The Wife's Promise by Kate Hewitt

Author:Kate Hewitt [Hewitt, Kate]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781803148403
Published: 2022-11-16T22:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 18

JANE

Jane wandered through the churchyard, the chilly November wind seeming to cut right through her. In just under a week she was meant to leave for New York, and she still hadn’t told Andrew yet.

She was being ridiculous, she knew, to keep it from him. The longer she waited, the more difficult the conversation would become. And yet Andrew’s absolute silence on the matter disconcerted her; he hadn’t asked about her plans, or the telephone conversation she’d taken from Claudia a few nights ago, or what the childcare arrangements would be. His silence, Jane realised, felt accusatory; it was as if he were deliberately trying to make this difficult for her.

And it was difficult. She felt selfish for wanting to go, and then angry that she did, and then guilty that she was angry. It was a vicious, never-ending cycle of churning emotions. Sighing, she dug her hands deeper into the pockets of her waxed jacket, her head lowered against the wind. She’d learned through her wanderings that the churchyard had a back gate that led to a footpath that went to the beach, and she’d taken to walking it in the morning, after she’d cleared the breakfast things and put a load of washing in.

Her life, Jane thought, most certainly not for the first time, had become almost unbearably mundane. Laundry, dishes, making beds, taking a walk. She still hadn’t done any of the painting or decorating that would surely make the vicarage feel more like a home. She’d lugged some paint tins into the dining room, which tended to be the warmest room in the house, but that was as far as she’d got.

If she indulged in a little amateur psychoanalysis, Jane knew she’d say she wasn’t doing any decorating because she didn’t want to make the vicarage a home. The less she did, the easier it would be to leave it all.

An absurd notion, Jane acknowledged with a sigh. Moving back to New York was virtually impossible. Even as she fantasised about it, she knew she couldn’t uproot the children again. And as for Andrew… returning to the city was the last thing he wanted.

But what about me? What am I supposed to do?

Resolutely she pushed away those plaintive questions. In six days she’d be in New York, staying with Claudia and helping with the Women For Change fundraiser. Doing what she loved and did best.

And when you return?

Another thought to push away.

She rounded the corner of the churchyard and headed for the gate next to the funny little cottage she’d seen early on in her explorations. It had always looked abandoned, lonely and unloved, so she came to a sudden, shocked halt when the door opened and a man stepped out, squinting in the weak sunshine that filtered through the clouds.

“Good morning.” He smiled wryly, accepting her surprise at his presence, and Jane found her voice.

“Good morning. I didn’t know anyone lived here. It’s looked abandoned for months.”

“We just moved in. I’m renting it, for a while at least.

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