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Back The Lucky Escape Save as PDF
Chapters (56)
  1. Cover
  2. PRAISE FOR LAURA JANE WILLIAMS
  3. Dedication
  4. 1
  5. 2
  6. 3
  7. 4
  8. 5
  9. 6
  10. 7
  11. 8
  12. 9
  13. 10
  14. 11
  15. 12
  16. 13
  17. 14
  18. 15
  19. 16
  20. 17
  21. 18
  22. 19
  23. 20
  24. 21
  25. 22
  26. 23
  27. 24
  28. 25
  29. 26
  30. 27
  31. 28
  32. 29
  33. 30
  34. 31
  35. 32
  36. 33
  37. 34
  38. 35
  39. 36
  40. 37
  41. 38
  42. 39
  43. 40
  44. 41
  45. 42
  46. 43
  47. 44
  48. 45
  49. 46
  50. Epilogue
  51. Acknowledgements
  52. Publishing Credits
  53. Keep Reading …
  54. About the Author
  55. Fiction by the same author
  56. About the Publisher

Dad busied himself in the search for Freddie’s poppadum accompaniments as Mum started to repeat to him what she’d just said to me, almost word for word.

‘I spoke to Fernanda, finally,’ she started, and Freddie drolly rolled her eyes in my direction.

Everyone tucked into their food.

‘She’s as baffled as anyone, Peter – and mortified. I said to Annie, I can understand that, really, because honest to God if the shoe was on the other foot and Annie had skipped out with everyone there, I don’t think I could show my face again. I’d be devastated, owning a child who’d be so reckless …’

Freddie stacked the dishwasher once we’d eaten – or rather, once they’d eaten. I’d pushed some saffron rice around my plate and barely nibbled on the corner of a Peshwari naan.

‘I’m going to take a nap,’ I said. ‘Will you tell Adzo to come straight up when she gets here?’

I couldn’t stop thinking about where I was supposed to live. I’d never known adult life without Alexander. Why was this happening? What was I going to do? The grief came in great crashing waves, threatening to pull me under.

I closed my eyes to gather myself.

‘Oh, darling,’ Mum said, her voice full of something alarmingly close to sympathy. ‘Shall I chill some spoons for you? It’s supposed to help with eye puffiness.’

Like I gave a rat’s arse about my eyes. Every bone ached. Being awake for more than an hour was a Herculean effort. I’d failed at the one thing that was supposed to make me an adult – marriage.

‘Sure,’ I replied, ducking out of a fight. ‘Chilled spoons sound great. Thanks Mum.’

She sighed. ‘I’m just trying to help, Annie. I don’t know what else to do.’

‘I know, Mum,’ I whispered over my shoulder, shuffling back up to bed. ‘Nobody does.’

5

I’d heard rumours about Alexander before I’d ever laid eyes on him. By second year he was known for being a bit of a charmer. Not the type who slept around and got notches on his bedpost, but somehow every girl on campus had a story about him. He’d had a high school girlfriend who’d gone to another uni, and they’d kept it going throughout first year. But when he had returned to York the next October as a single man, the news spread amongst the student union bar like wildfire.