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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

By the time Grace started the engine to drive back to the Hall, she felt more in control of her emotions and she had a plan of sorts. She would simply bide her time and let the affair fizzle out, like her mother used to do. That was the best way to go about things. She would try to be more attentive to Charles, too – although the idea made her feel sick to her stomach – woo him away from Melissa and back to her. If she was honest, Grace knew she had inadvertently allowed her husband to float away since the birth of the children, edging his needs from the top of her own list of priorities little by little. Not that that was an excuse for what he had done in return, but it was something that she could remedy with a little effort. She would make him remember what they had built together, what he was gambling with by seeing Melissa. Maybe a few well-chosen stories about the rocky marriages of some of her friends might give him food for thought about his own?

This thing with Melissa was merely an aberration on Charles’s part, Grace felt sure – a moment of madness, no doubt fuelled by the element of risk. That was him all over. He’d be seeing himself as a character fresh from the pages of Le Carré or Forsyth and in his excitement at the danger of it all, he would have forgotten exactly what was in jeopardy here. Put in that context, Grace was sure that Charles would choose her over Melissa. She and Charles had a history, their lives stitched so tightly together that they couldn’t just be wrenched apart by one foolish mistake. And they had children, for God’s sake. Surely he couldn’t ignore that?

But first, maybe she’d spend a few days with her sister Charlotte. She could lick her wounds and gather the strength she needed to put her plan into action. She was going to have to be brave and strong, and she could not be either until she had had the chance to scream and rage.

Grace drove back to the Hall through the spring sunshine and by the time she arrived she felt calm. This was a crisis, but she would get through it with grace and dignity, just like her mother had done. All she had to do was keep a steady mind and not let her emotions get the better of her.

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