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Back The Widow Save as PDF
Chapters (92)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. PART I
  4. 1
  5. 2
  6. 3
  7. 4
  8. 5
  9. 6
  10. 7
  11. 8
  12. 9
  13. 10
  14. PART II
  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. 61
  66. 62
  67. 63
  68. 64
  69. 65
  70. 66
  71. 67
  72. 68
  73. 69
  74. 70
  75. 71
  76. 72
  77. 73
  78. 74
  79. 75
  80. 76
  81. 77
  82. 78
  83. 79
  84. 80
  85. 81
  86. 82
  87. 83
  88. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  89. MORE FROM VALERIE KEOGH
  90. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  91. The Murder List
  92. About Boldwood Books

Allison held a hand up to stop Jo’s rant. There was a memory haunting her; she needed to know if it was true or one of those hideous nightmares. ‘He ran his hands over me, didn’t he?’

‘Yes.’ Portia slid a hand across the table towards her. ‘I wouldn’t have let him do more, I swear.’

Allison laughed. ‘Pardon me if I don’t believe a word from your mouth.’ She waited for Portia to say something more and when she didn’t, she sneered. ‘You expect me to believe you weren’t going to help Stuart…’ She couldn’t bring herself to say the word.

‘When you tripped on the stairway and landed in a heap on the landing, you lay there stunned, without moving. I thought, at first, you’d broken your neck or something. But then’ – she looked at Allison with a strange smile, half admiration, half curiosity – ‘you lifted your face, looked at me and said, The wrong we do to others, it never stops haunting us.’

Allison’s laugh was forced. ‘Really, I was battered and drugged, yet I managed to come out with some pseudo-profound crap.’

Portia shook her head. ‘You said it so quietly, with such fervour, I know it meant something to you. After I left you in that room, the words kept swirling in my head. All the wrong I’d done to others suddenly overwhelmed me as it had never done before. I suppose you could call it my awakening.’

‘Your awakening?’ Jo shook her head as if unable to believe what she was hearing. ‘You’re seriously expecting us to believe that a few words said by a drugged woman made you re-examine your life choices?’

‘When you put it like that, it does seem pretty unbelievable, yet it’s what happened.’ Portia shrugged. ‘I don’t know why. Maybe the self-hatred had been there all along, festering, just waiting for the scab to come off for it all to ooze out. I’m simply trying to explain why I had a change of heart.’ She pointed to Allison’s bruised face again. ‘Stuart hates any kind of disfigurement. He was horrified when he saw the bruises. Every day, he’d ask me if they’d faded, and I’d lie, tell him they’d got worse, that you were a mess. When I told him you had broken ribs, he was disgusted.’

‘Then you came home to find me gone,’ Allison said, anxious to get Portia’s tale finished. ‘You must have been relieved.’