November Harlequin Presents 2(231)

‘Not what I wanted her to,’ Catherine said. ‘She pointed out that I’d changed—that since I’d gone back to work…’ Catherine let out a long sigh and suddenly it wasn’t her mother sitting on the bed but another woman, an older, wiser woman who maybe really did understand. ‘There was a guy in the office, we flirted a bit and I suppose it all went to my head. Suddenly I wasn’t just a wife and a mum, I was earning my own money, going out for drinks after work…’ She shook her head and Lily was glad, because she didn’t know if she’d ever have been able to ask her mother that question. ‘I didn’t have an affair, Lily, but I thought about it—and maybe in time, if I hadn’t found out about your father, it would have happened.

‘We worked it out, Lily. Both of us came to our senses and realised our mistakes, worked out together that we really did love each other.’

‘You forgave him?’

‘And he forgave me,’ Catherine said softly. ‘We had a rough patch, and, yes, it was hell at that time, but we were so, so much more than that, Lily. He was a wonderful husband, a great father…’ Lily could almost feel Hunter in the room, feel his arms around her, understood now that it wasn’t, nor ever had been her secret to keep or reveal or even attempt to understand. ‘Look,’ Catherine continued only this time Lily listened. ‘I don’t know what’s gone on…’ As the phone rang and Catherine went to answer it, Lily lay there, wishing it could be so, wishing that she and Hunter had some of the foundations of her parents’ marriage to build on in desperate times.

‘Lily.’ Catherine’s tentative voice broke into her thoughts and Lily’s heart soared with hope, only to be dashed as she heard her mother’s worried voice. ‘That was a reporter from one of the news channels.’

‘Just say I’m not here,’ Lily answered quickly. ‘Tell them you don’t know anything about the break-up.’ Frowning, she watched as her mother, instead of heading back out to the hall, came and sat down on the bed, her eyes widening as she took in her mother’s pale face, felt her mother’s hands wrap around hers, just as she had when she’d come into the room one morning and told her that her father had died.

‘They want to know if I’ve heard anything from you at the hospital.’

‘The hospital?’ She didn’t understand, could hear her voice coming from a long way off as her mind darted to Hunter, as tiny shards of recollection pieced together.

‘He was found collapsed this morning, that’s all I know.’





CHAPTER SEVENTEEN




‘HOW could you?’ Emma’s accusing face wasn’t the greeting Lily had been expecting as she was led into the emergency unit’s interview room. She’d expected a roomful of people, but instead it was Jim and Emma, huddled together and waiting for news as Lily breathlessly joined them ‘How could you have left him?’

‘Not now, Em.’ Jim wrapped an arm around Emma and gave his cousin a wan smile. ‘I’m sure she had her reasons.’

‘I didn’t know he was sick.’ Trembling, shaking, Lily sank into one of the chairs, watched her knees bob up and down as Emma gave an incredulous snort.

‘Abigail said that by the time she left him last night he was practically unconscious, that the only reason she left him was because you’d come home.’

‘That isn’t what happened.’ Lily’s teeth were chattering. She’d deal with Abigail later, deal with her in the fullness of time, but right now all she wanted to know about was Hunter, to find out what the hell had happened. ‘Where’s Hunter? How is he?’

‘What do you care?’ Emma sneered, and for the first time Lily realised with horror that somehow she knew. ‘I spoke to Hunter in briefly in Emergency—he told me the truth, so you can cut out the crocodile tears, you can stop pretending you care how he is. Oh, but, then again, you’ve got a huge vested interest in Hunter’s health—what a merry widow you’ll be!’

‘What’s wrong with him?’ Lily demanded, fear, absolute fear gripping her, and guilt, too, at her unwitting part in this, that she’d stood screaming like a banshee while he’d lain there ill.

‘They’re not sure. He’s having a brain scan. They’ve called in the best neurologist, so hopefully we’ll have some answers soon.’ Thankfully Jim broke the appalling stone wall she’d been thrown behind. ‘He’s been ill for a few weeks now, according to Abigail. He went to see a doctor yesterday after he came back from Singapore. He was booked in to have some tests on Monday.’