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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

She hired Daniel on the spot, and she and Bettina went out for lunch round the corner to celebrate. He would start on Monday, Michael’s first day home, the only catch being that he didn’t want to move in for another two weeks, when Andreas, his boyfriend, went back to Denmark and they gave up their rented flat. But he agreed to work eight to eight, five days a week until then. Which meant Romy would have to be there during the night at first, and fill in at weekends – or get someone else, like Leo, to do it so she could go home, see Finch – but she was so grateful that she had found someone of his calibre that she didn’t quibble.

When she got back to the flat to wait for the man who was going to install the grab rail in the shower, she called Finch. His phone went to voicemail and she wondered what he was doing. Probably running, she thought, with a smile, imagining his look of intense concentration, the flush on his cheeks as he splashed around the harbour road and wishing she could be there with him.

‘I hope to be down tomorrow or Saturday,’ she said in her message, not sure if she could expect Finch to drop everything for her flying visit. But as she sat on the edge of Michael’s bed, remembering she had to get a super king-size waterproof mattress cover before Monday, her phone rang.

‘Hi,’ she said, so happy to hear his voice.

‘I’m in town tomorrow night,’ Finch said. ‘Got a dinner in the City. So, we could meet up on Saturday morning. Or you could brave another chilly night in the sex-palace?’

Romy laughed. She very much wanted to see him. And she longed to get away from the flat. It felt as if the place were on tenterhooks, waiting for Michael’s return in strained silence. ‘Won’t you be late back from your dinner?’

‘They usually finish promptly at ten thirty – the old buffers have to get back to the shires. I could be there by eleven, but that’s probably too late for you.’

‘Eleven’s fine,’ she said quickly, having the uneasy sense that she should grab all the moments she could with Finch before she became trapped in the relentless cycle of Michael’s care.

‘Are you all going to be OK without me, Mum?’ Rex had his backpack ready by the front door. He was just about to leave for Heathrow.