The Widower's Lie by J A Baker

Author:J A Baker [Baker, J A]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Boldwood Books
Published: 2024-07-20T00:00:00+00:00

28

LAUREN

Oh God. I’ve done it now. I’ve opened my mouth and ruined everything. It’s just that I don’t know what else to do or say. The more I think about it, the more convinced I am that something is wrong in this house. I can’t put my finger on it and I have nothing to link Alice to what has taken place here.

Maybe I shouldn’t have blamed her. Or maybe it’s about time we started speaking the truth around this place. I knew he wouldn’t take it too well but didn’t expect him to storm out of the room. Dad isn’t by nature, a stormer. He endured a lot with Mum, tolerating more than many. Perhaps I’m not thinking straight. Perhaps this is the part when everything starts to unravel. Shame really. We were doing so well together, Dad and me, and now I’ve broken that spell. I’m going to have to work hard at getting that feeling back. I think maybe I should start with an apology. I’m going to wait until he’s calmed down and then I’ll grovel and scrape and tell him how sorry I am and just hope that he softens, sees it through clearer eyes. He’s fallen for her big style, and to be honest, I did too.

But then things started happening. Weird things. Unexplainable things. And I don’t like it. Not one little bit. It makes me jittery, out of sorts. I worry that she knows. We have so much buried in this house, so many secrets. Too much to lose should they ever emerge.

It occurred to me earlier, when I was thinking about all of this, after my grim find, that we don’t even know Alice’s last name. We know so little about her. That makes me uneasy. It certainly wasn’t the glazier who damaged the books. He didn’t leave the hallway or go anywhere else in the house. And as for Grandma – that’s a laughable idea. Besides, she hasn’t been round for a few weeks.

Which leaves only Alice. I didn’t and don’t want it to be her. She seems really nice. Genuine. I think. But appearances can be deceptive, can’t they? I mean, look at Mum and Dad. Look at me.

Still, we’ve lightened a lot in this house since meeting Alice and now with my accusations and suppositions, I’ve dragged us back to where we were before she made an appearance. A horrible thought grows within me. What if it was Dad who did the damage? I’ve read about people who get really angry after the death of their spouse. Maybe he did this and sort of lost control and has since blocked it out of his mind? Or even worse, what if it was me? Who knows what we are all capable of? The past year has turned everything on its head, pushed us to our limits. Exposed our weaknesses. And our strengths. Sometimes, we need to tear things down to build them back up again, better and stronger than they were before.

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