his papers, picks up his jacket and leaves the room. The door swings shut and Amber gulps in air, as if she’s been holding her breath under water. Seth and Terri working together – could it be possible? Did they take Mabel because they wanted a baby, or was it to get revenge on her? She can’t imagine Seth doing either, but the last week has proved that anything is possible: Mabel abducted, Lewis in hospital at death’s door, George in prison on remand for attempted murder. Once he finds out that Seth is behind this – if he is – he’ll be even more enraged. He never liked Seth, never trusted him. She used to think it was jealousy and narrow-mindedness, but now she wonders … Was there something she missed?
Amber folds in on herself. How did she get everything so horribly wrong?
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Day Nine with Mabel
I raise my glass of champagne and we clink. ‘Here’s to the three of us,’ I say.
Seth’s eyes twinkle at me as he echoes the toast. He parades around the room, glass in hand, sipping as he surveys the scene. ‘Yes, it’s just as I remembered it,’ he says. ‘Very chintzy.’
‘Good old Dolly, she loved her braids and fringes,’ I agree, fingering the tassel on one of her tapestry cushions. ‘I’ll rip it all out eventually, open it up, bring some light into the space.’
‘I thought you were going to sell and put the money towards a place in London?’
‘Probate hasn’t gone through yet, there’s some delay over Dolly’s tax liabilities. But I’ve got the keys, so …’
‘Possession is nine tenths of the law,’ he finishes, crouching down at Mabel’s side. ‘Isn’t that right, lovely?’
She’s sitting in her bouncy chair, behaving herself for once. Ever since he arrived, she’s smiled and cooed, her eyes following him around the room, enchanted. Strange how human beings can detect genetic connections. It’s as if she knows him on an instinctive level. I can’t explain their mutual attraction, but I don’t care. It’s a relief that she’s not whining and pulling grumpy faces at me. Daddy can take over for a bit and give me a much-needed rest.
He sits on the floor and rests his glass on the patterned carpet. ‘How are you doing, little one?’ He takes her chubby hand, opening her fist and tracing a circle on her palm with his forefinger. ‘Walkie round the garden, like a teddy bear …’ Mabel stares solemnly as the finger crawls up her arm. ‘One step, two step – tickle you under there!’ She bursts into delighted giggles.
Huh, I think, trying not to feel jealous. She never laughs for me.
I take a seat on the sofa and watch them entertaining each other as the bubbles of champagne fizz through my body. Seth is looking good: trimmer, fitter, sexier. The new beard – close-cut, not too shaggy – adds warmth to his sharp, chiselled features. ‘I can’t believe you’re actually here,’ I say yet again.
He looks up. ‘Well I am! Believe it.’
‘I know it sounds melodramatic, but it’s like a dream come true.’
He blows me a kiss. ‘Sorry it took so long. I really wanted to get in touch, to check that my hunch was right and you were here waiting for me. It was so hard being patient. But I had to make sure neither of us was a suspect. The last thing I wanted was to lead the police here by mistake.’
‘No, I understand … I wanted to get in touch with you too, but I didn’t dare take the risk. It was agonising, not knowing whether you’d come. I hoped that one day in the future you’d turn up and we’d all be together, but it was a fantasy really. I even told the neighbours that my husband was due home next weekend – how weird is that? I must be a witch!’ I laugh. ‘Come and sit,’ I say, patting the cushion next to me. ‘I want to know how you worked it all out.’
He stands up and stretches his legs, then lopes over and joins me on the sofa. My body shudders with pleasure as he puts his arm around my shoulders. I lay my head on his chest and sigh. ‘I’ve missed you so much.’
‘Me too,’ he murmurs, kissing the top of my head. ‘It’s been a long time, Terri.’
‘I always believed you’d come back to me,’ I say. ‘Even when you didn’t get in touch after we split up to ask how