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“So that’s what you’re telling yourself, is it? That’s the out you’ve given yourself, that being here is making things worse? Jesus Christ, it’s making me sick just to look at you. You’re a liar, a cheat, a spineless bastard, and a bloody con man into the bargain. How could we have been taken in by you? What fools you’ve made of us all.”

It was at this point that Jenna had come out to drag her sister inside. “He’s right,” she’d said, “it’s not helping to have him here, so let him go.” She’d closed the door then without a single glance in his direction. Though it had hurt her badly to do it, she’d wanted him to feel shut out, unwelcome, an outsider who’d never belong here again. She wondered if it had worked, how wretched he’d felt during his drive to his new home, if it had all melted away the instant he’d seen Martha, or if he was awake even now, tortured by guilt and fearing that he’d made the wrong decision.

“Thanks,” she sighed as Kay brought a tray of snacks into the dining room. She really didn’t want any food, and wasn’t sure she could stomach the wine either, but she probably ought to try something. “Is Paige still awake?” she asked.

“Her light wasn’t on when I checked just now,” Hanna answered, pouring the wine.

Jenna looked at the cheesy biscuits her mother was offering. Taking one, she put it on the plate in front of her and sipped the wine. “She’s probably got the right idea, locking herself away,” she commented. “It’s too hard trying to deal with something like this, so probably best to pretend it isn’t happening.”

“She’ll have a different way of dealing with it than the others,” Hanna decided, “but we should keep an eye on her, because internalizing problems is never a good thing.”

Jenna didn’t disagree, though right now she had neither the energy nor the inclination to go and check on Paige. It would have to wait. Jack would still be gone tomorrow and the next day and the day after that…“How long are you staying?” she asked Hanna.

“I can be here till next Wednesday,” Hanna replied, “at which point I have to be in London to prep for a presentation on Friday.”

“But you’ll come to the lawyer’s with me?”

“Of course.”

Jenna’s eyes went to her mother. As usual, Kay’s expression was showing little, but Jenna knew that she was finding this as hard as the rest of them. Maybe for someone like Kay, who couldn’t let her emotions go, it was even harder. “Are you all right?” she asked softly.

“Yes, I’m fine,” Kay responded. “You need to eat.”

Knowing it would mean a lot to her mother if she made the effort, she picked up the biscuit and bit into it. Chewing and swallowing felt strange, like old skills she couldn’t quite remember how to use. She realized it was probably tiredness playing tricks on her mind, but everything was starting to feel strange, as though this house were no longer hers, nor the children, not even her life. For bewildering moments she felt as though she was watching herself from a distance, wondering what she might do next, if she was going to hear what was being said or be able to carry out what was expected of her.

“…or shall I?” her mother asked.

Jenna looked at her in confusion.

“The phone’s ringing,” Kay told her. “Would you like me to go?”

“I will,” Hanna declared. Getting to her feet, she went into the kitchen. As she answered she turned to look at Jenna. “Yes, Jack, we’re still awake,” she said. “What can I do for you?”

Jenna shook her head.

“Well, I’m afraid she doesn’t want to speak to you….No, I won’t try to persuade her….Yes, fortunately the children are asleep at last. It’s been a difficult evening all round, but please don’t let it bother you. We’d hate for anything to get in the way of your fun….I have no idea why Paige isn’t answering her mobile, but I’m guessing it’s because she doesn’t want to speak to you either….Actually, Jack, no one’s talked to Paige about your desertion….Oh, what would you rather I call it? I could try betrayal, adultery, duplicity…I see. Well, do let me know when you’ve come up with something honest and repeatable that we can use to describe your—” Sighing and holding the phone from her ear, she allowed him to rant for a while before saying, “Jack, if you’re not happy with the way things are, and you certainly don’t sound it to me, then it’s up to you to do something about it….No, I will not pass you to Jenna….Yes, she’s sitting right here, she can hear every word I’m saying, and she’s perfectly sure she doesn’t want to speak to you….I’ve no idea if she’ll have changed her mind by tomorrow. Where do you want to take the children?…OK, I’ll discuss it with Jenna and let you know. Goodbye, and please don’t ring again tonight.”

Watching her sister coming back into the dining room, Jenna could feel herself shrinking from the awful truth of where she was, the nightmare that shouldn’t have been real but was, the changes already taking place in her life that she couldn’t stop.

“He wants to take the children out for the day tomorrow,” Hanna told her. “He didn’t say where, but at least it shows he’s not trying to cut himself off.”

“Maybe it would be easier if he did,” Jenna replied, thinking of how it would be when he brought them back.

“He should come here if he wants to see them,” Kay stated. “They won’t want to be separated from you.”

“But maybe she could do with some time on her own,” Hanna suggested.

“Then I’ll take them out.”

Hanna looked at Jenna. “Why don’t you decide in the morning?” she said gently.

Jenna nodded and looked down at her glass. After a while she spoke quietly, almost to herself. “He’s never coming back. He can’t now, even if he wanted to.”

“Why do you say that?” her mother asked.

“Because what we had, what we shared, it’s just not possible for us to get it back. He’s ruined it.”

“Things can be rebuilt, if it’s what you want to happen,” Hanna pointed out.

Jenna shook her head and looked up. To her surprise Paige was standing in the doorway. “Are you all right?” she asked softly.

Hanna and Kay turned around as Paige shrugged. “I wanted a drink,” she said.

“Let me,” Hanna offered, getting up.

Paige was still looking at her mother.

“Why don’t you come and sit with us?” Jenna suggested.

Paige shrugged dismissively.

Not knowing what else to say, Jenna let her eyes drift away.

“I’ll make you a fresh hot-water bottle,” Kay decided, starting into the kitchen.

“Mum?”

