Trust Me - Sheryl Browne Page 0,93

but I couldn’t take that route either without Joyce finding out. I was trying to buy time, imagining I could replace the funds at some point. I’m not sure how. I’m not sure what I was thinking, to be honest. I’ve never done a dishonest thing in my life until now. This will kill her.’ He stopped, holding his breath, desperately trying to rein in the emotion.

‘God, Edward, I’m so sorry.’ Emily turned to him, wrapped an arm around him. ‘It will be all right. Joyce is stronger than you think. She will stand by you. She loves …’

Seeing someone approaching from the path, she trailed off. ‘Jake …’ she breathed, never so glad to see him. He would help. He would know what to say.

Wiping a hand across his eyes, Edward blinked in his direction. ‘Talk of the devil,’ he said with a strained laugh. ‘Looks like I managed to spoil the party, hey, Jake?’

‘It doesn’t matter,’ Emily told him firmly. ‘None of that matters.’ She glanced up at her husband. His eyes were anguished, filled with obvious concern.

‘How are you doing, Ed?’ he asked, crouching down in front of him.

‘I think I’ve done better,’ Edward said, his voice hoarse. ‘Where’s Joyce?’ He looked anxiously back along the path.

‘She’s okay. Tom and Nicky have taken her home,’ Jake reassured him, exchanging glances with Emily. ‘Come on, let’s get you back too. She’ll be worrying about you.’

‘She will.’ Alarm crossing his face, Edward attempted to lever himself up. ‘She does insist on fussing about me. I told her she would worry herself into an early …’ He faltered, swallowing hard. ‘I’ll be all right, Jake. You go on and see to your own family. I can walk from here.’

‘I’m taking you home.’ Jake reached to support him as Edward wobbled on his feet. ‘Can I take your car, Emily?’

‘There’s no need for all that,’ Edward insisted. ‘I can manage.’

‘That’s what friends are for,’ Emily said firmly, coming around to his other side to thread an arm through his. ‘To offer you support when you need it.’

Edward nodded appreciatively. ‘Just mind you support each other. It’s easier to dam a river than it is to stop gossip,’ he said, nodding towards the flowing water. Emily tried not to see the ghosts that floated there. ‘There’s a saying: divide and conquer. Whoever is sending these evil letters out is aiming to drive a wedge between you two, for whatever reason. Don’t let them. Stand together. You’re a team. You always have been. Don’t let them win.’

Thirty-Seven

Listening to Jake moving about downstairs, Emily rolled onto her side, her heart constricting as she reached out to trace the empty space in the bed where he should be. It was almost dawn. She hadn’t had a wink of sleep. She’d heard Jake going to the kitchen a couple of times in the early hours and guessed he hadn’t had much sleep either. They’d had broken nights over the years, many, but they’d rarely slept apart until recently. Edward had been right: they needed to stand together for the children, for the people they’d come to know and love around them. And for themselves, if there was still any hope for them, if the person who was doing all this hadn’t already won. Did she want to be with him, still not knowing for certain whether he had cheated on her, nothing but the email and his relationship with Sally, which he’d insisted was over years ago, to go on? Did he want to stay in this marriage? The endless questions rattled around in her head. She wondered whether he’d stayed here tonight rather than at the surgery, where she had to trust he’d been sleeping, because Millie hadn’t come home. They’d called her, only to reach her voicemail. Emily had checked with Anna, every terrifying scenario possible crashing through her mind when she’d found Millie wasn’t there.

‘She’s probably out with the boyfriend.’ Jake had tried to reassure her, but she’d seen the flicker of doubt in his eyes, the worry that was now obviously eating away at him too. She was torn between frustration and fear. Millie had done this too often lately, and she had no idea what to do. Attempting to ground her would only drive her further away. Jake had said he would try to talk to her. Emily had agreed, suspecting he might be able to reach her where she couldn’t.

Turning onto her back, she stared at the ceiling in the