My Lies, Your Lies - Susan Lewis Page 0,128

to her.’

Joely nodded slowly, imagining how Martha must have felt when he’d told her that, and how she was probably feeling now. It was hard to believe that her best friend had created such a devious and desperate plan to try and steal her husband. She must surely have known it would never work, and yet on some level she’d clearly believed that it would. And indeed for a while it must have looked as though things were going her way.

‘So,’ he said softly, ‘do you think we can get through this?’

As her eyes went to his she felt her emotions shifting and falling into all the places they belonged, and yet some remained trapped in the cracks that had inevitably opened up between them. She thought of Freda and how so many betrayals followed by forgiveness had devastated her over and over again, but Callum wasn’t that sort of a man. In the end she said, ‘I don’t think we’d be sitting here talking like this if we weren’t ready to try, do you?’

He smiled and she sensed the relief going through him. Reaching a hand across the table for hers he entwined their fingers and said, ‘Is this the point where we ask if we can forgive one another for what we’ve done?’

She glanced down at their hands and back to his eyes. ‘I think we can both forgive,’ she said, ‘but I don’t think we’ll ever forget.’

He shook his head. ‘I don’t suppose we will, but maybe we can make that a good thing. It’ll remind us of where we could end up if we don’t talk to one another.’

Liking his answer she pulled on his hand and as he got up to come around to her side of the table she tried to stand too.

Helping her up, he held her against him and put his mouth very close to hers. ‘We can continue this tomorrow if you like, but right now I think I need to take you to bed.’

‘Yes,’ she replied softly, ‘you really do.’

CHAPTER THIRTY

It became clear over the following few days that no one was going to allow Freda to return to Dimmett House alone. Though she insisted she’d be fine and ordered everyone to stop fussing, Edward was having none of it, and nor was Jamie. Both nephews were ready to drive her, and probably both would have gone had Marianne not stepped in to inform them that she was going to do it. No one listened to Freda as she grumbled and objected, although it was plain to see how moved she was by so much determination to care for her. Eventually, it was decided that Jamie and Marianne would take her, and Edward would join them at the weekend, and when Freda finally agreed she had tears in her eyes.

‘I spoke to the darling wife earlier,’ Jamie told Joely and Callum when they dropped around to Marianne’s to wish everyone a bon voyage. ‘She’s going to bring the kids over on Friday so Freda can meet them, and we were thinking it would be a nice idea if you guys could make it down to Devon too.’

Joely and Callum exchanged glances. ‘Sure we can do that,’ Callum told him, his eyes still on Joely’s, showing his understanding that Dimmett House might not be a place she wanted to revisit any time soon. ‘We just have to check what Holly’s doing …’

‘She’s already said she’ll come,’ Freda informed them as she joined them at the car. ‘I’ve told her she can bring her boyfriend, Noel. Have you met him yet? A very nice lad, apart from his bizarre use of language. He says things are sick or bad when he means quite the opposite. Still at least Holly seems to understand him, and I suppose that’s what counts.’

Interested in this, Joely said, ‘When did you meet him?’

‘Oh, they’ve called in a couple of times since Sunday,’ Freda replied, popping her handbag onto the back seat of the car. ‘So it looks as though you’ve forgiven him,’ she commented to Joely as if Callum were no longer there and she was free to speak. ‘I’m not sure it’s a good idea; it never really worked for me, all that forgiveness. I should have told Doddoe years ago that I’d had enough. If I’d been a stronger woman I might have, and then he might still be alive.’ She pondered that for a moment, and said, ‘Yes, it’s only strong women who have