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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

From the tone of his voice it was obvious that he was addressing Noah, so I relaxed a bit. Noah would have this covered.

‘No,’ said Noah, shuffling forward in his seat as far as the seatbelt would let him. ‘What is it?’

‘Wave jumping,’ said Marlon. ‘It’s the best!’

The conversation continued, becoming increasingly animated as Marlon and Noah’s enthusiasm for all things seaside grew. I sat and watched the countryside roll by. On one roundabout I noticed a brown road sign: ‘Hartsford Hall 1 Mile’. Bloody hell. They even had their own road signs! Then Marlon was turning the car between two huge stone gateposts. A wooden sign announced us welcome and gave a list of opening times for the house and gardens. My God, it really was a stately home.

We continued along the drive, forking right as the main route forked left. The road cut through a huge expanse of grass, punctuated from time to time by enormous trees. Were they oaks? I had no idea, but it felt like they should be in such a grand setting. We dropped down from the brow of a slight hill and then there was the house. Well, it was more of a mansion. I had never seen anything like it and looking at it now made me feel slightly sick.

Then I had a bit of a rethink. I must have got the wrong end of the stick. Clio probably lived in one of the houses in the grounds. There were always loads of them at places like this, weren’t there? Convincing myself that this was right and so feeling slightly less panicky, I looked at the house again. It was incredibly grand, built in pale, peach-coloured bricks over three floors. With its tall chimneys and triangular gables it looked a lot like a giant dolls’ house. It made me think of The Great Gatsby that we’d read at school. Ivy crept up the walls, reaching higher than the ground-floor windows, which were massive. In fact, the windows were more like doors. To either side of the main house there was a lower part, just two storeys high. I supposed they must be the ‘wings’ that Clio had talked about.

My stomach clenched again. There was no getting away from it. Clio lived in this incredible place. What the hell was I doing here? Talk about a fish out of water. I tried to slow my heart down by breathing steadily through my open mouth. I’d got this. I was an invited guest, I got on well with Clio, so where she lived was totally immaterial – well, almost.

‘Mummy! Mummy! Look!’

I snapped out of my panic. Noah was bouncing up and down in his seat. I followed his pointing finger. There were peacocks on the lawn. Actual peacocks. Oh my God. What had I got us into?

12

12

LEAH – NOW