Chapters (81)
- Cover
- Praise for Tess Stimson
- Dedication
- part one
- chapter 01
- chapter 02
- chapter 03
- chapter 04
- chapter 05
- chapter 06
- chapter 07
- chapter 08
- chapter 09
- chapter 10
- chapter 11
- chapter 12
- chapter 13
- chapter 14
- chapter 15
- chapter 16
- chapter 17
- chapter 18
- chapter 19
- chapter 20
- chapter 21
- chapter 22
- chapter 23
- chapter 24
- chapter 25
- chapter 26
- chapter 27
- chapter 28
- chapter 29
- chapter 30
- chapter 31
- chapter 32
- chapter 33
- chapter 34
- chapter 35
- chapter 36
- part two
- chapter 37
- chapter 38
- chapter 39
- chapter 40
- chapter 41
- chapter 42
- chapter 43
- chapter 44
- chapter 45
- chapter 46
- chapter 47
- chapter 48
- chapter 49
- part three
- chapter 50
- chapter 51
- chapter 52
- chapter 53
- chapter 54
- chapter 55
- chapter 56
- chapter 57
- chapter 58
- chapter 59
- chapter 60
- chapter 61
- chapter 62
- chapter 63
- chapter 64
- chapter 65
- chapter 66
- chapter 67
- chapter 68
- part four
- chapter 69
- ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
- Keep Reading …
- About the Author
- By the same author:
- About the Publisher
She scoops her yoga mat from the back seat. ‘They died twenty-three years ago,’ she says. ‘Killed in a car crash on their way home from a New Year’s Eve Millennium party. They’d both been drinking, of course. I was in the car, but somehow I walked away with barely a scratch.’
‘How old were you?’
‘Fifteen.’
‘How awful. That must’ve hit you hard.’
‘It hit my brother harder. Adam always felt guilty for not being with us, as if he could have done something. He was six years older than me, so after their deaths he became my legal guardian.’
‘You must be close.’
‘He overdosed on heroin when I was nineteen.’
Her tone is matter-of-fact, without a trace of self-pity. But in this context, Felix makes more sense. You don’t have to be an armchair psychologist to recognise that a child orphaned young will seek out a father figure, especially when she loses her substitute parent just a few years after the initial bereavement.
I know what it’s like to lose a sibling.
Gracie, my sweet Gracie—
No. I refuse to go there.
I’m already aware of Stacey’s personal history, of course. She’s talked about it just enough in the press to have a relatably tragic backstory without seeming to exploit it. But I know it’s important for our new friendship that she tells me herself.
And that friendship suddenly matters to me.
I care about Stacey. This isn’t about the Glass House any more. It hasn’t been since the moment I saw the bruises on her wrist.
This is the second time she’s invited me to join her for yoga at the Hurlingham. The classes here are less physically demanding and more woo-woo ‘spiritual’ than my normal vinyasa power yoga practice, with rather too much third-eye navel-gazing for my taste, but I’m not here to strengthen my core.
‘Nice leggings,’ I comment with a smile as I follow her into the studio.
‘Hope you don’t mind,’ she says, slightly embarrassed. ‘I’m a bit tired of being a Lululemon clone.’
The first time we met up for yoga a couple of weeks ago, she admired my athletic wear. I sent her a link to the niche US site in California where I bought them. She must have gone straight home and ordered a pair: I’m flattered more than I care to admit.
After our class, we change and stroll over to the clubhouse brasserie for lunch. The average age of the other diners on a mid-week morning is approximately seventy-three; pearls, blazers and brick-red jeans are the order of the day.
‘Are your parents still alive?’ Stacey says, as we sit down.