Again he sat next to her and put his arm around her shoulders. ‘Don’t be. It’s only a storm, and I’m right here, Bessie. I’m right here.’

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

August 20th 2021

Her legs tucked beneath her, Bess sat on the sofa with Chutney by her side. Her eyes were drawn to the stunning display of yellow roses, now sitting in pride of place on the windowsill next to Philip and Nanette’s bouquet and Natalie’s lovely candle, which gave off the most glorious scent. She couldn’t help but glance occasionally at the Maxwells’ house with a sharp jolt of remorse lancing her with every glimpse. She reached for Chutney, the feel of him warm, anchoring, soothing and familiar. Quite what she expected to see over there she wasn’t sure. Helen stomping up the driveway with a meat cleaver? Andrew arriving home with his feet nicely hidden inside socks? The image of the plastic tray in the hotel room with its grubby cup and the admissions about his less than perfect life made her stomach flip.

‘Why did you go?’ Bess asked herself aloud. ‘Why did you do that?’ Biting her lip, she wished she could rewind the day and turn left at the lights. That was all she had had to do – turn left at the lights! Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath, calming her flustered pulse. No one would ever know – not that she had done anything, much to her relief – but explaining her intentions in tandem with her actions would be hard. But enough! Instead she focused on seeing Mario, excited about their chippy tea and the bottle of wine that now sat chilling in the fridge, looking forward to feeling her husband’s arms around her, holding her close, taking her hand as they climbed the stairs. She wanted to say she was sorry, wanted to tell him just how much she loved him and that she was going to prove it to him every day, and that closeness had to start with the truth. She owed him an explanation of where fun Bess had gone – the Bess he had married. Without warning, a great gulp of tears tumbled from her that made her catch her breath. It still had the power to do that to her, the memory of the day she had bumped into Melanie Brooks, who to her would always be Melanie Hall.