Christmas at Lilac Cottage - Holly Martin Page 0,100
been sleeping together. I agreed but knowing that I was never going to go and thought you might like to go in my place. You’ll be able to see that I’m not lying about this. Her being there should be all the proof you need.’
‘Henry, I don’t need any proof. I believe you. Sadly it’s not the first time this has happened. Although I’ve only heard rumours before and none of the men were actually brave enough to come and tell me about it. I don’t know if any of them slept with her to keep their jobs, I’d like to think they slept with her because they wanted to, not because they were forced to. Without any complaints or proof there was very little I could do to stop it other than talk to her but she always insisted she had never done anything wrong. I will go and see her now, and I will put a stop to this. You have my sincere apologies that this has happened but I assure you it will never happen again, to you or to anyone else. Please rest assured, both of you, that your jobs are safe, but I would ask that you please keep this to yourselves. The reputation of White Cliff Bay Furniture Company is a very good one and I would hate something like this to tarnish the company or get out into the local or national presses.’
Henry and Audrey nodded.
Edward said goodbye and Henry thanked Audrey for her honesty. He would have told Edward anyway, but it was easier having two of them corroborate the same story.
He walked back over to Penny, feeling like a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He should have told Edward the other day rather than dragging it out like this. It could have been over so much sooner.
Daisy was nowhere to be seen as he approached. Penny was watching him carefully.
‘Daisy has gone off to see an art exhibition in town with one of her new friends – apparently Jackson Cartwright has some paintings in the town hall so she wants to see it and then they are going for pizza afterwards. I hope you don’t mind, I said it was OK. I gave her some money and Rebecca’s mum said she would drop Daisy off later and…’
She trailed off as he suddenly wrapped himself around her, holding her close to him and not caring who saw.
It was over and now everything could get back to being perfect again with this incredible, patient, beautiful woman.
* * *
Penny tried to watch Henry talking to Edward outside the lounge window without letting Daisy notice how worried she was. They had come back from dropping off a couple of ice sculptures earlier and Edward had been waiting for them, awkwardly talking with Daisy who had also returned in their absence.
Daisy was sitting next to her now, giving Bernard all the attention in the world and she clearly had no idea what was going on other than Henry was talking to his boss. Edward had obviously been very diplomatic with whatever he had talked to her about.
Whatever was going on, they both looked very serious.
She watched Edward walk off and Henry wave him goodbye before he let himself back in through the front door. He didn’t say anything but the look he gave her was one of pure relief. It really was over, and by the looks of things his job was safe too. Henry hadn’t said a lot about what had happened after the Gingerbread House Race, or what Clara had said to him, just that he had told Edward everything and he would just have to wait and see what would happen next.
‘Let’s all go out for dinner tonight,’ Henry said, smiling hugely.
‘I’ve already had enough pizza to last me a lifetime,’ Daisy said. ‘You guys go out though.’ She waggled her eyebrows mischievously.
Penny blushed. Daisy seemed dead keen on them getting together, which was quite a leap from the conversation Penny had had with her the week before.
‘You should come out with us anyway,’ Penny said. ‘You can have dessert. Don’t stay here on your own on a Saturday night.’
‘I’m fine. X Factor is on in a bit and I said I’d Skype Melissa anyway and watch it with her. You go and enjoy yourselves.’
‘Just me and you then,’ Henry said, trying to keep the amusement off his face at his daughter’s meddling.