you touch me!’ Oli snapped, cringing back.
Lily held up both hands and slowly drew back. Okay, okay.
‘I didn’t do it, Oli. That’s the truth. Someone fitted me up for it. That’s the truth too. I would never, ever have done such a thing to you. I would have slit my own throat first, Oli. I promise you that.’
Oli was silent now, watching her. She swiped a hand over her eyes. Picked up the mug of tea and sipped it, tried to gather herself.
Poor little cow, thought Lily. How the hell has she managed to cope with this? No mother. Her father dead. And the horror of knowing what had happened to bring all that about. Oli was eighteen, a young adult now; but in her eyes Lily could see nothing but the frightened, bewildered child she had been back then.
‘The silly thing is,’ said Oli finally, ‘I want to believe you.’
Lily took a gasping breath. Oh, Jesus, could she make this right? Could it really be possible? She didn’t dare believe it, not yet. But she could see that Oli was having doubts. And if she was clever enough, cunning enough, then she could open that tiny crack in Oli’s armour, get inside and win her daughter back.
Saz would be quite another matter. But Saz wasn’t here.She’d have to face that particular battle later, and she wasn’t looking forward to it at all.
‘They on honeymoon? Saz and…what’s his name, the groom?’ she asked.
‘South of France. Only for a week,’ said Oli, her eyes fixed on Lily’s face. ‘Richard’s got work to get back to: he works in the business for Uncle Si and Freddy. Him and Saz are going to move into our place when they get back.’
‘Ah.’ Lily knew that ‘the business’ covered a multitude of sins–literally. Ask any of the King brothers or Nick O’Rourke where they earned the vast amounts of dosh to pay for mansions, fast cars, holidays in the Caribbean and extremely high-maintenance blonde girlfriends and wives, and they would say ‘import and export’. It was only true insofar as ‘the business’ was a blind for other, more lucrative and less law-abiding activities.
‘Oli,’ said Lily. ‘I’d like to come home.’
Oli stared at her mother, her expression at first puzzled and then, as she took in the full meaning of what Lily had just said, horrified. ‘You what? ’
Lily decided it was time to start milking it. ‘I can’t stay here. It’s strictly temporary, one night only, a favour from Nick. Becks and Joe don’t want me there. I’ve got nowhere to go to, Oli. Nowhere at all.’
It wasn’t true, and she hated lying to Oli, but fuck it. She wanted to go back to her own home. She had to go back there. She was prepared to kick any obstacle out of the way to achieve that goal, too. Up to and including Maeve and even Si King–somehow. She didn’t know how yet. Si King wasn’t so much an obstacle as a fucking great concrete wall, but somehow she was going to have to break the bastard down. If he didn’t break her down first.
Oli jumped to her feet. ‘You can’t be bloody serious,’ she burst out. ‘ Home? You ruined our home, destroyed it. How can you, how do you fucking well dare say that to me?’
‘I’ve got nowhere else, Oli,’ said Lily. She was going for the sympathy vote, exploiting the softness she sensed in Oli, the willingness to be persuaded that her mother wasn’t a murderess after all.
She had to get back into The Fort. It was essential; everything depended upon it.
‘Forget it,’ snapped Oli, shaking her head in disbelief. ‘I don’t…I really don’t know why I came here…’ she said, dragging a hand through her hair.
‘You came here because you wanted to see me,’ said Lily. ‘And because you don’t believe I was guilty, not really.’
‘You were convicted. ’
‘I was framed. I didn’t do it. And I need…’ Lily hesitated, choosing her words carefully now…‘I need to come home, Oli. I need to be home with you.’
In Oli’s eyes, Lily could see despair, desperation.
Lily held up both hands and slowly drew back. Okay, okay.
‘I didn’t do it, Oli. That’s the truth. Someone fitted me up for it. That’s the truth too. I would never, ever have done such a thing to you. I would have slit my own throat first, Oli. I promise you that.’
Oli was silent now, watching her. She swiped a hand over her eyes. Picked up the mug of tea and sipped it, tried to gather herself.
Poor little cow, thought Lily. How the hell has she managed to cope with this? No mother. Her father dead. And the horror of knowing what had happened to bring all that about. Oli was eighteen, a young adult now; but in her eyes Lily could see nothing but the frightened, bewildered child she had been back then.
‘The silly thing is,’ said Oli finally, ‘I want to believe you.’
Lily took a gasping breath. Oh, Jesus, could she make this right? Could it really be possible? She didn’t dare believe it, not yet. But she could see that Oli was having doubts. And if she was clever enough, cunning enough, then she could open that tiny crack in Oli’s armour, get inside and win her daughter back.
Saz would be quite another matter. But Saz wasn’t here.She’d have to face that particular battle later, and she wasn’t looking forward to it at all.
‘They on honeymoon? Saz and…what’s his name, the groom?’ she asked.
‘South of France. Only for a week,’ said Oli, her eyes fixed on Lily’s face. ‘Richard’s got work to get back to: he works in the business for Uncle Si and Freddy. Him and Saz are going to move into our place when they get back.’
‘Ah.’ Lily knew that ‘the business’ covered a multitude of sins–literally. Ask any of the King brothers or Nick O’Rourke where they earned the vast amounts of dosh to pay for mansions, fast cars, holidays in the Caribbean and extremely high-maintenance blonde girlfriends and wives, and they would say ‘import and export’. It was only true insofar as ‘the business’ was a blind for other, more lucrative and less law-abiding activities.
‘Oli,’ said Lily. ‘I’d like to come home.’
Oli stared at her mother, her expression at first puzzled and then, as she took in the full meaning of what Lily had just said, horrified. ‘You what? ’
Lily decided it was time to start milking it. ‘I can’t stay here. It’s strictly temporary, one night only, a favour from Nick. Becks and Joe don’t want me there. I’ve got nowhere to go to, Oli. Nowhere at all.’
It wasn’t true, and she hated lying to Oli, but fuck it. She wanted to go back to her own home. She had to go back there. She was prepared to kick any obstacle out of the way to achieve that goal, too. Up to and including Maeve and even Si King–somehow. She didn’t know how yet. Si King wasn’t so much an obstacle as a fucking great concrete wall, but somehow she was going to have to break the bastard down. If he didn’t break her down first.
Oli jumped to her feet. ‘You can’t be bloody serious,’ she burst out. ‘ Home? You ruined our home, destroyed it. How can you, how do you fucking well dare say that to me?’
‘I’ve got nowhere else, Oli,’ said Lily. She was going for the sympathy vote, exploiting the softness she sensed in Oli, the willingness to be persuaded that her mother wasn’t a murderess after all.
She had to get back into The Fort. It was essential; everything depended upon it.
‘Forget it,’ snapped Oli, shaking her head in disbelief. ‘I don’t…I really don’t know why I came here…’ she said, dragging a hand through her hair.
‘You came here because you wanted to see me,’ said Lily. ‘And because you don’t believe I was guilty, not really.’
‘You were convicted. ’
‘I was framed. I didn’t do it. And I need…’ Lily hesitated, choosing her words carefully now…‘I need to come home, Oli. I need to be home with you.’
In Oli’s eyes, Lily could see despair, desperation.
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