“Francesca and I actually have some other news.”
“Oh?” Jane’s eyes doubled in size.
“We’re engaged,” he blurted.
The words knocked the air out of me.
Francesca lifted her eyes to me. I put down my fork and glared at her, but she simply smiled.
Jane clutched a hand to her chest. “I wondered. Didn’t I say, Jasper?” Jane looked to her husband, who was patting his son on the back. “But there isn’t a ring, so…”
“Ah, yes! Of course I proposed with a ring, but Francesca didn’t like the one I’d chosen, so we’re going to pick something out together.”
Jane released a merry laugh and reached across to touch Francesca’s arm. “You know what you’re doing, don’t you?”
“I’ll be wearing it for a long time, so it’s best we get it right.”
Jasper chuckled. “Not a shotgun wedding, then?”
“God, no!” Francesca’s lip curled.
Disappointment registered on Jane’s face.
“No, one thing at a time,” said Jeremy. “We don’tintend to wed until I’m qualified, and the practice is up and running.”
“Sounds sensible.” Jasper nodded and knocked back his wine. “Perhaps some bubbles to celebrate?”
I tuned out as the conversation continued, seething my way through the sweet course with my thoughts on a loop — Jeremy had bound himself to Francesca, and in a sadistic flourish, she’d bound me to both of them.I need you to understand that I have your interests at heart too,she’d said.But I couldn’t fathom how any of this was inmyinterest.
When it was an acceptable time to leave, I thanked the Daltons for the meal and, with a tight-lipped smile, congratulated Francesca and Jeremy on their engagement.
Jeremy jumped up and pulled me into a tight hug. “It’s all falling into place, Trusty! You’re happy for us, right?”
I looked at Francesca over his shoulder, and she stared back, unblinking.
“Yeah, delighted,” I said flatly.
Once again Ifound myself sobbing into my pillow over Francesca, the pain in my chest returning like an unwelcome guest. I cried until I felt raw and hollow, then surrendered to sleep — deep enough to forget for a while, heavy enough to ache beneath its weight.
I woke to the sound of the front door closing, and the rumble of the Defender starting as Dad left for work, without me — thank goodness. A fresh wave of anguishcrashed into me, and I pulled my duvet back over my head, burying myself in darkness. The world outside felt too bright, too loud, too full of reminders.
But then came the creak of my door and the whisper of a voice — small, gentle, and unmistakably hers.
“Catherine, are you awake?”
I froze, as if holding my breath and pretending to be asleep might make her leave, but the weight of her shifted onto the bed. She pressed a hand onto my shoulder and held it there for a long moment.
“I know you’re angry with me,” she eventually said.
I surprised myself by throwing back the duvet and whipping around to face her. “Angry? You have no idea how I feel.”
The muscle in Francesca’s jaw pulsed, and she drew a breath through her nose. “Okay then, why don’t you tell me? Get it off your chest.”
“You slept with my best friend and acted like it was me who’d behaved unreasonably. You cheated on me, Francesca. You cheated on us both!”
She clasped her hands in her lap and nodded.
“Then, you disappeared for two years. Two years! And you have the audacity to show up here telling me how much you’ve missed me, saying you have my interests at heart, when all along you’re engaged to Jeremy. What is wrong with you?”
