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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

‘Erm,’ I managed. ‘If you like.’ My hand flew to my wayward hair and I suddenly wished that I’d made a bit more effort with my make-up. ‘What do I have to do?’

‘Nothing!’ he said with a look that made me feel less anxious. ‘You just sit and chat like normal and I’ll just move my pencil a bit. You’ll barely notice that I’m doing anything.’

He was right. I told him about various stupid little things that had happened since I’d seen him last, and he chatted easily about the people who had visited the Hall, walked on his lawns, frightened the peacocks. And all the time his pencil flew across the paper in light strokes as his eyes switched between my face and the page. After a couple of minutes, he turned his sketchbook round so I could see what he’d done. Even though the image was simple, just a few lines and some shading, it was unmistakably me.

‘Wow!’ I said, genuinely impressed. ‘You’re really good.’

He shrugged. ‘I dabble.’

‘Can I keep it?’ I asked, the words out of my mouth before I’d really thought about them.

‘If you like,’ he said, tearing the page along the perforated edge of the book and handing it to me. ‘It’s nothing special, though. I hope I’ll get to do a proper portrait of you one day.’

He looked up at me through his eyelashes and what should have been an extremely corny moment was actually quite touching.

‘I’d like that,’ I mumbled, like a teenager.

We were there to give Clio some support, I remembered suddenly, so I pulled my attention from Marlon and on to her. The bar was busier than she’d anticipated and she didn’t really have any chance to chat, but I lifted the sketch up to show her and she nodded her approval.

‘Isn’t he talented?’ she called over, and I had to agree.

The evening passed easily, any worries that I might have had about it being awkward just melting away. Marlon seemed relaxed in my company, and that made me relax, too. And despite all the things that should have made him not that attractive, I could feel myself falling for him just a little bit more.

And then Stacey Waters walked in.

44

44

LEAH – NOW

It was nearly twenty years since me and Stacey had been in the same class, but when I saw her walk into the bar something tightened in my stomach. It wasn’t fear, exactly; I wasn’t scared of her. She’d never hit me. Her bullying at school had been of the more pernicious kind, designed to get under your skin and hurt you from the inside out.