A French Affair Read Online Free PDF Page B

Besides, itwouldn’t be fair to Felicity. She’s done a fantastic job stepping into my shoes. It’d make her uncomfortable to have me around and she doesn’t deserve that.’
    Charlie took a deep breath, and bringing the wine back to the table he refilled both their glasses. ‘There are other options,’ he reminded her, sitting down again. ‘I know the radio show’s off the air until October, but there are still reviews you can write . . .’
    â€˜I don’t need you to tell me what my options are,’ she snapped. ‘I just thought the news would work, since Melissa offered . . . Anyway, I clearly thought wrong, so let’s forget it.’
    â€˜I can have a word with her,’ he said. ‘If that’s what you want.’
    â€˜Oh, for heaven’s sake, I don’t want a job because you forced someone to hire me.’
    Sighing, he sat back in his chair and stared at her in something close to helplessness. After a while he said, ‘Am I allowed to change the subject?’
    â€˜Of course,’ she replied, more stiffly than she’d intended.
    â€˜Actually, I’m not sure this is going to do much to improve your mood, but I had a call today from someone called Rufus Keane.’
    She looked at him blankly. ‘Am I supposed to know him?’
    â€˜Not necessarily, though it’s you he’s trying to get hold of. Apparently he’s a friend of your mother’s. He wanted to know if we’ve heard from her lately.’
    At the mention of her mother the light vanished from Jessica’s eyes. ‘So what did you tell him?’ she asked.
    He shrugged. ‘The truth, as far as I know it, that we haven’t had any contact with her for at least two months, so we’ve no idea where she might be.’
    Jessica looked away. ‘You could have added that we don’t even care where she is, but we hope she’s rotting in hell.’
    Charlie took a breath.
    â€˜OK, conversation over,’ she snapped, before he could go any further, and jumping up she started to clear the table.
    Though he kept his silence, he knew very well there was more to come, and it didn’t take long. ‘My mother is hiding something about what happened that day and you know it!’ she suddenly shouted. ‘She says Natalie fell down the stairs . . .’
    Struggling to hold onto his temper he said, ‘All the findings are consistent with that . . .’
    â€˜But Natalie called me, seconds before it happened . . .’
    â€˜You only think it was seconds. You weren’t there . . .’
    â€˜I heard her fall, for Christ’s sake . . .’
    His face was chalk-white now. ‘Jessica, please stop torturing yourself like this. Your mother might have been a hopeless parent, but you know she was trying to make it up with her grandchildren. She cared about them . . .’
    â€˜Don’t defend her to me. Something’s not adding up about that fall and you know it.’
    â€˜No, I don’t. It’s only you who thinks so . . .’
    â€˜No! You do too!’ she shouted. ‘You just won’t admit it.’
    â€˜That’s absurd,’ he cried. ‘Of course I accept what she’s saying, and everything in the police and paramedics’ reports bears her out.’
    â€˜So where is she now? And why didn’t she come to the funeral?’
    â€˜You told her to stay away,’ he reminded her. ‘You made it very clear she wouldn’t be welcome . . .’
    â€˜Because she was lying. I don’t want her anywhere near me until she’s prepared to tell the truth.
Don’t look at me like that
!’ she yelled. ‘I’m not crazy and I’m not in denial. I know there’s more to it – call it a mother’s instinct, a suspicious mind . . .’
    â€˜I wish