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‘Well, not exactly. It’s a long story.’ Lili didn’t want to get into the details about Connie and how she’d met Lili’s mother on Corfu. ‘I remember being at the party here when I was in sixth form and thinking the place seemed familiar…’
She was about to ask Elspeth whether she’d known her mum when she heard footsteps outside on the wooden veranda, and Nate’s voice calling out, ‘William? Maisie? Are you in there?’
Lili turned in her seat as the children thundered down the spiral staircase at the sound of their father’s voice.
Nate walked in. William and Maisie ran up to him and flung their arms around his waist. He was followed by Ray and Sarah.
Lili rose from her seat when she saw them.
‘I wondered where you two were,’ said Nate.
The last one in the door was Alex.
‘Alex!’ Lili exclaimed, shocked to see him. ‘What’s going on?’
He smiled at her.
Ray said, ‘We’ve been released without charge.’
‘Does that mean you’re not going to prison again?’ William asked as he ran up to his grandfather.
‘That’s right. All thanks to Lili and an exceptionally good solicitor friend, called Alex.’ Ray hugged Maisie too.
Lili ran up to Alex and hugged him. ‘Oh, my god, I don’t know what you did, but thank you, thank you!’ She hadn’t expected him travel to Suffolk after her call the previous night and sort things out straight away. For a moment, she forgot herself, and was about to apologise and step away, when she felt his arms close around her waist. He whispered, ‘I’m sorry. It was the least I could do for being such an idiot.’
When he released her, she turned around and caught Nate giving Alex a nasty look.Was that a pang of jealousy?she wondered. Nate wasn’t the only one giving Alex sour looks, though. Maisie sidled over to her dad and got another big hug for her troubles.
Lili grinned. It was lovely to see Maisie enveloped in the love and warm embrace of her dad and grandparents.
Alex whispered to Lili, ‘What is Maisie doing here? I thought with her mother being in prison, social services would have taken her.’
‘I pulled some strings – or rather, my old social worker did. Maisie was staying with me.’ Lili raised an eyebrow. ‘But don’t worry, she won’t be with me any longer. She has her dad and grandparents now.’
‘That’s her dad and grandparents?’
Lili nodded. ‘It’s a long story.’
Alex whispered, ‘Perhaps you could tell me all about it over dinner?’
Lili looked at him in surprise. After all that had happened, was he asking her out on a date? ‘I thought you were going to Washington?’
Alex didn’t answer. She wondered if he’d had a change of heart about the move.
Nobody had noticed Elspeth sitting quietly on the sofa. She overheard Lili talking about Maisie with her dad and grandparents. ‘Don’t forget her great-grandmother.’
Sarah turned around at the sound of her mother’s voice and spotted her on the sofa. ‘Mum?’ She exclaimed in surprise. ‘I thought you were on holiday?’
‘I was about to leave when I heard the news.’ She looked past them all to the door of the cabin. ‘Well, where is he? Where’s Joseph?’
Lili looked at Alex. ‘Where’s Joseph?’
Alex took a deep breath. ‘Although they haven’t charged him with anything yet, they wouldn’t release him. I’m afraid the police have found an irregularity.’
Lili asked, ‘What does that mean?’
‘I’m not sure myself. I’ve yet to get to the bottom of it. They have called in a genealogist.’
Ray stepped forward. ‘I wonder what that’s about? Why do they want to look into Joseph’s family tree?’
Sarah looked at Ray. ‘I don’t know. ‘
Elspeth sighed and said, ‘I do.’
