Chapters (39)
- Cover
- Title
- Author’s Note
- Glossary
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty-One
- Twenty-Two
- Twenty-Three
- Twenty-Four
- Twenty-Five
- Twenty-Six
- Twenty-Seven
- Twenty-Eight
- Twenty-Nine
- Thirty
- Thirty-One
- Thirty-Two
- Thirty-Three
- Thirty-Four
- Acknowledgments
As he’d grown more agitated, the words had run together. Faye wasn’t sure whether it was because he was becoming increasingly incoherent or because she had stopped listening properly and allowed the noise of the water to flood her ears instead. She wished he’d shut up so that she could clarify things for Geoffrey. But Derek had bulldozed on, drowning their voices with his. Even by his standards, his behaviour was bizarre. What was going on? Her skin prickled as she recalled how Derek had dismissed the blood smeared across her neck, chest and arms when she’d confirmed it was hers. Not even her blood mattered to him.
Once she was sure Geoffrey knew where to find Clare, Faye had turned away and left. She didn’t want to hear Derek’s voice anymore; not across the river and not in her head. She’d steeled herself against it and walked away. But now, as she made her way along the river towards the path that would take her back up the ravine, she felt an emotion she didn’t immediately recognise.
At first, she imagined the churning in her stomach was due to hunger. Her knuckles were stiff. Her fists were clenched. Then she realised she was also grinding her teeth. Her jaw was tight. Something was rising in her gut. Clamping and gnashing her molars was her way of controlling the feeling, destroying it before it revealed itself. What was it? What had she suppressed for so long that she longer recognised it?
Faye was angry. No. The feeling was stronger. It was fury. She couldn’t remember when last she had allowed herself to be angry, let alone furious. And, as the emotion pushed its way into her chest and her heart pounded, she realised she could no longer ignore it. She didn’t want to. She spun around and retraced her steps, a hot energy surging through her.
She was walking back between the reeds towards the river when she heard Derek’s voice. He was shouting, even louder than before. This time, she listened.
“Yes, that’s what I said, Geoff! Clare is my daughter. Ask Mich who consoled her when you were driving her nuts with your plans to leave the bank and become a gardener! That’ll explain it. And God knows I would have done a better job raising her than you. She wouldn’t be . . . be whatever she is now if I’d been around for her!”