The Mother's Mistake by Heald Ruth

Author:Heald, Ruth [Heald, Ruth]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: thriller, Mystery, Suspense, Adult
ISBN: 9781786815323
Amazon: B07PRLJ32P
Goodreads: 44433233
Publisher: Bookouture
Published: 2019-06-06T07:00:00+00:00

* * *

By the time Emma arrives I have once again convinced myself that there must be some kind of reasonable explanation.

When I open the door she throws her arms around me and presents me with a box of chocolates and some flowers.

‘I’m so sorry,’ she says. ‘I thought we could share these.’ She hands me the chocolates. ‘And the flowers will brighten up the house. They smell nice too. I always like the scent of lilies. This type anyway. They really cheer me up.’

‘You know you shouldn’t have,’ I say, as she walks through the doorway. I suddenly feel embarrassed. What if I’ve made a fuss about nothing?

She looks at me, concerned. ‘You’re not allergic, are you?’

‘No, it’s not that. It’s just such a kind gesture, that’s all. Thank you.’

I take the lilies from her, run water into the sink and then cut off the bottom of the stalks. We have our own vase somewhere in a box waiting to be unpacked, but I settle for one of Pamela’s and arrange the flowers.

‘The room looks brighter already,’ Emma says. ‘Now, can I make you a cup of tea?’

I think I might prefer some neat whisky right now, but I know that’s not an option, so I nod. Emma pulls out some mugs as I switch on the kettle. She’s at the house so often that she doesn’t need to ask where anything is any more.

Emma pours the tea and carries it through to the living room.

‘So,’ she says, taking a sip. ‘What happened?’

I explain how I found the scarf.

‘Maybe there’s another explanation,’ I say, looking at her hopefully. I want her to say it can’t be true, that I’m missing something obvious.

But instead she sighs. ‘I need to tell you something, Claire. I should have told you weeks ago.’

‘What?’ I ask, my heart sinking.

‘I was browsing the shops in Oxford the other day and I saw Matt with Sarah. He was buying a bracelet. At first I thought it was for you and that maybe he was asking Sarah to help him choose. She was trying on the different bracelets, you see, and I thought that it was just to see how they looked on someone. I didn’t believe…’

‘He was buying it for her?’ I say incredulously. Matt knows we’re trying to save every penny we can so we can move out of Pamela’s house.

‘I didn’t want to believe that at the time. But it looked that way. He handed the package over to her at the end. I’m sorry, Claire. I really should have told you.’

‘Why didn’t you?’ I think of all the suspicions I’ve had about Matt and Sarah. If only she’d told me, that would have confirmed it.

‘I suppose I wanted to believe the best of him. When I saw him hand the bracelet to Sarah, I told myself it was probably a gift for her hard work. But I didn’t really believe that, if I’m honest with myself. I’m so sorry, I should have told you.

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