‘No, let me finish! I moved away because I didn’t know how to live with the new shape you carved for me, the new version of me, and the worst thing was, I hadn’t changed! Not one bit! I still wanted to run barefoot, to sit on the harbour wall outside the cottage and drink tea as the sun came up and went down – that was all I wanted! Yes, I liked the idea of spending time in the big city with you sometimes and stretching my boundaries, but I always thought I’d travel on my terms and then go home. Home to settle down for good. But . . .’ She cursed the tears that pooled, wiping her eyes and sniffing. ‘What you did to me, it changed things for me. You broke my heart. You broke my heart, Digby.’ It felt hard to say out loud; her voice was thin. ‘It never healed quite the same, you know?’

‘I do know,’ he whispered, looking like he, too, might be close to tears, and for this she was strangely thankful.

She placed her palm on her chest. ‘It’s like I have a little fault line running through it of which I am overly aware. I doubt it would survive being dropped again.’

‘I’m sorry, Merrin. I was conflicted, and my mother—’

‘Merrin!’ Vanya called from the end of the corridor. ‘So sorry to interrupt you, but I’m swamped!’ She held up a clutch of room keys. ‘Could you help me with check-ins?’

‘Of course, Vanya, on my way.’ She let her eyes lock with his and smoothed her jacket, before tucking her hair behind her ears.

‘I am sorry, Merrin.’ He searched her face, almost imploringly.

Standing straight, she took a moment, before speaking clearly. ‘“Words are easy like the wind, faithful friends are hard to find.” William Shakespeare said that.’

He smiled at her. ‘Did he? I’ll have to take your word for it.’

‘Goodbye, Digby.’

As she walked away, Merrin felt surprisingly calm. It felt good to have had her say, and to see the look of anguish in his eyes was a reward of sorts. Not that she wanted him to hurt, but she did want him to acknowledge the hurt he had caused. It had been strangely healing and today, on Valentine’s Day, as tears snaked down the back of her throat, she felt his eyes on her back and knew he was watching her walk away.

CHAPTER TWENTY DIGBY

CHAPTER TWENTY

DIGBY

Digby sat at the small, leather-inlaid desk positioned at the bedroom window with a lovely view of the large cedar tree that grew outside. He thought this must be the perfect spot at Christmas, especially if they were lucky enough for snow.

‘Darling, I’m going to take the boys for a little amble in the grounds, wear them out a bit before supper. Do you want to come?’ His wife leant forward and kissed his scalp.