, who seemed miles away, his fair face twisting almost as if he were having a bad dream. She heard again the anger in his voice when he’d said, ‘If you could call it that’, and wondered what he’d really meant, and what he was remembering now.

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44

Of the three latest people who’d come for interview, there was only one, Janice – a middle-aged, lifelong carer-housekeeper whose last employer had just died – whom Romy considered even remotely suitable. She irritated Michael on sight, however, with her saccharine sweetness and mindless chatter. In her heart of hearts, Romy knew Michael would always find something wrong with every candidate. The whole thing infuriated her, but Leo had been investigating other agencies and she was determined that one would soon bear fruit, allowing her to leave and get her life back on track.