Jenna looked at Paige again.

For a long time Paige simply stared back, looking as though she wanted to say something, until, taking the lemonade Hanna passed her, she turned around and went back upstairs.

“What was that about?” Hanna wondered.

“I’m not sure,” Jenna replied, “but you’re right, we do need to keep an eye on her, because she’s obviously taking this hard, and the one thing we know for certain is that it’s going to get a lot harder yet.”

“Thanks very much for seeing us at such short notice,” Hanna was saying to the lawyer as he showed them into his office. “We realize how busy you are, so we do appreciate you squeezing us in.”

“It’s no problem, really,” he insisted, directing her and Jenna to a plush cream leather sofa while he took one of the matching armchairs opposite. “Bena explained, when she rang, that it was urgent.”

“She also told you what it was about?” Hanna prompted.

As the lawyer nodded he glanced at Jenna. His name was Richard Pryce, she kept reminding herself, senior partner of Denwell Pryce and Associates. He was younger than she’d expected, mid-forties maybe, certainly not the grandfatherly figure her imagination had for some reason conjured. In fact, he was quite a good-looking man in an understated, rather elegant sort of way, with thick, graying hair and astute blue eyes. His smile, though naturally polite, seemed genuine and relaxed, his demeanor that of a man both confident and in control. Though she sensed he was someone to be trusted, she felt loath to trust anyone at the moment, least of all herself.

“Will you have some coffee?” he offered, gesturing toward the pot on the table. “Or we can manage tea if you prefer.”

Jenna cleared her throat. “Coffee’s fine, thank you,” she replied. She was suddenly embarrassed about being here. Though she’d done nothing wrong herself, she still felt responsible, foolish, and afraid that this man was never going to believe that she truly hadn’t known what was going on in the company she part-owned. If he accepted this fact, he’d presumably consider her very stupid indeed, or at best naive.

After pouring three coffees Richard Pryce sat back in his chair and crossed one long leg over the other. “I’ve received your emails and attachments,” he told them, “so I’ve had a quick look through, but it would be helpful to hear what you’re thinking.”

Immediately taking the lead, Hanna began explaining the initial premise of the company, how it had been agreed that Jack would run the business side of things—marketing, publicity, sales, et cetera—while Jenna concentrated solely on the creative content, as well as running a home, organizing four children, and attempting to write a book of her own.

As she listened, Jenna watched Richard Pryce taking everything in, his face inscrutable. She couldn’t stop wondering what Jack would do if he knew she was here. As far as she was aware he still had no idea that she’d found out about the payments he’d extracted from the writers; he certainly hadn’t broached the subject during the disastrous occasions he’d visited over the weekend. She couldn’t think about those ugly scenes now, as it would do no good, especially when she was dangerously close to the edge already.

Obviously, with the children around and so much else to sort out, it hadn’t been the right time to discuss business, but maybe she should have called him this morning and given him the chance to explain before coming here to seek legal advice. Not that she was feeling any loyalty toward him; why would she after he’d torn their family apart and cheated innocent people out of their precious savings? She was still finding it hard to accept that he’d do something so dishonest, even cruel. Even if he had, did she want the father of her children to face prosecution, particularly when it could very easily take her down too?

What the hell would happen to the children if both their parents ended up in prison?

Suddenly panicked by how little thought she’d given to this, how she’d allowed bitterness and anger to rush her to a course of action she was very likely going to regret, she quickly tried to think of a way to pull back. But how could she when the lawyer had already seen the outline Kay had prepared, had probably already formed an opinion on whether a criminal act had taken place? What could she possibly say that wasn’t going to make her look guilty or ridiculous?

As Hanna stopped speaking, Richard Pryce’s watchful blue eyes moved to Jenna. “Is there anything you’d like to add?” he invited.

“Uh, well, I…Perhaps we’re being a bit hasty,” she managed, and tried to ignore the way Hanna’s head spun round to look at her. “We haven’t actually discussed anything with my husband yet,” she went on. “It could be there’s a perfectly good explanation for why he suddenly started to charge our clients for their submissions.”

“And what exactly do you think that reason could be?” Hanna demanded. “More to the point, why didn’t he tell you, and where’s the money now?”

Jenna looked awkwardly at Richard Pryce. “I know it doesn’t look good,” she admitted, “but I’m afraid that if he has committed a crime, I’ll be implicated in some way.”

Nodding his understanding, the lawyer put his cup back on the table and kept his eyes on hers as he said, “It’s clear that funds have come into the company that were subsequently transferred to your husband’s personal account. What we need to find out, from him, is where the money is now and what he intends to do with it. If he has a legitimate, workable plan for your clients, then there should be nothing to worry about. However, the fact that he has removed the money from the company, ostensibly for his personal use, does give cause for concern.”

Hearing it put like that, Jenna realized she really did need his advice. “So what do you suggest we do?” she asked.

“The choice is yours. You can either confront your husband with what you know and ask for an explanation, or, if you prefer, I can do it for you.”

Without hesitation Hanna said, “I think it should come from you.”

Richard was looking at Jenna, but she couldn’t think clearly enough to make a decision.

“He needs to understand,” Hanna pressed on, “that we aren’t going to sit back and let him get away with whatever he’s planning.”

“Do you have any idea, Mrs. Moore, what your husband might be intending to do with the money?”

Jenna started to speak but stopped. Had Bena told him that Jack had left her for another woman? If she hadn’t and Jenna admitted it now, he might be even less inclined to believe in her innocence and think this was all about revenge.

Having no such qualms, Hanna said, “My brother-in-law recently walked out on Jenna and the children to go and live with another woman. This woman is, I believe, relevant to our case, because she’s been advising him on setting up the business. My guess is he’s using the money to set up a home with her.”