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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

He refused to meet her eye as, reluctantly, he forced out the next words. ‘Michael said something along the lines of his being sure she wanted him, and when she resisted his advances, he just saw red. But he insisted he hadn’t gone as far as rape and I believed him. I only knew the girl by sight from when I was still in the village. I’d been in Amsterdam all her work-experience week and Nell and I kept our thing quite separate so I had no idea what she was like. And I was thinking of chambers, what a potential scandal might do …’ He finally looked up, his expression sheepish. ‘Obviously I had something to hide, too.’

Rage whispered up through Romy’s body. ‘So you just left it, did nothing, hoped it would go away?’ she hissed.

James shrugged. ‘Pretty much. I didn’t know what else to do.’

But as fast as the anger arrived, it ebbed away again as she heard the echo of Finch’s furious accusation. She had not known what to do either, when she’d read the letter. So she’d also done nothing and hoped it would go away. As, perhaps, had Nell, when faced with James’s no doubt sanitized tale of her daughter’s assault.

His eyes were hangdog now. ‘I’m ashamed of myself, Romy. Men have secrets together – I’m sure women do, too – but it honestly wasn’t a secret I relished, being party to a sexual assault on a teenager … on Nell’s daughter.’

Romy, against her will, found herself believing him.

‘What will you do, now you know the truth?’ James asked, his mouth twitching nervously. ‘Will you go to the police?’

‘It’s not my secret to tell, James. If anyone goes to the police, it will be Grace.’

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49

Grace and Sam had been holidaying in his house while he’d been away – Finch could almost feel their recent presence. They’d left butter and milk, some banana bread in tin foil and two apples in the fridge. And despite his reluctance to come back, he found himself giving a drawn-out sigh of relief as he imbibed the familiarity of home.

His stepdaughter was coming the following night, without Sam, who was attending a work seminar in Leicester on Saturday. Finch was looking forward to seeing her. He didn’t know how he could help Grace, but as the only person she was close to who was aware of the assault, he could at least try. He could give her a hug and let her know he loved her. That was what he had come home for.