Page 80

‘We’ve changed Neville’s will – my will too,’ Elizabeth interjected. ‘We’re both tired of you and Tara behaving appallingly, relying on the Oliver name and money. It’s not just Neville’s money, you know. I brought a considerable inheritance into the family, so we’ve decided that our assets will skip a generation and everything will be left to George and Jasper.’

‘What?’ Bill raged, his face a mixture of confusion, shock and fury. He tried to scramble to his feet but couldn’t quite manage it, shouting unintelligibly as the distant sound of sirens grew closer.

‘That will be the ambulance,’ Lady Oliver said quietly, and attention turned once again to Lord Oliver. The bleeding from the nasty gash on the back of his head had slowed, but he exhaled heavily and slumped down in his chair, suddenly exhausted by everything.

Kit put his arm around Fliss and she leaned against him, grateful for his support. She felt exhausted, mentally and physically, as she tried to process everything that she had discovered.

Then Tara flew through the door and Fliss felt Kit stiffen, though he didn’t let go of her.

‘What’s wrong with Daddy?’ she demanded, rushing over to Neville as the paramedics streamed in behind her.

‘It’s just a precaution,’ Elizabeth explained.

‘He’s disinherited us!’ Bill yelled, staggering to his feet.

‘Wait, what’s going on?’ Tara asked, looking round the crowded room in alarm. ‘God, it stinks of brandy in here.’

‘There’s a lot we need to tell you,’ Elizabeth said gravely, but before she could explain further, two police officers came in. Bill looked across in alarm. ‘Ah yes, I asked for the police too when I called the emergency services,’ Elizabeth said and smiled.

‘What? Why?’ Bill demanded, his eyes darting from side to side, as though looking for the nearest exit.

‘Assault, for one,’ Lady Oliver said, nodding at her husband who was being examined by the paramedics. ‘But I’m sure there could be other charges. Why don’t you give me the full list? Bribery, extortion, blackmail?’

‘You wouldn’t,’ Bill hissed.

‘Try me,’ Elizabeth replied fiercely, drawing herself up to her full height. In her ballgown and heels she was a formidable woman. ‘As you said, Bill. I’m tired of keeping this family’s secrets.’

The room felt crowded and hot, despite the freezing weather outside, and Fliss was suddenly desperate to escape. She needed time alone to come to terms with what she had just heard. Everyone was shouting and arguing, and she took her opportunity to pull gently away from Kit and quietly slip out of the room into the corridor.

She felt a hand on her arm and turned to see Kit behind her. ‘I understand if you want to be on your own. But if you want company, I’m here for you,’ he said.

Fliss couldn’t think of anything better. She smiled at Kit and they held hands as they walked through the house to a door that led out into the garden. They pushed their way through, hit instantly by the chilly night air. The moon was bright in a velvet sky scattered with stars; in the distance, Fliss could see guests streaming down the long driveway, a line of taxis taking them away.

She turned back, towards the fields and the lake, the whole scene shimmering with sparkling frost. It looked utterly perfect. Fliss took off her heels and the two of them ran hand-in-hand across the magical winter landscape, frost crunching beneath their feet, until her lungs felt as though they were bursting, panting with adrenaline.

Fliss stopped and Kit pulled her into his arms, holding her close, wrapping his arms around her. She should have been cold but somehow she wasn’t. Standing here with Kit, all of her secrets out in the open, she suddenly felt as light as a feather, as though the rest of her life was only just beginning.

‘It’s over,’ Kit said. ‘Everything that’s happened – we can leave it behind and move forward. You and me. The future that we always should have had.’

‘I feel like I’ve been waiting my whole life for us,’ Fliss said, returning his kiss. After tonight, she knew that nothing would ever be the same again. She might not have been who she thought she was, but all that mattered now was her future, her future with Kit. Finally, she was right where she was supposed to be.

Epilogue

New York

December, one year later …

The elevator rode up to the 86th floor and Fliss nestled nearer to Kit, pressed in amongst the crush of people. The winter weather made it easier to go incognito, and both were wrapped up in hats and scarves that covered most of their faces. Beneath Fliss’s layers, she wore the snaffle necklace that Kit had bought her last Christmas; she never took it off.

‘I can’t believe you’ve never done this before,’ she teased him.

‘I’ve only ever been to New York for work,’ Kit shrugged. ‘There was no time to do touristy things like going up the Empire State Building.’

‘It’s a rite of passage,’ Fliss insisted, as the lift stopped and the doors opened. They let everyone else flood out ahead of them, hanging back as the tourists jostled for space. Fliss and Kit had all the time in the world.

It was Christmas Eve and they were back in New York City. Fliss had sold her Fifth Avenue apartment – it had never really felt like home anyway, and she had no plans to live there again – so they were staying at the famous Plaza Hotel and she was excited to show Kit the city she loved so much. She couldn’t wait to show him her favourite coffee shop in Brooklyn, to browse the bookshops together in the West Village, visit Bleecker Street for the best pizza she had ever tasted.

For New Year they had been invited to Jeff and Henry’s place out in the country. Again, Kit had never spent time Upstate, and Fliss wanted to show him how beautiful it was, the mountain landscape of Saratoga Springs in all its winter glory – not to mention introducing him to her close friends. But Christmas was reserved for just the two of them, Fliss and Kit, away from everyone and everything. It was all they needed.