The Liar's Daughter: An absolutely gripping psychological thriller with a jaw-dropping twist by Rona Halsall

Author:Rona Halsall [Halsall, Rona]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781800192836
Publisher: Bookouture
Published: 2021-04-25T18:30:00+00:00

When Nancy had been on the farm for six weeks and was feeling quite exhausted during the throes of lambing, her resolve started to waver. Instead of focusing on all the negatives up to and after her mum’s death, she yearned for the hugs her dad would give her when she was upset. His silly jokes. The way he smiled at her and ruffled her hair. The smell of him. She found herself waking up with her face wet with tears.

She was desperate to speak to him and was pretty sure there was a phone in Judy’s room, but she kept the door locked so there was no way Nancy could sneak in and call him without first asking permission. Now she thought about it, she’d never heard the phone ring, so wasn’t certain it was even connected.

If the phone wasn’t working she’d have to find a phone box, and God knows where the nearest one of those would be. She hadn’t ventured outside the farm in the weeks she’d been there and hadn’t a clue about the geography of the place. It would be so easy to get lost in these winding lanes; her sense of direction wasn’t great at the best of times. Wherever she was going to ring her dad from, she’d need Judy’s help.

At breakfast, she worked up the courage to admit she was homesick.

‘I think I should ring Dad and tell him I’m okay.’ The tightness in her throat made it hard to speak, her voice thick with emotion at the thought of hearing his voice. ‘Look, Judy, I think it’s time I went home. I’ve made him suffer enough and I feel bad now and just want to get back to how we were. I’m sure he’d come and get me.’

Judy froze, her knife hovering over the margarine tub for a second before she carried on with rapid movements, scraping the spread onto her toast. Tension filled the air, the silence punctuated by the rasping of the knife.

Nancy bit her lip, afraid that she’d caused offence. Judy could be a little scary when she went quiet like this, then her temper would flare like a lit match. But she fizzled out just as quickly and was always apologetic afterwards. Anyway, on the few occasions it had happened, Nancy didn’t blame her, knowing she’d deserved a telling-off for being stupid, not understanding instructions and causing unnecessary work.

‘Thank you so much for giving me somewhere to stay,’ she gushed, eager to defuse the situation. ‘Honestly, I really am grateful.’

Judy gazed at her then, blinking, her chin trembling. ‘You want to leave me in the middle of lambing? The busiest time of the year?’ Her voice cracked. ‘Is that what you’re saying?’

Nancy was appalled. She’d expected a burst of anger but not tears. Her heart clenched. She wanted to say yes. With all her heart, she wanted that word to come out of her mouth. ‘No, no, that’s not what I meant,’ she said instead. ‘I… um…’ She sighed, and looked at her toast, wishing it was something else.

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