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Back Where The Story Starts Save as PDF
Chapters (65)
  1. TITLE PAGE
  2. COPYRIGHT PAGE
  3. CONTENTS
  4. PROLOGUE
  5. 1
  6. 2
  7. 3
  8. 4
  9. 5
  10. 6
  11. 7
  12. 8
  13. 9
  14. 10
  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. BOOK CLUB QUESTIONS
  64. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  65. ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Grace was about to get out of the car and head down to the seashore when she spotted a woman trundling up the street. She was dragging an old-fashioned shopping trolley behind her. Grace had assumed that only old ladies used those, but she supposed that if you didn’t have a car one would be very handy. With her other hand the woman held on to a small child wrapped up so well against the cold that Grace couldn’t work out if it was a girl or a boy. Grace smiled to herself. The child looked about the same height as Clio, although he/she wasn’t at school, so maybe was just tall for its age.

The woman approached the car and then turned into number 5, lifting the latch of the gate and shuffling down the path. Then she opened the door with a key from her bag and let herself in.

Charles hadn’t mentioned that Ray had a wife, or a child for that matter, but then it had been several years since the subject had come up at all; plenty of time for Ray to acquire some family for himself. This was good, Grace thought. Charles’s benevolence seemed to have helped Ray get himself back on the straight and narrow. Perhaps there were children’s paintings on the wall instead of bank blueprints?

So, what was this woman’s relationship to her, then? Grace wondered. If she was Ray’s wife, then they were married to half-brothers, so that made them sisters-in-law, after a fashion at least. Grace didn’t have a sister-in-law. Charles had no other siblings – not that he’d told her about, anyway, she thought wryly; and she had no brother, just her sister Charlotte. It would be nice, would it not, to have a sister-in-law to chat to, especially when they lived so close by? And if the child was Ray’s, then wouldn’t it be a cousin of sorts to Hector and Clio?

Before she knew what she was doing, Grace had got out of the car and was following the woman down the path.

34

34

GRACE – THEN

Grace rang the bell. Now that she was up close, she could see that the house wasn’t quite as well kept as it looked from the road. A thick layer of yellowing paint was curling away from the window frames and there were vertical splits in the panels of the door that must have let the chilly north wind penetrate.

A moment later the door opened and there stood the woman, still wrapped up against the cold. She was pretty, Grace thought, although there were dark half-moons under her eyes. She needed more sleep; having young children could do that to you, Grace knew. The woman’s face was round, with full cheeks and a little pointed nose. Her eyes were a warm grey. Grace couldn’t see much more of her due to the layers of clothing.