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Back The Rose Labyrinth Save as PDF
Chapters (45)
  1. Cover
  2. THE ROSE LABYRINTH
  3. Titlepage
  4. Copyright page
  5. Dedication
  6. PROLOGUE
  7. 1
  8. 2
  9. 3
  10. 4
  11. 5
  12. 6
  13. 7
  14. 8
  15. 9
  16. 10
  17. 11
  18. 12
  19. 13
  20. 14
  21. 15
  22. 16
  23. 17
  24. 18
  25. 19
  26. 20
  27. 21
  28. 22
  29. 23
  30. 24
  31. 25
  32. 26
  33. 27
  34. 28
  35. 29
  36. 30
  37. 31
  38. 32
  39. 33
  40. 34
  41. EPILOGUE
  42. AUTHOR’S NOTE
  43. BIBLIOGRAPHY
  44. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  45. ABOUT THE AUTHOR

For his own part, Alex had managed to clear the whole of Friday as well as the weekend. He was looking forward to walking the maze with her in the evening and then finally being allowed to spend some time alone with her, when suddenly their progress was blocked in an unprecedented form. It was impossible to digest. If she’d been listening, the distress in his voice would have told her half of what she needed to know; but Lucy felt absurdly thwarted. She felt fate was against them, and convinced herself that it was not to be. It was a lesson not to give away your heart. Moved only by her own sense of rejection—the ebb and flow of unexpected pleasure followed by intense disappointment—she was deaf to the emotions Alex’s tone communicated. All she processed was the unwelcome news that his ex-wife had asked him to have Max for the weekend because of a family crisis on her side—something to do with a mother in hospital.

“It’s fine, Alex,” Lucy told him—and it was transparent to him that it wasn’t. She said she accepted that he had duties. But she would go alone. She hadn’t asked him to come in the first place. She was just polite enough to force out “good night,” and then she hung up in tears. She’d completely forgotten how that felt.

Alex put the phone down and snapped the pencil in his hands. He’d never let Anna down in a genuine emergency. And he’d never let Max down. There was no Will to help him out. Was there another solution or must he let Lucy down? She couldn’t change the date, and he couldn’t change the problem. Impasse.

EARLY ON FRIDAY, GRACE AND SIMON DROVE HER TO WATERLOO, AND Simon lifted her bag out of his Land Rover. “Are you sure you don’t want company? We could always ring in sick.”

Lucy gave Simon a big hug. “You’re wonderful. No, I think I want to do this alone. I need some time alone, actually. I find I have a lot to think about.”

“Do you know what it is you’re looking for?”

“I’ve no idea. If I find out I’ll send you a postcard!” She managed a laugh.

“Make sure it’s one of an angel!” Simon added with a wry smile.