The Secret Art of Forgiveness by Louisa George

Author:Louisa George
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Published: 2016-12-15T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nine

Emily felt as if she was back at school and facing detention. She shuffled out into the corridor and took Tamara and Tilda with her, not wanting the others to witness the dressing down that was inevitable. Tam excelled at that, at making Emily feel as if she wasn’t good enough, that everything she did was wrong. ‘Nice to see you, but you didn’t have to come back early on my account.’

‘We wanted to have a conversation with you about the next steps for Daddy… er, Judge Evans… whatever you call him these days… before you go. There are things we need to decide and we have to include you, the lawyer says, as you’re still in the will and still get to have a say. Apparently.’ There were two lines between Tamara’s eyes that were ridged and deep. Tam clearly frowned a lot. She was dressed all in black – coat, trousers, sweater, shoes – as if she’d been at a funeral and not on holiday for a week in Paris. Her hair was dyed a deep brown, darker than Emily remembered it, and she looked a lot older than forty.

In contrast, Matilda was wearing a floaty orange silk skirt, knee-length brown-suede boots and a cream jacket. A multicoloured scarf hung from her neck. Always the more chic sister. Older than Emily by eight years and relentlessly bossed around by her elder sister, Emily had always hoped there could be some filial connection between them that wasn’t a battleground. Unfortunately, judging by her equally frowning stare, there couldn’t.

There were no hugs hello, no air kisses or handshakes, just the standard disapproval that Emily had come to accept as her sisters’ reaction to her.

She looked back into the kitchen and watched as Tom pulled a rug over The Judge’s knees, fussing around him and making sure he was comfortable. So rare to see that kind of compassion in someone so young. I must tell him that.

She reminded herself that what they’d been doing was a good thing. In fact, it was immeasurable in terms of healing the rift between them, in creating new memories… and even if The Judge wouldn’t be able to recall any of this tomorrow, she could tell him about the impromptu cocktail party and watch his face light up as he lived it anew. She remembered how he’d recognised her and felt a warm glow thaw the ice she was getting from her stepsister.

And right then she decided something. ‘It’s okay, you can call him Daddy in front of me. I might just do so from now on, too.’

The look on Tam’s face was priceless confusion and shock. ‘Oh. I see. Call him what you want, you always have, it’s your relationship. I should probably go and check on him.’

Emily stood in her way, unwilling to let her upset spill over onto her friends and The Judge and sully all the fun they’d just been having. And not wanting them to see the haircut they hadn’t got around to fixing.

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