Forgive Me: the gripping new emotional novel from the Sunday Times bestselling author by Susan Lewis

Author:Susan Lewis [Lewis, Susan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780008286880
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Published: 2020-11-11T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

Andee stopped as she reached the police tape that surrounded the coach house, her padded coat and scarf helping to keep out the cold. At least it wasn’t raining, although the ground was awash with puddles created the night before by the firemen’s hoses.

In spite of being familiar with many of the forensic team hard at work at the scene, she knew better than to breach the tape, or even to try and talk her way in. They had a job to do and she wasn’t here to disturb them, or to press them for information. She’d come simply to gauge for herself, in the cold light of day and now that the fire engines and their crews had departed, just how much damage the blaze had caused. Until she went inside it wouldn’t be possible to assess the full extent, but from where she was standing it was obvious that the central part of the house, kitchen-diner and sitting room, had taken the brunt of the attack. Her heart ached as she thought of how lovingly Claudia had put it all together, the exquisitely restored cornices and windows, the hand-crafted units, quirky patchwork sofas, splendid refectory table and colourful mismatched chairs … All the care and pride she’d put into it gone in one random act of violence, or revenge, or whatever it had been.

Andee could see that what Gould had told her on the phone was correct: both bedroom wings appeared unscathed and the tower too was standing tall, apart from the scorch marks marring the limestone façade like forked tongues flickering around it. All six of the arched windows had been lost, glass shattered, metal frames buckled and burnt, but the stonework around them, blackened as it was, seemed solid. She couldn’t see the back of the place from here, but she imagined – at least hoped – that the damage might be slightly less severe, given the fire had been started at the front.

The important thing was that the house could be saved. There was no doubt in her mind about that. If the will was there, and it surely was – or would be once the initial horror had passed – she saw no reason why it wouldn’t be possible to recreate what had been destroyed and turn it back into a beloved home again.

Claudia would want to know that. Maybe not today, but at some point soon.

Checking her mobile as it rang, she clicked on right away. ‘Hi Dan, are you at the hospital?’

‘Yes. Henry and I have just spoken to Claudia, but I’m afraid it didn’t go well. She’s furious that we knew who she was and never told her.’

With a sigh, Andee said, ‘I don’t suppose we can blame her for that, but she’s still in shock. We need to give her some time to understand that there was nothing malicious on our part in keeping it from her. What’s bothering me more, right now, is that I didn’t tell her about this Miles Montgomery character right away.

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