Page 85 of The Clifftop Cottage

But she didn’t say what she was instead.

“I just thought,” Erica began, voice thinning, “that you’d understand.”

“I do understand,” Leah said. “That’s the problem. I always do.”

That hurt more than anger would have.

“You’re my sister,” Erica whispered.

“I know.” Another pause. “But you don’t get to drift in and out of my daughter’s life like this,” Leah said. “She adores you. And every time you disappear, it takes her a little while to trust that you won’t again.”

Erica pressed her hand to her mouth.

“I can’t do this tonight,” Leah added, “I’m tired. Dylan’s tired. The house is freezing because the boiler’s playing up again. I don’t have space to hold you right now.”

The words undid her.

“I didn’t mean⁠—”

“I know you didn’t mean to,” Leah said. “You never mean to.” Then the line went quiet. “Why did I think this time would be different?” Leah murmured, almost to herself.

Erica couldn’t speak.

“I’ll talk to you tomorrow,” Leah said finally. “I just can’t, Erica. Good night.”

The call ended.

She stood in the centre of the room and felt suddenly untethered, as if the ground beneath her wasn’t fixed, only borrowed.

Maybe she didn’t belong here like Andrew Peters had said.

“I’m not her,” she whispered into the dark.

But the words didn’t sound convincing anymore.

She moved mechanically, pulling a bag from the cupboard, and stuffing clothes into it without folding them. Her notebook. Her laptop. The charger.

Her hands were steady.

That frightened her most of all.

She paused in the doorway and looked back at the cottage.

The chair. The hanging dress. The mug still half full on the table.

Temporary.

The wind rattled the windows again.

Erica picked up Lucky; he quickly clawed up to her shoulder, trusting that she knew where they were going.

She switched off the lights, locked the door and walked out into the dark.

This time, she didn’t look back.

28

Margery opened the door in her slippers, a floral wool shawl wrapped loosely about her shoulders, spectacles slipping low on her nose. She took in Erica’s overnight bag and Lucky clinging to her coat.