The Perfect Retreat Page 0,82

to Lucian, who ran to Merritt holding Custard and a piece of paper.

Willow walked straight past him with her head held high. Ignoring Kerr waiting in the hallway, she walked into her room, picked up her jewellery case and a file filled with documents. Taking a sleeping Jinty from the cot, she dragged Poppy out of bed by the hand and walked downstairs again.

Putting Jinty into the car seat, Merritt watched her. ‘What are you doing?’ he asked her.

‘You told me to go and we’re going,’ she said.

Poppy climbed into the car and Willow took Lucian by the hand and put him in the car beside her. Kerr walked out. ‘Just a minute Willow, we need to talk,’ he said, looking serious and folding his hands across his chest.

Willow looked at him. ‘We’ve nothing to say to each other. You want to talk to me, then go through my lawyer,’ she said, and she got into the car.

‘You remember, we talk or I spill the secret, Willow,’ said Kerr, his head turned to the side as though giving her a warning.

‘Oh fuck off, I don’t care any more,’ said Willow wearily.

She looked at Merritt and Lucy. ‘You want to know my big secret?’ she asked. They stood silent, unsure what to answer.

Willow started to laugh. ‘You know my Oscar? You know how it was presented by Roger Wood? The oldest man in show business – he died soon after, you know? Well guess what? I didn’t fucking win. It was a mistake. He read out my name as a nominee, not the actual winner.’

Willow started to laugh and laugh, as though relieved to finally have the monkey off her back.

Lucy’s jaw dropped open. Merritt stood in shock.

‘So there, Kerr, I have done it. I have told the big secret. I was contracted to secrecy by the Academy and only Kerr, me and Roger know – but he’s dead now so no worries there,’ she said to Merritt and Lucy.

‘I am a terrible actress, a terrible mother, a terrible wife, and now, it seems, a terrible lover. Lucy, you would do best to be rid of me. I’m a hoax,’ she said, laughing and crying at the same time.

‘Do you want to take George?’ Merritt asked, holding out the puppy.

‘What, and fuck him up as well?’ she asked, and she looked at Merritt and stopped laughing. ‘And I fucked it up with you, and I really love you. I was horrible to Kitty. And you want to know something?’

Merritt nodded, his own eyes welling with tears.

‘Lucian knew he belonged here, because he knew how to write down some letters at the police station,’ she cried.

‘He wrote Middlemist?’ asked Kerr, astounded.

‘No,’ said Willow as she got into the car. ‘He wrote Merritt’s name. He missed one “r” and one “t” and they thought he wanted a certificate of merit. So they printed him one out.’

And she wound up the window and sped off down the driveway with a spray of gravel flying into Merritt and Kerr’s faces.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

Kitty sat despairingly on the bed where she and Ivo had spent the afternoon in bliss.

‘Why did you tell them?’ she asked for the thirteenth time.

‘Because I had to stand up for you,’ he explained patiently.

‘I didn’t want anyone to know,’ she cried again, shaking off his arm when he tried to comfort her. ‘Now everyone knows that I’m stupid.’

‘Nobody thinks you’re stupid; just that you can’t read yet.’

‘I won’t ever be able to read,’ she said, and she stood up defiantly. ‘And you know what?’

‘What?’ he asked, her swollen eyes and pale face breaking his heart.

‘It doesn’t matter. I’ll be a cleaner or something,’ she said.

‘How will you read the instructions on the bottles?’ he asked gently.

‘Then I’ll be a chef.’

‘How will you read the recipes?’ He looked at her little face and wanted to kiss her, but he knew she would push him away.

‘I’ll find something to do, something that doesn’t require fucking reading,’ she said, and she walked to the door.

‘Where are you going?’ he asked.

‘Back to Middlemist,’ she said, nervous at facing Willow – that was, if she was still there. She had heard the way Merritt had told her to leave, and it broke her heart.

‘What’s there? I’m here,’ he said, suddenly fearful.

Kitty looked him in the eye and set her small shoulders. ‘I know you thought you were doing the right thing, but I can’t forgive you for telling everyone, including that awful Eliza, the most gossipy person in