Page 110 of Moonlight Kisses at Willow Tree Hall

Joan shook her head sadly. ‘It’s us,’ she said, in a hushed tone.

Peter reached out to squeeze his wife’s hand. ‘We’re used to it,’ he said.

‘But why?’ asked Lily. ‘When you gave him so much to be thankful for?’

‘I think, sometimes, that he’s embarrassed,’ said Joan. ‘That he knows that we remember what it was like for him before we adopted him.’

‘How bad was it?’ asked Lily, unable to prevent herself from asking.

‘Terrible,’ said Peter, looking distraught. ‘He was covered in bruises when we first met him.’

‘When I think about what a rotten start in life he had,’ said Joan tremulously, ‘Well, it makes my blood boil! Some people don’t deserve to have children when there are so many others, like myself, who would love that child from the day they were born. If only they had been given the chance.’ Her voice trembled with emotion, which she shook away with a shake of her head. ‘But that’s a different story.’

‘We couldn’t have children,’ said Peter, looking downcast. ‘So we adopted Jack.’

‘We understand why he acts this way,’ said Joan, becoming teary. ‘We truly do. We did what we could. Gave him the best education that we could afford. We gave him a new start in life. And that’s fine. We can live with that, because he deserved it.’

But Lily was dismayed. This nice couple only wanted a child to care for, having been denied the chance by nature.

And this was how Jack repaid them? She glanced over to where she could see him pacing up and down in the foyer, talking into his mobile.

‘Excuse me,’ she said, standing up. ‘I’ll be back in a minute.’

She walked through the busy restaurant with a steely look in her eyes.

*

Jack was deep in conversation with Will when the phone was suddenly snatched out of his hand.

‘He’ll call you back,’ said Lily into the mobile before disconnecting the call.

‘What on earth are you doing?’ he asked, shocked.

‘Come with me,’ she hissed at him, taking his hand and dragging him behind one of the many grand pillars in the foyer.

Once they were mostly hidden from view, she turned to face him and he realised that she was incandescent with rage.

‘What are you doing?’ she said, keeping her voice down, but the tone was still angry. ‘You wanted me to have dinner with your parents and yet you’ve sat there and barely said a word. You’re incredibly rude, staring at your mobile. It’s like you’ve regressed back into that angry teenager I knew all those years ago.’

‘You know nothing about it,’ he said, glaring down at her.

‘I know everything,’ she replied. ‘After all, you told me, didn’t you? But what I don’t get is why you would treat them this way. God, they’re so on edge I wouldn’t be surprised if they need a stiff drink after this!’

‘They’re fine,’ he snapped.

‘Of course they’re not fine,’ she said, in an exasperated tone. ‘Any fool could see that. For a start, what on earth were you thinking bringing them here? Even I can see that the whole place makes them feel uncomfortable.’

‘I didn’t think—’ he began to say, but she interrupted him.

‘No, I don’t suppose you ever think about them,’ she carried on. ‘About the agonies they go through trying not to impose on your life. The life that they gave you!’

She stopped, to catch her breath. Her green eyes were glittering with anger and frustration.

‘Now, listen,’ he said, reaching out to grab her elbow. ‘You don’t understand a thing about me.’

‘I understand plenty,’ she told him. ‘But they’re not the bad guys here.’ She took a deep breath. ‘Your birth parents were rubbish. Unbelievably awful. And for that I’m truly sorry for you. But Joan and Peter are a sweet couple who just wanted a child to love. They chose you! They didn’t have to but they did. You could have been passed by. Have you any idea how lucky you are?’

‘I’m fully aware of the difficulties adopting me caused in their lives,’ he said between clenched teeth.